{"id":2307,"date":"2013-03-06T17:34:08","date_gmt":"2013-03-07T01:34:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rolandus.com\/blog\/?p=2307"},"modified":"2013-11-13T11:13:25","modified_gmt":"2013-11-13T19:13:25","slug":"how-to-chain-your-guitar-effects-pedals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rolandus.com\/blog\/2013\/03\/06\/how-to-chain-your-guitar-effects-pedals\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Chain Your Guitar Effects Pedals – Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rule Number 1 \u2014 There are No Rules<\/h2>\n

\"BOSS<\/a><\/p>\n

Free BOSS mobile phone wallpaper\u2014choose from 10.<\/a>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

So you decided to play electric guitar. Once you get a guitar and an amp, the next step is to explore effects<\/span>.\u00a0Effects pedals can be separated into groups based on their functions. Understanding the different pedal groups is the key to getting the best sound when chaining them together. The largest<\/span> pedal group is probably overdrives and distortions, and BOSS currently makes 16 different pedals in this category. For our example pedal board, we\u2019ll pick the ST-2 Power Stack<\/a>. Another category with many choices is modulation<\/span>.<\/span>These are effects like flanger<\/span>, phaser, chorus, tremolo, and others. Let\u2019s use the most versatile of these\u2014the BF-3 Flanger<\/a>. Another group is ambience effects, such as delays and reverbs. We\u2019ll use one of each: a DD-7 Digital Delay<\/a> and the FRV-1 \u201963 Fender Reverb<\/a>. There are some pedal effects that can add notes or alter the pitch of what you\u2019re playing. For want of a more esoteric name, we\u2019ll call these \u201cpitch-altering\u201d pedals. From this category, let\u2019s throw in a BOSS OC-3 Octave<\/a>.\u00a0BOSS also has a few \"BOSS<\/a>pedals that make your instrument sound like some<\/span> other instrument. The AC-3 Acoustic Simulator <\/a>will do the job. Some effects change your sound with filtering. This effect type can be used in different places in the signal path, so we\u2019ll use the GE-7 Graphic EQ<\/a>. A few BOSS effects defy categorization, but are nevertheless very useful in any signal path. The most common of these is the CS-3 Compression\/Sustainer<\/a>. Loopers fall into this category also, so let\u2019s add an RC-3 Loop Station<\/a> to the mix. And you might want the NS-2 Noise Suppressor<\/a> to kill the noise in your rig, so let\u2019s add that in, too. What about a tuner? The TU-3<\/a> is the most popular pedal tuner in the world.<\/p>\n

So, where does each pedal go in the signal path? Here are some tips to keep in mind before you start plugging pedals together:<\/p>\n

How to Chain Your<\/span> Guitar Effects Pedals – Part 2<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Rule 1<\/strong><\/span>\u2014There are no rules. The sound you\u2019re after might not be made by what we could call the appropriate or logical signal path, but that\u2019s not always the issue. The issue is this: what does it sound like? If it makes the sound you\u2019re after, then it\u2019s right\u2026<\/span>although, you may have to do something about the noise. Traditional pedal board arrangements were designed for certain reasons, and keeping the noise down is one biggie. Following the principles of how sound is made in physical space is another (see Rule 4 coming up). But the final choice is yours. As a very wise man said: if it works, don\u2019t fix it.<\/p>\n

Rule 2<\/strong><\/span>\u2014Some pedal<\/span> types work better in certain parts of the signal path than in others. Octave pedals or tuners, for example, don\u2019t work as well with a distorted signal as with an undistorted signal, so they should be placed before the distortion.<\/p>\n

Rule 3<\/strong><\/span>\u2014Noise can be a problem, particularly with high-gain distortion sounds. Pedals that can add volume\u2014such as compressors, wahs<\/span>, EQs, and overdrive\/distortions\u2014will also amplify any noise created by the effects placed before them.<\/p>\n

Rule 4<\/strong><\/span>\u2014Taking sound-making devices like stompbox<\/span> pedals out of the equation, there\u2019s an order to the way sounds naturally occur in physical space. For example, guitar amp distortion is made in physical space by turning an amp up enough to cause its circuits to overload, and any echo you might hear happens after the distorted sound hits<\/span> walls or ceilings and bounces back to your ears. Therefore, logic says that your reverb and\/or delay pedals should be last<\/span> in the signal path, since that is how the sounds they produce actually occur in three-dimensional space.<\/p>\n

\"BOSS<\/a><\/p>\n

In keeping with these rules\u2014okay, they aren\u2019t really rules, so let\u2019s compromise and call them \u201cguidelines\u201d\u2014here are some essential concepts for lining your pedals up:<\/p>\n