Need help with a pedalboard layout!

[KevinTJH]

I just bought myself a Behringer PB1000 as an upgrade from the Boss BCB60. It's probably a slight downgrade in quality, but I just needed more space on a pedalboard when I play gigs.

 

So here are the pedals I'll be putting on it:

 

-Boss DD20 [digital delay]

-Boss SD1 [overdrive]

-Suhr Kokoboost [overdrive]

-Coffincase Blooddrive [distortion/overdrive]

-Suhr Riot [distortion]

-Crossfire [tremolo]

-Mooer Acoustikar [acoustic sim]

-Korg Pitchblack [tuner]

-Ernie Ball VP Jr. [volume]

-Boss Superchorus (in future?)

 

and of course, my footswitch and wireless lead unit.

 

 

I use a Mesa Single Rectifier half stack, and I pretty much leave either one of my overdrive pedals on the whole time as a boost for my dirty channel (same way the tubescreamer is usually used). I use either the Boss SD1 or Suhr Kokoboost, but they are a little redundant since I only ever use one of them at a time.

The Suhr Riot distortion pedal is just something I occasionally use on the clean channel for a different dirty tone.

 

Could someone map out the best signal chain for 9 pedals on my pedalboard?

 

 

************************************************************************************************************

 

GUITAR > LINE 6 G30 > ___ > ___ > ___ > ___ > ___ > ___ > ___ > ___ > ___ > AMP

 

 

************************************************************************************************************

 

 

 

Thanks in advance!

 

[RadioSilence]

With distortion and overdrive things are going to sound different depending on what order you have them in, and that's up to your ears so experiment with that (that's if you have more than one on at a time, if you only use them individually then it shouldn't matter).

Things that go at the start of the chain are pedals that like to see a pure signal from your guitar, so I'd put the tuner and acoustic sim there (though some people like the tuner at the end).

Your delay and trem will come at the end, try them each way round to see which effect you prefer - delayed trem or tremolo'd delay. Your chorus can go here or at the start, depending on how you want it to sound.

And your volume pedal can go before or after distortion. Before will turn down the gain as well as volume as you're lessening the guitar signal that reaches the distortion pedals. If you have it after the distortion sound will remain constant as you turn it down.

 

So I'd personally have it Guitar - Tuner - Acoustic Sim - Chorus - [Distortions/Overdrives] - Volume - Tremolo - Delay

 

Edit: Just read that you're using amp distortion, too. That's a distortion source, too, so I'd put the volume, trem and delay in the amp's effects loop.

[KevinTJH]

Edit: Just read that you're using amp distortion, too. That's a distortion source, too, so I'd put the volume, trem and delay in the amp's effects loop.

That's something I've never actually used before. Could you briefly explain how to use the effect loop? Thanks in advance.

[RadioSilence]

Sure, you just need a couple more cables.

 

You have your cable from the guitar to the pedals as usual, then run one from the output of the last of your distortion pedals to your amp's input. Then have a cable from the FX loop send to the input of the next pedal in line, and one from the output of the last pedal to the FX loop return.

This puts those pedals inbetween the amp's preamp (sound shaping section) and power amp (speaker driving section).

[WRGKMC]

If you're looking for the best order, there can be allot of variances depending on the sounds you want, but there are some general rules many guitarists use that minimize noise, string beating and such. If you start from the guitar, you can use a volume first to mimic your guitars volume controls. If you use your guitars volume, you can really put the volume anyplace, but I usually like using it before time beased effects.

 

A good general order can be,

 

1. Volume, Wah, Compressor, Tone shaping boxes like your acoustic sim, EQs of any kind and phase shifters. These can be swapped around depending on what you want for sound. These usually work better closer to the pickups to shape the frequencies. Wah and Phase are similar and basically shape the frequencies. Tremolo is another effect that can sound better here but it can also sound good after drive units if you want that drive to ramp up in gain with the tremolo like an tremolo in an amp does or after the drive for a solid machine gun type effect.

 

2. Overdrive, Fuzz, Distortions. Your order of these is up to you. I usually put my lower gain boxes before my high gain boxes. I can use a lower gain box to drive a higher gain box to insane levels if I need to or just use them individually. No rules here but you usually have less noise with the low gain boxes first. If you use a modulator or octave pedal they can be before or after drive depending on what kinds of sounds you want from them.

 

 

3. Time based effects, Flanger, Chorus, Echo and Reverb. These are usually placed last in a chain because the time delay is supposed to emulate an actual room reflection. They usually sound better in a specific order like having reverb after echo, chorus before echo but you can experiment to find your own unique order. Flanger and chorus usually sound better before echo because they have shorter slap and they also use an LFO to shift from long and short reverberations. This movement usually sounds better before a long echo, but its your choice.

 

 

You can put a compressor just before the drive boxes to make them work like sustainers. Placing a compressor after drive boxes is usually too noisy when gain boxes are on. Comps are used for volume automation and best closer to the signal source.

 

You can also place an EQ/frequency shaping boxes before and/or after gain boxes. Some like a wah after gain boxes and you can even use one before and after gain box and leave it set for a boosted midrange to get that Boston Guitar type tone.

 

If you do have an effect loop you may want to place your time based effects in the loop. If you use your amps overdrive channels echo and reverb will sound allot cleaner and more natural there. Again there no rules here besides what you and your audience likes. Sometimes something awful sounding is exactly what makes a song cool so you should try all combinations.

 

I haven't heard all of your boxes but if I had to guess on the order I would use this. The order of the drives is optional. The Acoustic sim is after the volume and can be boosted to make up for any volume or tone sucking the volume pedal produces. It may sound better before the volume so..,. The tuner is best up front because you can turn the volume down and still tune silently. You may want to get a compressor, and place it before the Acoustic sim. It can make your clean chords and arpeggios sustain and sparkle

 

 

-Korg Pitchblack [tuner]

-Ernie Ball VP Jr. [volume]

-Mooer Acoustikar [acoustic sim]

-Crossfire [tremolo]

 

-Boss SD1 [overdrive]

-Suhr Kokoboost [overdrive]

-Coffincase Blooddrive [distortion/overdrive]

-Suhr Riot [distortion]

 

Boss Superchorus (in future?)

Boss DD20 [digital delay]

 

 

 

[evets618]

 

If the tremolo is placed before the overdrive/distortion/fuzz pedals, the depth control on the tremolo may need to be increased to compensate for the the compression inherent in overdrive/distortion/fuzz pedals. The compression will even out volume (amplitude) changes, such as occur in tremolo. If you ever need that choppy, quick on-off "stutter" effect, it might be better with the tremolo down the line with the other modulation pedals. The same is true of compressors, probably more so.

 

[mikesr1963]

[mikesr1963]

[mikesr1963]

My other two posts is where you start.

 

[KevinTJH]

Thanks guys for the comprehensive responses, really appreciate it.

 

So if I were to place my volume pedal AFTER my distortion pedal (towards the end of the chain), it would act as a master volume for the distorted tone without changing the way it sounds?

[Mr.Grumpy]

So if I were to place my volume pedal AFTER my distortion pedal (towards the end of the chain)' date=' it would act as a master volume for the distorted tone without changing the way it sounds?[/quote']

Yes, that's correct.

[riff ie]

Never forget to remember that unorthodoxy is most inspirational...