small delay was the TC Electronic Flashback Mini , and quickly installed the computer program to edit parameters so that when I had a fast delay , it was brighter , and when it was slower it was warmer , and had some more modulation . It was exactly what I needed . And the reverb was the same as the Arena , and I would just bend down and set the right sounds and parameters on the pedal for the right song . Usually over fast songs I use a short delay and a short reverb . The slower the songs , the more reverb and delay I would set .
I would recommend having that option of versatility with reverb and delay . You don ’ t need multiple delays and reverb pedals to get all the sounds , there are some pedals that allow you to do a lot for a little , and over time that becomes more and more of a standard .
WHAT ABOUT MODULATION ? Modulation has had an interesting course in popularity in worship music over the last 15 years . At first it wasn ’ t necessary , but it was used sporadically , and having it on your pedal board ( even if you didn ’ t use it ) was cool . But then no one was using it , and it wasn ’ t necessary to have it on the pedalboard anymore . Chorus has definitely made a comeback , even becoming an essential tone for some guitar hooks , but if it wasn ’ t used , it wasn ’ t missed . Overall modulation isn ’ t necessary , and we don ’ t really need it . That being said , I love modulation , on the biggest iteration of my board I had trems , chorus , phasers and a rotary effect . However , on my modern version I use a tremoloo and a chorus on my Line 6 HX Stomp and only use it because I have the capability of having it on the presets and not take any more physical space on my pedalboard . took it off of my pedal board all together . And the wah , even though it ’ s probably one of the most iconic pedals of all time , has not really been used much in worship music . I love wah pedals , and whenever I can I will use one off of the pedalboard , but it seems like there is not much space for them now .
IN CONCLUSION How complicated should a pedalboard be ? It really doesn ’ t have to be too complicated to be able to play in a modern worship band . What ’ s really necessary is one to two drive pedals , and some delay and reverb , to be able to play within a church context . Anything else is fun to have but not really necessary . But like some things in music ( if not all ) it is very subjective . We have things like music theory , but music theory is a theory , and some of the most interesting and creative music breaks a lot of the rules and regulations of theory to make something fun ! In the same way there are guidelines to pedals , their use , and pedal order .
But some cool and interesting sounds are made when we break the order of pedals and disregard the guidelines . So in the end the real
question is , what is necessary for you ? Do you want to just stick to what you have to play ?
Do you want to try something new ?
Do you want to have many different sounds , or do you want a bare bones get the job done pedalboard ? What I have found over the years is , the more pedals I have on my board , the more brainpower I spend on the sounds over the playing , which in the end gives me really cool and creative sounds , but I sacrifice technique and play more bare bones parts .
And the less I have on my pedalboard the more I can think about more creative parts to play . But I still have great core sounds that I know will be my Swiss army knife for any situation I am in .
The best thing you can do as a guitarist is analyze what ’ s more important to you and create a pedalboard around that necessity .
Chris Rocha Chris Rocha is an American Christian producer , guitarist , business owner and pioneer in the Spanish Christian music industry . He is a two time Dove Award winner , has worked on two Grammy award winning records and has produced or recorded guitars on 5 Grammy nominated albums .
VOLUME AND WAH PEDALS Though volume and wah pedals have definitely been a part of pedalboards over the years , it has started to filter out . First the wah , and now the volume is starting to filter out . I ’ ve always liked how easy it was to control dynamics with a volume pedal , but over the last two years I have used it less and less , to the point that I