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<!-- COP 2830 Phase 3 -->
<!-- Submitted by: James Lee -->
<!-- August 4, 2021-->
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<title>Sound Design :: Chain</title>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<meta name="description" content="Learn how to configure a guitar effects signal chain for optimum guitar tone using
pedal stompboxes or multi-effects units such as the Line 6 Helix.">
<meta name="keywords" content="multi-effects, signal chain, stompbox, distortion, time-based effects, spectral effects,
effects pedals, guitar tone, guitar effects, Boss, Line 6 Helix">
<link rel="preload" as="image" href="images/bossboxes-wHeadingwidth1920.jpg">
<link href="styles.css" rel="stylesheet">
</head>
<body>
<div id="wrapper">
<header>
<img src="images/bossboxes-wHeadingwidth1920.jpg" alt="Sound Design for Guitarists" class="img_responsive">
</header>
<div id="fxbox">
<nav>
<ul>
<li><a href="index.html">Home</a></li>
<li><a href="types.html">Types of Effects</a></li>
<li><a href="chain.html">Signal Chain</a></li>
<li><a href="resources.html">Resources</a></li>
<li><a href="about.html">About Me</a></li>
</ul>
</nav>
<main>
<ul class="breadcrumb">
<li><a href="index.html">Home</a></li>
<li>Signal Chain</li>
</ul>
<section>
<h2>Signal Chain</h2>
<article>
<h4>Background</h4>
<p>
For our purpose, a signal chain is the path an audio signal travels beginning with the
guitar’s output jack,
through a series of active guitar effects stages and an amplifier, until it terminates,
perhaps at a speaker or
recording medium. Each stage offers an opportunity for a guitarist to modify or shape the
guitar’s audio signal
in some fashion.
</p>
<p>
When it comes to creating your signal chain, the good news is there are no hard and fast
rules. The order of your
guitar effects is really a personal choice and if you believe as I do that music is a
creative art, then the
correct order for your effects (aka signal chain) is the one that works for you. However,
you should really start
with some general guidelines because there are many more self-defeating pedal combinations
than there are good
ones.
</p>
<p>
That last statement is based on the fact that 10 different pedals can result in 3,628,800
different pedal
orderings. Prove it to yourself with MS Excel. Use the formula “=PERMUT(10,10)” which
calculates the number of
ways you can order 10 pedals without replacement. “Without Replacement” means that you will
not use two or more
of the same pedal in your signal chain…which is referred to as “stacking” and many players
like Steve Via actually do stack pedals. In the YouTube video below, Steve Via talks about
how he sets up his pedalboard (Musician's Friend, 2014).
</p>
<div class="mlacite">
<iframe class="vidsize" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/djA3ZG3dHj0"
title="YouTube video - Perfect Pedal Order with Steve Via"
allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
allowfullscreen>
</iframe>
</div>
<cite>
Musician's Friend. (2014, August 15). <em>Perfect Guitar Pedal Order with Steve Vai.</em>
www.youtube.com. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djA3ZG3dHj0" target="_blank"
rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djA3ZG3dHj0</a>.
</cite>
</article>
<article>
<h4>A Baseline Signal Chain with Options</h4>
<p>
To save time, I offer a Baseline Option (column 3) for ordering up to 20 different pedals.
See Table 1. The baseline option follows conventional wisdom as far as the ordering of
guitar effects.
</p>
<p>
To use this table just position your effects in the relative order as specified in column 3
or 4.
You do not need to own every effect identified in the table. And if you only own one effect,
be sure
to place it before the amp or in the amp's effects loop. That is, any effect listed before
the amplifier
input (row 12) should be positioned before the amplifier and those effects listed after row
12 should
be positioned in the amplifier's effects loop if it has one.
</p>
<div class="table_w_access">
<table>
<caption>Table 1. Guitar Effects Signal Chain Ordering</caption>
<tr>
<th id="order">Order</th>
<th id="type">Effect Type</th>
<th id="option1">Baseline Option</th>
<th id="option2">Other Options</th>
<th id="comments">Comments</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td headers="order">
1
</td>
<td headers="type"></td>
<td headers="option1">Guitar</td>
<td headers="option2">Guitar</td>
<td headers="comments">No need for guitar effects without a guitar.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td headers="order">
2
</td>
<td headers="type"></td>
<td headers="option1">Tuner</td>
<td headers="option2">Tuner</td>
<td headers="comments">Helps you play in tune.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td headers="order">
3
</td>
<td headers="type">Dynamic</td>
<td headers="option1"><em>Volume Pedal*</em></td>
<td headers="option2">Another option: place it right before your Delay & Reverb
pedals</td>
<td headers="comments">To control guitar dynamics before any effects. Good for
fade-in/out.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td headers="order">
4
</td>
<td headers="type">Spectral</td>
<td headers="option1"><em>EQ**</em></td>
<td headers="option2">Right before Delay & Reverb pedals.</td>
<td headers="comments">To control primary guitar tone before any effects. Could go
anywhere in chain.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td headers="order">
5
</td>
<td headers="type">Spectral</td>
<td headers="option1">Wah</td>
<td headers="option2">Fuzz</td>
<td headers="comments">Swap Fuzz and Wah around to your liking.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td headers="order">
6
</td>
<td headers="type">Spectral</td>
<td headers="option1">Fuzz</td>
<td headers="option2">Wah</td>
<td headers="comments"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td headers="order">
7
</td>
<td headers="type">Spectral</td>
<td headers="option1">Envelop Filter, Pitch Shifter, Harmonizer, Octave Pedals</td>
<td headers="option2">Noise Gate, Compressor, Volume Pedals</td>
<td headers="comments">Swap these effects around to your liking.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td headers="order">
8
</td>
<td headers="type">Dynamic</td>
<td headers="option1">Noise Gate, Compressor, Volume Pedals</td>
<td headers="option2">Envelop Filter, Pitch Shifter, Harmonizer, Octave Pedals</td>
<td headers="comments">Swap these effects around to your liking.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td headers="order">
9
</td>
<td headers="type">Dynamic</td>
<td headers="option1">Boost</td>
<td headers="option2">Boost</td>
<td headers="comments">Provides more sonic variety by boosting the levels going to
your ODs.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td headers="order">
10
</td>
<td headers="type">Spectral</td>
<td headers="option1">Overdrive</td>
<td headers="option2">Distortion</td>
<td headers="comments">Swap OD and Distortion to your liking.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td headers="order">
11
</td>
<td headers="type">Spectral</td>
<td headers="option1">Distortion</td>
<td headers="option2">Overdrive</td>
<td headers="comments">Amount of distortion is proportional to your guitar dynamics.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td headers="order">
12
</td>
<td headers="type"></td>
<td headers="option1">Amplifier Input</td>
<td headers="option2">Amplifier Input</td>
<td headers="comments"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td headers="order">
13
</td>
<td headers="type">Time-Based (Modulation)</td>
<td headers="option1">Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Tremolo</td>
<td headers="option2">Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Tremolo</td>
<td headers="comments">Place remaining effects in amp's effects loop for clean
ambience.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td headers="order">
14
</td>
<td headers="type">Spectral</td>
<td headers="option1">EQ</td>
<td headers="option2">EQ</td>
<td headers="comments">Used to EQ finished Guitar tone.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td headers="order">
15
</td>
<td headers="type">Time-Based</td>
<td headers="option1">Delay/Echo</td>
<td headers="option2">Reverb</td>
<td headers="comments">Used to create space-related ambience.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td headers="order">
16
</td>
<td headers="type">Time-Based</td>
<td headers="option1">Reverb</td>
<td headers="option2">Delay/Echo</td>
<td headers="comments">Reverb is usually last in the chain to create room ambience.
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div>
</article>
<div>
<p>
<em>*Volume Pedals can occupy several useful positions in the signal chain. You can boost
the
dynamics of your guitar playing by placing a volume pedal at the beginning of the chain.
You can also place a volume pedal just before your modulation effects and use it to
fade-in/out
without attenuating the signal driving the other effects that rely on the strength of
the
audio signal.
Otherwise the quality of your tone will change as you fade-in or out.</em>
</p>
<p>
<em>**EQ Pedals can also occupy several useful positions in the signal chain, especially
where you need to boost or cut certain frequency bands. Many effects have some EQ
capabilities already built-in.</em>
</p>
<p>
Looking at the tail of the signal chain in the table, conventional wisdom
suggests that all modulation and time-based effects should be positioned
in the amp's effects loop so those
effects can create the ambience as intended with less extranous noise.
Placing modulation and time-based effects
earlier in the signal chain, especailly before distortion effects, may
create an undesirable, muddy sound.
If that is the sound you are pursuing, then go for it.
</p>
</div>
<br>
<p>
<img style="border:0;width:88px;height:31px"
src="http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/images/vcss-blue" alt="Valid CSS!" />
</p>
</section>
</main>
</div>
<footer>
<cite>
Musician's Friend. (2014, August 15). <em>Perfect Guitar Pedal Order with Steve Vai.</em>
www.youtube.com. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djA3ZG3dHj0" target="_blank"
rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color:white;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djA3ZG3dHj0</a>.
</cite><br><br>
Copyright © James Lee<br>
<a href="mailto:james@lee.com">James@Lee.com</a>
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