5 Things I Wish I knew about Gain Stacking SOONER

1 pedal is great, 2 pedals is often greater. But these pedals aren't going to dial in themselves. So let's talk about what I've learned from combining drive pedals together.

Used in the video: TC Electronic Spark boost, Fulltone OCD, Greer Amps Lightspeed, JHS Moonshine V1, Tonex One(Amp Sound), TC Electronic Plethora X3(Delay), Boss RV-500 reverb.

#guitarpedals #fxpedals #pedalboard #guitar #tonexone #gainstacking

[EnterJustice]

1. Later in the chain = greater impact on tone. Put your boost AFTER the main overdrive - so you get additional VOLUME instead of (input) GAIN.
2. Less is more when gain stacking. You don't have to push a series of overdrives as hard as you'd push a SINGLE drive - <50% on the gain for most gives you a half-power sound + additional options.
3. HEAVIEST to lightest. E.g. FUZZ -> overdrive can even out the differences between having only overdrive and pushing it with the fuzz.
4. Be aware of the EQ curve. Flat frequency response vs mid-hump. A tubescreamer into the Lightspeed gives it more compression, gain, and drive in the mid section.
5. Don't be afraid to experiment; don't just stick to the classic formulas.

[mrstrypes]

I like to think of the last drive pedal in my chain as the "noun" and all of the ones before it as "adjectives" that serve to modify it.
Great video! Very informative. Thanks!

[productofgrace]

Been waiting for this Dave. Thank you!

[jefwinchester]

Hey sir, new subscriber here from the Philippines. Okay just so you know, i'm not a professional musician yet, been seeking a lot of help regarding my tone and musicality with other musicians and bands in my city but when i do, those musicians and the bands need some help too hahaha so i told myself, fine i'll do it on my own. And i'm still learning up to this day as i get along in life. I've been so confused lately of what to put first on my pedalboard, been experimenting to stack some pedals since then. First, i stack my dirt pedal which is my Indio DS-6 Distortion pedal, then next is my Joyo Overdrive pedal. I know i only have practical pedals or as they say "primitive" pedals because i'm just getting started on building myself as a good musician hahaha but i learned and harness my skills with it along the way. I think i will just add a Booster pedal next time, right after my Overdrive, that's just my only problem i haven't tried putting a Booster pedal on my chain. Thanks for this information sir. Keep onb rockin'.🤘🏻😎

[thetrueporkchop]

I’ve become a volume knob rider, but I still stack drives to get the sound in my head!

Regardless of doing rock, metal, or worship, I start out like this: dial the amp to clean up with the volume knob on guitar, turn on my first drive and do the same, repeat with each pedal until I have a wonderfully clear yet saturated sound with my guitar at 10, and either a crystal clean or edge of break up sound with my guitar at 2.

[rdStoreyChemist]

Don't be afraid to turn up the gain controls!
Each control on all your gain pedals will be very interactive, so the volume/level knob has a huge impact on what is hitting the next pedal. But there's a lot of emphasis on keeping this control high & gain settings low, but turning it down & the gain up does have its uses. In fact a lot of old pedals lacking in output make more sense when going into something already distorted as too much output can make things muddy, particularly fuzzes.
If you have a pedal that gets muddy with too much gain, which is literally just more volume being added to the signal, if the majority of the additional distortion from a pedal boosting it is from increased output, you run the risk of pushing the later pedal into that muddy sound, so turning the first pedal down and turning the gain up on that pedal can be better for clarity.

Heaviest to highest doesn't really work. Its more important to have that last gain pedal work with your amp and get the sound you're after, so it isn't as simple as "lightest pedal" last. Like I tend to use British style amps, being from the UK where they are cheap, a soft-clipping overdrive tends to be like a blanket over the amp, the "bite" just isn't there, so a hard-clipping pedal works perfectly. But something like a Fender or just generally super clean, scooped & extended high end and a soft-clipping circuit is often better.

[mrmusicrevolution]

Great video and excellent information. I have a spark booster and it is very useful specially when you are looking for a touch more in your clean guitar sound. It can be a bit clinical sometimes but then pushing other driver before or after you get so many different killer sounds. We will try to review it in our channel because it’s a budget friendly guitar gear and it sounds great!

[moshezarviv]

great video, dude !! (and I watched a lot...)

[Rushan]

I tried higher dirt first, just didn’t like it, but everyone’s pedals and taste differs. I have a klone as a clean boost before other dirt, then a few dirts of varying gain, and a spark at the end for when I just need a little volume kick.

[deanbelden]

Well Dave, thank you. Awesome advice, I've been doing it wrong😢 My green russian was my last in the drive chain and my blues driver was the first. I saw something a while ago about a tube goes into a muff but a muff can't go into a tube
😂😂😂
sounds legit