volume pedal VS compressor placement in signal chain

[saagsel]

hi guys!

this is my first post, so please excuse any posting issues or booboos on my part. forum wise i am a virgin, but i have been playing guitar for more than half my life. lol

my question is this:
what are your order preferences regarding using volume pedals and compressors in your pedal signal chain?

obviously the standard / easiest would be to run your guitar to your volume pedal, then to your compressor. as most of us use our compressors for punch and sustain (which we would like to keep constant during a volume roloff) wouldnt it make more sense to run your guitar to your compressor first, then to your volume pedal?

i recently tried this (compressor -> volume) but wasnt as impressed with the result as i thought i would be. i went back to "volume -> compressor" and this worked much better for me. why?

just thought i'd throw the question out there - have any of you guys experimented with volume VS compressor placement in your chain? what was your result?

(oh, its a standard ernie ball volume pedal with an analogman bicomp)

thanks so much for such an informative forum.

 

[ScatMan]

The chicken or the egg? (which came first? )..sorry..

..I'd say that with a compressor and a volume pedal, whatever works for you in the chain that works best for you is best..

..I've got a compressor-->ODs-->EQ-->Modulation(s)--> and delay pedal in my chain..and THEN a volume pedal..

..The reason being that I prefer to use my guitar's volume/tone controls to shape and drive the signal before the effects and use the volume pedal to drive the amp..

..but that's just me..YMMV

 

[Pinball_Wizard]

After, Before the compressor you'll get to audible volume quicker, but you can just move your foot quicker, slower articulated swells are worth it.

 

[Roli]

If you place the volume pedal before the compressor, it will act like a 2nd volume knob in your guitar, only you'll get the load of the passive pedal too so some of your treble will be lost. And if you back off your volume with your pedal (or your volume knob), your signal will get smaller so you might not even hit the threshold of the compressor, in which case it won't compress at all. I've always found the compressor ---> volume pedal thing more logical, but it always comes down to what you like, and if you like it the other way 'round better, it's all cool.

Maybe you don't like it that way cause when the compressor's on, it buffers your signal and it messes with the taper of the high impedance volume pedal? If that's the problem, they sell low impedance 25k pedals that work fine with active pickups or being put later in the effect chain. Then again, some people don't mind the taper even when they use the high impedance volume pedal after the effects.

 

[TeleVisor]

I have my compressor and overdrive / distortion before my volume pedal. I can use the guitar volume to clean up the sound and the volume pedal to cut overall volume without reducing the amount of overdrive. The signal goes back into a chorus, delays and reverb. I use the volume pedal to do swells with the delays so I want it before those pedals so the signal keeps repeating after I back the volume completely off.

 

[woodman]

i run the compressor first (always on at a very subtle level, acts as sort of a line driver), volume last (acts as a noise gate when you kick it off). but as you can see, everybody's different and it's all about what works for you ... experiment!

 

[saagsel]

hi guys

thanks for the informative responses. i should have been more specific as to why i didnt like the comp -> volume placement, and yes Roli, it was due to the very quick taper. i expected a more natural taper as the volume pedal wouldnt affect the compressor release, but it wasnt what happened.

hindsight is 20/20 they say, but yes, its because the compressor buffers my signal and messes with my high imp volume pedal taper.

thanks for the help - off to buy a 25k volume pedal.

 

[twangit55]

I strongly agree with TeleVisor!

 

[bayside]

I put my volume pedal at the end of my pedal chain. Once I've constructed my sonic burrito thats what I want to hit the amp. Compressors react to volume, duh, but the harder you hit a compressor it goes into limit mode and the sound gets smaller and squashed. . so any volume boost or reduction before the comp. will change your tone by changing how the comp behaves at a new setting. So my theory is build the sound I want
and serve that up to a tube amp, so far so good. . TeleVisor makes a good point about delay trails. . umm

 

[Tele-phone man]

I have my compressor and overdrive / distortion before my volume pedal. I can use the guitar volume to clean up the sound and the volume pedal to cut overall volume without reducing the amount of overdrive. The signal goes back into a chorus, delays and reverb. I use the volume pedal to do swells with the delays so I want it before those pedals so the signal keeps repeating after I back the volume completely off.

This is exactly what I do, too, and for the same reasons. It has worked like this for me for nearly 30 years.