plugin order sequence - any standard way?

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ORIGINAL: John

Should compression be the first FX or the last?

It depends what you're doing.

If it's a "guitar stack," then many guitarists prefer the compressor first, because they generally use it to increase their natural guitar tone's sustain, and they want that sustain to carry through all the rest of their effects. If, for example, the distortion pedal were placed before the compressor, you'd be trying to create sustain from a "dirty" signal.

But it sounds like the original poster's question was more general. He used guitar as one example, but he also mentioned "Guitar Rig" as a plugin - in that scenario, Guitar Rig would most likely handle guitar compression internally.

That said, there are situations where different plugin orders will be useful. Sometimes you'll want the EQ before the compressor, so that the EQ's shaping of the sound affects the way the compressor responds; and sometimes you'll want the compressor before the EQ, so that you're EQ'ing a signal whose dynamics have already been tamed.

However, there are a couple of types of plugins that will *usually* go either first or last, for good reason. Any kind of reverb will *usually* go *last* in the chain (or even on a bus as a send), because most of the time you will probably want the signal to sound otherwise "finished" before placing it in a virtual acoustic space. Sometimes, though, it may be useful to EQ *after* the reverb, or sometimes you may place the reverb early in the chain for a distinct effect. Also, any kind of modeling plugin like Guitar Rig will usually go *first* in the chain, because you want all of your other effects to be operating on the "real" (or real simulated) guitar track, the way it would have been recorded to tape back in the day.

Hope that makes sense. But above all, remember that your best bet, after you establish your "ground rules" for what plugin order you like to use, is to experiment and listen to what different plugin orders do for your ears.

ORIGINAL: mike_mccue

OK I'll tell you a secret... I have a compressor pedal at both the in and the out of my guitar pedal board.

But common folklore will suggest to you that my use of a compressor at the end of the chain is a REALLY BAD idea because it noticeably raises the noise floor.

I use it for effect... because it's a dramatic effect and I'm into the sound I can get with that. (did I mention I usually have 5 different circuit overdrive units in series? They're not all on at one time but often times I have 2 maybe 3 screaming into each other. You can imagine what that last compressor is doing... ENDLESSSSSSSSSSS sustain)

The compressor at the front is for control and really helps a player hit the wah or envelope filter in a consistent and predictable way.

best regards,
mike

That's a better explanation than mine (re. guitar compression). Thanks for clarifying, Mike.

In a digital system I have always put the compressor at the end of the chain. EQ would be first and what ever in between. When I mess with the EQ for example I want it first because its working on the signal as I heard it first. Compression first may create a variable tonality that the EQ would have no control over and give me odd correction. Then compression is meant to control levels and with the EQ after its not. In an analog system it wont matter that much where the compression will be. I would use it to control input levels. Thus its first. But that is not in Sonar on a track or bus.I use compression to control the signal amplitude. The other plugins are for shaping and adding to the signal data, compression controls that which has been added. This is how I go about it. Maybe I should look at differently.

I suppose everyone will be a bit different and every track is different but if I were to generalize it would be:

HPF
Pre-EQ
Compression
Post-EQ(if needed)
Limiter
Saturation(if desired)
Tape Sim(almost always)

Modulation, delay and reverb effects are usually sends, usually pre-fx(so I can do different dynamics on the effect if desired)