Effects / Pedal Chain Order

Cliff Kane · From: the late great golden state

Hi folks,
I know these types of questions have come up before, and I know that the answer is to experiment and see what works best (I will!), but as I'm in the final stages of aquiring the pedals for my new pedal board, I'm wondering where and WHY people place the following effects or pedals in their chain:

1) A phase shifter and a chorus? Do you put the phase shifter before or after the chorus?
2) A compressor and an envelope filter? Do you put the compressor before or after the envelope filter? I can see how puting a compressor before a filter will help give a more uniform filter sound, but I can also see how putting the compressor after the filter will retain the attack and envelop dynamics for the filter, and the compressor will even the output without losing the dynamics. I can see how both options might yield a cool effect.

The signal chain that I think I'll have when I'm done putting the board together will be:
1) guitar
2) BossTone fuzz
3) Matchbox
4) A/B box for a tuner
5) envelop filter or compressor (per my question)
6) compressor of envelop filter (per my question)
7) overdrive
8 ) distortion
9) chorus or phase shifter (per my question)
10) phase shifter or chorus (per my question)
11) volume pedal
12) short delay
13) long delay
14) amplifier input

Any thoughts, comments, advice, etc. is welcome and appreciated.

Thank you,
Cliff

Gary Richardi · From: SoCal, USA

I like putting dynamic modifiers like comps before other effects so it feeds them the hot, squashed signal. I like distortion before mods (phase/chorus, etc) so the mods get lots of overtones to work with. I can imagine using chorus AND phase together often so you're on your own there. I like to have a master vol pedal (for 6-string anyway) last before the amp to give me complete control over volume. Some like long delays after the master vol so echos don't get cut off.

Of course, there's no real "right" and "wrong" here...

Mike Davoult · From: Nevada

With the exception of the Bosstone & matchbow I would put everything after the volume pedal also I would really make sure all the pedals have true bypass or your gonna lose an awful lot of signal. I like to keep my pedal board right beside me so I can make little tweaks while I'm playing

Cliff Kane · From: the late great golden state

Thanks, guys. I've been thinking about the volume pedal, and it seems that placing it after the overdrive, distortion, etc., but before the delay, will allow for a more consistant sound due to avoiding changes in level going into the pedals. I'll have to try both ways once it's all together. Most of these pedals are vintage DOD, MXR, Ibanez, etc., so I'm hoping that the Matchbox and any buffers in the pedals will negate signal loss. I doubt that many of these pedals are true bypass.

Thanks,
Cliff

Ron Wright · From: Modesto,CA

soooo the effects would come from the psg output to effects ..then volume pedal then delay then amp?
thx

Doug Beaumier · From: Northampton, MA

Twayn Williams · From: Portland, OR

Filter before the compressor, no question there in my experience. You'll want to be able to use the compressor to help tame some of the high end "twack" an envelope filter can put out.

I never use phaser and chorus at the same time, so I don't think their order matters, though you might want to try putting one before the distortion and the other after the distortion.
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