How to order guitar pedals in your signal chain
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- Опубліковано 6 жов 2024
- Unsure of the best guitar pedal order? In this Trade Secret, Paul walks you through his approach to a basic pedal board setup. Which pedals to come first in the chain, what comes next and what should be at the end of the chain (and why?!).
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Greatly appreciated that you didn’t take three hours to deliver five of ten mins of information. WELL done, and you’ve given me a lot to think about. I didn’t realize the rabbit hole I was going down when I got my first pedal. Or the one I was going down when I decided to put a pedal board together. This straightened me out a little. Much obliged! 👍🏼
I never had more than one pedal until recently and kind of went nuts on buying more, and had no idea how to chain them, this helped a lot, thanks man!
I can relate Lucas, I'm an old bassist and since my retirement I've gone nuts with pedals.I don't know what I'm doing but I'm trying to learn and it is fun experimenting.
too funny. Ive played in many bands and all over and only really used 2-3 pedals. Im now 45 and just started getting into pedalboards. Been binging on pedals all year. Here's to learning what you love!
Same. Trying to design a pedal chain seems a lot like trying to learn a foreign language - but without a teacher. 😂
Use an amp with a loop effects in aka pre in to bypass the preamp if you don't already. A lot of people who say certain od and distortion or fuzz pedals are bad is because they're running them straight into the input.
Two years later....hows your board?
I've always preferred wah pedals before drives personally.
Yeah, sounds better
Yeah, the distortion/drive dirties the wah signal, which sounds more aggressive and dynamic. The other way, it's like it smooths it out too much for my liking, and I lose a lot of my tone when I step on the wah.
I wouldn’t put one on my board. On the floor before anything. The wah pedal is meant to be on the floor not at a odd angle on a pedalboard.
@@kjwelch27 my board is flat on top so doesn't make a difference and it's easier to carry around stuck down, and I can always take it off if I get more pedals
@@kjwelch27 says who? Lmfao
As a pedal steel player, it’s worth considering that if you place your volume pedal after your reverb or delay you will cut off the tails of your reverb and make your volume pedal more “obvious”. It gives a more ethereal feel if you put your volume pedal before these effects. Just something to think about.
correct, I have the volume after the drive section so 1 - it doesn't effect he gain stage and 2 - I still get trails when I cut the volume
Always admire pedal steel players for the great skill demanded and the huge effect pedal steel guitars have on the overall musical ‘picture’ of a band 👍
THANK YOU for a SEVEN MINUTE video that still manages to explain the logic most people steal forty minutes to explain
I' m just beginning to revive my guitar playing and this tutorial help me to have an idea in setting up pedals manually rather than using a single multi effects pedal. Thank you
Best video on what order to place your pedals. And which direction to place them. Most tutorials don't show the direction from guitar to amp. Great job!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Glad Paul mentioned a buffer. Instead of adding a separate buffer, I use a pedal with a built in buffer first.
Any Boss pedal will work; I use a Boss CS-2. A Boss Tuner pedal works as well.
I traded my older Fulltone OCD for the OCD version 2, which has a buffer. I've also got a Polytune 3 with the built-in Bonafide buffer. After playing around with both, I decided on the Fulltone buffer, but the Bonafide works very well, too.
FosterZygote Great! As long as it's not a true bypass pedal in front, you should be good to go.
Also, if using a volume pedal, it should be low impedance as well. If you're a guy who goes straight into a volume pedal then into an amp (like some pedal steel guys) then, a high impedance volume pedal is okay.
This is how it was explained to me from a zen pedal board guy at L.A. Sound, lol.
Thanks for the tip!
Made this list for my phone.
Might be useful to cut and paste.
1 Tuner - Tuner...
2 Gain - Distortion/Overdrive/fuzz
3 Filter - EQ/Wah
4 Modulation - Chorus/Flanger
5 Time/Space - Reverb/Delay
6 Volume - Tremolo/Boost
Thank you bro!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Just a little bit to taste." Proceeds to slop on chorus. j/k
Very nice and easy to follow tutorial man. Incredibly helpful. Thank you!!!
Good info short easy too understand.. this channel is underrated
This is great. Thank you for not making this a 2 hour FYI.
Basic fx chain is Filter first before gain like many other did especially for the wah pedal
A few things to note. Volume should go after the Gain stage, not before as the added Independence can affect the signal and don't put it after your delay & reverb, put it right before it so you get nice trails. Also, I have no idea why you are putting the gain stage before the filter stage. Filter effects want a clean signal to trigger properly. This is not good advise.
Hello perhaps you can help. What would be the best order for my pedals. I have; ocd overdrive, chorus, delay, reverb, compressor and tunner pedals. Any tips are appreciated
@@apostolicway2604 I run my tuner via a bypass option on my switcher, as some tuners colour the tone, even when bypassed, so I don't want it in the signal chain. If this isn't a option for you, maybe get a a/b switch and put the tuner on B, other wise put it early/first in the chain.
The order for you should be, Tuner, Compressor, OCD, Chorus, Delay and Reverb last. If you get an EQ later, put if after the OCD, if you get a Wah Wah/any envelop effects, put it before the compressor.
Simple order -Tuner>Booster>Envelop>Compressor>Gain>Modulation>Delay>Reverb>Another Booster if needed.
@@MrRadialdrift
Thank you helps so much. I have the polytune 3 tunner.
AMAZING VIDEO THANK YOU, GREAT DIAGRAMS + ICONS ON SCREEN. SUCCINT + BRIEF + FANTASTIC.
No need to shout.
Incredibly concise and helpful!
Here is my setup - only a little different at the start: Tuner > Wah / Phaser > Compressor > Overdrive (Distortion, Fuzz, Gain) > EQ > Effects Loop send - if available > Pitch (Vibrato, Whammy Pedal, Pitch Shifters, Pog, Octaver) > Modulation (Chorus, Flanger, Envelope Filters) > Level Pedals (Volume, Tremolo, Noise Gate, Limiter, Compressor) > Echo (Delay, Digital Delay, Analogue Delay) > Reverb |
Great ob. I am still a bit nervous about running a boost/ overdrive through an FX loop.
Excellent demonstration. Thanks very much.
Great video. Straight to the point.
Good info for someone else who knows nothing about their equipment. Lets start with that cable and twisting it around your forearm!
Your comment is so ambiguous I can't tell if you're actually putting down the advice or commending? It's better to create round loops with cables and wires than folding them. Even if you use the forearm loop.
Yeah he’s getting paid to do videos and works for StewMac. He can’t possibly know more than you.
Volume after the reverb and timebased pedals cut trails. I like them after the gain and preamp section. Before delay and reverb. And I like loopers in The very front if I'm testing pedals ...and in the end of my chain for playing over a recorded rhythm track..
Good Concise Presentation!
Thanks mate, very helpful.
This was very clear and helpful! The only question I'm left with is where should I put my Loop pedal? At the beginning or end of my chain?
To be clear, I'm trying to order the following: Tuner pedal, Compressor, Boss MetalZone, Fuzz, Waw, Looper, Tremolo, Delay, and Reverb. That is the order I have them in now which essentially follows your advice, but I'm not sure if the Loop is in the right place. Should I move it? Thank you!
youre the man saved me a lot of time
Very useful!
Great info. Thanks! Nice throwback informative VHS tape feel ;}
For all the newbies, keep in mind that the signal chain goes from right to left. Most pedals are designed to go that way (except my black russian big muff pi). This means that "before" is to the right side and "after" is at the left. Why? I dont know, probably because the jack on a right handed guitar is furthest to the right (???) giving it a direct shot down to the pedal's right side. So most pedals are right-handed, just like guitar tuners and tube amps are mostly right handed 🤣.
Very good advise which I will apply. Thanks!
Does it matter the order if some pedals are stereo or mono?
Thank you for the explanation. I am a total beginner. Today a guy from the Thomann music store told me to set up the TU-3 tuner to the end of the chain to use its buffer? I am confused a bit. Because most people put it in the first place like you did . And now I do have a question after I realized that you are a bassist? I have an Markbass amp with an effect loop. What should I put put before the amp and what after? Wen I am building a Pedal Board, that means it could have two separate effect chains on one Board? The first half with the distortion between the Bass and the amp and the modulations in the loop of the amp? Thank you for your time. Your vids are great. I already subscribed. Sorry for the typos. German Auto correction.
TIP: I physically place the pedals, front row the ones I use most, top row the least. HOWEVER ... the cabling order is according to this video. some criss-cross underneath
Please expand on the effects loop connections. I don't really understand the signal chain connections. You simply plugged in the cables but WHERE do come from and go to?
The right side of pedal is the input from the electric guitar or the previous pedal. The left side is usually (95%) the output to the input of the next pedal or directly to the amp/speaker. 9VDC is brought in to the top side. This is either a power supply or 9v lithium battery. The Fnord Black Arts Tonework, zvoodoo Lab Tremelo, Francisco Pena compressor, and DOD Wah are acceptions that are brought in from the top. I'm sure there are others but inputs and outputs are usually marked.
@@billhamilton6819 Thank you.
Great video! Very easy to understand
Do you live in Athens, Paul? Noticed the sticker 😎
So if wanted to add a Boss Looper pedal to your setup where would you place it?? Thanks!🙏🏻
Last.
So the guitar lead would plug into the Looper and the looper output would connect to the next pedal??
Thanks
Very helpful; thanks!
Glad we could help!
Where would more experienced people here place a Whammy pedal on a board (board being only reverb, delay, chorus, and looper)? Appreciate any feedback
Your not big into modulation ? Do you also play the blues scale with a touch of overdrive ? You need Shoegaze😎
wow I want these pedals, Pedal boards and Cable but unless I need a Wireless guitar pickup to try and connect other pedals tho.
Very good primer. I only have a tuner, distortion, and eq but this helps me understand the idea behind the others. My question is using pedals with combo amps that have effects built in (like fender mustang II). How do you use pedals with the effects settings?
Great explanation
Thank you for getting right to the point and not making it a 10 hour video.
it really helps thanks men
really helpful video. thanks!
the tone I'm going after is MESHUGGAH (for life) and bass tuned @ 432 hz (forever)
Bass tuned to (u guessed it) Meshuggah tuning
F A# D# G# C#
Bass to
1) Boss TU3 Tuner, to
2) Ebs compressor, to
3) Boss Metal zone (after this video) (high gain closer to bass), to
4) Ibanez Tube Screamer (guitar) to'
5) DOD Death Metal Pedal, to
6) Darkglass B7K,to
7) US Metal 21 rectifier to
8) Ibanez Bass Tube screamer (TS9B),to
9) Boss Bass Overdrive, to
10) Boss Bass Equalizer, to
11) Zoom B3 bass processor, to
12) Noise gate and finally to
13) EBS Amp / headphones.
I still have to tweak this up a bit, rearrange the order and let' 's see how that goes.
I recommend de the best overdrive pedal : "Yawar Drive", by Yawar electronics. The famous guitar player Charlie Parra made a demo with it and he recommend it by far. i want it.
Not exactly how I would set up my own pedals. It really also depends on the pedals you have of where they need to go and how they respond with other pedals in your chain because they can differ. BOSS DS-1 and MT-2 do better thru effects loops while you can still run some distortion thru the front of the amp. My Wah I like better at the start of the chain running thru my compressor then into distortions like the BOSS ST-2 Power Stack pedal, into a crazy cacti overdrive and then modulations like chorus. My Effects loop I ran the BOSS MT-2 & DS-2, then into a noisegate that clamps down on distortion and amp noise, but before it runs into my delay pedal. I don't want to have added noises echoing into my delays if any, more than needed to be. But it also depends on the amp you're using. I had a Marshall that hated the way I set up my pedals and my Blackstar loves it. I think its best to shoot around putting your pedals in different orders until the respond the best for you and your amp, as well with other pedal types and brands you have.
ok..
If you're using "10 or more pedals" you're just larping as a guitarist. Been doing this for 3 decades and I cannot think of ever using more than 5 pedals. Curious, where do you prefer your tube screamer?
I got a tuner , fuzz , blues driver , Clapton Crossroads which I use for diff sounds & wah . Which is the best setup for those starting from the amp up to the 🎸? I know that theirs no right or wrong , since it all depends on the sound you're looking for. And some pedals have an In & Out . Where as others don't .
Loved this tutorial! One thing I didn't hear mentioned though is a noisegate. Where would it go?
I'd say in the end, to cut all the noise from the whole setup, but correct me if I am wrong.
First. Think it might cut your dealays or reverb or the overtones created by your OD. You can do funny or weird things with it, but you'd better keep it first.
To be clear, the first pedal in the chain is plugged into the amp and the last in the chain is what your guitar is plugged into....is this correct?
Your guitar/bass should plug in to the first pedal on the right hand side usually tuner
cool video mate, could you also tell me where does gate pedal go to in the chain?
Not Stew Mac, but I'll give it a shot. It depends on what and how you want to gate. If it's a noisy guitar (single coils), towards the beginning of the chain is often best. If it's noisy pedals, right after the offending pedal(s) works well (I run a Sentry right after my fuzz and only run them in tandem). If it's a noisy amp or overall cumulative noise, the FX loop is usually the spot. Do a quick search for "4-cable method". I'll leave it to the modern metal guys to explain how they approach it. As with a volume pedal, if you run it after delay and reverb it will cut them off and can sound artificial. Always best to avoid a gate if you can by using good cables, pedals, power supply, etc...
Where should I put my looper pedal
Up your ass 😂😂
Andres Valle are you sure? I just did what you said and I experienced incredible amounts of pain and the looper didn’t seem to work. I think your wrong man
@@Macrohard_On_Fire LMAOOOOO
For me, volume pedal goes after modulation and time-based effects. And before drives, i place a compressor and pitch-based effects.
Its funny watching this. How did I figure this out on my own 20 years in my bedroom at my parents place.
yeah but you didn't have Velcro from StewMac at your time. That's why you never had a good tone.
@@MrMisterock Tone is in the velcro haha
Which category do pitch shifters fall under, modulation? And should relays be put last in the chain?
Only thing I'd disagree with would be to put the wah before distortion. The wah sounds better with a clean signal, then you overdrive that sound as a whole
So what about multi function pedals Like the Keeley DDR and DCR where do they come in the chain ???
Is a vibrato pedal in the same class as tremelo? I've been pairing these two.Good job explaining the effects chain.I'll be saving this video for reference.
tremelo changes volume and vibrato changes pitch
My list is
Stomplab multi effect
Compressor kokko
Rowin bass eq
Noisy gate rowin
Delay rowin
How am i gonna list down this effect in order correctly ?
Does any not use pedals anymore? Do people still plug straight into the amp?
I do
I stopped using pedals in 1971.
Still plug straight in
Do you have a discussion about power supplies?
Thanks!
You're welcome!
what would you consider a treble booster? a filter?
My pedal set up is in this order, korg tuner, Carl Martin chorus, MXR Flanger, Eventide Time Factor. I just bought a Darkglass Alpha Omega Bass Distortion/Overdrive pedal. Is it best to place this right after the Korg tuner? This is a Bass Guitar setup.
what about octave pedals? Where do they come in ?
So, as long as i have my boss blues driver on board, it is buffered?
Thank You!
how about preamp pedals? where can you place it in the chain?
What if your overdrive has a boost also?
I live in 100 yard long warehouse where my amps and my guitars are placed and played ( don’t ask me why) at the most distant corners . How many buffer pedals do I need?
Can't distinguish if this is a sincere question or excellent dry humor, but I'll entertain it either way haha! How long are your cables? How many pedals are you running? Do you notice any deterioration in you tone when plugging into your pedalboard versus directly into your amp?
Where do we put our "cabinet simultors"? Like Mooer Radar. Thanks.
I'm sorry but tipically wah always goes BEFORE any dirt.
Thanks for the tutorial! Octaver/detuner/whammy pedals would go with modulation? Also, compressor pedals should be in the end?
Jeff,many suggest compression first and that's what I've been doing.But I don't know, I use it to help with my slap bass.
I put octaves before a lot of things or the response is crap. Chorus/vibe etc sounds better later depending on what you're trying to do. This video is ridiculous saying dirt first.. the whole point of dirt is to simulate a driven amp, which shouldn't come before everything else based on any normal standard.. wah/octave/compression should be early and get the direct guitar signal for regular function.
Which is the ideal position for an octaver pedal?
What about a multi effect?
Genius !!
what modulation pedal did he use? it had a bunch of modulation effects in one pedal.
Where in the signal chain would you recommend placing a Boss Harmonist?
Early, possibly before the Gain stage. It's similar to a pitch effect, which wants to see a clean signal to work best. I would go Comp, Pitch, Envelope, Harmonist, then Drive/Gain, Mod effects, Delay, Reverb.
Awesome. Thank you.@@MrRadialdrift
amazing thank you
Where do you put amp simulators like the joyo American?
Hello... Where would a boss sy1 synth pedal go in the chain? Please advise
Do you recommend putting the compressor before or after the overdrive?
Have tried both ways and prefer the compressor after the dirt, but, by all means, experiment to achieve what sound better to your ears.
Great, but where do I put my noise gate and compressor?
Dude; he said compressor is included with gain stage. FYI so would the gate, good distortion pedals have a gate built in.
No mention of a noise gate....
which pedals go in the effects loop?
That Pedal Show is an excellent source for pedal placement, running wet/dry and other multi amp set-ups as well. Excellent channel for reference. A must watch
Chorus,delay 'moving' effects
"Time based effects". Reverb, delay. But plenty of famous players pre-1990s had no amp effects loop, everything went right into the amp's input. The Edge for example.
where I can put a amp simulator, like joyo ac tone, in this chain?
Where he put the wah should be a crime
John Frusciante has joined the chat
Yep. My wah gets first dibs on my guitar signal..... right after my PolyTune2.
"there's no laws on how to get the tone you want"
It was a joke man,lighten up
True- but I put my fuzz pedal before the wah because it doesn't play nice with the wah
Where would I place a buffer if I’m using an effects loop for my modulation pedals , I use a couple of boss pedals in the loop , dd3 and rc3
the boss pedals you have are already buffering, no need to get another one.
Any suggestions on how to eliminate a volume spike in my delay pedal? I have the TC electronic flashback at the very end of my chain powered by a voodoo labs power plus two and and no matter which 9 volt adapter cable I switch out or even new or different patch cables I still get an increase in volume. Thanks for any help or knowledge you can provide!
Thanks for your question! It sounds like your pedal probably has the buffer engaged, which you can eliminate with the internal switch.
StewMac forgive my ignorance but how do you go about disengaging that switch?
wait where does the compressor go???
Great question. I was wondering the same thing.
What is the modulation pedal you’re using that has multiple mod effects in one pedal?
David Johnson Donner Alchemy
The OCD pedal was the worst pedal I bought
your saying compression before distortion and in a video I just watched he says compression after distortion lol omg.
Where is the EQ?
At the front
Nice!
their really is no right or wrong way to set them up
But there are better and worse ways.
@@Tunkkis this is true but only the person seting up there pedalboard can make that call be cause one thing that i find worse you may find better
@@sludds563 Oh, you are absolutely right about that.