Since I have yet to see such a thread, I decided to start one in hopes that newbies would need not to post regarding analog setups. (Maybe a sticky is in order?)
Now, to the meaty stuff:
For starters, you brought yourself into this thread because youre planning to get an analog setup, or maybe an established vet looking to make the move from a processor to analog, or maybe you just want some suggestions. Rgardless of the reason, this thread would serve as a guide toward true analog freedom.
Here are my basic seven rules for going analog:
1. First, check your influences, and have a background of the tone you plan on making. Good tone starts with good knowledge of the tone you're aiming for. For example, know your playing style, are you a soloist? or maybe a riffmeister? Take time to also learn the basic aspects of tone, do you want a bottom-heavy sound? Or maybe a very meaty midrange focus? Or just outright scream mode? These would be good indicators of what you'll need in the long run for your tone-shaping.
2. With number one in mind, start off with a good Dirt (Distortion/Overdrive) pedal. If your going for some clean grit, or mild overdrive, I'd suggest picking up a dedicated overdrive (i.e. SD-1, OD-3, Badmonkey, XTD). If you want that Overdriven sound, but want more dirt you can go along with pedals that have a blend of both (i.e. BD-2, OS-2, Screaming Blues, Bluesbreaker, MXR Dist+). Going into the whole classis rock and rock arena, a good distortion will suit you well (i.e. DS-1, DS-2, Hot Head, Hot Rod). Lastly if your into the whole super-saturated molten metal sound, a metal-tuned distortion will more than tickle your tone fancy (i.e. MT-2, Metal Master, Metal Planet, Doubleshot, Dime Dist, Jackhammer, Crush Zone). Rememberm whilst each pedal can cater to a variety of sounds, they will have a certain sweet spot when it comes to the tone. Like how a screamer would give you a warm bodied tone when run through a clean amp, but can give you insane dirt when used to blast a dirty amp.
3. Of course, there are gray areas in grit; don't stop at just buying one pedal for dirt. Don;t be afraid to mix and match pedals, and learn to experiment. For example, you can use a good OD or Booster to cascade a medium hot distortion (i.e. SD-1+GV-2, or TS808+DS-1 or so on) this will give you more harmonics and add a certain depth an character to your distortion that you cant usually get with just one dirt pedal. Using a good dirt to boost an amp is also a great idea, it will give you a certain amount of harmonic distortion that you otherwise wont get when using an amp, or a dirt pedal alone.
4. Learn to evolve. After building up your dirt, add some dimension by using modulation, reverb and delay. Adding a chorus after your dirt will give you expansive riffing and add depth to your solos. A delay or reverb will add extra dimension to your passages and so on. Also, a Wah can be a good way to add character to your rig, like sweeping a wah to filter out sounds can make for a great effect.
5. Mix and Match, having a few pedals of a certain kind isnt really a bad thing, you can have two choruses and you can cascade them, or switch them out depending on your mood. This will give you more ways to experiment with your tone.
6. Add tweakability, use a compressor, gate and eq to add variations to your tone. A comp can add dynamics to your picking style and add thump to your notes. A gate can add clamping and fast stops to your palm muted progressions, while a eq can give you a boost in your solos or add a second variation to your regular tone.
7. BUDGET yourself, going analog is expensive, but it has its perks like the sound and the ease of use. But always remember to pick out the good from the great. Not because a pedal is the most expensive make it the best. (For example, I use a danelectro FAB chorus in my rig, a cheap chorus, but a wonderful sounding one at that) You'll need to spend time trying out effects to see which sound best, and always weigh your options before buying.
Next, would be how to construct your setup:
1. The chain, otherwise known as the way your pedals are arranged in your grid. As a rule of thumb, dynamics will come first (compressor), followed by a wah, then dirt, then an eq, followed by modulation then time based effects. Stuff like gates can be put after dirt to clamp down chords, or at the END of the chain to use as a noise reduction device. Of course you can change the layout of the pedals to give different sounds, use the above recommendation as a guide only, and dont be afraid to experiment.
2. The power, if your going to assemble a big chain or even a modest chain, a good power supply is a must! (Unless you plan on spending for 9v batteries every so often.)
3. The board, although not completely necessary, a board will help keep your things together and make transport a breeze.
Basically, those are the main points to ponder on when going analog, its a bit involved, but the tone you'll get in the long run will more than just make you feel good you went through all the trouble.
(Others, please do add if you have any suggestions to share.)
http://talk.philmusic.com/board/index.php/topic,18346.0.htmlAbove is the effects Chain thread by Poundcake.