Chase Bliss releases Reverse Mode C, first Small Batch pedal, with Empress

October 1, 2023 · 3 sources

Chase Bliss released the Reverse Mode C Multidirectional Delay, the first pedal in its Small Batch Bliss collection, in a collaboration with Empress Effects¹². The inspiration goes back to 2008 and the release of the Empress Superdelay, whose Octave Tap mode Chase Bliss founder Joel Korte favored and referred to as Reverse Mode C¹. MusicRadar reported the pedal on 25 July 2023 and said it was available to order until 31 August¹; Gearnews gave the same order deadline and a pre-order price of $399².

The pedal is described as a multidirectional echo made of multiple distinct voices that move forward, backward and up¹². It has six main control knobs: Time, which sets the master delay time up to 4.19 seconds; Offset, which separates the delay times of the three voices; Mix; Balance, which sets the volume of the three voices; Feedback; and Filter, a low and high-pass filter¹. There are 16 dip switches on top of the enclosure, three-way toggles for modulation and for the sequencer, and two footswitches¹. Holding the Bypass footswitch doubles the sample rate for a maximum delay of 8.38 seconds and a more lo-fi sound, and holding the Tap tempo footswitch accesses a loop function¹.

Modulation options are frequency shifting (x2), vibrato, chorus and tremolo (x2), and the motion can be synced to the delay time or free-running³². The sequencer can cycle between the voices for rolling echoes and a shifting stereo image, run continuously, or be controlled by playing dynamics³². Connectivity includes MIDI, CV and expression control, presets, and internal modulation of any or all of its knobs³².

Under the Small Batch Bliss format, Chase Bliss said it would fulfill all orders received during the window, and MusicRadar reported the pedal would be discontinued after 31 August, possibly to return in a future batch with a revised enclosure depending on demand¹. Gearnews described the series as made-to-order with no limit or selling out within the month-long preorder period².