Zim Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 My setup consists of the following Hohner Jack Bass (Active) 1980s Harley Benton Custom Line Bass DI-Expander (preamp + compressor + DI) https://harleybenton.com/product/custom-line-bass-di-expander/ (Only linking the above as it's probably critical to the answer what this is) Tuner pedal Octaver pedal Overddrive pedal Chorus pedal Power amp Cabinet I'm wondering what the order of the preamp is to the pedals and why. I've seen a few youtube videos about pedal ordering, but there doesn't seem to be anything which covers a preamp like this. Thanks, asked in good faith, I've scoured the manual and product pages already! Zim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 Hi Zim... In truth the order is whatever you want it to be! Personally I would go this way: Tuner first so that you can mute the signal before it goes into any noise boxes; Then I'd test the way your octave and chorus sound with the drive before or after them, that can make a difference, and settle on what's right. If your Harley Benton pedal doesn't have an effects loop and you use it to DI I would put that last purely so you're giving an effected signal to the DI. If it has an effects loop then that changes things. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 (edited) I tend to put my octave box before any effect (not including tuner) so that it gets a clean signal to help with its tracking. However, pedals react differently and experimentation to find what suits you set up best is the way to go, as @uk_lefty says. With regard to fx loops, I’ve never bothered them and stuck everything in front of the amp (this probably come from having amps without loops previously), it certainly cuts down on the cable spaghetti. However, as always, YMMV. Ooh, nearly forgot Edited March 27 by ezbass 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StingRayBoy42 Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 As Lefty says- depends if you're using the DI out on the HB. If you are, I would go tuner-> octave-> drive-> chorus-> DI. If not, I'd put the HB between the tuner and the octave. That said, the only rule that matters is what sounds best to you, spend an evening experimenting and see what you like. Also, welcome aboard! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayman Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 Good choice of bass 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zim Posted March 27 Author Share Posted March 27 Wow, I've just woken up and eagerly checked my noobish question, and had loads of nice and useful replies. Point taken about the DI and the effected signal, and the other ordering prefs. Thank you so much all! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itu Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 There are a few pedals that tend to act differently to the bass signal, especially if the bass has a hi-Z (high impedance, "passive") output. These include OD/fuzz/dist, some compressors, and envelope filters. You can find them by testing only. If any of your pedals loves to be the first in a row, put it there. Any pedal that is on (processing the signal), is practically pushing out a lo-Z (low impedance) signal. If the tuner pushes out a lo-Z signal, it may be very feasible to put it to another place. Do make lots of trials to find out your own functional fx chain. If you have two or more basses, use different signals (like a simple Precision, and a Kingbass with the paramatrix pre). Note: Impedance has nothing to do with signal level: a hi-Z signal ("passive") may be more powerful than a lo-Z one ("active"), and vice versa. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Japhet Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 3 hours ago, StingRayBoy42 said: As Lefty says- depends if you're using the DI out on the HB. If you are, I would go tuner-> octave-> drive-> chorus-> DI. If not, I'd put the HB between the tuner and the octave. That said, the only rule that matters is what sounds best to you, spend an evening experimenting and see what you like. Also, welcome aboard! I've always had the DI last in the chain as a backup in case the amp fails. Have never had to use it once mind you. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 (edited) I echo what has already been broadly mentioned, which is that the correct layout is that which sounds best to you! Which opens up the way for a lot of experimentation, but that really is where you'll get the best long-term results. That said, for what it's worth, here would be my personal layout: Overddrive pedal -> Octaver pedal -> Chorus pedal -> Harley Benton preamp + compressor -> Tuner pedal Really, it doesn't matter too much where the tuner is, but if it's at the very end of the chain, it also acts as a very effective mute. If it's at the start of the chain and you leave loads of effects on while you tune, yes your bass signal is muted, but you could still have effected pedal noise going to your amp. Si Edited March 27 by Sibob 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelDean Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 23 hours ago, Sibob said: Really, it doesn't matter too much where the tuner is, but if it's at the very end of the chain, it also acts as a very effective mute. If it's at the start of the chain and you leave loads of effects on while you tune, yes your bass signal is muted, but you could still have effected pedal noise going to your amp. I always preferred putting it at the front because then you don't have to turn everything off to tune up! But, yeah, it doesn't matter that much! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamIAm Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 23 hours ago, Sibob said: Really, it doesn't matter too much where the tuner is, but if it's at the very end of the chain, it also acts as a very effective mute. Mute is a cool idea, but if at the end ... if other pedals are active, such as octave/chorus/OD, can the tuner still get a good lock on the tuning note? Sam x 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StingRayBoy42 Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 4 minutes ago, SamIAm said: Mute is a cool idea, but if at the end ... if other pedals are active, such as octave/chorus/OD, can the tuner still get a good lock on the tuning note? Sam x If the chorus is on, the note wobulates (technical term) between sharp and flat... VERY confusing if you don't realise! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulThePlug Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 (edited) Although Delay hasn't been mentioned... and usually placed at the end - less Amp Sim or depending where DI is taken - from my gtr days of the dim and distant past of the early 80's... I likes my Delay before my Slow and Subtle Phaser... so the repeats get changed, just a little, rather than before, when the repeats are the same! Sounds more Organic to me. Usual would be Tuner/Compressor/Filter&EQ/Drive&Distortion/Modulation aka Phase,Flange&Chorus/Delay&Reverb/Amp 'n Cab Sim/DI... Depending where you want your DI sound taken... maybe also taken earlier in the signal chain for a mixed wet/dry sound. Most important give em a go and see what you hear different and what ya like. Edited March 28 by PaulThePlug 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 49 minutes ago, SamIAm said: Mute is a cool idea, but if at the end ... if other pedals are active, such as octave/chorus/OD, can the tuner still get a good lock on the tuning note? Sam x Well absolutely, it’s certainly a consideration, depends on the player! Pros and Cons for sure! Si 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baloney Balderdash Posted March 30 Share Posted March 30 (edited) The order you wrote them in is fine, you might want to experiment with putting the chorus before the overdrive and see which order you like the best, and the preamp last, right before the poweramp. Edited March 30 by Baloney Balderdash 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted April 5 Share Posted April 5 Playing about with pedal order is 1/2 the fun of having pedals. Do you want to make the chorus dirty or do you want to modulate the distortion? 😂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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