Length of signal path??

[theodore]

Hi All,

I've only been playing guitar for a few years, and I'm starting to experiment with effects pedals. My main question: how many pedals can you chain together in front of your amp (or, how long can your signal path be) before sound quality is noticeably diminished? My current amp is a line6 spider IV 120V, and I've chained seven pedals together. I can't seem to get a consistent sound out of this setup. There's always an underlying "hiss," and once in awhile, the tone dynamics will fluctuate i.e., when I sustain a note, the tone will get soft for a split second and then jump back up. I'm really into Periphery, so I tried a pedal configuration similar to one that Misha demonstrated on a youtube video. My signal path is as follows: Gibson SG>MXR Dyna Comp>ISP Decimator>BOSS ML-2>BOSS NS-2>BOSS PH-3>BOSS PS-5>BOSS DD-3>line6 spider. I can't tell if the issue is that my signal path is too long or if it's just a cheap amp (for the record, I do not like the Line 6 so far). Any input would be much appreciated! Thanks.

[MaxOfMetal]

There are TONS of factors here.

Type of pedals, length of cable runs, quality of cables, quality of connectors, if the pedals are true bypass, if the pedals are buffered, how many you have engaged at one time, the power source, order the pedals are being run in, etc.

It could even be just how those specific pedals mesh.