Pedal order

Signal flow best practice

There are no hard and fast rules for signal order, only rough rules of thumb. However, you’ll notice that many players set up their ’boards in roughly similar ways, breaking the standard signal order only to achieve specific results.

The clipping, or drive block should come first. Then the delay and reverb block, then the modulation block (though many players prefer modulation in front of reverb and delay). Utility pedals have varied positions depending on their function. For example, wahs, volume pedals, EQS and noise gates generally come first, before the clipping block, as do compressors. Pitch shifters are typically seen either right at the start of a chain, or just after the clipping block.

A common subversion of these rules is to place a reverb in front of the drive block, resulting in a huge, distorted bloom of compressed reverb when engaged

– a gnarly sound adored by Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree.

Another trick is to place the wah pedal after the drive so that it can be used as a parked or variable filter. The dramatic, overcooked sound of fuzz into a wah is a dream for psychedelic players looking for an attention-grabbing solo tone.

Finally, experimental guitarists place loopers pitch shifters at the end of the chain, allowing them to loop the whole signal, including effects, or pitch shift it up and down on demand.