signal path

Bypass schemes affect it: with true bypass the signal path passes directly from input jack to output jack when a pedal is off, while with buffered bypass part of the circuit stays in the signal path even when the main circuit is inactive¹. Sources describe signal paths as analog, all-analog, transparent, or high performance, qualities tied to a pedal's tone²³⁴. The term also describes where an effect sits in a rig, since a pedal can induce motion to the sound no matter where it sits in the signal path⁵.