Chase Bliss Audio
 | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Consumer electronics, professional audio |
| Founded | 2013 |
| Founder | Joel Korte |
| Headquarters | Anoka, Minnesota, United States |
| Products | Effects pedals |
| Website | chaseblissaudio |
Chase Bliss Audio is a Minnesota-based company that makes high-end electronic audio processors, known as effects pedals, used for the electric guitar, synthesizer, or for manipulating audio in a recording studio. The brand has built a reputation among audio purists for their forward thinking effects and their high functionality. For this reason, musicians and producers have frequently applied Chase Bliss Audio effects not only to guitars but other electric instruments as well as audio from microphones.[1]
History[]
Chase Bliss Audio was founded in 2013 by Joel Korte Anoka, Minnesota.[2] The company is named after the founder's brother, Chase Korte, who died in 2007 after his car was struck by a drunk driver; and a favourite quote of Chase's, "Follow Your Bliss" by Joseph Campbell.
Pedals[]
Chase Bliss released the Warped Vinyl, its first pedal at the end of 2013.[2] The company's pedals contain multiple circuit boards and are manufactured in Minnesota and California.[3] Premiere Guitar wrote of the pedals that they, “are notable for their kitchen-sink approach—analog guts, digital brains, multiple knobs and toggles, and a bevy of DIP switches—with no parameter left untweakable.”[4] Each has an analog signal path, controlled by digital microprocessors.[5] Bands that have used his pedals include Nine Inch Nails, A-ha, Soul Asylum,[6] and Radiohead.[7]
In addition to the Warped Vinyl pedal and its predecessors,[8] several other pedals have been produced by the company. In 2014 they released the Wombtone phaser pedal,[9] in 2015 they released the Gravitas and[10] the Spectre flanger pedal.[11] In 2016 the company then released the Tonal Recall delay pedal.[4] In 2017 the company released the Brothers pedal.[5] Additionally, in 2018 they released the Thermae delay and harmonization pedal, and the Condor analog EQ pedal.[12][13]
Stompboxes[]
Most Chase Bliss Audio units are in the familiar stompbox format, playing off of the tradition of effect pedals being in a rectangular chassis designed to be toggled by the musician's feet. Similar to guitar pedal giant BOSS, Chase Bliss Audio tends to fit their different units into the same chassis, providing a format that is unique to their brand. This format consists of 6 knobs, 4 toggle switches, two foot-switchable buttons, an input, an output, CV/ expression pedal input, and MIDI input. Another feature unique to Chase Bliss are the DIP switches at the top of the stompbox. These are used to change, automate, or reverse the values of knobs.
Automatone Series[]
In January 2019, at the 2019 NAMM Show, Chase Bliss Audio revealed their plans on releasing the first of a new line of pedal format that they called the automatone.
Notable Users[]
- Tycho: Dark World, Thermae, Condor, Warped Vinyl, Tonal Recall, Brothers, Gravitas, Wombtone [14]
- Ed O'Brien (Radiohead): Tonal Recall RKM [15]
- The Tallest Man on Earth: Tonal Recall
- Jason Isbell: Condor, Gravitas, Tonal Recall, Dark World[16][unreliable source?]
- John Mayer: Tonal Recall, Warped Vinyl[17]
- : Condor, Tonal Recall, Preamp MKII, Dark World, Blooper [18]
- Kid Koala: Condor[19]
- : Preamp MKII
- Ricky Reed: Brothers, Tonal Recall, Warped Vinyl
- Tony Berg: Brothers, Tonal Recall, Warped Vinyl, Dark World, Thermae, Mood, Condor, Gravitas [20]
References[]
- ^ McLaughlin, Dustin. "Five Favorite Features Of The Chase Bliss Audio Blooper Pedal". Vintage King. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
- ^ a b "Joel Korte Runs Down A Dream With Chase Bliss Pt. 1". 21 May 2015.
- ^ "Article: Inside Chase Bliss Audio". www.harmonycentral.com.
- ^ a b "Stompbox Savants". Premiere Guitar.
- ^ a b "The Technology in Guitar Pedals Has Reached a New Level of Tonal Bliss". Popular Mechanics. 20 April 2018.
- ^ "This guy stutters, and he's owning it in so many ways".
- ^ "Radiohead's Ed O'Brien: "I was always drawn to sounds that didn't sound like the guitar"". Music Radar.
- ^ "Chase Bliss Audio unveils Warped Vinyl HiFi vibrato/chorus pedal". Music Radar.
- ^ "Chase Bliss Audio Wombtone Review". Premiere Guitar.
- ^ "Chase Bliss Audio Unveils the Warped Vinyl mkII, Wombtone mkII, and Gravitas".
- ^ "Chase Bliss Audio". tapeop.com.
- ^ "NAMM '18 - Chase Bliss Thermae & Condor Demos". Premiere Guitar.
- ^ "NAMM 2018: Chase Bliss Audio introduces Condor Analog EQ / Pre / Filter pedal". Music Radar.
- ^ Audio, Enmore. "Watch Tycho Messing Around In The Studio With Joel From Chase Bliss Audio". Enmore Audio. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- ^ Hammond, Shawn. "Radiohead's Ed O'Brien: Hail to the Texturalist". Premier Guitar Magazine. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- ^ Audio, Chase Bliss. "Part of Jason Isbell's new rig