What does "transparent" mean

deano

I have mocked the word, but some people believe it to be a real thing. So okay, what does "transparent" mean when talking about drive pedals. You see, every drive pedal I've tried have always distorted the guitars signal. To me, that goes with the territory, it's what those pedals do. The signal is being clipped. How can something be transparent when it is being distorted? How does one realise the pedal is transparent? What are people listening for?

To me, transparent means "clear", or "see-through", so in the context of a drive pedal it would, to me, mean that some of the undistorted clean signal is passed through with the clipped. Which, in any case, would make it "partially opaque". At best a compressor, which shouldn't distort the signal, but simply increase the sustain of the clean tone, could be called transparent, and the more distortion a compressor introduces, the less transparent it could be called.

Is that what people mean, that some of the clean signal is passed through to the output?

Or is it a word that has been given a post-modern makeover and means whatever anyone wishes it to mean? In which case, I will reserve the right to continue mocking it when used, as it means nothing and everything and I get to play as well.

Hattigol

It keeps it the same tonally but makes it louder?

deano

So a compressor then. Or at best a boost pedal.

Snags

I've always taken it to mean that although it's distorting the signal, the underlying tone/timbre/characteristics of the guitar are still clearly (hah!) audible, just with some grit/break-up/dirt whatever term you use to describe distortion.

So the opposite of some shitty fuzz box where it doesn't matter what guitar you plug into it, the output will sound exactly the same because the effect totally replaces the sound of the guitar.

But yeah, it's clearly (hah!) not a literal descriptive term.

EricTheWeary

Yeh, it's a bit silly. I guess a Tube screamer is not transparent as it imposes a distinct EQ curve so even with no gain added it changes the sound of your guitar. So, the opposite of that. 

deano

Snags said:

I've always taken it to mean that although it's distorting the signal, the underlying tone/timbre/characteristics of the guitar are still clearly (hah!) audible, just with some grit/break-up/dirt whatever term you use to describe distortion.

So the opposite of some shitty fuzz box where it doesn't matter what guitar you plug into it, the output will sound exactly the same because the effect totally replaces the sound of the guitar.

But yeah, it's clearly (hah!) not a literal descriptive term.

So you can tell it's a strat or a tele or a Les Paul or what have you.

Okay, but most pedals do that. Even something like a Fuzz Face does that to my ears.

Hattigol

@EricTheWeary I've occasionally pondered what seemed to be a random mix of 'dums' in your signature. But on first look today, I immediately got what it was. Must have tuned my brain differently today... :-)

Maynehead

I think it means "distorting" the signal without adding any EQ.

E.g. A tubescreamer would not be described as transparent because it adds a distinctive mid-hump to the output signal.

tone1

Some pedals just overtake the guitar’s Natural sound, and it doesn’t matter what guitar you play, it all sounds the same. Transparent to me is how a particular guitar would sound with natural tube distortion/overdrive but with a pedal causing the same effect.

ICBM

deano said:

Okay, but most pedals do that. Even something like a Fuzz Face does that to my ears.

A Fuzz Face is actually pretty transparent - so much so that if you back off to the point it's not really fuzzing, it's quite hard to distinguish from the clean sound. Not surprising given that it's just a couple of gain stages, even though the fuzz is quite aggressive-sounding.

A Tube Screamer is less transparent because it changes the EQ as well as clipping the signal, even when the gain is fairly low. Some other overdrives don't change the EQ as much (eg Timmy).

A Big Muff isn't really transparent at all because it has so much distortion and EQ that it more or less obliterates the sound of the guitar. There are other pedals even more drastic, where you can't even tell which pickup is being used.

deano

Okay, so it isn't a feature of distortion characteristic, but rather of any EQ characteristics that occur alongside the distortion?

Transparency is defined as how much or how little EQ change takes place. Okay, so not a post-modern redefinition (well, a little bit; just saying "doesn't change the EQ" would work!).

Guitar_Slinger

Hattigol said:

@EricTheWeary I've occasionally pondered what seemed to be a random mix of 'dums' in your signature. But on first look today, I immediately got what it was. Must have tuned my brain differently today... :-)

Got it - Strictly Come Dancing!

breakthemachinefx

I don't really get 'transparent'  when it comes to a description of OD pedals. The Klon style pedals have this description and to my ears, you can hear them, which is nice but not transparent. Hey ho.

munckee

Hattigol said:

@EricTheWeary I've occasionally pondered what seemed to be a random mix of 'dums' in your signature. But on first look today, I immediately got what it was. Must have tuned my brain differently today... :-)

Smoke on the water?

EricTheWeary

munckee said:

Hattigol said:

@EricTheWeary I've occasionally pondered what seemed to be a random mix of 'dums' in your signature. But on first look today, I immediately got what it was. Must have tuned my brain differently today... :-)

Smoke on the water?

I don't use the main site very often so I forget about it but wis to @munckee ;

Sorry, back to transparent knickers, err, overdrives...

deano

munckee said:

Hattigol said:

@EricTheWeary I've occasionally pondered what seemed to be a random mix of 'dums' in your signature. But on first look today, I immediately got what it was. Must have tuned my brain differently today... :-)

Smoke on the water?

Surely it would end da-dummmm?

vasselmeyer

I would say transparent means retaining the underlying tone of the guitar and clean amp but adding some distortion to the sound without any additional EQ.

The only pedals I've come across that do this are the full size TC Spark Booster and the Barber Gain Changer.

Sassafras

Here's an example of a transparent overdrive pedal:

smudge_lad

For me, a transparent overdrive does increase the gain level of your amp/latter OD pedal, without adding any kind of other "flavour".

For example, a MIAB pedal into a Fender amp is not transparent, as it will attempt to make your amp sound more like a Marshall than a Fender.

However, a Timmy into a Fender will allow you alter the gain, volume, bass and treble of your signal to affect the amp without adding any other "flavour"

So basically, exactly what your amp would sound like if you turned the gain, volume, bass or treble up, in stead of using an OD pedal.

I'd probably say a transparent OD is just a fancier clean boost

deano

Sassafras said:

Here's an example of a transparent overdrive pedal:

Shouldn't there be a Vertex label on that naming it "The Emperor's Threads" or something?

juansolo

When most people use the term transparent they mean a 'more' pedal. The thing is, all the lauded more pedals are far from transparent, often cutting bass, boosting mids and adding clipping. Boost pedals that make everything louder and any clipping induced is pre-amp clipping, that to me would be a transparent overdrive.