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Effects Chain Question

behndy

behndy

Inactive
Nov 1, 2008
8,860
117
California
#1
hey there all. i'm kinda a goof about what effect goes before what..... and i was looking for some advice.

i'm using a Tech 21 Sansamp for my preamp, an Aphex Punch Factory Optical Compressor and a multi efx unit (the Digitech RP 500) with my 6 string basses.

right now i'm going Bass -> Sansamp -> Punch Factory -> RP 500. is that the best way? is the compressor usually best put after the preamp?

Thanks much,

-0behn desu0-
 
#3
I usually like the comp after any other efx & right before the amp, that way it takes care of volume spikes produced by the various other items in the chain(like envelope filters in particular). Ther's almost no 'wrong' order, as long as you mind your in/outs- try different orders and see what you like.
 
#4
bassteban said:
Ther's almost no 'wrong' order, as long as you mind your in/outs- try different orders and see what you like.
Click to expand...

+1

Also, I'm sure you'll get several varying opinions. Some people run their compressors before everything so that it smoothes out the original signal from the bass, some people run their compressors after everything so they can have more control over the whole shooting match. It's definitely a personal taste thing.

Personally, I run my compressor after my envelope filter and octaver (tuner > envelope > octave > compressor > other stuff). With this setup, I can keep as "fresh" a signal as possible going to them (for better tracking) while taming the peaks of the envelope and the huge output of the Octabass. This also lets my other effects do what they do without getting squished.

Your RP 500 has a compressor built in and Digitech programmed it as 2nd in the chain, after the wah. (they explain on page 13 of the manual, the diagram is pretty helpful). I think that's the way most multi-effects have it set up.

I'd say mess around and see what sounds best to you.

A quick read that might also be helpful:
http://www.geofex.com/effxfaq/fxorder.htm

My .02. :)

5sg.
 
#5
good stuff. thanks for the for the link 5stringGeico. it's interesting stuff.

i've been told before that it's better to have the compressor before the distortion because the compressor will bump up too much noise from the distortion. is this a silly concern?

sorta unrelated.... Brian Gibson is my hero. that man gets a ridiculous amount of noise out of a (albeit odd-tuned) bass. he rocks like birds.

thanks.

-0behn desu0-
 
#6
also, favorite multi-efx units?

i'm not an audiophile enough to be able to hear the difference from good emulations and original pedal/preamps usually..... so i dig on using a (for me) more convenient, as close to all-in-one-box setup.

yahp.

-0behn desu0-
 
#7
Apologies in advance for the long post, I'll break it into two parts for convenience. Hope it helps!


====== Compressors ======

It's not a silly concern at all, but it IS a bit of give and take. Compressors smooth out the peaks in your signal, which is great (particularly for a good slap/pop sound), but it also lowers your overall volume a bit.

Check it out:

Uncompressed signal
Uncompressed.jpg


Compressed signal
Compressed.jpg


The more you compress your signal, the more gain you'll need to make up for the volume difference. Unfortunately, turning up gain will also amplify any noise coming from anything you have before the compressor, not just distortion pedals.

It'll really depend on what order your effects are in and what settings you like. I'd suggest finding sounds you like with each individual pedal, then add one effect at a time. You might find that you'll have to adjust settings based on how everything interacts. I've even found that I need to adjust settings on pedals depending on what bass I use. It might get a little tedious, but you'll be pretty happy in the long run.

There's some great compressor info here: http://www.ovnilab.com/faq.shtml. "Why are compressors so noisy" (9th down), is particularly appropriate to this discussion.



====== Multi-effects ======

As far as multi-effects go, I'm not really up on the new stuff. I have an older Digitech BP-8 that has a tube preamp built in and sounds pretty good. I've also owned a Zoom 506 (my first pedal! :)) and still have a Korg Toneworks AX1B laying around.

If I were shopping right now, I would definitely want to check out the Zoom B9.1ut (which also has a tube preamp... and a FOUR way expression pedal!). Boss stuff has a great reputation and GT-10B looks pretty hot. There's also the Rocktron Utopia stuff, which I know zilch about. lol For more compact multi-effects, the Boss ME-50B/ME-20B and Zoom B2.1u would all be units I'd want to take a look at.

Most of the Boss stuff has demo videos, Bass Player TV has demos/reviews of some gear, Harmony-Central is always a great resourse for finding info and make sure to hit up Youtube to see what they've got. Another idea would be to hit up Ebay for deals on good used gear and your local pawn shops might even have a hidden gem here and there.

A last (related) sidenote: I really dig Christian McBride's electric sound, and his gear list on his site includes the ME-50B. In particular, check out his sound on The Philadelphia Experiment's track "Ain't It The Truth." Oh man, that nice subtle (and BEEFY) envelope sound alone would almost be worth the price of the whole unit!!! Just mentioning it has made me go back and listen to the song twice. :D lol

5sg.
 
#8
great post FSG.

FWIW, I've only recently been experimenting with various effects. I've been messing around with my signal path a little bit and hit on something.

The following was my signal path:

Digitech Synth Wah => Sansamp BDDI Programmable => BBE Sonic Stomp => Boss LMB-3.

The LMB-3 is the limiter/enhancer. A bit of a stronger compression and a decent unit.

Here is my revamped signal path:

Digitech Synth Wah => Boss LMB-3 => Sansamp BDDI Prog. => BBE Sonic Stomp.

Here is what I noticed in the difference in sound and it pertains to the Sansamp BDDI. I've been using the 3rd channel on the Sansamp as an overdrive and with the compressor after that pedal; it really sucked the aggression out of the OD. Having it before the Sansamp allows that OD on the Sansamp to do its thing, while still evening out my original signal.

I always keep compression after envelop filters (Synth Wah, Q-Tron, Auto Wah ETC.) because those types of effects are really dependent on the dynamics of your playing
 
#9
in general, towards the end of your chain, the more aggressively time based the effects become, the later in your chain they 'should' be
ie. flanger-->phaser--->tremolo--->delay---->looper
compressor is a hard one.. have to experiment
the crazier it makes it sound without being time based, the sooner it should be
ie: digitech BSW--->distortion/overdrive/fuzz

octavers are another tricky one.. generally close to the start though
 

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