wad the different between overdrive and distortion ?

[Ized]

haha old joke zax. yeah but distortions are usually heavier than overdrive. tighter and noisier too.

Examples of common dist pedals : crunchbox, metalzone, krank distortus maximus, DS-1

Examples of common OD pedals: Ts9, Boss SD-1, Boss OD-3, Boss Blues Driver (BD-2)

Try the mentioned above pedals...i mean, soft is a good place to get info and stuff, but we can give you the best copy descriptions ever but the best way to learn is to experience it yourself first hand.

 

[metalhead1993]

agreed hahaha but I guess everything is based on preference now

even you yourself say everything is based on preference, so whats wrong with me thinking that gnr's chinese democracy is an epic fail? Its just my opinion, its not like i'm psychoing you to hate the album sheesh

 

[Protégé]

Overdrive and distortion is a matter of clipping the signal.

Soft Clipping: This is usually marketed as "overdrive", where the gain is inversely proportional to the input signal level. This is typically produced either with back to back silicon signal diodes in the negative feedback path of an op-amp, or with germanium diodes or LEDs back to back in a shunt to ground.

Hard Clipping: Usually marketed as "distortion", where the signal level is restricted within a range. This is typically produced with silicon diodes back to back in a shunt to ground. This is the same as the circuit above, using silicon instead of germanium/LED diodes.
Here's a picture of what soft and hard clipping do to your guitar signal:

I got this from : http://users.chariot.net.au/~gmarts/ampovdrv.htm