Effect Pedals described. Distortion Otherwise known as clipping, distortion cuts off the extreme highs and lows. In other words, it eliminates the highest highs and lowest lows, therefore creating a distortion effect. Distortion is used a lot by grunge and metal players. Groups like Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Pantera. Effects like BOSS Metal Zone has a lot of controls, which can be adjusted to get a really heavy sound. Hear how a distortion sounds like! Overdrive Unlike Distortion, Overdrive is just a gain setting that is set higher than the chip can handle, therefore creating a slightly distorted sound. Sometimes a clean channel on your amp will become overdriven when you crank it all the way up. Hear how an overdrive sounds like! Chorus Chorus is a time delay effect which enhances richness similar to that of a 12 string guitar. It's a subtle effect that nearly every guitar player should have.Chorus has a shimmering effect that gives an deep lush sound. It does this by mixing the normal signal with a signal that has been delayed and raised slightly in pitch. In effect, you get the sound of 2 instruments playing at the same time, note by note. Hear how a chorus sounds like! Flanger Flangers sound almost like a jet plane soaring over you. It is an effect that is similar to chorus but the pitch is not changed. The signal is just delayed a little bit. Hear how a flanger sounds like! Phaser Phasers mix the normal signal with a signal that goes through a modulated delay (or varied delay). Hear how a phaser sounds like! Delay Delay does exactly what it says. It repeats what you play a short time later. It could be used to add a little bit of depth or to create a neat effect. Hear how a delay sounds like! Reverb Reverb is an effect that simulates the natural reflection of sound waves off of the walls. It is often used to add depth, and comes equipped on many amplifiers. Tremolo Tremolo is an effect that acts like your tremolo bar being pushed and released at a steady rate. Octave Octave is a pitch shift effect which adds a second note one octave below the original. Some produce more than one octave. Hear how a octave pedal sounds like! Compression Compression is a device that makes every note come out at the same volume. In other words, It softens the notes you play hard, and amplifies the notes you play softly. The effect also adds a lot of sustain to the notes. Wah-Wah Wah pedals are pedals that alter the tone. You can rock a Wah pedal back and forth to produce a sound that sounds like "WAH." It is similar to your tone knob in how it works. Try putting your tone knob all the way up, then all the way down and listen to the difference. It is very similar to pressing the Wah pedal all the way down, or all the way up. A very good wah pedal, considered the industry standard, is the Dunlop Crybaby.