Ever stepped on a pedal expecting to hear your awesome new effect, only to be either blasted with unexpected volume or disappointed when your sound suddenly gets quieter?
We’ve all been there.
This frustrating experience often comes down to one simple concept: unity gain.
In this article, you’ll learn what unity gain means, why it’s important for your guitar setup, and how to easily set it on your pedals.
Getting this right will give you more consistent volume, better tone control, and a smoother-functioning pedalboard.
Table of Contents
What Is Unity Gain?
Simply put, unity gain means your pedal’s output volume is equal to its input volume.
When a pedal is set to unity gain, turning it on doesn’t make your guitar sound louder or quieter. Only the effect itself changes. It’s like having perfect volume balance between your “effect on” and “effect off” sounds.
For example, with an overdrive pedal at unity gain, your guitar will be just as loud when the pedal is on as when it’s bypassed. The pedal adds distortion and changes your tone, but doesn’t boost or cut your overall volume. The same applies to delay, chorus, or any other effect. The effect itself is heard, but your core volume stays the same.
Here’s a common misconception:
Many players think that the 12 o’clock position on a pedal’s level or volume knob automatically equals unity gain.
That’s not always true!
Depending on the pedal’s design, unity might be at 9 o’clock on one pedal and 3 o’clock on another. You have to use your ears (or a meter) to find the unity gain point for each pedal.
💡 Unity gain is a term borrowed from electronics. It means the output signal is the same strength as the input. If you’re curious about the technical side, this article explains how unity gain buffers work in circuit design.
Why Unity Gain Matters
Here are some reasons why unity gain is important to us guitar players:
Consistent Volume
When you’re playing with a band or to backing tracks, unexpected volume changes can be disastrous.
Imagine hitting your chorus pedal for the verse, only to suddenly disappear from the mix, or stomping on a drive pedal for a rhythm part and accidentally overpowering everyone else.
When you set your pedals to unity gain, you make sure your guitar remains at a consistent volume throughout the whole song, giving you one less thing to worry about.
Preserving Tone
Did you know our ears are naturally biased toward louder sounds? We tend to naturally perceive louder as “better.”
This creates a big problem when comparing pedal settings: if one is slightly louder, you might think it sounds better when really it’s just boosting volume.
If you set unity gain, you’re hearing the actual tonal effect of the pedal rather than being fooled by volume differences.
Unity gain also prevents unwanted coloration. When a pedal boosts your signal too much, it might push the input of the next effect or your amp too hard, causing unexpected tone changes or harshness.
Avoiding Clipping and Signal Problems
Every device in your signal chain, from your pedals to your amp, is designed to handle a certain input level.
When pedals boost your signal beyond what the next device expects, it can cause harsh clipping, unwanted distortion, or increased noise. Unity gain keeps your signal at the appropriate level throughout the chain, reducing noise and preventing harsh, accidental clipping.
This becomes particularly important when you’re stacking multiple effects pedals together. If each pedal adds even a small boost, by the time you’ve gone through 5-6 pedals, your signal could be significantly hotter than you want or need.
Better Mix Integration
Whether you’re recording or playing live, setting your pedals to unity gain can help your guitar sit properly in the mix.
Believe me, sound engineers appreciate guitarists who maintain consistent levels. It makes their job easier and results in a better overall sound.
When your reverb, delay, or modulation effects are at unity gain, they enhance your tone without taking over.
Clean Pedalboard Functionality
A pedalboard with all effects properly set to unity gain operates more predictably.
You can focus on using effects creatively rather than constantly adjusting for volume issues. It also makes experimenting with different effect combinations and pedal orders easier when you know each is properly balanced.
How to Set Unity Gain on Your Pedals
Setting unity gain doesn’t require any fancy or expensive equipment. Just your ears and a bit of patience.
Here’s how to do it:
- Set your baseline tone: Plug your guitar directly into your amp (or with your pedal bypassed) and set a comfortable clean volume. This is your reference point.
- Isolate one pedal at a time: Put just the pedal you’re adjusting into your signal chain. Turn off any other effects to avoid confusion.
- Play consistently: Play a simple, repeating chord or riff. Try to maintain the same picking strength each time.
- Toggle the pedal on and off: While playing, turn the pedal on and off several times. Listen carefully. Does the volume jump up or drop when you engage the pedal?
- Adjust the level knob: If the effect is louder when engaged, turn the level (or volume/output) knob down slightly. If it’s quieter, turn it up. Keep making small adjustments and toggling the pedal until you can’t hear a volume difference between on and off.
- Double-check with different playing styles: Try both gentle and aggressive playing to make sure the unity setting works across your playing dynamics.
Here’s a tip for doing this:
If you have a looper pedal, record a short phrase and let it loop while you adjust your pedal’s level. This frees your hands and lets you focus entirely on listening for the unity point.
For most pedals, you’ll find the level control that needs adjustment labeled as “Level,” “Volume,” or “Output.”
If you want to be extra precise, you can use a visual reference:
Many tuners, audio interfaces, or even smartphone apps can show signal level. Compare the meter reading with the pedal on versus off to fine-tune your unity setting.
🎛 Want help setting levels across your whole pedalboard? Check out our guide on how to set pedal levels properly for more practical tips.
When You Might Not Want Unity Gain
While unity gain is generally desirable, there are legitimate reasons to deviate from it:
Intentional Boosts
You might want certain effects to give you a volume lift. For example, many players deliberately set a lead overdrive or boost pedal above unity to stand out during solos.
That’s perfectly fine. The key is that you’re doing it intentionally, not accidentally.
Volume Balancing
If you switch between guitars during a set (like going from single coils to humbuckers), you might set certain pedals below unity for the louder guitar to maintain consistent volume.
Special Effects
Some creative uses of pedals intentionally play with volume, like swells, tremolo, or using volume changes as part of the effect.
The important thing is that unity gain gives you a reference point. Once you know where unity is on each pedal, you can make informed decisions about when to go above or below it.
Just beware of the common pitfall: setting every pedal just a tiny bit above unity because each one sounds “better” that way, those small boosts add up quickly across your chain!
Common Misconceptions
“12 o’clock always equals unity gain”:
As mentioned earlier, the unity point varies widely between pedal models. Some vintage-style fuzzes might need to be turned up to 3 o’clock to reach unity, while some modern high-headroom pedals might hit unity at 9 o’clock.
“Unity gain means no tonal change”:
Unity gain only refers to volume. Your pedal will still shape your tone, add effects, or change your dynamics even at unity gain. In fact, unity lets you hear the actual tonal effect more clearly.
“True bypass pedals maintain signal integrity”:
While true bypass prevents tone sucking when the pedal is off, it doesn’t prevent signal degradation over long cable runs. If you have many pedals and long cables, you might want to add a buffer at strategic points in your chain.
💡 Want to dive deeper into how buffers preserve your signal? Check out our guide to how to use a guitar buffer pedal.
“Louder always sounds better”:
This is a trick our ears play on us. A slight volume boost often makes us think a pedal sounds “fuller” or “richer” when it’s just louder. Setting unity gain helps you make fair comparisons between different tones and effects.
The Unity Gain Advantage
Understanding and applying unity gain is one of those simple practices that can seriously improve your pedalboards performance. It gives you consistency, clarity, and control over your sound without requiring expensive gear upgrades.
Next time you add a new pedal to your board, take a few minutes to find its unity gain point.
Your bandmates, recording engineer, and audiences will appreciate the more balanced, professional sound you’ll achieve. Plus, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing your effects are enhancing your playing exactly as intended, without unwanted volume jumps or dips.
But remember, unity gain is just your reference point. It shows you the neutral position from which you can intentionally boost or cut when needed.
FAQs
Is unity gain 12 o’clock on all pedal level knobs?
No, unity gain isn’t automatically at 12 o’clock on every pedal. Depending on the pedal’s design, unity might be at 9 o’clock on one pedal and 3 o’clock on another. You need to use your ears to find the true unity point for each effect where the volume is the same when the pedal is on or off.
Should overdrive pedals be set at unity gain or louder?
It depends on your goal. For rhythm playing or an “always on” tone enhancer, set your overdrive to unity gain to maintain consistent volume. For solos or when you need to stand out, setting your overdrive above unity gives you a volume boost along with the distortion. Many players have two drive pedals: one at unity for rhythm and another above unity for leads.
How do I set unity gain on a compressor pedal?
With compressor pedals, find unity gain by adjusting the Output or Level knob until your average volume sounds the same whether the pedal is on or off. Since compression reduces peak volumes, you’ll need to add some “makeup gain” using the level control. Focus on matching the perceived overall loudness rather than the attack of each note.
Why does my pedal sound better when it’s louder than unity gain?
Our ears naturally perceive louder sounds as “better” due to how human hearing works. When setting up pedals, this can trick you into thinking a pedal has better tone when it’s just louder. By setting unity gain first, you can make a fair assessment of the pedal’s actual tonal quality without the volume bias, then deliberately boost if desired.
Does the order of pedals affect unity gain settings?
Yes. Once you set unity gain for each pedal individually, changing their order might require readjustment. This is because some pedals react differently depending on the signal strength they receive. After rearranging your pedalboard, double-check each pedal’s unity gain setting in the new configuration.
How do I fix dramatic volume drops when using my reverb pedal?
If your reverb pedal causes a volume drop when engaged, adjust its Level, Output, or Mix knob higher. Some reverb pedals, especially vintage-style ones, can attenuate your signal. For dramatic volume loss, you might need a boost pedal after the reverb, or consider upgrading to a reverb with better unity gain capabilities and a dedicated level control.
