The desire for innovative sounds has intrigued musicians in every culture since the dawn of time. Oscillating the volume of a note is an ancient technique — we’ve been able to do it with our voices as long as we’ve been capable of singing. Any musician playing a stringed instrument can create tremolo effect — they simply move the bow or finger back and forth while sustaining a note, as violinists and cellists do. But what about other sounds? How has the addition of mechanical and digital devices changed our music?
One of the earliest tremolo devices goes back several hundred years and can be found on 16th century Italian and German pipe organs. Like modern day samplers, these early organs had several auxiliary stops including drums, birdcalls, drones, bells, and a tremulant — a mechanism that opens and closes a diaphragm to vary the air pressure of the pipes. As the pressure varied, so did the amplitude, allowing for both vibrato and tremolo.
Fast forward a few hundred years to the world of guitar pedals. The first registered portable effect pedal for guitarists built in 1941, called the DeArmond 601 Tremolo Control, was a clumsy toaster oven-shaped unit with a heavy granite-like exterior. The tremolo effect worked by reducing the signal from the guitar several times a second through an electrolytic hydro-fluid located in a glass canister inside the unit. When activated, the main voltage motor rapidly shook the canister, causing the fluid (water, windex, and even mercury) to stir and splash against the pin and the guitar signal to ground, creating a “watery” tremolo sound.
Luckily today we don’t need unsafe electronic water contraptions, mercury, or a device as large as a kitchen sink to make cool effects with our guitars. But with all the choices of new, boutique, multi-effect, nanos, and vintage pedals, how do we know what to buy?
So let’s say we start building a new pedal board from scratch. What are the essentials and what order do these pedals go in? Does it matter?
The answer to the second question is yes… and, in the long run, no. But a working guideline is a solid place to start before you begin rearranging and experimenting with order.
I’ll be using an acronym to remember this essential pedal order created by Keeley of Keeley Pedals:
Which Chain Of Effects Pedals Makes Life Easy?
The first letter of each word corresponds with the first level of each type of effect pedal. Which corresponds with wah, chain with compressor, or with overdrive, effects with EQ, pedals with pitch, makes with modulation, life with levels, and easy with echo. Here’s an easier breakdown:
- Which > Wah
- Chain > Compressor
- Of > Overdrive
- Effects > EQ
- Pedals > Pitch
- Makes > Modulation
- Life > Level
- Easy > Echo
Not included in this list is the tuning pedal. Your tuner should be first. The tuning pedal’s purpose is different than the effects pedals, and will not affect them.
1. Which > Wah:
The Wah, envelope filter, or any other dynamically controlled pedals are used to boost a frequency you sweep up to. Since they respond to your attack, you don’t want to limit dynamics with compressors and/or distortion pedals that reduce dynamic range. Therefore these pedals are often placed first in the signal chain.
2. Chain > Compressor:
This pedal’s job is to reduce (or compress) the peaks in the signal. This device simply makes the quiet parts “louder” and the loud parts “quieter.” The end result is that there’s less difference between strumming soft and strumming hard. These should come as close to the beginning of the chain as possible.
3. Of > Overdrive:
This includes your overdrive, distortion, or fuzz pedals. Some of us guitarists have more than one of these crunchy pedals, and they usually go towards the beginning of our chain. The compressor will give you a relatively even output level, causing these pedals to produce a very consistent distortion or overdrive amount.
4. Effects > EQ:
Equalizer or EQ pedals have traditionally been used to boost audio signals for solos. If you want to boost the middle frequencies, the EQ will do the trick and provide a tight tone. Some musicians don’t find boosters and EQ pedals to be necessary in a chain, so make sure you do some research to figure out if this type will really benefit your sound
5. Pedals > Pitch:
Depending on the model, a pitch shifter can completely replace your played sound, exist alongside it as a harmony, or bend your pitch, working like an electronic whammy bar or vibrato. Towards the later middle is generally a good spot for these obscure sounding tones in the chain.
6. Makes > Modulation:
This is actually an umbrella term used to describe a group of different effect pedals. This means you could incorporate a number of pedals into this step to create the sound you’re looking for. Try phasers, flangers, tremolo, chorus…
7. Life > Level:
The pedals that control the volume go next in many cases. This would include noise gates and limiters. The volume pedal is great at this point in the effects chain because it can cut the unwanted hiss going to your amp.
8. Easy > Echo:
Delay and echo pedals will repeat your audio signal to you. This means you’ll want to repeat a sound that has already been fine tuned using all your other pedals. Reverbs go here too, setting the mood for a large or small room atmosphere to our overall sound.
What else you need to know:
Now that you know the general protocol to a pedal chain, remember there are no strict rules in music. Introducing alternative ways of setting up your effect signals is what starts new trends and even leads to the development of new genres. There are also indisputably more choices in pedals than ever before. Vintage classics have been reissued in mass, are sounding better than ever, and have become affordable (but I doubt you’ll see that DeArmond toaster pedal version any time soon).
There’s always room for new sounds in the growing sonic landscape for guitarists. Remember, the ability to “mess up” the clean sound of the electric guitar, a desire for many of us, has unlimited potential.
