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Pedal Positioning!


JuliusGroove
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Not that I understand fully how but I am under the understanding that the order in which I place my pedals on my pedalboard will effect my tone etc? Looking for a bit of advice on setting my board up :)

I currently have:

Aguilar Tone Hammer (I've been advised to have this as the last thing before my amp)
MXR Envelope Filter
Ashdown Compressor Pedal
Boss FZ-5
Bass Big Muff
Behringer Bass Tuner (I know. It's terrible)
SOON - Aguilar Octamizer :D

Any advice on the placement in chain for these?

Thanks guys!

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I would start by trying Compressor>tuner>Octave>Envelope>FZ-5>Big Muff>Tone hammer

This of course is just a recommendation, half the fun is trying out different orders, and finding new interesting combinations that make new sounds that you like. Even trying different settings of one pedal can alter the sound of another one the other side of the chain. Play about, find a few that you like, then try them in a band situation.

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+1

& I'd go octave>dirt>dirt>filter>dirt>compressor>tuner. But that would probably change depending on how each pedal affected the next & what sound I was going for.

If anyone tells you that it needs to be in a specific order, then don't listen to them as they probably know very little about effects.

If you have a specific sound that you're trying to achieve, then we can give pointers. But choosing a pedal order is 1/2 the fun of having pedals (I'm re routing mine as I type).

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With regard to putting the Tone Hammer as the last thing in the chain, it depends! As it is a preamp the argument could be made that if you were playing an Active bass, it would have a preamp inside, therefore the first thing in the chain would be a preamp. I for example run my Sadowsky Preamp/DI first in the chain, as the tone it gives to my bass(es) is what I want to pass through the rest of my effects, otherwise you end up basically EQ'ing the rest of pedals, instead of sending them your EQ'd signal.

Personally, I would run it like this:

Bass > Tuner > Tone Hammer > Compressor > Octamizer > FZ-5/Big Muff > MXR BEF.

Also, you will get wildly different sounds running a Fuzz into an Envelope Filter, than a Filter into a Fuzz, so you may want to try the FZ-5 and Big Muff either side of the Filter. You might find one works better before and one after, so you get the best of both worlds! I have tried a few different combinations and to be honest I always run Fuzz into Filter, and never the other way round. But it really depends on the pedals, the bass, the player etc and so you might find it really works for you. Experimentation is key here I'm afraid! :)

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What's an FZ-5? I guess a fuzz.

I like filters after dirt. Also octaves track better before any other effects. But experiment - you don't have so many pedals that you can't find out which sounds you prefer.

I should add that this experience will lead to you being frustrated that you can't put certain pedals in more than one place, and you'll buy more than one of that pedal, and it will work for you, and even though you will look silly, you will careth not.

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[quote name='Higgie' timestamp='1398690033' post='2436562']
With regard to putting the Tone Hammer as the last thing in the chain, it depends! As it is a preamp the argument could be made that if you were playing an Active bass, it would have a preamp inside, therefore the first thing in the chain would be a preamp. I for example run my Sadowsky Preamp/DI first in the chain, as the tone it gives to my bass(es) is what I want to pass through the rest of my effects, otherwise you end up basically EQ'ing the rest of pedals, instead of sending them your EQ'd signal.

Personally, I would run it like this:

Bass > Tuner > Tone Hammer > Compressor > Octamizer > FZ-5/Big Muff > MXR BEF.
[/quote]

I might try this! I always go the other way and have Compressor > Tuner > TH as I have a passive bass and want the headroom from the TH going into the amp. So I avoid letting the TH come first as I don't want the headroom to be compressed and then go into the amp, if that makes sense. I never thought of using the preamp as if it were in the bass and then running it that way.

Edited by skej21
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Octaves track better before dirt, but also consider that an octave before dirt means that a fuzz pedal, for example, will then compress out any lows/sub that the octave is providing you.
I went for years with octave first, now changed to octave last, after dirt, on my main board.

Experimentation is key, each board and it's application will be different!

Si

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[quote name='skej21' timestamp='1398758092' post='2437192']
I might try this! I always go the other way and have Compressor &--#62; Tuner &--#62; TH as I have a passive bass and want the headroom from the TH going into the amp. So I avoid letting the TH come first as I don't want the headroom to be compressed and then go into the amp, if that makes sense. I never thought of using the preamp as if it were in the bass and then running it that way.
[/quote]

I'm using the Aguilar TLC for Compression, and I just use the volume control on that to give me a nice strong signal thats got a touch of compression on it going to my amp, and both pedals (TLC and Sadowsky Pre) are always on (unless using my Stingrays in which case I turn the Sadowsky off).

There are definitely advantages to running it how you do, but I just prefer my tone to be shaped how I want it before it hits the rest of my pedals! As usual, it's horses for courses!

Edited by Higgie
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[quote name='mep' timestamp='1398803032' post='2437826']
I have read that the compressor should be before the ovtaver in order to even out the signal but tru both.
[/quote]

This can help, but unless your having trouble with tracking i would worry about your overall tone than that. I think the best thing to do would be to split the signal at the start of the board, have a compressor limiting the hell out of one signal, then EQ, then octaver (full wet output), and blend that in wherever you want that in the chain. That is a very extreme solution to tracking though.

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[quote name='mep' timestamp='1398803032' post='2437826']
I have read that the compressor should be before the ovtaver in order to even out the signal but tru both.
[/quote]
A better move is to learn how to play properly. Using a compressor to get better tracking or to even things out points to having a lax right hand technique.

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