{"id":335345,"date":"2019-01-13T12:01:00","date_gmt":"2019-01-13T11:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/blog\/?p=335345"},"modified":"2019-01-11T12:00:22","modified_gmt":"2019-01-11T11:00:22","slug":"get-on-board","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/blog\/en\/gear\/get-on-board\/","title":{"rendered":"Got effect pedals? Get on board!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Show me your pedal board<\/strong> and I’ll tell you who you are… Some shredders come to the gig with a swanky two-square-meter ship, the mobile strummer may prefer a small Nano pedal<\/strong> train, but equipped with exquisite boutiqu e pedals<\/strong> – hand-painted<\/strong> if possible, of course! But to each her\/his own, and if the sound result is right, so be it. Anyone who archaically places her\/his four pedals individually at the front of the stage and asks desperately where to buy 9-volt batteries<\/strong><\/a> is sure to be mocked by his contemporaries.<\/p>\n

But, despite the\u00a0show-off<\/strong> factor, a pedal board is a must for anyone who carries more than 3 effects<\/strong> to a gig. It saves time, work, nerves<\/strong> and, last but not least, money<\/strong>\u00a0(and the environment)<\/strong> for all those\u00a0batteries<\/strong> you’d need to purchase.<\/strong> And if you’re not a handyman<\/strong>\/woman<\/strong>\u00a0you can now buy\u00a0ready-made boards<\/strong> in a wide variety of designs,<\/strong> which can be\u00a0customised<\/strong> to your specific needs.<\/p>\n

However, there are some basic considerations<\/strong> that should not be ignored when building a pedal board, and we have outlined them for you below…<\/p>\n

\n

Effect signal chain. Why do I keep hearing these words?<\/h3>\n

One of the most discussed topics when it comes to pedal boards<\/strong> is the sequential order of effects<\/strong>, from instrument to amp<\/strong> (or soundboard). Of course you can<\/strong> (and should) experiment<\/strong> with this, but, as a starting point,<\/strong> a relatively clear order has proven itself over time, which guarantees an optimal sound<\/strong> even when using several pedals at the same time:<\/p>\n

Starting from the instrument’s output jack<\/strong> a “normal” signal chain looks like this:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Pedal Tuner<\/li>\n
  2. Wah-Wah (Envelope Filter, Touch Wah)<\/li>\n
  3. Whammy Pedal (Octaver)<\/li>\n
  4. Dynamic effects (compressor, limiter)<\/li>\n
  5. Pre-Distortion EQ (Equalizer)<\/li>\n
  6. Overdrive (Booster, Distortion, Fuzz)<\/li>\n
  7. Post-Distortion EQ (Equalizer)<\/li>\n
  8. Pitch shifter (harmonizer)<\/li>\n
  9. Modulation effects (Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, etc.)<\/li>\n
  10. Delay<\/li>\n
  11. Reverb<\/li>\n
  12. –> Amplifier<\/strong> or soundboard input<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    If you have an amplifier with an effect<\/strong> loop<\/strong>, then you need 2 more cables<\/strong>, because the first half of the used effect pedals should be connected before the input (pre-amplifier), the second half in the effect path before the power amplifier.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    This would be the variant<\/strong> for an amplifier with effect loop:<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Pedal Tuner<\/li>\n
    2. Wah-Wah (Envelope Filter, Touch Wah)<\/li>\n
    3. Whammy Pedal (Octaver)<\/li>\n
    4. Dynamic effects (compressor, limiter)<\/li>\n
    5. Pre-Distortion EQ (Equalizer)<\/li>\n
    6. Overdrive (Booster, Distortion, Fuzz)\u00a0 6a.<\/strong> –> Amplifier input<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      6b.<\/strong> Amplifier Send output –><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Post-Distortion EQ (Equalizer)<\/li>\n
      2. Pitch shifter (harmonizer)<\/li>\n
      3. Modulation effects (Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, etc.)<\/li>\n
      4. Delay<\/li>\n
      5. Reverb<\/li>\n
      6. –> Amplifier return jack<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        That’s it for the rules of thumb. But there are also some exceptions,<\/strong> which are justified and lead to special sounds. That’s why trial and error<\/strong> is always a good thing. For authentic Rockabilly<\/strong> sounds, for example, it makes sense to put the delay before the overdrive.<\/strong> Since this style doesn’t call for a high degree of distortion,<\/strong> the delay sounds don’t sound muddy,<\/strong> but just dirty.<\/strong> That’s exactly how they did it in the 1950s.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

        The phaser<\/strong> can also be parked in front of the distortion<\/strong> generator for dirty phasing<\/strong> effects. As a rule, you should make sure that you don’t use too much distortion in such configurations, but as is usually the case in life, personal taste<\/strong> counts here as well.<\/p>\n

        An equalizer<\/strong> fits in front of or behind<\/strong> the distortion<\/strong> section, depending on your sound concept.<\/strong> Before distortion and overdrive its setting influences the degree of distortion (e.g. mid boost),<\/strong> if you place it behind it, the distortion sound can be bent quite significantly. If you want a Metal-typical Mid-Scoop<\/strong> sound, you should definitely put the EQ behind<\/strong> the distortion pedal.<\/p>\n

        \n

        Power Supply<\/h3>\n

        When selecting the power supply,<\/strong> the number of pedals and their voltage<\/strong> and current<\/strong> requirements are always important. As a rule, most effect pedals are supplied with 9-volt DC voltage,<\/strong> which is often referred to as DC<\/strong> for direct current. However, there are also devices that require 12, 15<\/strong> or 18 volts,<\/strong> for example. Before you take care of a power supply,<\/strong> it’s a good idea to take stock of what voltage each pedal needs<\/strong> and how much power is needed. The necessary information can usually be found in the technical data on the pedals, on the enclosed operating instructions or on the manufacturer’s homepages.<\/p>\n

        Daisy Chain<\/h3>\n

        If you have everything ready, the power consumption of the individual pedals is added and you can go on the search for a suitable power supply. If you only want to use some pedals with low power consumption, a standard power supply (e.g. Boss PSA 230s<\/strong><\/a> or Thomann NT 0910 AC\/PSA<\/strong><\/a>) might be sufficient. You can also get a so-called daisy-chain cable,<\/strong> a distribution cable that can be used to connect several effect pedals to one power supply.<\/strong> The above mentioned power supplies deliver up to 500 mA current.<\/strong> This conception of the power supply is the most favourable variant, however in the unfavourable case it can come thereby to problems with humming<\/strong> problems.<\/p>\n\n\t\t