The Order of Effects

As a general practice, the arrangement of guitar effects is shown in the diagram below. Signal and gain devices (compressors, preamps, distortion) should be put first in the chain followed by coloring effects (chorus, flanging, delays, etc). The rationale being that the coloring effects are best at consistent levels. But always remember, "If it sounds good, do it!" Multi-Effects Pedals are growing in popularity and they allow you to select the types of effects you want to use, set them up in order and then store your settings.

Compressor Guyatone ST2 Comp Make notes sound smoother. The compressor levels out signals, quiet notes are boosted and heavy struck chords are reduced in level.	Distortion Boss DS-1 Distotion Pedal Takes a clean incoming sound and outputs a distorted, sustaining sound. Typically used when distortion is needed above and beyond what the amplifier can achieve. Experiment to get the sound right.	Delay Boss DD-3 Digital Delay Repilcates a reflected sound off a distant surface. A delayed verison of the original sound is heard later. Echo units can be digital or analog.
Noise Gate MXR M135 Smart Gate Opposite effect of the compressor. Some effects may be placed after the noise gate so that they will trail off naturally instead of abruptly.	WAH Dunlop Crybaby Wah The wah produces a talking guitar or funk chop effect sound by rocking the pedal between a treble and bass sound. The pedal setting can produce many tones in between.	Equalizer Boss GE-7 7-Band Equalizer Controls tone level by dividing the sound into frequency bands, allowing each band to be adjusted separately. Graphic refers to a shape of the bands levels.

More Effects

• PREAMP - Raises the signal level from the pickups. Put in front of distortion effect or with amplified acoustic guitars for extra gain.
• CHORUS - A delay-based effect effect that simulates the sound of two guitars playing the same part. Put after distortion.
• FLANGER - Plays back a delayed signal with controlled modulation against the original signal. Put after distortion.
• HARMONIZER - Adds overtones to the original signal that are in harmony. Also called a "pitch shifter", sound similar to chorus effect. Put after distortion.
• PHASE SHIFTER - Adds a "swooshing sound" like a jet plane wash through partially out of phase signals. Put after distortion.
• REVERBERATION - Simulates the overlappping sound reflections made by sound bouncing around a room. Put after distortion.
• STEREO - For a stereo setup, use two amps or a stereo amp. Split the signal using stereo effects like chorus or delay.