Line your effects up according to the phrase "Which chain of effect pedals make life easy." This is a perfect phrase, because determining the order of effect pedals is really about making it easy for you to access the effects you need most frequently. The first letter of each word in this phrase stands for an basic effect. W=wah pedal, C=compressor pedal, O=overdrive pedal, E=equalizer, P=pitch, M=modulation pedal, L=levels and the final E= echo. Make up a different saying if you want your pedals to vary.
Arrange your effects in the pedal holder, placing your wah or phaser pedal, first because these pedals boost frequency. The wah may be accessed quite frequently and is best placed at the beginning for easy access.
Place the compressor next, followed by the overdrive or distortion. Many musicians switch the order of these because the noise level is lower. The compressor placed after the overdrive tends to be more amplified. This can be an attractive effect if used sparingly.
Set up the overdrive, then follow it with the equalizer, which is often used as a boost pedal. The player can use this equalizer to shape the sound of the overdrive and to help supply various tones.
Connect the effects using patch cords, ensuring that the cord always runs from the output jack in one effect to the input jack of the next effect.