Manual wah before or after compressor?

[Thurisarz]

My chain is: Guitar - EBS Multi-comp compressor - Vox V847 - Amp

When i have it like this and the comp is on and i'm using the wah it distorts my amp. Is this natural or should i avoid using the comp with the wah or should i switch place on them?

 

[J Moose]

Re: Manual wah before or after compressor?

Why is it distorting?


Who the hell knows?!?

Try swtiching the order & see if it goes away...

I dig placing the compressor AFTER the wah to control the peaks and the sometimes excessive dynamic range that comes from using a wah with a clean amp.

 

[baritone]

Re: Manual wah before or after compressor?

There is no real harm with trying both ways, unless the speakers can't handle extreme signal peaks. But the traditional placement of a compressor is at the beginning of an effect chain, except after a wah pedal.

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Manual wah before or after compressor?

I use my Boss Compressor BEFORE my Thomas Organ Crybaby in my pedal chain.

Bill

 

[cvansickle]

Re: Manual wah before or after compressor?

I use my JangleBox compressor before my Fulltone Clyde wah. Sounds better to me that way.

 

[frankfalbo]

Re: Manual wah before or after compressor?

Is it a wah with a boost? If so, maybe put it before the compressor, so the compressor knocks the volume down a little. Personally (I know it's a little backwards) but I like the compressor after the amp's input and/or overdrive. Then it's more like a studio effect applied to a raw amp sound, rather than artificial compression before the preamp.

So my question is, if it's only distorting only when the compression is on, are you perhaps boosting the signal a little with the compressor, therefore overdriving the wah input stage? Maybe you think you're overdriving the amp's input, but it's really the wah. Or the boost from the compressor is compounding with the wah to multiply to a signal that is distorting the amp. Have you tried turning the output down on the compressor? If you like the compressor levels exactly where they are because of how it sounds, then put the wah before it so you don't have to change the compressor settings.

Myself, I always go to the wah first, no matter what the rest of my setup is. I want nothing between the wah and the guitar, just as I don't want compression between me and the preamp either.

 

[baritone]

Re: Manual wah before or after compressor?

It's all a matter of preference. There are traditional ways of doing it, the ways tone connosieurs do it, and many people like to experiment.