hard clipping

Hard clipping is a form of distortion in which clipping begins abruptly at a set level, so signals just below the threshold pass completely undistorted while those just over it are clipped¹. It generally produces more distortion, greater sustain, and a more consistent sound regardless of picking intensity². Hard clipping is commonly implemented with diodes placed after the amplifier stage, as in the Boss DS-1, where it makes a warm distortion tone gritty³, and at higher settings the clipping can approach a square wave⁴. Sources use the term to describe the distortion character of pedals such as the Pro Co Lil' RAT⁵, the MXR Prime Distortion⁶, and the Klon Centaur's drive⁷.