Misc Pedal settings questions...

[BloodRose]

I figured rather than make 7 diff threads (one for each pedal) Id just post one thread and list all the pedals. Im trying to get my board dialed in. Some of the effects just dont sound right where I have them, so I thought Id ask what works good for you guys and then kinda adjust for taste. I think Ive discovered the biggest problem and will address that in a separate thread..

Pedal one:

Start with the most simple.
Jerry Cantrell Wah. Where you users setting the dial??

Two:
Holy Grail Reverb. Running mine on spring at about 11 oclock. anything higher seems way too much.


Three:
Carbon Copy.. Im finding a hard time getting a natural sound..


Four:
Boss CE3 Chorus. Again, trying to find a natural sound. closest Ive come has been:
level at full, rate 11 oclock, Depth at 1 oclock, Low at 11, highs at 1


Five:
OCD

Six:
Green Rhino

Seven:
Digitech Hardwire DL-8


Lastly.... Boss NS2 noise gate. No matter where I set this, I cant tell any difference. Im wondering if its broken..

Thanks for any input!

 

[Lucy Diamond]

Re: Misc Pedal settings questions...

Hi again....This is going to take time.

I'm at work, so I may have to reply a couple of different times if you don't mind.


EDIT: While you are still in the learning phase of your board, we are going to set your board up in a traditional manner.
I have answered each pedal issue in a separate reply and I am going back to add this for you.
Your board will be set up:
Guitar ========> WAH > Overdrive 1 > Overdrive 1 > Noise Gate > Chorus > Carbon Copy > Digitech Delay > Holy Grail.


For each pedal:
I'll go in your list order.

Cantrell:

Congratulations on buying the GREATEST freakin wah EVERRRRRR!!!! Okay...so...cock your wah mid way...leave it there and adjust the knob until you like it. Start WAH-ing and repeat until you are psyched!!!!

Wah question: Do you mostly go "Wah Wah Wah" with it or do you use it as a notch filter for lead tone??

 

[Lucy Diamond]

Re: Misc Pedal settings questions...

Ok....

The Holy Grail Reverb gets intense around 12 o'clock so start at the lowest setting and then dial in a little bit more until you dig it.

The reverb pedal should be last in the chain. Are there exceptions? Of course. We're not there yet. Put it last.

If you just want it to add flavor, use a little. If you need to channel Dick Dale and answer the timeless question "How deep IS the ocean?" you should find your answers between 10 and 12 o'clock.


I'm pretty sure the Holy Grail is a digital reverb which is why you are getting SUCH craziness past noon.

Enjoy.

 

[Lucy Diamond]

Re: Misc Pedal settings questions...

"Time" for the Carbon Copy and the DL-8 Haaaaa!!! I kill me.

Time....oh never mind.


The delay will go before your reverb pedal, 2nd to last and you will start to hear things more the way you want them.

Start with Delay and Regen at 9 o'clock and mix to taste.

Put the carbon copy (the analog delay) before the DL-8 (the digital delay)

Experiment from there.

Bonus Flavor: Set the first delay with a short delay time and the second delay with a long delay time and cascade them. It's siiiiiiiiiiick

 

[Lucy Diamond]

Re: Misc Pedal settings questions...

"Boss CE3 Chorus. Again, trying to find a natural sound. closest Ive come has been:
level at full, rate 11 oclock, Depth at 1 oclock, Low at 11, highs at 1"

A chorus pedal can be used before or after "dirt" but I really like them AFTER.

You are absolutely right with the 11 and 1 o'clock settings. Choruses can be like that and rate and depth sound great and very "classicly chorus-ey" when they oppose one another.

This should get you in the right zip code to start sounding better and then you can experiment from there.

 

[Lucy Diamond]

Re: Misc Pedal settings questions...

It's hard to talk about your overdrive pedals without knowing what kind of guitar and amp combination you are using.

If you are using a clean amp, anything goes. (I mean...if you really don't know how to dial in an overdrive....set everything at 12 o'clock and then go from there.)

If you are using single coils, keep the gain (to taste) at a point where you aren't creating too much extra noise.

If you are using humbuckers through a high gain amp, dial in your amp and then set the gain low and then raise it to the point where you get to where you want to be.

The tone knob on overdrive pedals is 100% subjective and no one can tell you how to set that.

The levels should match what you want to get out of the pedal.

If you want a volume boost, the level is there for you.

 

[Lucy Diamond]

Re: Misc Pedal settings questions...

Noise Gate Land.

For you my friend, we are going to be traditional and place the gate after drive and before modulation.

Dial in the gain sound that you want with your overdrive pedals and turn them on how you are going to use them. (I don't know if you stack them or not)

Once you have your gain sound and you are hearing the noise you don't want to hear turn your gate on at the lowest setting and turn the thresh hold up until the sound is gone and then dial it back a touch.

Experiment and readjust.

If you dial your gate in for just one pedal, you may get extra noise if you either add the other overdrive or turn your wah on.

 

[devastone]

Re: Misc Pedal settings questions...

Looks like Lucy did a pretty good job for all the pedals and order (which if it was the order of the list, needs to be re-done). I can help you with the NS-2 some, it works best if you use the loop. For starters try:

Guitar > wah > NS-2 In
NS-2 Send > Green Rhino and OCD in whichever order you prefer >NS-2 Return
NS-2 Out > Chorus > Delay(s) > Reverb > Amp

Unless your amp has an fx loop, then I would run the delays and reverb in the loop, otherwise it's almost the same as running them in front of your dirt pedals. Also be aware that if the fx loop is line level, it may be too hot for the Carbon Copy and Holy Grail and they may clip in a bad way.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Misc Pedal settings questions...

Thanks for the input!!!
Devastone, were you asking if my list was the order on my board??? If so, no.

My board runs: Input to top row. Pitchblack tuner, mxr 10 band eq, Chorus, Digitech DL-8, Carbon Copy, Holy Grail. I figure I can run this row to the loop, or direct to next row. Usually run in a chain for times sake.
Next row: JC wah , OCD, Green Rhino, NS2. Which I run to front of amp.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Misc Pedal settings questions...

Ill get to my second board once we get this on sorted out.. On that one I have (in order) : MXR Flanger, Dunlop Tremolo, ADA Flanger, Peavey Dual Clock Stereo Chorus, Boss Octave, MXR Phase 90, and Little Bear RaTTack. I already have a feeling that Ill have to move the Rat Pedal to the front of the board due to seeing today that the gain pedals seem to amplify the effects

 

[Mincer]

Re: Misc Pedal settings questions...

I find I had to open up the Carbon Copy to get at the mod controls. Either way, it isn't a 'natural' delay- it is really dark. But those mod controls make it usable.

 

[devastone]

Re: Misc Pedal settings questions...

Thanks for the input!!!
Devastone, were you asking if my list was the order on my board??? If so, no.

My board runs: Input to top row. Pitchblack tuner, mxr 10 band eq, Chorus, Digitech DL-8, Carbon Copy, Holy Grail. I figure I can run this row to the loop, or direct to next row. Usually run in a chain for times sake.
Next row: JC wah , OCD, Green Rhino, NS2. Which I run to front of amp.

Gotcha, sorry for misinterpreting ;-)

Still not sure I'm following exactly though, your "top row" should be either in the loop, or after your "next row", not before. So, I would move the tuner to between the wah and the OCD. I would also use the NS-2 loop for the OCD and Green Rhino like I laid out earlier.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Misc Pedal settings questions...

I find I had to open up the Carbon Copy to get at the mod controls. Either way, it isn't a 'natural' delay- it is really dark. But those mod controls make it usable.

What adjustments did you make? and how did it differ the tone?

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Misc Pedal settings questions...

LucyDiamond.. Ive been tied up trying to find a facility for my daughter.. Not been able to try any suggestions. Hopefully will be able to focus some attention to it in a few days..

 

[Lucy Diamond]

Re: Misc Pedal settings questions...

LucyDiamond.. Ive been tied up trying to find a facility for my daughter.. Not been able to try any suggestions. Hopefully will be able to focus some attention to it in a few days..

I think history will show that it is way better that you spent the time with your daughter.

Your pedals will be there.

I'm here when you need me.

\m/,

~LD


EDIT: PS - Just so you know...my multi post answers to you are the culmination of 29 years of guitar playing. It took many many hours of sitting down and tweaking and trying and re-tweaking and throwing pedals out windows to grasp making them work in harmony. You can use my posts as guidelines but ultimately you have to put in the wrench time and really try everything.

Read guitar magazines.
Follow posts in threads like this.
Talk to other guitar players.
Go to shows.

It is all part of it.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Misc Pedal settings questions...

Yeah, she comes first for sure!! And yes, I know it'll be ultimately my settings, but haven't had much luck finding the magic spot, so figured Id ask for some starting points. I think my biggest issue is that Im running my gain after my effects and its boosting the effects too much.

 

[Taz Rules]

Re: Misc Pedal settings questions...

FWIW, I just learned a lot reading this thread. Even though it isnt my post, and my board is MUCH simpler....Washburn Blues overdrive > Boss DS1 Distortion > Behringer VD400 Vintage Delay > Danelectro FAB 600ms Delay to a Roland Cube 15x.

Still, there's a lot of valuable experience and knowledge here, and I'm new to pedals. This gives me a head start for understanding how things work when the board expands.

Any time a giant offers a shoulder, you can bet I'm going to stand on it.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Misc Pedal settings questions...

Glad it helped you Taz! I cant wait to have time to spend with my board and give this a try.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Misc Pedal settings questions...

Started looking this over a bit today.. Wanted to address some things really quick.

To clarify. Devastone. If I have time to really hook things up properly, I run my top row,right (tuner) to left (grail) into the loop and bottom row, right (wah) to left (ns2) into the front of the amp. If Im in a hurry, I chain them together and go top row, to bottom row (Grail out to wah in) and out from the NS2 to the amp. Sounds like you Im reading that I should go bottom row to top row and into the front if I go that way?? Ill try that, cuz sounds like you and LUCYD are both saying dirt pedals should be first.. AND, Im thinking the dirt pedals should be first too as having them after seem to be over acentuating (sp?) my effects..

Lucyd. You were kinda open ending some questions about my set up.. Clean channel, buckers or singles.. So, thought Id clarify. I MOSTLY run humbuckers. I have a strat, and a coulple guits that are s/s/h. But the rest are H/H. Amp is a splawn Q/R. Clean channel is not bad, but I normally play on the gain channels. Also, I normally wah wah and not leave it set cocked. And, so far Im digging the JC WAh. My first wah was a bad horsie, because it was my buds fav and he gets amazing tones from his. but, wasnt my cup o tea, and I like having the option to leave it cocked. Then, I bought a Vox 847 (?), but it was too bright. I tried rolling the potentiometer some to get into a fatter sweep, but still wasnt what I was hoping for.

Back to my chain.. I see from both of you that Im gonna have to do some swapping around. And Yes, I KNEW in my mind I wasnt using the ns2 right. I figure the loop outputs arent on it for no reason.. So, Im gonna move some things around when time permits.

Gonna plug up in a few and at least try using the bottom row first then into top.

Does it matter a whole lot where the tuner goes?? I figured first would be best. IIRC, Devastone suggested a place for it..
Thanks again for the input

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Misc Pedal settings questions...

sell them all and get a real nice amp if you dont already have one.
Plug your axe into said amp and get all the juice and nuance out of that.