Order of effects with power amp?

[toejam]

I've only ever used either combo amps or head/cabinets. I'll be getting a little Carvin power amp soon and just wondering what goes where (the cab will be either a little 1x12 or sometimes a 4x12 Crate, or maybe both at the same time). I just have a Korg rack tuner for now and will be using a SansAmp Tri-AC pedal as the preamp, but what order do other effects go if I want to use them, such as a chorus pedal, tremolo, noise gate, wah, etc., when you have a separate power amp? Do you go from guitar to preamp first, then to a tuner and other effects, then to power amp and power amp out to cabinet(s)? Or do you place effects before the preamp? Also, the tuner has an input on the front and input and output on the back, so what input should I use on the tuner? [img]/images/graemlins/help.gif[/img]

[Ace]

Re: Order of effects with power amp?

First of all, and I'm sure you know this, NOTHING goes after the power amp. Except a power brake maybe. Noise gate should be the last thing before the power amp. Chorus and probably tremolo should go after the preamp, or in the effects loop if you have one. Your tuner should actually be before anything else, except maybe a line buffer, A/B switch or anything else that doesn't color the sound. The wah usually goes in fron of the preamp, but you can move it around as you like, same as the chorus and tremolo. It will give you different sounds that you can experiment with. Your tuner has inputs on the front and back for convinience. Most rack gear is connected through the back with the controls in the front. It won't matter which input you use, as long as you only use one, since using one usually bypasses the other. Hope this helps!!

[GodOfRhythm]

Re: Order of effects with power amp?

Yeah. I like switching my effects around. If you put your wah in front of the preamp it'll get processed in. If you put it behind it it'll give you another result. Like noted above, experimentation is key.

[toejam]

Re: Order of effects with power amp?

[ QUOTE ]
First of all, and I'm sure you know this, NOTHING goes after the power amp. Except a power brake maybe. Noise gate should be the last thing before the power amp. Chorus and probably tremolo should go after the preamp, or in the effects loop if you have one. Your tuner should actually be before anything else, except maybe a line buffer, A/B switch or anything else that doesn't color the sound. The wah usually goes in fron of the preamp, but you can move it around as you like, same as the chorus and tremolo. It will give you different sounds that you can experiment with. Your tuner has inputs on the front and back for convinience. Most rack gear is connected through the back with the controls in the front. It won't matter which input you use, as long as you only use one, since using one usually bypasses the other. Hope this helps!!

[/ QUOTE ]
Yes, that helps. Thanks, Ace! [img]/images/graemlins/toast.gif[/img]

[Ace]

Re: Order of effects with power amp?

Let us know how you make out!! You know. like how much tongue do you use and stuff. I've been practicing on the back of my hand for 26 years now. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

[toejam]

Re: Order of effects with power amp?

[ QUOTE ]
Let us know how you make out!! You know. like how much tongue do you use and stuff. I've been practicing on the back of my hand for 26 years now. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]
Huh? [img]/images/graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img] Did you respond to the wrong post? [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[Ace]

Re: Order of effects with power amp?

Sorry, I was posting on virignsover25.com at the same time.

[hippietim]

Re: Order of effects with power amp?

Phasers and rotary type pedals are best in front of the preamp and any other distortion units.

Also, I prefer tremolo before the preamp.

[Inearthed]

Re: Order of effects with power amp?

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Let us know how you make out!! You know. like how much tongue do you use and stuff. I've been practicing on the back of my hand for 26 years now. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]
Huh? [img]/images/graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img] Did you respond to the wrong post? [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

HAHAHAHA!

[lerxstcat]

Re: Order of effects with power amp?

I can't speak to phasers and Leslie simulators because I don't really use them, but for flangers and choruses I like them after the preamp or distortion. The gain seems to drive them in a way I like. I've been away from wahs for many years but I like them better after the distortion too, IF I'm running effects into the from end of the amp. I think a wah in the loop would not work very well, though again I don't think I've used a wah in
15 years or more. I've always liked distortion, delay, modulation and pitch shift or IPS as my favorite effects. I have some wah patches in my multis, and the expression
pedal to use them, but other than whacking a 5-second porno rhythm before going on to the next preset, I just don't use it much.

[jazzman]

Re: Order of effects with power amp?

I would put the wah before the preamp, and the others after it. Wah don't work too good unless it's before the distortion. The other effects may be too much if before the distortion. Although, sometimes a phaser sounds good that way. Try setting them up a couple different ways and see what sounds best to you.

[hippietim]

Re: Order of effects with power amp?

my basic rule of thumb is non-time based effects before the preamp (phasers, vibes, wahs, O/D, tremelo, slow gear) and time based effects after the preamp (chorus, flange, delay, reverb).

[Newc]

Re: Order of effects with power amp?

The General Rule is that Preamp items go first (Compression, OD/Distortion) followed by external EQ units, followed by Coloring effects (Chorus/Flange/Phaser/etc) and Delay and Reverb last (Delay before Reverb if using both).
Wah pedals should go either before the EQ (to adjust stray/harsh freqs), or just after the EQ.
You should also have a Volume pedal between the Preamp/EQ and the effects.
You should plug into the Tuner first, since you can roll off your volume pedal and retune without the audience hearing it, and since distortion can alter what the tuner hears, not to mention what a Chorus pedal will do to it [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]
Imagine someone trying to tune while a Chorus is on - "Dammit I just can't get the damn string in tune! It's either up or down!" [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

I've tried the Wah-before-the-Gain before (guitar-to-Wah-to-amp) and did not like the way it came out. I usually ran it in the FX loop (after the preamp/EQ) and it sounded much better.

Newc

[hippietim]

Re: Order of effects with power amp?

If you are using pedals, you typically don't want to put phasers and tremolos after the distortion - they sound really harsh like that. Most of the rack units deal with this better.

[Newc]

Re: Order of effects with power amp?

Then why do all the racks I've seen list those items way after the gain and eq? [img]/images/graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img]
The books that came with the Boss pedals I used to have (as well as countless Guitar magazines) all said to put preamp/gain/eq stuff first, and everything else after, with time-based units last. That's always worked better for me (smoother sound).

Tell me, O Tim; from where hast thou gathered such information? [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Newc