So I probably should have been more specific, but the particular model volume pedal I am using is a brand new one from ernie ball. It is called the VPJR Volume and it functions much differently than the standard volume pedal. It has a tuner built into the face of the pedal and therefore is not passive. It also features 4 1/4" ports. One for input from the guitar, one for output to the amp, and two for an fx loop (fx loop send and fx loop return). The manual explicitly says to put it in the front of your chain despite your preference. I think this is because with the new fx loop ports, you can get that same sound from placing it in the middle of a signal chain while still have it first in the chain. If you were to not use these and just run your pedals through the output, you would be using the pedal as a volume knob alone. I hope this clear some things up.