I'm going for a Cure-type guitar sound: what effects do I need?

Robert Smith is an influential guitarist and notable user of Boss effects pedals. Smith has created many distinctive tones over the years but we'd argue that those from his 'Disintegration'era are perhaps his most defining and influential. Thankfully his pedal set up is simple. Alongside a Crybaby wah pedal, everything is Boss! Some effects of his have since been replaced with newer models so we will include them in parentheses but here is his effects chain, in running order: Wah pedal, DS-1, SD-1, PH-2 (go for a PH-3), CH-1, BF-2 (opt for the BF-3), PN-2 (choose the TR-2 or use pan function on BF-3), and DD-3 For a great 'Last Dance' tone, we suggest using the SD-1, BF-3 and DD-3. Add CH-1 to taste!

Where should modulation effects go in my effects pedal chain?

We recommend putting modulation pedals after your drive pedals and before your reverbs and delays. This will allow the modulations to sound 'correct' in terms of clarity and movement. Remember though, it's all about experimentation and other pedal orders may work well for you!

What is the difference between a Chorus and a Flanger sound?

Without being too technical, the two types of effect are actually very similar. In use, flangers tend to be more obvious and striking sounding, with an aggressive sweep in comparison to the generally more subtle Chorus sound. To go slightly deeper, both effects work by splitting the signal into two exact copies. One copy is then delayed by a given amount and then re-combined with the un-delayed signal, creating a 'notch' in the signal where the mismatch lies. Chorus effects use longer delay times than Flanger, resulting in Chorus pedals sounding more subtle.

Is 'tremolo' a modulation effect?

Well, technically no since the tremolo effect itself is the rhythmic raising and lowering of volume to a pulse, so there is no actual modulation happening! It does, however, have a relatively similar temporal effect to certain other modulation effects. This means that it is often included in groups with other modulation effects for ease.