SPIN chip pedals (a.o.) and their clip indicators

[taco satori]

Circuit n00b here. Always wondered about the clipping indicators on the Red Panda Particle as well as the Drolo Molecular pedals and the Digitech XPs. Good/bad/neither that these lights go off constantly when faced with hot signals/brutal transients?

My gut instinct is to assume it's probably not optimal for these pedals to be constantly clipping. To get around it, I use a Holowon Solvent Blender that lets me dial down the Send volume, then recoup that volume loss after the pedal in question. The XP I have, its gain control gets dialed down just enough and then boosted in an active true-bypass loop.

So who out there clips that shit, or would care to share some (best?) practices on sending signal to these digital beasts?

I eagerly anticipate the to come

[Dr. Sherman Sticks M.D.]

it really depends on the design... use your ears.

some devices will light up the clip indicator much earlier than actually clipping to give a lil headroom.
some are more sensitive than others.
some devices clip things beautifully when pushed, while others maybe not so much.
this is also pretty subjective...does it sound cool to you when it clips?

i think most devices usually say that some lighting up of the clip indicator is okay. you just don't want it like smashed on all the time in theory.

if u are worried about clipping, sounds like u got the concept right. turn down the gain before the pedal so it doesn't trigger the clip indicator.
turn up your amp to compensate (or another pedal later in the chain)

[whoismarykelly]

Clipping the input of an FV1 creates sharp ragged distortion that isnt pleasant. You'll know it when it happens. I actually installed a pad on a pedal long ago to get around it because I was constantly clipping the input with a really hot signal straight out of the guitar.

[comesect2.0]

RP email..

sentHi Lee.
It is normal for the clipping light to blink when turning power on or off. It is a function of the DSP chip, not measuring the signal level directly, and blinks when the DSP powers down.

thanks,
-curt

light was always red, blasting threw it with feedback/synths.. never effected the sound of the particle(no crunch) ....if anything that mix knob was like butta

[Invisible Man]

[drolo]

The LED in those FV1 chips lights up 6DB before clipping. Usually you will see some diodes clamping the signal going into the chip (at least I use some in mine) so you will be clipping those before hitting the chip, still, depending on the program the levels may still clip within so you'll see the LED go on but it's not going to fry your chip.

[Invisible Man]

fry your chip.

[drolo]

yeah, I know, I got myself hungry for these but was trying to fight it ... thank you