Why not Digital Tube Amps?

Phasearray
Phasearray Posts: 437
edited April 2008 in The Clubhouse
I read somewhere that the pleasant sound from tubes are actually from the even harmonic distortions tubes introduce. Seems like this would be easy enough to introduce with DSP. When will somebody do this?
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Post edited by Phasearray on
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  • ben62670
    ben62670 Posts: 15,969
    edited April 2008
    Phasearray wrote: »
    I read somewhere that the pleasant sound from tubes are actually from the even harmonic distortions tubes introduce. Seems like this would be easy enough to introduce with DSP. When will somebody do this?

    Hopefully never. Too many digital effects out there. If you like tube sound get a tube buffer at least. I'd hate to have to roll digital effects.
    Please. Please contact me a ben62670 @ yahoo.com. Make sure to include who you are, and you are from Polk so I don't delete your email. Also I am now physically unable to work on any projects. If you need help let these guys know. There are many people who will help if you let them know where you are.
    Thanks
    Ben
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  • Phasearray
    Phasearray Posts: 437
    edited April 2008
    ben62670 wrote: »
    Hopefully never. Too many digital effects out there. If you like tube sound get a tube buffer at least. I'd hate to have to roll digital effects.

    What is wrong with introducing Even Harmonics Distortion via Digital Signal Processing? The end result would be he same sound. Something that can be done cheaply over a software patch instead of raping consumers hundreds and thousands.
    Receiver - Onkyo HT-R340
    Front - Pioneer S-HF21
    Center -Onkyo SKC-340C
    Surround Back - Polk R15 <--Ticket to club polk
    Subwoofer - Onkyo SKW-340
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  • unc2701
    unc2701 Posts: 3,587
    edited April 2008
    Already been done with guitar amps. While the distortion effects sound better than pushing a SS guitar amp into distortion (BLEH!) it's got nothing on overdriving a tube amp.
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  • sucks2beme
    sucks2beme Posts: 5,601
    edited April 2008
    A great idea. So is replacing oil with a renewable resource.
    Neither looks to be available anytime soon.
    "The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg." --Thomas Jefferson
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  • madmax
    madmax Posts: 12,434
    edited April 2008
    Not the greatest idea to create a tube sound through SS because you have the odd order or IMD distortion. Its not that tubes have more even order distortion, they have less odd order and that is key to great sound. As far as I'm concerned adding the two sounds together gives you the worst of both worlds.
    madmax
    Vinyl, the final frontier...

    Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want... :D
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  • ShinAce
    ShinAce Posts: 1,194
    edited April 2008
    If you like even harmonics, use FET's in your equipment.

    If you want tube sound, use tubes. They also have the property of 'soft' clipping which is not exactly an easy mathematical formula for a DSP to process.
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