Taming my effects order

[redeyedjim]

I'd love some ideas on how to best order my effects. Although I mainly play Grateful Dead music and similar-style jamming, I do occasionally play some blues and classic hard rock. Trying to figure out how to best order these, and especially where to put the compressor and the dirt pedal.

I've managed to acquire a few nice of effects over the years, and especially over the last few months. This is what I have:

Mutron III w/true bypass mod - love this thing
Boss OC-2 octave divider
MXR Dyna Comp Script
MXR Phase 100 Script
Sarno Earth Drive dirt pedal
Line6 M13

I also have a couple of true bypass loopers (one 5 channel, the other 2 channel).

The M13 has its own effects loop which I was going to use, but I just read that the M13 FX loop Send issues a buffered signal, and it isn't possible to simultaneously use the M13's FX loop and have the M13 enter true bypass mode when none of its effects are selected. My guitar has UGB/OBEL, and I'd rather not send a compound buffered signal to the MuIII -- too much buffering seems to colors the tone in its own way and make it glassy.

So at this point, I'm thinking about putting all of my analog effects in their own discrete true bypass loops before sending that into the M13, and not using the M13's effect loop at all for analog effects.

Something like this:

OBEL send>
TB loop1>compressor>
TB loop2>dirt pedal
TB loop3>octave divider>
TB loop4>MuIII>
TB loop5>phaser>
M13>
OBEL return

Does this seem like a decent order for these, or at least a reasonable starting point?

[hippieguy1954]

Well, I do it like this, reqardless of obel or not:

envelope filter
octave devider
dirt
phase shift
delay

Also, there is a thread on this here: viewtopic.php?f=419&t=10563&p=99137&hilit=order+of+effects#p99137 "Ya just gotta poke around"

[redeyedjim]

thanks, hippieguy. I did see that thread last night and had originally bumped it with an earlier version of this question, but as I thought my own special snowflake details regarding the m13 FX loop I figured this might be easier to discuss in its own thread. If a mod wants to roll my question into that other thread I won't object.

Your order is interesting, especially the order of envelope filter > octave divider > dirt, which is completely different than mine. I can give that try and see if I like it.

Kinda curious if anyone else is running a compressor, and if so, where it lives in the chain?

[wolftigerrosebud]

interesting that you've got the dirt box after the phaser -- i always have mine go envelope filter > OD > dirt > phaser. like the way it sounds better that way?

[hippieguy1954]

thanks, hippieguy. I did see that thread last night and had originally bumped it with an earlier version of this question, but as I thought my own special snowflake details regarding the m13 FX loop I figured this might be easier to discuss in its own thread. If a mod wants to roll my question into that other thread I won't object.

Your order is interesting, especially the order of envelope filter > octave divider > dirt, which is completely different than mine. I can give that try and see if I like it.

Kinda curious if anyone else is running a compressor, and if so, where it lives in the chain?

I don't think anyone is using a compressor for Jerry tone. Some do for Bobby tone.

[hippieguy1954]

interesting that you've got the dirt box after the phaser -- i always have mine go envelope filter > OD > dirt > phaser. like the way it sounds better that way?

What post are you refering to?

[Pete B.]

I think Jerry ran his Mu_Octave pedal before his Mu_III.

[waldo041]

I think Jerry ran his Mu_Octave pedal before his Mu_III.

he did, and the Boss OC-2 went in front of the Mu3 as well. that said, both were in his true bypass effects switching rack unit, but when used in a NoN True Bypass arrangement the OC-2 off state buffer does not mate well in front of the Mu3 and it's off state buffer. so the only solution is to run it after the Mu3 unless you arrange for them to be true bypassed from one another.

peace,
waldo

[redeyedjim]

Thanks, guys, this helps a lot.

I can put the OC-2 in a true bypass loop, so it can live in front of the MuIII. I was playing with the OC-2 -> MuIII last night, and getting some very "Feel Like a Stranger" tones. Fun stuff.

I don't think anyone is using a compressor for Jerry tone. Some do for Bobby tone.

I didn't mean to imply that Jerry did run one, but rather that I sometimes play stuff that isn't in the GD canon or even in their style, and I'd like to have a common pedal arrangement for all of my music. It's cool, I the setup I put in my OP will give me what I want:

OBEL send>
TB loop1>compressor>
TB loop2>dirt pedal
TB loop3>octave divider>
TB loop4>MuIII>
TB loop5>phaser>
M13>
OBEL return

Thanks!

[hippieguy1954]

Oh.

[Pete B.]

I can put the OC-2 in a true bypass loop, so it can live in front of the MuIII. I was playing with the OC-2 -> MuIII last night, and getting some very "Feel Like a Stranger" tones. Fun stuff.

+1

[PaulJay]

I like my Dyna- comp after my overdrive. Then phaser then delay, although I don't use delay. , Paul

[wolftigerrosebud]

interesting that you've got the dirt box after the phaser -- i always have mine go envelope filter > OD > dirt > phaser. like the way it sounds better that way?

What post are you refering to?

Gotcha; I reread the post in search of the implied error in understanding and found it! That's what I get for reading inattentively.

[hippieguy1954]

Happens to us all at one time or another! Ya had me trying to find it too lol!

[GeneralGoldilocks]

I think you want to run your compressor before envelope at least, that way you won't have any unpleasantries occurring to your envelope tone by the compressor if it is on. I have heard you want compressor after distortion pedal, although i don't think you want to use your compressor and distortion together at all usually. i think the key thing for the compressor for me is to use very little of it, i am just using it for a peak limiter and a volume boost, mostly, i am not going for the squashed tone.

my effects go:

obel
steel guitar black box
carl martin compressor limiter
q-tron envelope
ibanez tube screamer
obel