Audio Effects/Processes

Vibrato is an incredible technique for a guitarist, bassist, vocalist (and many other instrumentalists) to have in their arsenal. This natural technique can be achieved in both natural and unnatural ways via electronics in a vibrato pedal. What are vibrato guitar effects pedals, and how do they work? Vibrato pedals are stompbox-style effects units designed…

Looper pedals can be an invaluable tool for guitarists, bassists and all musicians. These units are regularly used to develop musical ideas beyond a single instrument track, as a tool in live settings for “one-man-bands” and even multi-piece groups, and as a learning tool in the practice room (among many other uses). What are looper…

Pitch-shifting pedals, and those pedals that utilize pitch-shifting, are among the most amusing to play through and can truly open a whole new realm of sonic and harmonic capabilities on guitar, bass and other instruments. What are pitch-shifting guitar pedals, and how do they work? A pitch-shifting guitar/bass pedal is a stompbox unit that affects…

Equalization (EQ) is one of the most important and commonly used processes in audio. It makes perfect sense, then, that the market would produce EQ pedals for our guitars and bass guitars. What are EQ pedals, and how do they work? EQ pedals adjust the relative amplitudes of the frequencies within a guitar or bass…

Compression is one of the most important and popular processes in audio, so it stands to reason that a compressor pedal in a board/rig would be fitting. What are compressor pedals, and how do they work? Compressors pedals reduce the dynamic range of the input guitar/bass signal. A compressor pedal will reduce the amplitude of…

Whether you’re looking to expand the sonic capabilities of your guitar, want a synth but can’t afford one, or trying to kick the synth player out of your band, a synth pedal could be for you! What are synth pedals, and how do they work? A synth pedal is an audio synthesizer in a stompbox format…

Reverb is one of the most popular effects for guitarists to have in a pedal. In fact, it’s one of the most common effects in music, period. We can find reverb units on pedalboards around the world. What are reverb pedals, and how do they work? Reverb pedals are [typically] digital and are designed to…

A single delay pedal in a guitarist’s rig can add numerous dimensions to his or her playing. It’s no wonder why delay pedals are so popular on pedalboards around the globe, spanning across nearly all genres of music. What are delay pedals, and how do they work? Delay pedals are stompbox effects units that cause…

The market is full of brilliant guitar pedal manufacturers and guitarists (and bassists) that use these pedal to create incredible art. With so much going on and so many options to choose from when it comes to pedals, it is important to understand the basics of each base effect and what the various pedal effects…

So you’ve picked up some awesome effects pedals for your rig and want to get the most out of them. Understanding signal flow and placing pedals in the proper order will lead to optimal performance. So how should we order our guitar (or bass) pedals for optimal signal flow? Though there are no hard rules…

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of different guitar effect pedals on that market. Boost, overdrive, distortion and fuzz are some of the most common for getting that aggressive sound for your 6 string (or 7… or 8… or 9 and so forth). Knowing the differences between these pedal types will help tremendously in narrowing…