Boss effects pedals...Need Advice!

[andygillion]

Hi all,

I've recently joined a signed band and have needed to upgrade my live sound so purchased the following:

Boss BCB-60 pedal board
Ibanez TS-9 (tube screamer)
Boss compression/sustainer
Boss Chromatic tuner
Boss Noise suppressor
Boss DD-3 (digital delay)

Now, I've read a lot about pedal placement and order and how it can affect the performance of each pedal depending on where it is placed in the chain. However, I'm still not too sure I've got mine set up properly and was really hoping for a few pointers.

So far my setup looks like this...

Mesa Triple Recto - DD3-NS2-CS3-TS9-TU2 - PRS (guitar)

I'm not sure whether this order is the best it can be, although I know a lot of it is down to preference. Also, I've heard that time-based pedals such as the DD3 should be either at the end of your chain such as in my diagram, or in a completely different chain altogether... I've used it in my chain and the delay doesn't seem to happen when you are playing notes, only after when you stop...I'm hoping this is down to the chain placement and not the pedal itself because if so I'm very disapointed with it.

Can anyone give me any pointers, I would really appreciate the advice!

Many Thanks,
Andy

[Brad1]

"Mesa Triple Recto - DD3-NS2-CS3-TS9-TU2 - PRS (guitar)"


Hard for me to visualize the backward chain...so..

PRS>TU2>TS9>CS3>NS2>DD3>Amp

The amp has an effects loop, yes? I'd try the DD3 in that. You may find you get much better and cleaner delay that way since it's not getting pummeled to oblivion in the preamp section. It takes what's coming from the (probably) overdriven preamp, and delaying THAT signal. May be less noisy, also.

The rest looks OK. Noise supressor needs to go after distortion and before time-based, so you are OK. And, after compressor is OK since as the compressor is decaying a signal, it also may bring up noise. You'll just have to carefully set that supressor so it doesn't stutter or clamp off.

You MAY even want to take the tuner and put it into the effects loop also. Can't hurt to try. Just gets it out of your initial signal path to the inputs of the amp. I THINK it should still Mute, if needed. The only problem with that would be that you won't get a clean signal because it'll be after the preamp, so to tune, you may need to switch to a very clean setting. Direct from the guitar will naturally get the best tuning result, but it also places that in the chain. You could even get an AB box, and just kick that over to "B" tune, then back to "A" to play, taking it out of the path altogether.

Of course, if you can't tell the difference with it being installed, or not, as the first input from the guitar, make it easy and put it there. Just do a quick comparison to see if it affects anything.

Compressor before or after distortion? Probably after. If you put it before, it's going to run clean guitar signal decays (noises through pickups, etc) through, possibly, a boost and the distortion. May create more for the NS2 to work on.
The already distorted and sustained signal will naturally be a bit compressed already, so you may need to use less compression. You'll have to find a happy setting that compresses clean signals cleanly, and doesn't squash distorted signals when you kick that in. Or, if needed, just turn the compressor off for distroted, and on for clean. You'll just have to try it and see.

So...to review? See what happens if you stick the delay into the amp effects loop, experiment with the tuner placement, and just use the TS9, CS3 and NS2at the input?

Something to try. Let us know what happens?

Brad1

[andygillion]

Thanks very much for the reply, very informative! Okay, I'll give that a go. There is a second output on the pedal board so hopefully I can send that into the effects loop on the amp. Shall let you know how I get on.

Cheers,
Andy