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bass effects pedals

M

Muskie59

Jan 19, 2021
41
24
#1
Good afternoon. I just got 2 electro harmonix bass pedals and i've heard they should be placed towards the beginning of your pedal chain because if you have them at the end the other pedals could alter the sound. Just wondering if anyone had thoughts as to where they might be best placed on my chain. Thanks.
 
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#3
Which two did you get?

Theres no 'right' or 'wrong' answer but effects can sound different depening where they are in your signal chain based on how they interact with one another. Knowing which two you got we can better help point you in the direction of what might work best.
 
#8
Yes, many Electro-Harmonix pedals are designed to be placed at the beginning of your pedal chain, but wait... They also make pedals that can also be placed in the middle of your pedal chain AND at the end of your pedal chain.

“What sorcery is this?”, you ask. Well... It depends on which Electro-Harmonix pedals you’re talking about. Those crafty little buggers do different things and can interact with each other and other pedals in various ways (mind blowing, I know).

But wait... There’s more... The most clandestine, sinister and diabolical thing about most Electro-Harmonix pedals is that they are designed to alter your sound. (Whaaat?)

The first step in your sonic endeavour is to identify which Electro-Harmonix pedals you bought, and identify what other pedals you may already have on your effects chain.

Or...Just go for it and let us know how it works out for ya.
 
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#10
No but seriously, pedal order is part science, part art, and the subject of ongoing discussion because it will always matter until the day the last pedal is powered off forever.

If these are pitch-shifting pedals, the science kicks in: they need stable, clean signal to track properly. That doesn't mean they have to go at the beginning, but just means you'll need to plan around getting them what makes them work the best.
 
#12
The rule of thumb I use is: Volume>Pitch>Filter>Compression>Wah>Preamp/Drive>Distortion>Modulation(chorus/flanger/Phaser)>Delay>Reverb
But that's just a jumping off point. Moving some of those around can yield different results that may be desirable in certain situations. I like Filters before Compression, some prefer it after. Also moving the wah after drive/distortion can give it a more dramatic effect.
 
#14
12 posts in, What a nice bunch of folks to try to answer a question without information.

But electro harmonics pedals aren't different than other pedals in that All pedals influence what goes before them. Their power needs are standardized to be the same as most others too. Many years ago they often used different power and polarity & had to have their own ac.
 
#15
Let’s just say for the sake of argument I have a distortion and a envelope filter
I would put the distortion first so it distorts the wah rather than wahing the distortion
Ymmv
If I had an octave and a distortion I would put the octave first so it distorts the ocatave rather than octaves the distortion
Ymmv
 
#18
Muskie59 said:
i have a big muff and a ehx mel 9
Click to expand...
Yeah, looks like others got here first. I agree with @Hypocrite , I'd put the muff or any dirt before the Mel9.

My personal preference (and it doesn't have to be yours) is tuners, compressions, preamps, dirts, modulation (chorus/phaser/envelope, whatever), and atmospheric (delay/reverbs). Not that you have all that or use all that.
Some experimentation is encouraged. Have fun, there are no rules with this.

And also agreeing, it only matters if you use both together. I'd still try it both ways because you might discover awesome.
 
#19
Killing Floor said:
Yeah, looks like others got here first. I agree with @Hypocrite , I'd put the muff or any dirt before the Mel9.

My personal preference (and it doesn't have to be yours) is tuners, compressions, preamps, dirts, modulation (chorus/phaser/envelope, whatever), and atmospheric (delay/reverbs). Not that you have all that or use all that.
Some experimentation is encouraged. Have fun, there are no rules with this.

And also agreeing, it only matters if you use both together. I'd still try it both ways because you might discover awesome.
Click to expand...
I have 7 pedals mostly for my own enjoyment. I started using them just a short while ago so did a lot of researching and the way you suggest putting them on the chain is pretty much how i have mine. Thanks for the info.
Lesfunk said:
Let’s just say for the sake of argument I have a distortion and a envelope filter
I would put the distortion first so it distorts the wah rather than wahing the distortion
Ymmv
If I had an octave and a distortion I would put the octave first so it distorts the ocatave rather than octaves the distortion
Ymmv
Click to expand...
I have a compressor, envelope filter, mxr delay, distortion and phase 90. Along with the 2 ehx.
Killing Floor said:
There are no hard rules, everyone has preferences. Tell us what you have and we'll make suggestions. Otherwise you'll keep getting comments that are entertaining for me to read but not helpful for you.
Click to expand...
Hypocrite said:
And what else do you have in your pedal chain? If you just have those two, I would put the Mel9 first, but that really only matters if you're planning on them both being on at the same time
Click to expand...
 
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