Dubs Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 There’ve been a lot of “what order should I put these pedals in?” type threads and I was just wondering what basic rules of thumb there are to guide as a general starting point for setting up your effects chain. The sort of thing I mean is the idea that it’s the ‘norm’ to put your compressor at the end of your signal chain and your tuner at the start of your chain. Apart from that I don’t really have an idea of what type of pedals generally sound good before or after certain other types of pedals, and I’m sure there are others who would be interested to know what the general consensus is as to the ‘correct’ order of pedals. Should you put a distortion before a phaser? Or a flanger before a delay? Or a synth before a ring modulator? You get the idea, but I don’t even know if you can be as general as this though… What do you guys reckon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silent Fly Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 Try to run "effect chain order" on Google. The [url="http://www.ratcliffe.co.za/articles/effectchain.shtml"]first link[/url] looks quite interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannybuoy Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 It's always good to ignore rules of thumb and try things out though. So many people put octave before fuzz for instance, as general consensus says to do so for better tracking. However I think the Boss OC-2 sounds better after fuzz (results in a clean synthesized octave down blended with the fuzz) and many people have never even tried it and just say "hey, they're the wrong way around!". Ears make the final decision! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 there is no rule of thumb, completly depends on the person, the sound wanted and the other pedals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 [quote name='dannybuoy' post='422795' date='Mar 1 2009, 11:28 PM']I think the Boss OC-2 sounds better after fuzz (results in a clean synthesized octave down blended with the fuzz)[/quote] But doesn't that make your OC-2 spit and splutter as it fails to track properly? I like the octave down blended with other effects too, so I had the OC-2 on one side of an LS-2 for a while, so it had a clean signal to track. I've tried it after other effects like fuzzes and dynamic filters and it just doesn't work very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 i suppose you could say one thing; never put a compresser in front of an envelope filter as the filter just wont work as it should... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 i suppose you could say one thing; never put a compresser in front of an envelope filter as the filter just wont work as it should... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 It depends KEv, you might want a "wild" envelope follower to be a bit more "tame". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 (edited) using a comp for that is cheating, its all in the fingers using it to squash out unwanted peaks after the filter would be more sensible Edited March 2, 2009 by Kev Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 [quote name='Kev' post='423326' date='Mar 2 2009, 03:42 PM']using a comp for that is cheating, its all in the fingers using it to squash out unwanted peaks after the filter would be more sensible[/quote] Maybe you're right, but I much prefer my bass balls after some compression, otherwise the envelope seems to vary too much. It's not peaks I have a problem with, it's the actual envelope that it's following. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannybuoy Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 [quote name='thisnameistaken' post='423292' date='Mar 2 2009, 03:11 PM']But doesn't that make your OC-2 spit and splutter as it fails to track properly? I like the octave down blended with other effects too, so I had the OC-2 on one side of an LS-2 for a while, so it had a clean signal to track. I've tried it after other effects like fuzzes and dynamic filters and it just doesn't work very well.[/quote] It's marginally worse on some really low notes, but it tracks really well, especially on sustained notes due to the sustain added by the fuzz. I've tried it with a Supercollider and Wolly Mammoth, both work well before the OC-2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 [quote name='dannybuoy' post='423900' date='Mar 3 2009, 09:38 AM']It's marginally worse on some really low notes, but it tracks really well, especially on sustained notes due to the sustain added by the fuzz. I've tried it with a Supercollider and Wolly Mammoth, both work well before the OC-2.[/quote] Weird. I've tried my Woolly Mammoth before my OC-2 and it wasn't practical at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannybuoy Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 (edited) Maybe not all OC-2s are created equal... or my Mammoth clone is slightly different to a proper Mammoth! But back to the original topic, I can give some of my rules of thumb... - I have my fuzzes first in line as they sound better without a buffered pedal inbetween - I have my octave next as I prefer it that way and can get away with the slightly worse tracking; although it also sounds good before the fuzz it's buffer really changes the sound of the Mammoth and prevents me from controlling the oscillation from the Supercollider Beast with my volume knob - Then I have OD / distortion... so I can at least get some 'octave-before-dirt' sounds - I have my filter after my fuzz/distortion as I prefer the synthy sounds it gives - Next is the VT Bass; after distortions as it smooths them out, after the filter as the peaks overdrive the VT nicely, and before compression/modulation/delay so it's more like a typical amp - fx loop - rack order of effects - Then compression; I want full touch sensitivity from my dirt pedals, filter and VT, and want to tame the filter peaks so it goes near the end - Then chorus. Goes near the end so the effect doesn't get muddied by the other pedals; also it's a bass chorus that only affects the highs, and the dirt/filter pedals produce lots of nice upper frequency content for the chorus to work with - Last is delay/looper so I can make loops with the other FX on/off and also have the option of using the stereo outputs. Compressor before delay so it doesn't squash the delay trails; although I would consider a comp/limiter after the delay if using crazy oscillation and feedback! Now this is quite a lot of FX I know... but I'm a bedroom knob twiddler these days and have this chain setup for fun and experimentation! It's always good to have a reason for putting them in a certain order, and to make sure you've tried as many options as possible before settling down on the velcro. Edited March 3, 2009 by dannybuoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 [quote name='dannybuoy' post='424335' date='Mar 3 2009, 05:27 PM']Maybe not all OC-2s are created equal... or my Mammoth clone is slightly different to a proper Mammoth![/quote] How dare you insinuate that I have a substandard OC-2! I must fight you to defend its honour. Although I nominate my friend Matt to fight as my proxy because I am a pathetic weakling and also too pretty to get hurt. I've tried loads of different pedals before my OC-2. Big Muffs, my old Pulse Synth, currently the Octavius Squeezer is before it and it copes OK with some sounds (particularly the osc sounds) but not others (the fuzz circuit). Let's swap OC-2s for comparison purposes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanOwens Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 My signal path is Tuner > OC2 > Mammoth > CEB3 > Moog Lowpass > DL4 I'm thinking of putting some dirt in, but until I get it I have no idea where. Maybe after the lowpass. Maybe after the mammoth. Maybe after the OC2. I guess your ears have to decide. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burno70 Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 (edited) Experiment with different combinations and hear whats right for you. Some people like the comp 1st and some last, both have valid reasons, some like a strong, even signal going into the rest of the fx chain and others prefer the effected signal to be compressed it's all down to preference. The way I did it was one pedal at a time until you narrow it down. I personally found that having dynamic pedals near the front is important - synths, fuzzes, dirt and filters especially. I tend to have modulation, chorus ,flanger/ phaser near the end with a delay and comp bringing up the rear. This just suits me though, others may well go ewww! Then I tried "sub" combinations of these groups- fuzz before od or vice versa> Dirt before wah or after>flanger before or after phaser etc. FWIW my signal chain is: LS2, signal A= Fuzz, OD, Wah, Filter, Flanger, Chorus, Delay, Comp. Signal B= octaver, synth. [quote]I like the octave down blended with other effects too, so I had the OC-2 on one side of an LS-2 for a while, so it had a clean signal to track. I've tried it after other effects like fuzzes and dynamic filters and it just doesn't work very well[/quote] I also blend in my OC2 into a fuzzed signal but to me it sounds fantastic? If I add Flanger to the fuzz side of the signal I just have to break out Cars by Gary Neumen. Edited March 3, 2009 by burno70 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 [quote name='burno70' post='424648' date='Mar 3 2009, 11:13 PM']I also blend in my OC2 into a fuzzed signal but to me it sounds fantastic?[/quote] Yeah sorry I meant with the OC-2 isolated in one side of the LS-2, where it can track well, and then mixing in a fuzz at the other side of the LS-2 is one of my favourite ways to use it. I also like OC-2 into fuzz though. I'm thinking about having two OC-2s on my board so I can have another one before the LS-2. Can't think of any other way to wangle it, unless I get a custom looper than can run the two loops either in parallel or series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burno70 Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 [quote]I'm thinking about having two OC-2s on my board[/quote] + loads! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 [quote name='thisnameistaken' post='424720' date='Mar 4 2009, 06:02 AM']Yeah sorry I meant with the OC-2 isolated in one side of the LS-2, where it can track well, and then mixing in a fuzz at the other side of the LS-2 is one of my favourite ways to use it. I also like OC-2 into fuzz though. I'm thinking about having two OC-2s on my board so I can have another one before the LS-2. Can't think of any other way to wangle it, unless I get a custom looper than can run the two loops either in parallel or series.[/quote] Wouldn't it be good if there was sort of two button controller to flip through the modes on the LS2 with your foot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 [quote name='cheddatom' post='425771' date='Mar 5 2009, 08:53 AM']Wouldn't it be good if there was sort of two button controller to flip through the modes on the LS2 with your foot![/quote] Cheeky. There's no mode on the LS-2 to put the loops in series, A -> B. There's also no mode to switch between one channel and both in parallel. I'd really need both of those things and I figured it'd be cheaper to just buy another OC-2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 [quote name='thisnameistaken' post='426112' date='Mar 5 2009, 01:07 PM']Cheeky. There's no mode on the LS-2 to put the loops in series, A -> B. There's also no mode to switch between one channel and both in parallel. I'd really need both of those things and I figured it'd be cheaper to just buy another OC-2.[/quote] I wasn't being cheeky, I meant it would be good if you could switch modes without turning the mode knob. I'm pretty sure there is an A->B mode, as well as the A+B mode. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 [quote name='cheddatom' post='426294' date='Mar 5 2009, 03:41 PM']I wasn't being cheeky, I meant it would be good if you could switch modes without turning the mode knob. I'm pretty sure there is an A->B mode, as well as the A+B mode.[/quote] Sorry maybe I didn't explain properly: There's no mode that runs loop A return into the loop B send - you can't use it as two loops in series. That's what I meant. There's a few ways I use my OC-2 and I'll never find a setup that works for all of them just using footswitches and one OC-2, because sometimes I have the direct level up and sometimes I just solo the -1 octave, so I'd have to bend over and turn that knob at the very least. But assuming I didn't do that, I'd need it to go before fuzz, or mixed with fuzz, and you can't do that with an LS-2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umph Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 [quote name='dannybuoy' post='422795' date='Mar 1 2009, 11:28 PM']It's always good to ignore rules of thumb and try things out though. So many people put octave before fuzz for instance, as general consensus says to do so for better tracking. However I think the Boss OC-2 sounds better after fuzz (results in a clean synthesized octave down blended with the fuzz) and many people have never even tried it and just say "hey, they're the wrong way around!". Ears make the final decision![/quote] think people generally put it before because it actually tracks then in my experience oc-2s have a hard enough time tracking a clean signal. Where my pog tracks flawlessly after fuzz and makes for some huge tones ;> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanOwens Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 Its funny. My thing is that I love my OC2 and love it into a fuzz, but I'm. Loving the idea of running them parallel but not losing the series option. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 [quote name='thisnameistaken' post='426464' date='Mar 5 2009, 05:09 PM']Sorry maybe I didn't explain properly: There's no mode that runs loop A return into the loop B send - you can't use it as two loops in series. That's what I meant.[/quote] It looks like you can on this pic, and on my LS-2, and i'm pretty sure i've done it before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.