Make sure you’re preserving the functionality of the pedal. Keep in mind that switching the order can have a drastic effect on the tone produced. You may want to experiment with some pedals in different positions until you find the sound you want. There is one golden rule: drives and gain-driven pedals go first in the chain, then come the filters which are followed with modulation, leaving the time-based effects for last. [2] X Research source Once you’ve chosen your order, number your pedals so you can easily reproduce the same order and don’t have to memorize it.
Your patch cables should be as short as possible. Longer cables will cause the signal to degrade and your tone will suffer.
Any filter should modulate a clean signal. Placing them after other effects pedals limits their ability to function properly. This also may be a good position for phaser pedals, depending on the type of tone you want to achieve.
Depending on the type of music you’re playing, you may actually want your compressor pedal at the end of your chain. For example, if you’re playing country music, a compressor pedal at the end of the chain squashes everything, regardless of the effects you’re using. With rock music, on the other hand, it typically works better right after the filter pedals.
Overdrive and distortion pedals generate and amplify the overtones of each note you play. For this reason, you don’t want amplified overtones fed into filter or compressor pedals.
If you have multiple modulation-style pedals, you may want to experiment with their order until you find the best arrangement that will give your guitar the tone you want.
Near the beginning of your signal chain, closest to your guitar, the volume pedal will adjust the volume of your unmodulated signal going into other effects pedals. It can be helpful to clean up your sound if you use overdrive a lot. Placing your volume pedal towards the end of your signal chain adjusts the volume of the finished signal.
Keep in mind that placing a delay pedal before a volume pedal can make it more difficult to control the volume of each successive delay or echo effect.
The effects loop is before the power amp section but after the preamp of your amplifier. You’ll see “Effects Send” and “Effects Return” jacks. On some amps these may also be labeled “Preamp Out” and “Power Amp In. "
This set-up can give you a clearer sound if your amp is generating sound that is overdriven or distorted. The sound from your amplifier’s preamp section feeds into these effects.
Moving the volume pedal inside the effects loop allows you to control the entire sound coming out of the amplifier.
Generally, if you’re using five or fewer pedals, you want a small pedal board. For more than ten pedals, on the other hand, you want a large pedal board. Also take into consideration if you plan to add more pedals over time. For example, if you currently use four pedals but plan on adding three more, it’s best to go ahead and get a medium-sized pedal board so you’ll have room for the others when you get them. If your pedals are oversized, you may want to get a large pedal board even if you’re only using four or five pedals. This will prevent overcrowding.
Be sure to check the power requirements of every pedal in your set-up – don’t just assume they’re all the same. You also want to check the power requirements of pedals you plan to add later on to ensure the board you buy can handle them.
For example, if you have 10 pedals, all of which require 9 volts, you’ll need a 9-volt power supply capable of handling 10 or more pedals. If you have one pedal that requires 12 volts, you’ll need to look for a power supply that allows you to isolate pedals, because you don’t want 12 volts running through the other pedals that require less power.
Choose cables with right-angle plugs rather than straight plugs, and this will cut down on the amount of space the cables take. If you have the tools to do so, you can pretty easily cut your own cables, which can both save you money and ensure that your cables are the exact length you need for your particular set-up. Avoid black cables, as they can get lost on a stage and you may not be able to easily identify the problem if one is unhooked or damaged.
Particularly if you’re working with a large number of pedals, you may want to stagger them so they alternate between the front and rear edges of the pedal board. This will make it easier for you to differentiate between them and hit the pedal you want during a performance. Make sure the pedals you use most often are laid out so they are easiest for you to reach with your foot. Keep in mind that the location of the pedals on the board doesn’t necessarily need to follow the signal chain you’ve created exactly. However, you do want to follow it as closely as possible to reduce the length of the patch cables.
