ade123321 wrote:
I just use them to get some idea of things like tone shaping as the signal passes through the circuit. Saves hours of breadboarding or worse soldering up land fill.
I setup a breadboard circuit > I play it LIVE through an Amp for a while > Back to computer to tweak some ideas.
thanks for the replies, .. do you mean you setup the breadboard for real and play through it, while having an identical software version of the circuit to modify? what software?
i dont understand exactly the process you are describing but it sounds like what i am looking for.....
Hi Ade123,
Yes as un-hiteck as it may seem I find it saves hours of guessing part values. I use circuitmaker FREE ed, only sims 50 parts but you can sim a lot of preamps and pedal stuff with that alone.
Yes just setup a circuit on a breadboard or whatever you wish to do,, then setup the sim to the same and tweak away. Likely to be far more accurate that the other stuff you mentioned. winky.
I plug the breadboard circuits into the Amps I use LIVE so the result is exactly as I designed,, what you hear is what you get when built. too easy.
I learnt more about what goes on inside amplifiers in the first year of using sims than ten years of reading books.
I highly recommend sims to anyone who wishes to get there faster. They are not perfect and can give obscure results (usually because the operator is flawed)
You still need to read books but the combination really speeds things along. For simple straight forward audio/guitar type circuits it will save hours of hard yakka. For more complex stuff I'd just go out and purchase it.
Just adding;
A lot of folks just want to take the shortcut and find good circuits then just copy it and dive straight in and build but you will learn far more by dedicating some time to breadboarding stuff first.
No matter HOW good the reviews of the latest trendy build may sound your equipment may give disappointing results.
By test benching and simming the circuit you learn how it works (with your equipment) and while you are there you have the chance to tweak if needed *Before you waste solder*
Most of my gear is made or modified by me and I know every part now so well that I can quickly change something if needed because I know exactly where my distortion is happening.
I know where the bass can get too big or small. I can mix and match speakers accordingly ...blah blah.
That is all because I spent the time learning what each bit is doing. Simulation made that possible and that is empowering for a novice like me.
Books give you the explanations and maths but sims can give an in-depth insight into the workings.
Cheers, Phil.
