SETTING uP tHE sIGNAL cHAIN Here are some general concerns when you start to hook up lots of stuff.
The more stuff you have in the signal path, the more noise you will get. All electronics generate noise, and it adds up.
Most effects and preamps have level adjustments. How you set the level adjustments is pretty important. As a general rule, you will get the best
noise performance by keeping the levels as high as possible without clipping. To set this up, first turn all the levels on all your stuff to relatively low values so that you are not clipping anything. Then starting from the bass and working towards the amp, turn up the volume until you clip the next unit, and back off until it stops clipping. This is tricky, because you need to make sure that you are only clipping the next consecutive unit. So it can help to add units one at a time. For example, let's say you have FX1, FX2, and FX3, then the amp. Start with this setup:
bass->FX1->amp
Turn the amp input way down, then turn up your bass and the input to FX1 until FX1 clips, then back off so that you don't get any clipping. Now add the next unit:
bass->FX1->FX2->amp
Now you only adjust the output of FX1 and the input to FX2 until FX2 clips, then back off.
Repeat the process for FX3 and the amp input. At this point, you have optimized your levels for minimum noise.
Usually this is how you want to set levels, but this is only a guideline. There are many different types of effects and signal processors, and many of them have different ways of setting levels, and many of them change depending on the level of the input (envelope followers, compressors). So you still need to use your ear. If you get a better sound with a different setup, then use the better sound. You won't break anything.
