These are often associated with "warm" tube amps. They occur at twice the frequency of the original note (an octave higher), which the human ear finds very pleasing.
At its core, distortion is any change made to an audio signal between its input and output. Technically, even your EQ and compression are forms of distortion because they alter the original waveform. However, when most people use the term, they are referring to —what happens when you push a piece of gear (like an amp or a preamp) past its limits. 2. The "Good" vs. "Bad" Debate 5 : Distortion
Unintentional clipping in a clean vocal track or a podcast recording sounds harsh and fatiguing. This is often measured as Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) ; for most listeners, a THD below 1% is considered inaudible and "clean". These are often associated with "warm" tube amps
In the guitar world, these terms describe how much the signal is "mangled": Overdrive vs. Distortion - Guitar Gear Technically, even your EQ and compression are forms
Whether distortion is "good" or "bad" usually comes down to .