Gearslutz.com - View Single Post

softwareguy · 6th February 2006

An important aspect of transformer "warmth" (distortion) is that it is stimulated by, and therefor tracks, the frequency of the input. EQ, by contrast, boosts or cuts a specific frequency range that remains static, whatever the input does. The frequencies added by a good-sounding transformer will always be based upon the frequency (and overtones) of the input at that moment in time and will change as the input changes.

I think that this is why transformers remain attractive to us. They can add color, richness, overtones, distortion, whatever, that tracks the musical content of the input. Kind of like an aural exciter, but much more complex and much less cheesy.

I think it is this effect that makes transformers "magic" and also why their limitations might be their most important features.

6th February 2006	#7
softwareguy Lives for gear Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 807 Thread Starter	An important aspect of transformer "warmth" (distortion) is that it is stimulated by, and therefor tracks, the frequency of the input. EQ, by contrast, boosts or cuts a specific frequency range that remains static, whatever the input does. The frequencies added by a good-sounding transformer will always be based upon the frequency (and overtones) of the input at that moment in time and will change as the input changes. I think that this is why transformers remain attractive to us. They can add color, richness, overtones, distortion, whatever, that tracks the musical content of the input. Kind of like an aural exciter, but much more complex and much less cheesy. I think it is this effect that makes transformers "magic" and also why their limitations might be their most important features.