Guitar pedal rigs setup

If you need to supply juice to a centre positive pedal, find a separate dedicated power supply. A decent, fully-isolated pedalboard power supply will ensure that your pedals are getting pure and clean electricity. If you want to keep the noise of your guitar signal to a minimum, then this is the most efficient way to prevent any annoying buzzing or hum! Including several pedalboard power cables, with a PSU you can individually power your pedals cleanly.

But please remember, if you want to know how to get an almost noiseless guitar tone, always go for an isolated power supply! A highly-regarded example is the all-encompassing Voodoo Lab Mondo , which features 12 full-isolated power outputs. With the ability to switch two of it outputs to 12V, as well as boasting four outputs that supply up to mA of current, this pedal power supply is suited for hefty pedalboards with lots of stompboxes.

The Cioks DC5 is probably the best power supply for small pedalboards, featuring 5 isolated 9V power outputs. With four of them able to switch to 12V, and one that can change to 18V, even power hungry pedals can be supplied with enough electricity.

Two of its outputs can also supply mA each, making this is a versatile little PSU! With 8 and 10 power outputs respectively, these super-solid PSUs are used by thousands of guitarists all over the world. However, the best affordable pedal power supply is arguably the Tone City Pedal Substation 1.

With 10 high-current outputs, this all-encompassing pedal PSU can provide juice for power-hungry digital stompboxes and large pedalboard setups in general.

Shop Pedal Power Supplies. This method is quite popular, as daisy chaining is significantly cheaper than buying a dedicated pedal power supply. The TrueTone 1 Spot is perhaps the most well-known product out there that lets you daisy chain effects. Featuring an 8-plug cable and a single power adapter that supplies mA of current, you can quite easily power an entire board with this affordable product. Also coming with several adapters, this is a fairly comprehensive package.

However, daisy chains have a few disadvantages. Daisy chaining can also cause a lot of electrical noise. This means that if one pedal is creating a lot of noise, then it will affect your other stompboxes too. Good question. You may have noticed that some of your pedals feature battery compartments enclosed with a typical 9V.

Decades ago, guitarists relied upon batteries to power their stompboxes as they were cheap and easy to replace. Having said that, battery-powered pedals are becoming phased-out. As batteries will run dry without warning, a power supply is far more reliable and consistent, especially if you gig! The space that a relatively large 9V battery takes up internally is also worth mentioning.

By freeing up that space within a pedal enclosure, this allows companies to make their pedals smaller and more compact. So with that evidence, why do some pedal brands still fit their units with them? One reason could be if you just want to use a couple of pedals to experiment with when recording, without featuring them on your main day-to-day pedalboard. Simply put, batteries are on their way out! Ensure that each pedal is receiving enough current and that the power supply you choose delivers clean, well isolated power to each pedal.

No bloody daisy chains! This is the last step before we explain how you put your pedalboard together. The type of cables that you use to connect your pedals can also be the difference between good and bad tone, just like power or the effects themselves. Firstly, pedals are connected with cables that are much shorter than those you would use to plug into your amplifier.

Patch cables are basically super-shortened, jack-to-jack instrument cables. Typically U-shaped, patch cables let you place your pedals side-by-side and easily connect the output from one pedal straight into the input of the one beside it. With many modern patch cables featuring ultra-flat connector jacks, these allow you to place your pedals really close to one another, to save space.

With loads of companies making high-quality pedalboard patch cables, including Fender , Ernie Ball and EBS , Stagg also make really affordable products too. Patch cables are popular as they are pre-assembled and ready to rock excuse that terrible pun. However, if you have your heart set on a large and all-encompassing pedalboard, using cables that can be made to a determined length will make assembly much easier. Shop Patch Cables. Pedalboard cable kits are probably the best thing since sliced bread.

Yeah, I said it. If you have borderline OCD like I do, then these kits will keep your board as tidy as… a neat thing. The BOSS pedalboard cable kits also feature bi-directional connectors, letting you choose whether you want their orientation to be right-angled or straight.

Shop Pedal Cable Kits. This is to make sure that your stompboxes are super easy to mount in a logical order.

Some other brands also ensure that their boards come with velcro, so that you have one less thing to worry about buying before building your pedalboard. But before you start sticking the velcro down, wipe down the surface of the board with a suitable cleaning product.

This is so that you remove any grease or dust that may be stuck to it. This is very important, as a clean surface will allow the adhesive from the velcro strips to stick as effectively as possible.

If there are any rubber feet underneath your pedals too, make sure that you remove them. Most tuner pedals can tune while muting your signal Use your tuner pedal as a muting mechanism instead of your guitar's volume knob Pedal tuners are more accurate than amp-based tuners and even certain rackmounted tuners. Full Guitar Pedal Buying Guide. Prioritize pedals you use the most. Here's how that might look on a typical-sized pedalboard:.

Move compression and tuning to the back row. Setting up two rows of pedals. Wah Distortion Amp channel switcher Delay workstation with three buttons. Tuner pedal Compressor Modulation phaser and flanger. Using a pedal switcher. Here's one that Voodoo Lab makes:. The PX-8 is Voodoo Lab's flagship pedal switcher. Here's how the connections work at a basic level:. Full setup example for a pedal switcher.

Most pedal switchers will give you automatic true bypass: With the connection that runs through the switcher itself, each loop can be cutoff which gives you true bypass around whatever pedal is in that loop. If you engage a loop with no pedal in it, that will break the audio connection and you won't hear any sound Can these switch amp channels as well? In most cases, no. Pedal switchers are not the same thing as a channel selector on an amplifier.

Most amplifier channel switchers are designed and purchased for a particular amp. Since each loop is hard-wired into the switch, you don't need to have a pedal connected to every single one for the switch to work.

Just remember, if you don't have a pedal on a given loop, be sure to leave that loop off so it runs through the hard-wired path and skips over the disconnected loop. Do I always leave pedals on when using the switcher?

Any pedal that you run through a loop in your switch should always be on, then you can use the bypass controls on the switch to engage them. What are instrument TS cables? Short patch cables in between three guitar pedals. Use pedal couplers and low-profile right angle cables. Here are a couple examples of pedal couplers sold on Sweetwater:. And here's another look at the low profile patch cable, also listed on Sweetwater:.

TS cables are used for all the basics: Guitar to pedal, pedal to pedal, and pedal to amp are all going to use an unbalanced TS cable in most cases. TS cables can be identified by the single insulator ring: The single ring near the tip of a TS cable is the easiest way to identify a TS cable and distinguish it from a TRS cable, which has two rings near the tip. Most connections are going to be mono and unbalanced: Most guitar and keyboard connections are going to be mono and unbalanced.

What are TRS cables? What are XLR cables? Minimize cable length. Avoid using long instrument cables for pedals: Use patch cables that are as short as possible between pedals. Don't cross instrument cables up with one another: Avoid your instrument cables overlapping or having to be coiled up to fit.

If a line has to run in multiple directions, make sure the cable doesn't end up lying on top of itself or another cable. Use tape and cable ties: When possible, use adhesive like tape, cable ties, or even Velcro to fix your cables in place on your pedalboard.

Use cables with a strong jacket. Power cable best practices. Here are some practical things to note regarding your power cables:. Don't use higher voltage cables for lower voltage pedals: Avoid using an 18V cable or power source for a 9V pedal. This will run too much power into the device and risk frying the electric connection and ruining the pedal. If possible, avoid crossing power cables over instrument cables: Electrical currents can cause noise and interference in an instrument cable, especially if the instrument cable is poorly shielded.

On your pedalboard, try to avoid crossing the two types of cables over one another. Try to always use isolated sources of power: Isolated power supplies are always better for reducing noise and unwanted interference. This means single 9V batteries or isolated power bricks like the Voodoo Lab power supplies are preferable to something like a 9V daisy chain, which is not isolated.

We'll do more on effects loops later. Let's keep talking distortion. If possible, get distortion from your amplifier. Of course, this depends heavily on the type and quality of amplifier you have. With a distortion pedal, match gain levels carefully. Here's how I'd recommend stepping through the process: Use your amp's clean channel don't use a distortion pedal on an already dirty channel Set the preamp volume on the amplifier and then set the master output this becomes your volume template Set the master volume on your distortion pedal to match the preamp or channel volume on your amplifier Turn the gain up on your distortion pedal to your liking If the gain control on the pedal adds too much volume, turn the master control on the pedal down to compensate In other words: The output from the pedal should match the output from your preamp.

Distortion pedal setup best practices. Put all distortion pedals after wah, compressor, and volume pedals: Per our effects category system, a distortion pedal should be placed after compressors, volume pedals, and filter effects - like wah pedals - but before all modulation and ambient effects.

Use a distortion pedal consistent with the style of music you're playing: Distortion common in metal sounds a lot different than distortion in blues. If you're going to use a distortion pedal, make sure that pedal's voicing fits the style of music you intend to use it for. Avoid over-saturating the natural tone of your amp: There's a point where distortion pedals can get so aggressive that they engulf the natural tone of your amp.

Regardless of musical style, this is when distortion gets to be "too much" and should have its intensity dialed back. Knowing when this is happening isn't an exact science, but should be kept in mind when setting your preferred gain levels. Avoid using batteries for distortion pedals especially : A battery that's running out of power can actually further distort your signal, which can be confusing with a distortion pedal that's already supposed to be doing that.

We'd recommend using a power supply for all pedals , but especially distortion. Consider using a distortion pedal with a noise gate : High gain settings can often cause unwanted buzz and hum, especially when you're not touching the strings. Consider getting a distortion pedal with a noise gate built into the unit. The link above has several good options we've curated and highlighted. Overdrive Pedal Setup Suggestions.

Here are some practical tips related to overdrive pedals:. Use overdrive as a type of amp breakup: Overdrive isn't meant to be a heavy or saturating type of effect. Instead, it's made for smooth, amp-like breakup that's particularly useful in classic rock and blues genres.

Set gain or "drive" levels on your overdrive pedal lower to start: Your "control" for testing an overdrive pedal should start lower and creep up as you go. Even on lower settings, a good overdrive pedal can give your tone a nice thickness and smooth overdrive without bumping the gain level up too high. Position an overdrive pedal as a gain-related effect: Just like your distortion, overdrive pedals should be similarly positioned in your signal chain.

Overdrive pedals can be used in conjunction with amp-based distortion: Consider using your overdrive pedal for further boosting an already distorted amp signal.

Fuzz Pedal Setup Suggestions. Here's a graphic that lays out these settings suggestions:. This will cap the intensity of the effect while still promoting the edginess of the fuzz effect. By lowering the volume headroom, it'll sound more like a true fuzz pedal and not just loud distortion.

Keep tone and volume control on the fuzz pedal higher: By pushing your fuzz pedal harder than you might normally, you'll get a more aggressive-sounding fuzz effect while using the volume knob on your guitar to cap it off. Use fuzz over you amp's clean channel: Since fuzz pedals tend to be a little heavier, don't use them over a distorted amp channel.

Make sure you set your amplifier to a clean setting before tinkering with your fuzz pedal. Boost Pedal Best Practices. There are three main placement options to consider: Boost in the effects loop Pre-pedal boost Post-pedal boost.

In this article, we're going to specifically address four common modulation effects:. Here's what it might sound like with the Boss BF-3 flanger pedal:. Test with Depth and Rate around 12 o'clock. We'll go over some best practices relating to delay and reverb. Delay Pedal Best Practices. Thus, you have to think about the following properties: How long of a segment do I want repeated?

How many times do I want said segment to repeat? How should I balance the mix between the dry and repeated wet signal? This makes how you tweak your delay a bit more important, given how it can impact your rhythm. Here are some delay settings best practices to consider.

Delay pedals with a tap tempo - in my opinion - are far preferable, especially if you play live. Avoid pushing repeats too far out: With too many repeats, notes can start running into other notes. Usually, as low as two or three repeats are enough to give you the full effect of a delay without playing notes over other notes and interfering with the main melody line or chord progression. Use delay as both a melody and rhythm tool: Since delay is rhythmic by nature, I've found that it's just as effective on that side of the guitar as it is for lead guitar players.

Again, this is where the importance of the tap tempo comes in. You should use it to compliment rhythm and layer lines of melody. Get Familiar with Timing Sub-Divisions. We can calculate delay based on beat and note length. An even better example would be this selector knob on the Strymon DIG:. Combine reverb and delay: Unlike modulation, ambient effects can sound really good when layered together, especially if you're looking for an ethereal sound over a clean signal.

Experiment by combining reverb and delay together. In most reverb pedals with a mix knob, keeping mix all the way up will completely silence your dry signal. In this section, we'll go over the basics of use and setup. Engage the wah pedal with the bypass button. Step all the way down on your wah pedal to engage it. Wah Pedal Should be Easily Accessible. Notice the Morley wah pedal in that spot of the following two pedalboard examples:. In the next example, Morley wah and pedal switcher are most accessible:.

Use your Wah Pedal for Solos and Lead. Put a wah pedal after your compressor. Put your volume pedal before your wah. Option 2: Use it as Preamp for your Preamp. Option 3: Place at the beginning of your signal chain. Option 4: In relation to your gain effects. Here are some additional best practices related to an EQ pedal: Avoid using it as an amplifier replacement: An EQ is not the same thing as a pedal preamp.

The Original Crybaby gives you the classic wah sound in a simple package. You can find out more on the Original Crybaby in my review here as well as alternatives if you feel you need something with more features and flexibility.

Distortion and overdrive are very personal effects for guitarists. Every guitarist will want something different.

Having control over the type of distortion or overdrive you use is important as a beginner. As you develop as a guitarist, your preferences for distortion or overdrive will change. If you play a wide range of music styles you may also need to quickly jump between completely different drive sounds. The reason I highly recommend this pedal is that it will give you incredible flexibility in dialing up the exact distortion or overdrive you want.

Modulation is also a very personal thing so what one person says is the best will be very different to what another person says is the best. You can easily find people arguing on forums over which chorus pedal is the best because every guitarist has different tastes and preferences. Because every guitarist will have different preferences when it comes to modulation, I recommend the Corona Chorus by TC Electronic. While there are plenty of other fantastic chorus pedals, this pedal will give you the flexibility you need as you develop as a guitarist.

Getting a good quality delay pedal should be one of your first purchases. You can use it with essentially any tone with any combination of effects and expect great results. The chances are a lot of songs you listen to will use delay. There are quite a few different types of delay and being able to easily switch between different delay types is important.

So the priority here is flexibility. There are two reasons why I recommend this pedal. The first reason is that it gives you access to a wide range of useful delay types. The TonePrint feature allows you to dial in the exact settings you want.

This is really important for delay because a lot of songs will require a specific delay setting down to the correct millisecond. The second reason I recommend the Flashback is because it has a simple built-in looper. While you could buy a separate looper pedal such as the very popular Ditto Looper , having one built into a delay pedal simply means you can get more out of fewer pedals.

As a guitar teacher, I highly recommend every beginner have a looper pedal. You can learn how to use a looper pedal in my lesson here. While it might sound strange to include this in a pedalboard focused on individual stompboxes, as a beginner having access to a broad range of effects will be incredibly handy. The M5 gives you access to 19 different delays, 23 modulation effects, 17 distortions, 12 compressors and EQs, 26 filters and 12 reverbs.

You will notice that the M5 contains a lot of the effects covered in the other pedals. For example, it has a stereo chorus, a lot of delays, plenty of distortions and even a tuner. So why would you want the M5 as well as the other pedals? The answer is simple: having the M5 means you can run two delays at once a very common thing to do , two chorus effects at once or two different distortions at the same time or ready to switch back and forth. Use your main pedals for your effects and use the M5 to supplement your effects when needed.

Once you give it a go you will see how powerful this rig is. There are plenty of great alternatives to all of the above pedals, but this rig focuses on pedals that will work great for beginners based on my experience as a guitar teacher. A great benefit with this rig is that all four effects stompboxes not including the tuner or wah are stereo. This means if you ever want to make some recordings, you can take advantage of your stereo rig. Or you can even connect a second amp to your rig and experiment with different stereo effects such as stereo delay or chorus.

This is something a lot of guitarists miss out on because some of their pedals are mono. Once you buy your pedals, you will need to think about accessories such as power supply, cables and a pedalboard to mount your pedals to.

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