What do vacuum tubes (valves) do?

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INTRODUCTION

Breakdown of course subjects
History of the Electric Guitar
Variables in Signal Chain

WHAT IS TONE?

What is Sound?
Understanding Standing Waves & Harmonics
Nodes and Antinodes
Harmonic Content on Guitar String
Harmonics produced by Distortion
Understanding Modulation

GUITARS

Main Guitar Types
Pickup Demonstrations (all positions)
- Fender Stratocaster
- Fender Telecaster
- Epiphone Les Paul
- Epiphone 335 Dot
- 1967 Gretsch with FilterTrons
- 1961 Fender Jazzmaster
- 2007 Duesenberg Starplayer TV
- 1969 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop with Lollar Imperials
Guitar Controls
Guitar Woods
Necks
Scale Length
Pickup Placement
MIDI Pickups
AMPS
Overview
DIY "Lamington" Tube Amp
How do Tube Amps work?
Tone Stacks
Reading Schematics
Building the "Lamington" Tube Amp
Gain Staging
- Fenders
- Marshalls
- Hi Gain
Amp Effects Loops
Amp Switching

SPEAKERS / MICS

Overview
Specifications
Series / Parallel
Impedance Matching
Miking up Amps
Microphone Positions and Blending

EFFECTS

Overview
Gain (Overdrive, Distortion & Fuzz)
Dynamics (Compressors & Noise Gates)
Flangers
Phasers
Chorus
Tremolo / Vibrato
Rotary Speaker Emulators
Ring Modulators
Wah-wah
EQs
Pitch Shifters
Delays (Slapback, Rockabilly, Ping-pong, Patterned)
Reverb
Loopers
Effect Order
Buffers

RIGS
Overview
Pedalboard Design
True Bypass Loopers
Effect Loops
4-Wire Setup
Wet-Dry Rigs
Wet-Dry-Wet Rigs

ICONIC TONES

Fender Era
- Chuck Berry
- BB King
- Keith Richards
- Stevie Ray Vaughan
- Brian Setzer
- Brent Mason
Marshall Era
- Jimmy Hendrix
- Eric Clapton
- Jimmy Page
- Joe Perry
- Billy Gibbons
- Slash
High-Gain Era
- Eddie Van Halen
- Randy Rhoades
- Zakk Wylde
- Eric Johnson
Vox Era
- Gretsch / Vox Combo
- Duesenberg / Vox Combo
- Brian May

GRADUATION!

[KRAFTWERKK]

So far the BEST and most relatable explanation of the function of a vaccum tube / valve. And it also visualizes why tubes don't just amplify like a transistor would but actually shape the audio signal in a smooth all-electron way. THIS HERE is exactly where all the audio magic happens that people like so much and what the tubes / valves do to the audio signal which then renders a very ear-pleasing sound (some would call it saturation). This right here is the reason why and how it happens.

[andrewhall]

Finally someone that can explain things in English instead of Goblygooch !! Great job.

[Mitchell.B.Williams]

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I can't tell you how many 20+ minute videos I've watched that explained the tone characteristics, advantages/disadvantages vs solid state, types of tubes, etc but never explain how the tube itself works. This is exactly what I needed.

[MercyNoMore]

It's nice to finally see an uncomplicated explanation of how tubes actually work.

[mauer]

It's perhaps notable that the heater merely controls the rate at which the cathode releases electrons - it is not typically part of the same circuit as the cathode/diode, which are the things that release and pick up the electrons.

[yommish]

Thanks for the video. Just letting you know, your endscreen covers up the sink video pretty well, just as it begins (for me at least.) That can be adjusted in location and timing in YouTube Studio. Although the spoken word is sufficient, you filmed that nice video, people shouldn’t see it through a grid! Thanks :)

[GeoffSims-dj]

The first component is called a called a cathode. This is heated by a tungstone wire the second element is the control grid this varies the amount of electrons hitting the plate. If you put sufficient voltage on the control grid. You can prevent the valve amplifying a small signal. This is the cut off point for a valve. It's all very technical. I have a tape recorder and that is working at the absolute limit of the valve.

[Paprika]

What a fantastic explanation! Thank you for taking the time to create this video!

[Earlvis]

The heater does not provide electron flow to the plate. That happens at the cathode. The heater only encourages boiling off of electrons from the cathode.

[misterjack]

Plz do an analogy on Transistor as Amplifier too. This was explained very well.

[VKKU]

Short yet all I needed to understand the principal for a tube.
Thank you so much!

[bpg]

Fantastic explanation of how a valve works, thank you. Just to start the conversation, assuming you are using the standard (Oxford Dictionary) definition of the word amplify, which is to increase in strength, then a valve dose exactly that doesn't it?

It increases the strength of the signal in the vertical axis of the graph only leaving the horizontal axis largely unmodified. The vertical axis is amplitude, so by the most basic definition wouldn't that make it an amplifier?

[wesmatron]

Genius shines in making things simple.

[jantadeuszgasiorowski]

Finally answered all my simple-ass questions! Thank you!

[cyrillewis]

This setup is similar to a battery/resistor/led circuit no? The AC flowing through the grid ebbs and flows like when we turn a knob to regulate the flow of water in a faucet.

[curtvincent]

Fantastic graphics and faucet analogy! Thank you!

[iampuzzleman]

How does the frequency or actual sound get involved within the tube? The sound comes in and the electricity comes in and how does this involve the tube?

[kevinw]

Brilliant explanation. Thank you so much

[alexanderthegr]

Is this using electron flow theory or conventional flow theory?

[mistirion]

So basically it's an amplifier. It takes a weak signal and amplifies it, if you want to call it like that or not.

That said, this video was absolutely great because I've never quite understood what exactly they are used for or what they do on a basic level. Thank you so much