Flanger vs Chorus: What Is the Difference?
Chorus makes your guitar sound wider, softer and slightly doubled. Flanger is more obvious and dramatic, with a hollow, moving “whoosh” that can resemble a jet passing overhead.
Read the guideEffects & Signal Chain
Overdrive, distortion, modulation, delay, reverb, compression, noise gates and the way effects interact inside a signal chain.
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Effects & Signal Chain
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Overdrive vs Distortion: What Is the Difference?
Overdrive is usually softer and more responsive to picking, while distortion creates stronger, more constant clipping and a more compressed sound. The boundary is not absolute, but the playing feel is different.
Read the guideWhat Does a Compressor Do?
A compressor reduces the difference between loud and quiet parts of the guitar signal. It can add sustain, smooth uneven picking and make clean rhythm feel more controlled.
Read the guideWhat Does a Noise Gate Do?
A noise gate lowers or mutes the signal when it falls below a chosen level. It reduces hum and hiss during pauses, but it does not remove noise while you are actively playing.
Read the guideWhat Does a Phaser Do?
A phaser creates moving peaks and dips in the frequency spectrum by shifting phase and mixing the result with the original signal. It sounds smooth, swirling and less metallic than a flanger.
Read the guideWhat Does Chorus Do?
Chorus copies the signal, delays the copy very slightly and continuously changes its pitch. The result sounds wider, shimmering and similar to several instruments playing together.
Read the guideWhat Does Delay Do?
Delay records the guitar signal for a short time and plays it back as one or more repeats. It can create a simple echo, rhythmic patterns, thickening or large ambient spaces.
Read the guideWhat Does Overdrive Do?
Overdrive adds warm, touch-sensitive clipping that imitates an amplifier being pushed hard. Soft picking can stay fairly clean, while stronger picking produces more grit and sustain.
Read the guideWhat Does Reverb Do?
Reverb simulates the many reflections that occur when sound exists in a room, hall, plate or other space. It adds depth and a sense of distance around the guitar.
Read the guideWhat Is Fuzz?
Fuzz clips the guitar signal very aggressively, creating a thick, rough and sometimes synth-like sound. It can range from vintage warmth to broken, sputtering noise.
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