how do you set up your effects?

[ibanezjunkie]

is it better to distort wet signals or to add effects to distorted signals?

eg. would it be better to add delay to a distorted signal, or to distort the effect-wet signal?

im trying to fit all my stuff on my board, and i want to add a couple more distortions, i was wondering if i could put a distortion pedal between my wah and my POD? or would it work best with the dist after the POD?

im currently running:

Wah -> POD -> MD-2 -> EQ -> Amp


would it still sound good if i were to run:

Wah -> Distortion of sort sort -> POD -> MD-2 -> EQ -> Amp?

IJ.

[hubberjub]

What's right is what sounds good to you. The common practice is filters (wah, envelope)>compression>overdrive/distortion (from lowest gain to highest)>modulation (chorus, phase, flange)>delay and reverb. If you can put your modulation and delay in the effects loop of your amp that is what I find to be best. There are no bad answers to this question. Just bad sound.

[ragnarpk]

+1 to hubberjub.

just try things out, see what sounds good.. i run fuzz before and distortion after my wah, for example, at the same time, for some crazy sounds, so it all depends on what you're going for. just experiment :D

[deeaa]

+1 to hubberjub.

just try things out, see what sounds good.. i run fuzz before and distortion after my wah, for example, at the same time, for some crazy sounds, so it all depends on what you're going for. just experiment :D

Same here.

I've used various different combos as well, for instance for a good while I had verb before OD because I liked to use it as a solo boost; gave a softer 'huge' sound that way.

But it's also 'true dat' - while any combo can give great sounds, in real world applications changing the established order usually ends up in difficulties for some sounds never mind how good it might sound in some single situation.

I put a wah first, because what it does is basically the same as your guitar tone controls. If later, it will provide a much less changing a sound, i.e. the drive tone and level will be more consistent if it's after OD. (Which may be good for some modern sounds but then you won't get a squeaky traditional wah sound)

Comp second; later in the chain it will just lift up way too much excess material, not just the guitar signal (which might be good for some spacey/noise sounds)

Next comes OD(s), because if you put them after time-based etc. FX the drive sound will be very inconsistent and messy (which might be good if you want to lose lots of clarity and make noise/sonicscapes)

Last come the verbs etc. Actually I prefer to use those mostly after-the fact entirely, but right now I do use a little verb. Which comes first, delay or verb, is a matter of how you like it. Delay after > really big sounding delay, before > more natural sounding perhaps.

Ah, and then also last come any enhancers, like BBE which I use, and such, like EQ, noisegate and so on.

So in studio, I'd just mess with the order and find what I like...

...but when building a pedalboard, I'd not alter the established order:

wah > comp > drives > delays > verbs > EQ > 'finalizer' > gate

[ibanezjunkie]

my pod is also my noisegate, so it makes sense to put it last also.

whats a 'finalizer'?

[deeaa]

my pod is also my noisegate, so it makes sense to put it last also.

whats a 'finalizer'?

I meant anything like a BBE maximiser, enhancer, feedback destroyer etc. that 'finalize' the sound.

[fensonpaulcaster]

What's right is what sounds good to you. The common practice is filters (wah, envelope)>compression>overdrive/distortion (from lowest gain to highest)>modulation (chorus, phase, flange)>delay and reverb. If you can put your modulation and delay in the effects loop of your amp that is what I find to be best. There are no bad answers to this question. Just bad sound.

where does eq (generally) fit into that equation? does it matter?

I have a hard time with this sorta thing putting my effects into order.

[fensonpaulcaster]

oh nevermind....


thanks deaaa

[fensonpaulcaster]

now what about modeling? I run a floor pod plus, and as ibanezjunkie i said has my noise gate but it has all my modeling as well so if i wanna change the overall tone will that work at the end of the chain?

[ragnarpk]

you mean amp modeling...? that should go at the end..

by the way, love the second quote in your signature (had to say it). he's such a legend.

[duhvoodooman]

http://www.thefret.net/showthread.php?p=144289#post144289