What’s the best way to hook effects pedals together?

There is no absolute rule for the order effects can be linked, but there is a tried-and-true method that is a really good place to start. First, plug your guitar into your compressor to give the rest of the effects a smooth, even signal. The preamp/distortion is next because you want to put high-gain devices on a clean signal, not a processed one. Likewise, your EQ should come before your coloring effects. Wah, chorus, flange, and other coloring effects are next. The order doesn’t really matter that much. The delay comes after these effects, so you can have the chorus or flanging effects on repeats. The last effect in your chain is reverb. This way, your active effects can be heard in the decaying reverb. The noise gate (which is not an effect) comes after the reverb to extinguish any noise created by other pedals. Again, this is not the only way to link your effects but we suggest you start with this setup, and experiment until you feel comfortable with your sound.