/diy/ - Do It Yourself

>>1128602
Use whatever diodes are convenient and bias their other ends suitably. Amplify signal before clipping, if needed. You can also use ideal diodes if needed. This method allows continuous adjustment of the clipping level.
Or just use some of the well known, tested circuits for compression/expansion.

To answer your actual question: different diodes have different characteristics even if they're made of same material. For example, BAY135 and BAV199 have higher voltage drops than 1N4148, even though they are all small signal silicon diodes.