The two terms are easily confused and very often guitarists do not quite understand the difference between the two.
Understanding the differences, is a big step forward in shaping your sound and getting control over your settings.
To understand the terms and function, we need to look at an amplifier in a simplified form as comprised of two main elements:
Input stage
Output stage.
The input stage is the place where we “Shape” the signal to be amplified.
The output stage is the actual amplification of a signal by the amplifier.
Gain plays a role at the input stage. This is where we usually will find the buffer as well if a design incorporates it.
At this stage we can set the level of a signal to be presented to the output stage. It can go from very low to the point of clipping / distorted.
Volume plays a role in the output stage.
The volume level will take the signal as shaped in the input stage and amplify it.
For the guitarists, clipping is a form of expression where different clipping levels creates different sound textures.
The Gain control in a guitar AMPs or pedals, are used to clip / overdrive the signal at the input stage up to a point of distortion, without going to extreme volume levels to achieve the desired sound texture.
Side note: distortion /overdrive can be achieved when pairing a powerful amp with a weak loudspeaker and cranking up the volume.
A similar effect can be achieved by punching serious holes into a loud speaker and pushing a fair amount of volume in to it 😊
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