why do you put clean boosters before dirt?

[thezeng]

this is something i could never understand. Putting a booster infront of dirt just increases gain, no volume?

I have just got a SCP and it improves my sound so much at the end of the chain (before tuner) but does next to nothing before dirt.

someone care to explain?

[Small Stone]

Because it sounds good?

[rileykill]

I get a huge increase in volume w/ boost before dirt

[andreas]

A boost pedal will not immediately stop boosting actual volume just because it's placed in front of a dirt pedal - what will happen depends a lot on the dirt pedal. You can boost in front of distortion to get two different dirt sounds, with different amounts of dirt. Or if you're not running the dirt pedal flat out, with full distortion, you can use it like rileykill, as a way to get both more distortion and more volume. The percentage of added dirt vs added actual volume will depend on how the dirt pedal is set (how saturated it is), so it is a balancing game.

 

That said, I have my boost right after the dirt pedals, to raise the level for solos. But then I already have two dirt pedals with different amounts of gain, so I need my booster to do a straight volume push. But that's me.

 

/Andreas

[Loobster]

I get a huge increase in volume w/ boost before dirt

same here...

[thezeng]

thats wierd.. because ive tried two different boosters before dirt and all they did was boost gain and not volume

[FedExPope]

i always figured a clean boost was kinda like boosting your guitar output if you put it first in your chain

[newstrat60]

I guess it increases in both volume and gain when the dirt is not too much compressed (ie when it has some headroom left)

it depens also of the pedal

for example, the Lovepedal Eternity seem to make sound louder any dirt pedal put after it

[Small Stone]

I use my Bad Monkey in front of my Rat and it boosts gain, but not volume. The gain sounds way more creamy that way though!

[Lanefair]

Sometimes you get a volume boost, always a gain boost. But most importantly you get an increased compression that accentuates all those lovely harmonics, which is just as effective as being louder.

[rileykill]

Or if you're not running the dirt pedal flat out, with full distortion, you can use it like rileykill, as a way to get both more distortion and more volume. The percentage of added dirt vs added actual volume will depend on how the dirt pedal is set (how saturated it is), so it is a balancing game.

 

 

I use my Micro Amp up front to saturate the tubes in my amp, so my "clean" signal actually has a little bit of breakup. I adjust amp volume accordingly to get a baseline then adjust dirt from there. So, any boost is actually coming from my Brown Rabbit (which isn't a problem as it has plenty of volume on tap). So, I'm actually working "backward." If I turn off the Micro Amp there is a huge volume drop.

[poolshark]

This seems to be hugely dependent on the dirt pedal. Clean or treble boost before a RAT or big muff never yields anything special, IMO. Boost an overdrive circuit (pedalworx TTS, for example), and you get more saturated gain via an extra clipping stage, more touch sensitivity, and more general kickass-ness.

[spentron]

Actually the TS-type OD sorta lets through clean signal ... if you boost it enough (w/lower gain on the OD to match) you'll see.

[mike.sartori]

It's hard, but I think if you can get the balance right, two OD pedals, or an OD and a boost can make a good distortion sound. Right now I use a liquid sunshine, and a modded 250, each sounds good but different on its own, together it's louder and has more gain. To me, the hard part is getting it to not sound muddy.

[Dolf]

I have my treble booster in front of my two OD's (singing tree and HBE Power screamer) and when I kick it on, not only does the volume jump like a bastard, but I'm simultaneously pushing those pedals harder AND pushing my amp harder. It turns creamy and punchy all at the same time.

 

It sounds a damned site better than when I was running it after my dirt, AND it lets me set the gain a bit lower on both my dirty pedals since turning it up to 11 is only a footswitch away.

[spaceshot]

my boosters and preamps have minimal knobs and interact nicely with the volume and tone controls on my guitars, thus putting them first in line offers me more tonal and gain options. I also tend to use a few noisy pedals, and placing a boost after them tends to amplify an acceptable bit of noise to unacceptable amounts of noise. if I had a choice and everything was always perfect I'd have boosts up front and one buffer ( a nice buffered bypass pedal) at the very end of my chain.

[Jbrazz]

i get a small volume boost and lots of gain.

but thats the rats built in compression. which i love.

[willburford]

Sometimes you get a volume boost, always a gain boost. But most importantly you get an increased compression that accentuates all those lovely harmonics, which is just as effective as being louder.

 

 

Yep!

 

What I don't understand is why someone will buy a $150 pedal then stick it after their dirt for a solo boost. I still think that if it's after the dirt then a micro amp will sound the same as a sho.

 

clean, that's a different story. natural od by pushing the amp, also different story.

[Loobster]

I often run a Dyna Comp before a fuzz/OD. It gives a big volume boost and like others have said makes everything sound fatter and more creamy x

[AMZ-FX]

It can increase apparent sustain.

 

Also, I'm a light picker, so it can help give me more grunge from a pedal.

 

regards, Jack

[thezeng]

Yep! What I don't understand is why someone will buy a $150 pedal then stick it after their dirt for a solo boost. I still think that if it's after the dirt then a micro amp will sound the same as a sho. clean, that's a different story. natural od by pushing the amp, also different story.

i dunno ?but i tried it after dirt first and it makes it sound alot better already, and i cbf pulling it outta the chain and putting it before dirt.

thanks everyone though, because i had a tonefactor hellbaby before and all it did was increase dirt before my distortion pedals (SCOD, Teaser, FRAT, Tube Zone) i'll give this one a try though