LED clipping

LED clipping is a clipping method in distortion and overdrive pedals that uses LED diodes as the clipping elements¹. It tends to make an overdrive louder and provides extra headroom², and it offers greater headroom, less saturation, and higher output level³. Sources describe its sound as more open⁴, harmonically rich and amp-like⁵, or mid-range focused grit⁶. Some pedals pair it with silicon clipping via a switch⁷, and combinations of germanium diodes and LED clipping can cover vintage grit to modern high-gain distortion⁸.