Why is your floor tuner not the first in line?

[catcauphonic]

If your tuner is not first on the floor in your line of effects, I'm interested in hearing why you would place it elsewhere.

All my time spent reading on TB for the past 24hrs has been searching and reading older threads regarding tuner placement.

I understand why you'd put it last if you're switching between two instruments that each have their own line of effects that would somehow connect before the tuner, but I'm still not fully grasping why players using one instrument would place it at the end of a pedal chain that's hitting the front of their amp.

I've got 3 different tuners - a Boss TU3, a TC Polytune, and a Korg Pitchblack. In between my active Spector bass and my GenzBenz amp, either of the three would be placed up front of any number of pedals (between 2-20) because it makes sense to me to send it the cleanest signal from the instrument (though I did read that plenty of tuners will tune just fine at the end of many pedals that are on.)

I can't notice any audible change whether they're affecting my signal in any way, and if I need to mute my signal for some reason it indeed does mute the entire chain from the front.

^ This is where my confusion is coming in. I read a lot of posts from folks keeping it near the end so they can have the entire area awash in distorted feedback and click it all off with a stomp on the tuner, or a delay after the tuner so it's the only thing still going, but when I step on my tuner up front it kills everything as if I pressed the mute button on my preamp.

I've also read about other noisy pedals being placed before it but doesn't that only kill the noise while you have the mute engaged? Yesterday I read that certain fuzz pedals don't like a buffered signal before them. Today I read a post that mention certain fuzzes prefer a buffered signal! So I realize there is no one-size-fits-all, experiment with what order works best, etc etc but I really just want to understand how others signal chains work that might be different from my own.

Another case I read for putting it last was in case there's a problem with a pedal upstream, the person could dismantle everything one by one before the tuner without hearing clicks and pops. I guess if I was in that situation I'd just reach up for the amp mute/standby or power switch.

So if your stomp tuner is anywhere but first after your bass, I'm very interested to hear the why. Thanks

 

[catcauphonic]

One choice I accidentally left off the poll would be if you used a second out on any pedal like a Pog or a Big Bass Muff to loop your tuner so it's not even in the chain.

 

[bassboysam]

i havr it before my delay. i can get my delay to self-oscillate and annoy everyone while i tune. also means no lame stage banter while we tune.

 

[DDXdesign]

First "pedal" is actually my boss wl50 wireless receiver, but then it goes right to the tuner.

 

[Adamixoye]

Some tuners are true bypass and others are buffered. You may not hear a difference in your chain but to others it might make a difference.

The "kill switch after potentially self-oscillating pedals" idea above, while rare, makes sense to me.

Finally, if you use a pitchshifter I can conceive of wanting to tune to the shifted signal rather than the original notes. Not how I would do it but it makes sense.

 

[alembicguy]

Because it's in a rack after my wireless

 

[dannybuoy]

Before my Carbon Copy and Phase 90.

I finish the set by making swirly spaceship noises with these 2, so the tuner lets me mute the bass after I've triggered the delay into self oscillation!

 

[catcauphonic]

i havr it before my delay. i can get my delay to self-oscillate and annoy everyone while i tune. also means no lame stage banter while we tune.

May I ask what kind of delay you're using, and how long will it go on for??

I have a Keeley Caverns V2 that just stops dead along with everything else while I click on my tuner. The Caverns is kind of new to me, and I don't even know what's the max amount of repeats it'll go on for.

 

[Nashrakh]

As you said, some pedals don't like buffered inputs - like my Fuzz Face. If I don't use it, tuner goes first because I don't use it for effects.

 

[catcauphonic]

Before my Carbon Copy and Phase 90.

I finish the set by making swirly spaceship noises with these 2, so the tuner lets me mute the bass after I've triggered the delay into self oscillation!

I like the idea of this but I'm not sure which pedals are capable of self oscillating.

I've only really gotten into effects the past 1.5 years. I realize there is so much that I don't yet know, and that's why I'm asking

 

[dannybuoy]

I like the idea of this but I'm not sure which pedals are capable of self oscillating.

I've only really gotten into effects the past 1.5 years. I realize there is so much that I don't yet know, and that's why I'm asking

Pretty much any analog delay, some digital ones too if they're designed to (e.g. the Helix ones do it really well but the old Line6 delays don't!).

That big rubber knob that comes with the Phase 90, I have 3 mini version of those on the Carbon Copy, so I can play it with my foot whilst playing bass. Keep the volume low because it can get crazy quickly, keep the delay time low and feedback high until the repeats build and build. Then when it reaches a screaming crescendo, tweak the delay time (and also the speed of the phaser after it) play it like a new instrument! Tons of fun.

 

[ak56]

First "pedal" is actually my boss wl50 wireless receiver, but then it goes right to the tuner.

I voted first, even though this is exactly how I'm set up. I don't consider the wl50 to be a pedal, even though it's on the pedal board.

 

[Fiset]

One choice I accidentally left off the poll would be if you used a second out on any pedal like a Pog or a Big Bass Muff to loop your tuner so it's not even in the chain.

Yep...that’s how I have mine. Separate line out of my volume pedal so it’s always on but not in my chain.

 

[catcauphonic]

Pretty much any analog delay, some digital ones too if they're designed to (e.g. the Helix ones do it really well but the old Line6 delays don't!).

That big rubber knob that comes with the Phase 90, I have 3 mini version of those on the Carbon Copy, so I can play it with my foot whilst playing bass. Keep the volume low because it can get crazy quickly, keep the delay time low and feedback high until the repeats build and build. Then when it reaches a screaming crescendo, tweak the delay time (and also the speed of the phaser after it) play it like a new instrument! Tons of fun.

Wow... I love that idea!

Since my Caverns was bought here on TB 2nd hand and I don't recall it having a manual, I just went ahead and looked up more specs on it and found this interesting tidbit:

"Trails or True Bypass – By default the Keeley Caverns in is trails mode, so when the bypass switch is on, the given reverb or delay will maintain the tone and continue in the buffer, ringing out again when bypass is switched off. The back-plate can be removed to change the setting to true bypass."

I'm not sure if it's been opened and switched at all, I'm gonna have to take a look. Which mode should it be on to do what you got going on? Keep in mind it is a 'Magnetic Echo circuit which emulates an analogue tape delay' but not true analog.

 

[Snibborwocky]

I guess mine would be second only because Wah (off the pedalboard) then tuner, comp, od, chorus, ect ect. (on pedalboard).

 

[Wasnex]

I put the tuner last, so I can quickly mute everything.

 

[silky smoove]

For me it’s a simple choice between two variables.

Putting it up front means that I don’t need to disengage any pedals to get accurate tuning, but if any pedals generate self noise it will still wind up at the amp/PA.

Putting it last means that it will kill any of the aforementioned self noise, but pedals ahead of it may affect the ability to tune accurately without disengaging them.

I’ve had mine last for years, but recently rebuilt my board and due to physical constraints I opted to put it up front to save space.

 

[minddrain]

I use two. I use a clip on and I use a software tuner on the pc when I am recording. So, none.

 

[Thumpin6string]

In the amp's tuner out.

 

[ThinCrappyTone]

If your tuner’s not first, its last