Chasing Audio Bliss: an interview with Joel Korte

Bursting onto the scene in 2013 with the incredible Warped Vinyl Analog Vibrato/Chorus, seemingly out of nowhere, Chase Bliss made an immediate impact on the effects scene. Read about some of the inspiration for Joel Korte's vision to bring effects that push the envelope to musicians who have no creative boundaries.

A Pedalboard Build | Part 2

In the first part of this blog, I gave you an overview of this board that we put together in conjunction with Caseman Pedalboards and JH Productions. The Jetsetter board got its time in the spotlight, and in this second part I’m giving a more detailed look at how it all came together and what the end result was.

A Pedalboard Build | Part 1

We admit to having OCD. The condition that is, not the pedal - because we love tidy pedalboards that are ready to rock! When we decided to put together a new Signal Chain board for live demonstrations and workshops, we just knew it had to be perfect. And how do you achieve such perfection? By collaborating with Jack Hudson from JH Productions of course.

Winter NAMM 2016: The State of Effects

In January I attended the Winter NAMM 2016 (NorthAmerican Music Merchants) trade show in Anaheim (southern Los Angeles, California). It’s the biggest event of its kind, and draws attendees from every corner of the globe. There are literally hundreds of booths exhibiting just about everything imaginable in the world of music.

I’m a rabid effects pedal nut though, and that’s what I travelled to NAMM to see and all I have space here to tell you about...

Stomptown | Brisbane

Back at the start of July, scores of strange misunderstood creatures gathered in the industrial bowels of Bowen Hills to conjure audio magic. That's right, tone freaks and pedal geeks gathered for Stomptown Brisbane!

After a successful inaugural Stomptown in Sydney back in February we decided we'd do it again! This time Red Star Music hosted us at their fantastic inner city rehearsal rooms.

Keep It Simple, Stupid! The Joy of Minimalist Pedalboards

Let’s be honest, we’re all pedal geeks here. We love checking out photos and rig rundowns of monstrously huge and complex boards that weigh more than the guitarist using them - you can never have too many pedals, right? Well, not always...

The Beginner's Guide To Gain Staging

If there is one thing nearly all guitarists are borderline obsessed with, it's the quest for that perfect overdrive tone. Whether it's a creamy lead sound, or an "in-yer-face" crunch, everyone has their own idea of a 'Holy Grail' tone.

To help you on your search for overdrive glory, I've put together a guide to 'gain staging'. Essentially, this describes how one stage of your signal chain interacts with and drives the next part. When we apply this to stacking overdrive pedals on top of each other, the result is a cascading series of dirty tones that can take you all the way from a mild crunch to a buzzsaw fuzz with just a couple of stomps.

Keeping Your Loved Ones Safe...

Travelling With Instruments and Gear - Part 2

This is the second part of a two part series, in which we're looking at how to best take care of your precious instruments and gear on long haul trips...

Keeping Your Loved Ones Safe...

Travelling With Instruments and Gear - Part 1

In this first part of a two part series, we'll look at how to best take care of your precious instruments and gear on long haul trips. Preparation and planning is critical to the success of any tour or trip you make - as I have discovered time and time again, prevention is better than the cure! On my recent tour of the Caribbean and South America, I've had just about all the major problems with gear occur except for my instruments and pedals actually breaking - so I thought it'd be a great idea to share some of my mistakes and tips that I've learned over the years in regards to gear.

What the Flux are Boutique Effects Pedals!?

If you follow Signal Chain it’s pretty safe to assume that you’re familiar with the world of boutique guitar pedals and you are slowly making your way through a long wishlist with each and every pay cheque, trying to rouse as little suspicion from your significant other as possible.

From the outside looking in, many a partner could be misled to believe that this rowdy fraternity of guitar nerds is a support group for people who pay too much money for any circuit not made by Roland Corp. But, of course, anyone worth their weight in gold Klons knows that The Pursuit of Tone is not a passing fad - boutique is for people who give a Rat.