Chase Bliss releases Habit Echo Collector delay and looper pedal

April 21, 2022 · 3 sources

Chase Bliss Audio unveiled the Habit, which it describes as a "freeform sampler and musical sketchpad," in late March 2022¹. The Minneapolis maker positions it as the third in a trilogy of experimental pedals, after blooper (loop-focused) and MOOD (ambience-focused), with Habit taking the delay role².

The pedal builds conventional delay with three top knobs for level, repeats and size, and offers up to 60 seconds of delay time¹. Its distinguishing feature is a three-minute buffer that records everything that goes through it; the player can then scan, randomly or manually, through that audio and choose how it is used and manipulated¹. A second row of controls carries Modify, Spread and Scan: Modify manipulates the echoes, Spread brings in a second echo that can run simultaneously, and Scan browses and selects echo segments from memory¹. Two mini-toggles select one of six modifiers, stored in banks A and B with three settings each, and a third toggle sets routing to In, Out or Feed¹. Holding the tap/hold footswitch engages the scan function, and holding bypass engages a loop function¹. A preset toggle sits between the footswitches, with the middle position live and the left and right positions each storing a preset¹. MIDI, CV and expression connections are provided, along with 16 dip switches¹.

Guitar.com's review lists the controls as level/ramp, repeats (feedback), size (delay time), modify, spread and scan, with toggle switches for mod modes A/off/B and 1/2/3, delay routing in/out/feed and presets 1/manual/2³. It gives expression/CV and tap/MIDI inputs, 16 external dip switches, a microUSB input for firmware updates, switchable dry kill, memory dry and delay trails, buffered bypass, and power from a 9-volt mains supply only at 150mA, in a 124 x 73 x 58mm enclosure made in the USA³. No US list price appears in the available coverage.

Guitar.com's reviewer called it "a dauntingly complex little box of chaos that can also turn itself to more familiar delay sounds," and noted that with the spread and scan dials at zero, the three toggle switches centered and the dip switches off, it works as a basic digital delay with three knobs³. Pedal of the Day wrote that the manual is "fairly involved" and that Habit is "a musical sketchpad waiting to unleash your creativity"².