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Patch cables are short lengths of quarter-inch cable that are used specifically for connecting a sequence of pedals. It would quickly become unwieldy to patch together more than one or two pedals with 12-foot lengths of stage cable, so patch cables help to keep your set-up tidy and easy to manage. Patch cables are also recommended to maintain signal quality. The longer an audio signal must travel, the worse it will eventually sound, so short patch cables help to keep your signal of the highest quality possible. When you're chaining together a sequence of pedals, the order of the pedals is very important. The first pedal in the sequence is the one connected directly to your guitar and the last pedal in the sequence will be the pedal that connects to your amplifier. Different rules apply to different pedals, but the one pedal you want to make sure is first in any chain is a tuning pedal, if you have one. Tuning pedals need clear, direct, unfiltered signals to work properly. If you installed a distortion pedal in a sequence before a tuning pedal, the tuner would be reading that degraded and distorted signal. It might sound cool, but it'll make the tuner go all wonky and give you a bad reading. Put your tuner first so your guitar will stay in tune. Basic rule of thumb when it comes to sequencing guitar pedals: Pedals that create tone need to go before pedals that manipulate tone. Wah-wahs, envelope filters, and other pedals that compress the natural sound of your guitar should be placed early in the signal path, following any tuners that you use. Some of the most common pedals used in playing rigs are the fuzz boxes. Distortion, overdrive, and other types of pedals that create great-sounding gain and distortion for controlled bursts of chaos in your sound should come after the tuners and the wah-wahs. The specific order of your distortion and overdrive pedals is up to you. When it comes to playing guitar, the rules are meant to be broken. Experiment with different orientations of your pedals to see what sound works best for you. Flangers, phasers, and chorus pedals work by modulating the signal and creating an atmospheric effect to that tone. It works best chained in the sequence after any distortion pedals that you might have in your chain. Volume and reverb pedals should always be placed last in a sequence. These work best when used to adjust a finished signal, and won't work properly placed in the middle of the sequence. Reverb pedals can go out of control if placed before distortion. There's no "wrong way" to chain together pedals. For some guitar players, looking for control and reliability and quality of sound, these rules of thumb are absolutely essential to getting a "correct" signal. For others, you can make noise symphonies just by twisting some dials and never touching your guitar. Spend an afternoon chaining together pedals in different sequences. See what happens. If something starts feeding back, go for the modulators and reverb units first. Anything that echoes and repeats, or loops a signal is the likely candidate for feedback, instead of distortion pedals, as you might expect. You can also turn down the effect knobs quickly to get control of the signal, if necessary. When you patch pedals together, you can also invest in a power-patch cable, to allow you to power all your pedals through a single 9-volt adapter, rather than trying to lug around adapters for each one of your pedals. This is usually the most efficient method for trying to power your pedals, rather than batteries or individual adapter units. It’s basically a long string of A/C jacks attached to a single cable, which you can link straight into the pedals. onsider investing in a pedal board. A pedal board allows you to keep your pedals organized on stage, as well as keeps your pedals ordered in a sequence that you like. If you’ve stumbled upon a set-up that works for you and produces the sound you’re looking for, it’s a lot easier to organize it on a board and keep it connected in the same basic order, rather than having to reorganize every time you want to play.
Use patch cables. Always start with your tuning pedal. Place compressors and filter-type pedals early in the sequence. Put overdrive and distortion pedals second in the sequence. Chain modulation pedals after distortion. Play with the order of the pedals to get the sound you’re looking for. Power the cables in sequence. .