Preferred Pedalboard Arrangement...

[bigchiefbc]

In my experience, anything shifting pitch or doing any octave work tracks much better at the beginning of a chain.

Pfft, Gated fuzz -> Octave for life.

Not to hijack this already hijacked thread, but does anyone make an octave pedal where you can adjust the accuracy of tracking?

The Mid-Fi Glitch Computer does. But that's two octaves down. When the tracking is all the way up, it sounds just like a Blue Box. When tracking is turned down, it glitches out like crazy and sounds like awesome chaos.

[D.o.S.]

...Like the Blue Box with the blend down around 9:00?

[Chankgeez]

In my experience, anything shifting pitch or doing any octave work tracks much better at the beginning of a chain.

Pfft, Gated fuzz -> Octave for life.

Not to hijack this already hijacked thread, but does anyone make an octave pedal where you can adjust the accuracy of tracking?

I dont think so. There arent that many octave pedals from what I've seen. I just have my eyes on the Boss Octave

Oh, there're plenty of different octave pedals.

I've got a Mu-Tron Octave Divider which has a "Stabilize" switch. It affects the tracking, but it's only a two position switch. I think it turns the tracking on or off. I'd like something with variable tracking. I like really glitchy tracking. It's fun.

[Chankgeez]

In my experience, anything shifting pitch or doing any octave work tracks much better at the beginning of a chain.

Pfft, Gated fuzz -> Octave for life.

Not to hijack this already hijacked thread, but does anyone make an octave pedal where you can adjust the accuracy of tracking?

The Mid-Fi Glitch Computer does. But that's two octaves down. When the tracking is all the way up, it sounds just like a Blue Box. When tracking is turned down, it glitches out like crazy and sounds like awesome chaos.

Oh, yeah. Thanks, BCBC. I forgot I used to have GAS for a Glitch Computer. I want one.

[D.o.S.]

Whammy can also do glitchy octave stuff.

[Muse FTW]

In my experience, anything shifting pitch or doing any octave work tracks much better at the beginning of a chain.

Pfft, Gated fuzz -> Octave for life.

My point still stands. In my experience, having pitch shifters after dirt makes the (pitch shifting) pedal shit itself. While I don't have a use for that, musically, I can see how others could utilize such a sound.

P.S., the new Whammy 5 supposedly allows you to choose between Classic mode (for the older WH tones, warbles and all) to the DT mode (which has better polyphonic tracking).

[dubkitty]

i used to be really doctrinaire about things, but have changed considerably with my most recent board re-arrangement. some stuff HAS to go at the front because it needs to see a clean guitar-level signal to function properly: the Phantom Ring always lives at the front when it's in my signal chain, and once i get my Rangemaster from Ian it'll go after that. the Octave Multiplexer also goes early in the chain due to its need for harmonic simplicity. i like to run the fuzz in gain order from low to high because i seem to get less overall noise that way when stacking. my new fun thing is placing pulse-generating boxes like delay and tremolo before the envelope filter so each pulse triggers the filter for synth effects, and i'm using flange and compression after reverb now because i've found that it makes things sound cool and mysterious and Slowdive-y. and because i can also have reverb after the compressor and flanger if i use the rack.

but i've used other setups that were cool too. the right fuzz/tortion at the end of the chain can give you a great Rust Never Sleeps effect that sounds like amps 100 feet tall falling apart. and though i'm not a huge phaser fan, they work in more different places on a board than anything else...before fuzz, after fuzz, anywhere in modulation, either side of reverb.

[goroth]

Why do people not put tuners at the end? Then you can use them as a whole-board mute.

First in the chain means you don't have to turn off 6 pedals to get a clean sound to tune with. If that's not an issue then yes, the end of the chain is cool for the muting thing.

[Haki]

Delay/Verb -> Fuzz -> OD -> Phaser/RingMod/Filter -> Delay/Verb -> Fuzz -> Tremolo

Feel free to add more fuzz if needed.

[dubkitty]

Why do people not put tuners at the end? Then you can use them as a whole-board mute.

First in the chain means you don't have to turn off 6 pedals to get a clean sound to tune with. If that's not an issue then yes, the end of the chain is cool for the muting thing.

exactly. i've moved mine to the end of the fuzz section because it doesn't fit anyplace else on the board--oh, how tempting the MINI PolyTune!--but if i could i'd have it as far to the front as practical.

[the_carl]

Why do people not put tuners at the end? Then you can use them as a whole-board mute.

First in the chain means you don't have to turn off 6 pedals to get a clean sound to tune with. If that's not an issue then yes, the end of the chain is cool for the muting thing.

Ohhhhhhhh, gotcha. I only ever play bass live (with minimal effects, 'cause we're boring like that) so I never thought of that being an issue. Derp.

[snipelfritz]

Tuner > OD > Phantom Ring (or ring/envelope effects) > Wah > Heavy Fuzz > Spanky/Sizzlin' Fuzz > Light Fuzz > Boost > Chorus/Modulated Analog Delay > Flange/Phaser > Digital Delay > Preamp > "Effects Loop Send": [Reverb > EQ > Compresor] > "Return"

At least that's what I think I might to have going on once I can finalize some trades and assuming my tax returns come soon enough.

I am also considering (specific to what I have)...
Tuner > OD > ABY {A: Vox Wah > Swollen Pickle > Velcroar > Taste the Bacon Boost > Flanger/Digital Delay (I could swap these two, not sure) > Fender Supersonic 22 w/Footswitchable reverb and a seemingly useful gain channel along with a switchable effects loop w/ the same "Effects Loop Send": [R100 > EQ > Compresor].
{B: Phantom Ring > Bit fuzz > Memory boy > Vox AC 15 w/switchable reverb and tremolo

[bigchiefbc]

Why do people not put tuners at the end? Then you can use them as a whole-board mute.

First in the chain means you don't have to turn off 6 pedals to get a clean sound to tune with. If that's not an issue then yes, the end of the chain is cool for the muting thing.

exactly. i've moved mine to the end of the fuzz section because it doesn't fit anyplace else on the board--oh, how tempting the MINI PolyTune!--but if i could i'd have it as far to the front as practical.

Just got the mini polytune myself. Christ, it is fucking TINY. I love it. Tuner always seemed like such a fucking waste of board space to me, so I like that it takes up like no space at all.

As for placement, whatever can go wherever. Experiment; it's all valid and potentially awesome.

[Dr. Sherman Sticks M.D.]

When I started getting more into pedals, I would just plug stuff in different orders and try it out, then try to remember what I thought made cool sounds and what didn't. I kinda formed a lot of opinions thru experimentation basically. Then many moons later, I was reading some stuff on the internet on the traditionally accepted way of signal flows and stuff for fx/pedal chains....lol everything I was doing was ass backwards to what they were saying. I closed out that website and never looked back.

fuckin professionals.....

some shit i love is putting fuzz/dirt after delays and reverb. or sandwiching fuzz w/ 2 verbs or sandwiching verb w/ 2 fuzzes. its always nice to have the option of pre/post, and both can get prettttttty epic

[bigchiefbc]

When I started getting more into pedals, I would just plug stuff in different orders and try it out, then try to remember what I thought made cool sounds and what didn't. Then many moons later, I was reading some stuff on the internet on the traditionally accepted way of signal flows and stuff for fx/pedal chains....lol everything I was doing was ass backwards to what they were saying. I closed out that website and never looked back.

fuckin professionals.....

some shit i love is putting fuzz/dirt after delays and reverb. or sandwiching fuzz w/ 2 verbs or sandwiching verb w/ 2 fuzzes.

Yup, ditto. Most of those sites say you should have wah before your distortion. I'm like, fuck that. I love the sound of wah after distortion/fuzz. It's too subtle before. The other thing I do that is apparently backwards is I always like my modulation after my delay.