Learn how to chain your effects pedals

In this article, we will explain how to optimally chain your pedalboard! To know the order you need to place your effects pedals, and above all why, depending on the sound you want to achieve.

structure of an amplifier

Before starting to talk about effects pedals, let’s take a look at what an amplifier does. That way we can understand the purpose of the effects loop, and which pedals should be placed inside it.

the preamp

The first stage of an amplifier, when plugged your cable into its input, is the preamplifier. This stage will be mainly responsible of the sound of the amp. It is the tubes of this stage that are generally saturated by changing the gain, making the amp more or less crunchy.

the power amplifier

After the preamp is the power amp. This stage will simply amplify the signal, going from a few volts to several hundred volts! The tubes can also have an influence on the sound, even if the goal is not to make them saturate like the preamp. This is where we find the 6L6, EL34, EL84…

the output transformer

After the power stage, there is a transformer. The purpose of this transformer is to convert high voltage into high current. We will obtain a signal of several hundred volts at the input which comes from the power amplifier. At the output of the transformer, the voltage is divided by a certain ratio to reach a few volts, but the current increases, being multiplied by this same ratio.

• 

• 

This strong current will finally be able to drive the speaker, which will require a lot of current to move. In theory, the transformer has no major influence on the sound of the amplifier.

the speaker

Finally, there is the speaker, which transforms the electrical signal into audible sound. Each speaker has a different frequency response, which means that it also has an effect on the sound, reproducing more or less certain frequencies.

the chaining of the effects pedals

Let’s start the placement of the pedals! We have classified them into different categories. We will first see the pedals that go before the amp, then those in the effects loop.

before the amp

vintage pedals

Immediately after the guitar, we will place some vintage pedals. Especially the Fuzz Face style pedals, and some vintage wah. These pedals are usually very sensitive to the impedance of the input signal, and only accept the impedance coming from a guitar.

the tuner

Then, we move to an essential: the tuner! It requires the least modified signal in order to work properly, and to read the notes you play as well as possible and as quickly as possible. Ideally, it should be placed before vintage pedals, but only if it is true bypass and you don’t keep it turned on while you play.

It is also possible to place a buffer here, which will reduce the treble losses caused by the cable from the guitar to the pedalboard.

the pitch / octaver

Like tuners, these pedals need the least modified signal to work. So we will put here all the pitch shifters and octavers. But they can also offer a different texture by placing them into the effects loop.

modelling the gain

After the pitch effects, we will put everything that allows us to shape the signal before the gain stage. If we put a volume pedal or a boost here, they will act on the gain of the next stage, but will not change the volume! A bit like the volume knob on the guitar. You can also place an EQ, which will act on the frequencies that the next stage will saturate more or less. Everything in this stage will allow you to sculpt the gain of the next stage!

the gain stage

We arrive to the last stage before the amplifier: the saturation! There are 2 ways to do this. We like to start with the highest gain pedals. Then, finish with a transparent overdrive like the Savage, with very low gain, but high volume, that will hit the tubes to make them saturate, and bring out all the personality of the amplifier.

In some recording studios, some engineers prefer to do the opposite, as it provides less background noise. The best way is to try it yourself!

After the gain stages, we’re finally going into the amp, to get into the preamplifier! It is also a gain stage, which will saturate the signal. That’s why we place it here!

the effects loop

After the preamp, we’ve passed the gain stages, and we’re going to move on to the effects loop. It will allow us to place pedals immediately after the preamp, before going to the power amp.

change the dynamics

After the gain stages, to which we have given the best possible dynamics, we will be able to add a compressor to colour the sound, and add clear sustain. We can also place it before the gain stages, to bring more saturated sustain, but with the disadvantage of losing dynamics on the gain.

We can also add a noise gate after the compressor, if we like heavy distortions on the gain stage which adds too much noise.

the modulation effects

We finally arrive to the modulation! First everything that is amplitude modulation like phaser, vibrato and vibe. These effects will affect the harmonic content of the signal. It is thus interesting to have a signal with an important harmonic content which passes in these effects. The saturation effects add harmonic content, so it is usual to place the modulations after them. We also add here the time modulations, with the chorus and the flanger.

the volume effects

Then, we can start with all that will affect the volume. The tremolo, boost and volume pedals! We can also put an EQ which will attenuate or boost certain frequencies this time in a clean way.

By placing these effects here, they will be able to act only on the volume. On the other hand, if we place them before the saturation, they will change the input level, which will more or less saturate the gain stage, and therefore change the gain more than the volume.

You can also complete this section with a buffer, which will prevent losses in the pedalboard wiring caused by the succession of cables and connections between all the pedals. This avoids losing too much treble!

time effets

And we end up with the delay and reverb! Placing them after the volume effects will allow you to keep the repeats of the delay and the reverb after having muted the sound with the volume pedal, without making a sharp cut.

After that, we’re done! We go back to the amplifier on the effects loop, to come into the power amp section.

summary

Nothing better than a diagram to sum up all that has just been explained!

But don’t forget to experiment too! There is no risk of changing the order of the pedals, or passing them in or out of the effect loop. A Wah will sound more aggressive if you put it after the gains, in the loop, but will be less exploitable because of volume variations for example. Some others prefer to put their phaser before the gains. The best way is to try!

Now you know everything about the effects pedals chain! If you want to start building your own pedalboard, we have everything you need to help you. High quality ready-made patches, or spare parts to make them yourself using our articles, a range of pedalboards and even power supplies! Enough to make a custom pedalboard!

We hope you find this article useful. If you are curious, you can take a look at our other articles, and subscribe to the newsletter to be sure you don’t miss anything!