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Date: Thu, 05 Jun 2003 08:54:25 -0400
From: Richard Hunter
Subject: Re: Amplified effects chain

The question of whether effects should be placed before or after the
preamp is an interesting one. First, the preamp itself is an "effect,"
that is, it changes the sound of the signal that goes into it.

So when effects are placed before the preamp, the preamp modifies the
sound of the effects, typically by distorting them (just as the basic
mic signal is distorted by the preamp). This is neither better nor
worse than the reverse, i.e. placing the effects after the preamp, in
which case the effects act on the preamped signal but aren't themselves
distorted by the preamp.

It's certainly different, though. In general, the difference is that
effects that go through the pre-amp have more "edge," more distortion,
just as the mic signal that goes through the preamp does. Sometimes
that's what you want; sometimes it isn't. It depends a lot on what kind
of distortion you get from your preamp, the kind of music you like to
play, and your personal tastes and preferences.

As a rule, for most players in most styles most of the time,
distortion-based effects go first in the chain, and time-based effects
like delay, reverb, chorus, phase shifter, and flange go at or near the
end of the chain. That suggests that the time-based effects will
usually run after the preamp in an effects loop. But for hard-edged
stuff like hiphop, it's great to put these effects before the preamp.

Sound is simply sound, neither "good" nor "bad" except in a given
context. It's a good idea for anyone who's serious about their sound to
experiment with the order of their effects. It takes time to do so, but
the results are often very exciting.

Regards, Richard Hunter
www.hunterharp.com