mind the accentuated slurp because it is
overtly apparent no matter where it is
placed. With tremolo pedals, I like to
place them dead last in line—even after
reverbs—which is somewhat
unconventional. When a tremolo effect is
engaged it should be overwhelmingly
present and dictate the movement of the
passage in a song.
When chorus and flangers are analog, I
like them pre-dirt or in front of the effects
loop. The general sonic nature of analog
time-based effects is warm, chewy and
inherently dirty, priming them for a
seamless transition into distortion effects.
When the chorus, flanger or ADT effects
are digital, I like to run them in the effects
loop or post-dirt. The logic here is that
generally, digital modulation effects are
coming from multi-effects processers with
more options for dry and wet signal
adjustments and they usually sport
effects loop-enabled high headroom
before clipping.
Delays: Out
Front or in
the Loop?
Now this is probably the most discussed
scenario of pre and post placement. The
vast majority favor delays—analog or
digital—to be at the end of the line or in
the loop, just before reverbs. I am
generally in agreement, but there are
many cool sounds to be found with some
experimentation. For example, a pristine
digital delay can sound flat and clinical
when it is placed after distortio