Chaining Guitar Effects Pedals For Awesome Output
A lot of guitar players inquire about which chain of order in the guitar effects pedal board will deliver the awesome tone they want. We decided to answer these question, and help you guys out in this quest to find the perfect effects pedal board chaining. So let’s get straight down to business. What you need to realize is, before you create the right signal chain throughout your pedal board, you must have an idea about the different effects of the pedals first. Why you are using a pedal, and how to best utilize it – these questions will lead you inevitably to the perfect signaling chain, creating an awesome sound. Your ability to create the perfect output depends on your knowledge about the function of each pedal.
We are going to give you the rundown on the most basic and common pedal board chain. Although it is simple, it will help you to understand about the “how” and “why” of the signal chain. This method is called the Robert Keeley Method, named after the guy who came up with the Keeley compressor.
Ordering Pedals 101
This is how it goes: Which Chain of Effect Pedals Makes Life Easy.
You must be wondering what we are talking about. Relax, we haven’t gone insane. Not yet. This is just a handy way of remembering the chain of order for your pedals. Let us break it down for you.
Wah (Which)
Compression (Chain)
Overdrive (Of)
Equalizers (Effect)
Pitch (Pedals)
Modulation (Makes)
Levels (Life)
Echo (Easy)
But it does not end just there, mate! Below are the methods in details:
- So you start by plugging in your guitar. Duh.
- Tuner: You must have a tuner in the pedal board. A lot of people try to downplay the importance of having a tuner in the pedal board. But we think it is mandatory to have it. We prefer to put it in the first place. This allows the unprocessed raw signal to first go through the tuner. So you will get a proper reading from your tuner. Also if you don’t put it first, then the signal will keep going through the tuner. And of course you don’t want that. Try using a tuner that has a true bypass switch. This way you won’t have to worry about signals from guitar tones getting lost or messed up.
- Filters: Now for the second position in the chain we prefer to put filters. Whether it is your wah, phaser or auto-wah pedal, this is the most suitable position for it. Now for wah or phaser to work perfectly you need good dynamics on your signal. This means these pedals need to be as close to the guitar signal as possible. The closer you put it, the more unprocessed signal these pedals will get. However, you can put the wah after the distortion pedal. But placing it before distortion will allow you to tweak the intensity of the distortion. If you are looking for the perfect groove in your solos, then we suggest you put the wah before the distortion.
- Compressor: Most guitar players prefer to put the compressor before the distortion. It is crucial to get the compressor after the filters as well. Your filters might sometimes take your volumes down a notch or two. Using your compressor you even out that imbalance. That is, if you put the compressor after the filter. You can also use your compressor to get a clean tone. Now if you want to go for a darker shade in your clean tone, put the compressor after the distortion. Because then there will be more sustain. However, if its clarity you are looking for, then place the compressor before the distortion.
- Overdrive and Distortion: Now we get to the fun part. The overdrive distortion pedal. No pedal board is complete without it. You want to put this pedal after the filters. If you place it before them, it will sound more like a synth and less like an electric guitar. You won’t get the edge and the mean sound you are looking for. Also keep in mind that heavy overdrive will not work well with heavy compression. Placing a light EQ just before the overdrive has some benefits. Particularly in changing the drives’ character. So you can go for that as well.
- Equalizers: Generally equalizers come after the distortion pedal. Putting it after allows you to work with the overdrive tone controllers. Equalizers also function as a sort of volume booster pedal. If you want to quickly boost your volume you can use them. Subtle effects like short delays can be easily achieved using equalizers. So you need to get acquainted with your EQ. One golden rule, you must keep in mind is to cut down on your mids during your solos.
- Pitch: Vibrato, pitch benders, harmonizers, octave, whammy pedals, all of these fall under the category of pitch effects. They work best with signals that are compressed. So place them after compression and distortion. Always make sure to put the harmonizer after the overdrive.
- Modulation: This is where you place your modulation pedals. Like your Chorus, Flanger, Envelope Filters etc. They will fatten up your tone. Meaning they will make the frequency thicker. Modulators work well in any place that comes after distortion and overdrive. Modulation effects are mostly about subtlety. So make sure to not set them at high resonance.
- Level Pedals: This is the place for your level pedals. Volume, Limiters, Noise Gate, Tremolo – all of these are level pedals. Their job is to control the volume. So you want to set them at the end of your board. Also always put them before the echo. This will make your echo sound much more natural. Placing volume pedal at this position will also allow you subtle controls. Like if you push take your pedal down to zero, it will cut all noise, and just leave the delay. These are subtle stuff which you can use to make your playing sound much more mature and richer.
- Echo Effects: Now it is time for the atmospheric part. When you want to add atmosphere and mystery to your playing you will need echo effects. Such as Delay, Digital Delay, Analog Delay etc. You can put echo effects before a pitch shifters and get interesting results. However we do not recommend putting it before the overdrive. That can seriously mess up your tone.
- Reverb: Set the reverb at the very end. This will make it much more efficient. And your stone will feel much more mature.
- End with the amplifier.
Well, that was the simplest but a very good chain of effects pedal. You should start with this setup. As you get to know your pedals more you can start moving them around. Without experimenting you will not find your own unique tone. But if you just start with randomly putting pedals beside one another, you won’t actually be able to tell what is affecting what. Start with this basic chain and then work from there. So plug in and start working on finding that awesome tone of yours.
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