Chorus, Flanger & Tremolo - before or after dirt?

johnnyseven · Post by **johnnyseven** » Tue Aug 07, 2012 3:04 pm

I tend to only ever use modulation pedals with my clean tones as iâ€™ve always put them in my chain after dirt pedals and have found that choruses and flangers donâ€™t sound very good after dirt.

Do people find that choruses and flangers sound better with dirt if they are before them in their pedal chain?

Iâ€™m guessing with tremolo pedals they should sound pretty much the same wherever they are in the chain.

NickS · Post by **NickS** » Tue Aug 07, 2012 3:12 pm

My dirt is after my wah and tuner, before chorus and echo.

stain · Post by **stain** » Tue Aug 07, 2012 3:29 pm

my dirt is also before modulation, but i think i'll try after.

Post by **Mike** » Tue Aug 07, 2012 3:37 pm

johnnyseven wrote:Iâ€™m guessing with tremolo pedals they should sound pretty much the same wherever they are in the chain.

Nope.

Trem before dirt = undefined
Trem after dirt = choppy and cutting

dezb1 · Post by **dezb1** » Tue Aug 07, 2012 4:08 pm

Chorus > Dirt > Flange > Trem > Delay...

I like the sound of distorted chorus but not chorused distortion. flange is more extreme after the Dirt (I only use Flange for extreme noisey sounds) and as mike said trem sounds guff if you place it before your Dirt pedal(s)

paul_ · Post by **paul_** » Tue Aug 07, 2012 5:09 pm

I always put dirt at the start of the chain. The more modulationy a pedal is, the further towards the end of the chain I typically put it (e.g. Poly Chorus is last right now because it has the most propensity for weirdness that would colour any later effects too much).

Gabriel · Post by **Gabriel** » Tue Aug 07, 2012 5:15 pm

I prefer modulation before dirt as it makes it a bit more subtle.

Rhysyrhys · Post by **Rhysyrhys** » Tue Aug 07, 2012 5:19 pm

dezb1 wrote:mor extreme

dezb1 · Post by **dezb1** » Tue Aug 07, 2012 5:23 pm

Rhysyrhys wrote:
dezb1 wrote:mor extreme

[youtube][/youtube]

don't get much mor extreme...

fix'd

Ben79 · Post by **Ben79** » Thu Aug 09, 2012 12:07 am

Dirty Flange? Wouldn't that be a Danelectro Tuna Melt? No, that's a chopper.

Post by **dots** » Thu Aug 09, 2012 12:18 am

paul_ wrote:I always put dirt at the start of the chain. The more modulationy a pedal is, the further towards the end of the chain I typically put it (e.g. Poly Chorus is last right now because it has the most propensity for weirdness that would colour any later effects too much).

yep!

gaybear · Post by **gaybear** » Thu Aug 09, 2012 12:25 am

dots wrote:
paul_ wrote:I always put dirt at the start of the chain. The more modulationy a pedal is, the further towards the end of the chain I typically put it (e.g. Poly Chorus is last right now because it has the most propensity for weirdness that would colour any later effects too much).
yep!

place me here as well, however, I've never really experimented with any other way, so have no real reason to do so.

jcyphe · Post by **jcyphe** » Thu Aug 09, 2012 3:45 pm

There are no rules, try it out, you might find something you like.

Fran · Post by **Fran** » Thu Aug 09, 2012 9:22 pm

The common one to swap around was Chorus. Others can sound too extreme before Gain as they become more amplified in the signal that way.

moogmusic · Post by **moogmusic** » Fri Aug 10, 2012 9:28 am

Last night at practice, I was experimenting with my new delay (thanks Simon) after my fuzz pedals but before my clean boost and pre-amp and it was sounding pretty wild.

johnnyseven · Post by **johnnyseven** » Fri Aug 10, 2012 10:12 am

Thanks for the advice. I've always put delay pedals at the end of my chain and it's been fine, my question was more about chorus, flanger and tremolo but it sounds like the way I have been doing it is what most do and recommend to be the best way.

mastermorya · Post by **mastermorya** » Sat Aug 11, 2012 6:19 am

Reverb before dirt if you want to scream to the stars. That's off topic I guess but I just wanted to add that.

Jaded · Post by **Jaded** » Sat Aug 11, 2012 3:51 pm

Phaser before dirt to add some nice swirlyness, after dirt it's a bit too undefined and messy IMO. Chorus and flanger after dirt to get rid of any subtleness, otherwise i just can't hear that they're on. Oh and trem always after dirt, usually last in the chain to get it as choppy as possible.

I prefer most modulation with a cleaner tone too, unless i'm trying to make noise.

lorez · Post by **lorez** » Sun Aug 12, 2012 12:30 am

i'm starting to think that only reverb and delay should be on a guitar effects chain and all the others (especially phasers and flangers) should be on keyboards or affecting the whole track. then again I'm listening to a lot of early 70s stuff and realise that they had only just started using phaser pedals and would use them as an effect on everything. I think this is why I've struggled trying to emulate certain sounds in my head

or feel like I've had a divining rod to phasers since I was very young

Post by **Hurb** » Sun Aug 12, 2012 8:20 am

I used to like to use modulation into dirt/fuzz for extemes sonds.

But there is no right or wrong way. whats sounds best to you is the best way.

Chorus, Flanger & Tremolo - before or after dirt?

Chorus, Flanger & Tremolo - before or after dirt?

Re: Chorus, Flanger & Tremolo - before or after dirt?