What dirt before what modules?

Do you juice before your mods? What flavor dirt do you like in front of which mods?

I've only recently started down this rabbit hole and can already see I need to re-evaluate what some modules are capable of with a little help out front.

My most recent addition is a TC Nova Drive, and it's added a ton of functionality to my RM4 set-up. It's an analog overdrive and distortion dual pedal that can save 18 presets and switch the pedal order including running them in parallel. Combined with the MIDI channel switching on the RM4, I can switch from a straight in Twinface tone, to an OD boosted Twinface, to a parallel OD/clean blend boosting the Grail module, to a straight-in Voxless break-up tone, to a clean boost that pushes the Voxless gain into lead territory.
Really like the Sparkle Drive style clean blend control on the OD side, especially when running the distortion in parallel. Favorite feature by far though is being able to hit save when I get it dialed in just right for a module.

It's making me re-evaluate a lot of mods based on how useful their lower gain settings are, as I can push them into higher gain with several flavors now. The Voxless and Grail are two that really work well, while my old favorite SL+ variants don't have much flexibility. Next two modules going in the rack are my JF Mark X and XTC to see what they can do when juiced!

So now I'm wondering what other modules out there play well with dirt in front to cover lots of ground? Any favorite combos?

I use OD's out front of all of my mods. Actually, if a mod doesn't take dirt pedals well, I unload it quick. Why settle for just one useable tone per module? I tend to run my mods at the lowest gain level I can while still retaining the bottom end. Unfortunately, many mods bottom end is nonexistent below noon on the gain - unless there is a three way tight/bass boost switch installed (which I pretty much require on all my mods - except the vybe deluxe which has massive bottom).

So, yeah, I'm with you 100% on this.

I primarily use the dirt pedal models in my Tonelab, all of which are very good, and literally indistinguishable from the real things. I use the Klon Centaur model most often, as it is the warmest and most 'transparent' of those offered in the tonelab. I use the TS808 model on my Blackout (modded Recto) module, to help bring it more into focus & cut thru more.

I also have an old Ibanez Tube King that works awesome for those mods needing te bottom end boosted when overdriven from cleanish settings (it has a three band active EQ, and I use it more as a clean boost).

Here are the ones I find most versatile when used in conjunction with dirt out front:

JF Vybe Deluxe - from crystal clean to ligh edge of breakup to juicy bluesy mid gain - it does all of these fantastically. I keep in on the vybe 'channel' (clean), and just hit it with various degrees of OD. It responds very well. It is tied with my 50R as the most versatile mod I've had in this regard. (All the different channels, etc that many of these mods have that lend to their versatility are of no use to me in a live gig situation).

Salvo 50R - Fig is right in that if you could only have one mod, this would likely be te best choice. With gain around noon, tight switch set to loose, on OR50 mode, you get a great, fat, spanky hairy cleanish tone. Hit it with a TS type OD & it gets you to marshall JCM/JMP territory. Hit it with the aforementioned Tube King (or Xotic AC Boost), it reacts the same as cranking the gain on the module (around 3 o'clock is where it's best IMO), and turns into a snarling, harmonically rich, massive orange sound. And, if you run the Tube King in series with a TS type OD, it tightens into metal mayhem. Awesome module, made many times better due to it's responsiveness to pedals.

Other mods I've found to be very well suited to many tones using dirt pedals include:

Salvo Mash-All in Plexi mode.
JF XTC in both plexi and Blue channel modes.
JF RVerb from mid-gain to high.
Salvo Stonerverb in Clean mode.

Give em all a try, but in my experience so far, there are none better than the Vybe Deluxe & 50R...

Oh, and thanks for mentioning that TC Nova OD. A midi programmable dedicated analog OD/Distortion? I'm all over that! Never heard of it before, but definitely gonna look into it.

Now if someone would make a midi programmable Fuzz Factory, I'd be a happy camper!

I agree with the 50R and pedals. set to mild crunch/clean it get all kinds of nasty with various pedals. I have a Sonic Salvo Orange Blossom (OR120 in a box) a Keeley modded Blues Driver and a Lovepedal High Powered Twin. all of these have very different flavors of overdrive that color the mod. Secondly, the C-Watt reacts very well to overdrives and Fuzz. Top Boost is awesome as well. I think any vintage type of mod that has the ability to do dynamic cleans into dirt will react well to pedals.

The DuoPlex is also good when set low gain. when I boost the gain and then use a pedal it turns to mush, as a higher gain amp will do with a pedal.

I think I may get the BYOC Silver Pony (Klon Klone) for it's transparency. this type of pedal may give me just a bit of sparkle boost with a high gain setting on a mod. Or an EP Booster.

but I don't go into high gain much at all, though

The dirt pedals I use set up as a clean boost:

Koko Boost
Shiba ReLoaded
MXR Bad *** OD
Cool Cat Trans OD V1
Barber Tone Press

Each adds its own flavor to the tone so I just stomp on the one I want for the song. All module gains at about noon.

Got time tonight to revisit some mods with various drive settings in front. Not really sold on the Nova Drive as a stand-alone distortion feeding a clean mod. Not surprising, if I could hang my hat on all pedal dirt I wouldn't have all these modules in the first place. The exception being a good fuzz, I love a big fuzz into a clean amp!
The JF Mark X module just got saved. I was annoyed by a papery high end with either too much barking mids, or too scooped with the "shape" switch on. Pop the overdrive on and the mid-range fills back in on the "scoop" setting. Very articulate power chord riffage. Thought it might work even better on the crunch setting, but nope, extreme with gain around noon, chunky! Kicked the Grail out of it's spot...
Tried the JF XTC with a similar line of thinking, what can I get from Plexi mode? Nope, too thin, maybe blue mode? Nope, isn't grinding quite where I want. Red? Best of the three, but just liked it better without a boost and the gain set higher. Sounds the most natural for what the XTC does best, leads.
Then I decided to shoot-out the hot rodded Marshall mods: stock SL+, SG SL+, and a Mr Scary. The Scary sounded the best of the three without the boost on, love that mod! With the boost, it was kinda different, kind of went from lots of gain to lots and lots of gain. Tried the stocker, it was similar but kinda ugly. The SG has a stock/JCM800 switch and a tight switch, and it actually cleaned up nicely with the gain down around 9 o'clock or so so. Bright switch off, it got a vintage Marshall vibe. Hit the overdrive and that top end bite and thickness came back in spades. We have a winner!
Also have a JF base mod Top Boost from before I got the Voxless. It was bad with the drive on and worse without it. I keep meaning to send it to Rob to turn it into something useful, any suggestions for something that'll shift gears with a boost similar to what I'm liking above? I'm glad to hear the R'Verb likes a boost, have nothing Orange related, but I've always wanted try that Silverado too. Wonder how that one takes a bit of drive...
Current settings below: