Chase Bliss Audio Tonal Recall

The Chase Bliss Audio Tonal Recall is an analog delay pedal with digital control of its parameters. Its signal path runs through bucket-brigade delay chips, the same MN3005 type used in the Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man, while a digital brain handles presets, MIDI, tap tempo and expression control¹². It was designed by Joel Korte of Chase Bliss Audio and announced in 2016 at $399 MSRP³¹.

The pedal is discontinued. Chase Bliss stated in October 2026 that it no longer sells the Tonal Recall, though some dealer orders were still being filled over the following months⁴.

An analog delay with digital control

The Tonal Recall's core idea is what Morningstar's support article for the pedal calls an "Analog Heart with a Digital Brain": the repeats come from a pair of reissued MN3005 bucket-brigade chips, while a digital control layer manages the parameters⁶¹. Premier Guitar's announcement described the result as "a bucket brigade delay with all the bells and whistles you might expect from a digital unit"⁵.

The analog side gives the pedal its character. Premier Guitar's press announcement described "a velvety tape-like saturation that reveals itself dynamically on a lower input signal and more and more as the repeats regenerate"¹. MusicRadar's Alex Lynham noted the chips are "the same as the DMM," the Deluxe Memory Man².

The digital side adds what MusicRadar's Michael Astley-Brown called "the CBA touch": analog presets, MIDI compatibility, tap tempo and expression control⁷. Compared to other analog delay pedals, Delicious Audio noted at the pedal's NAMM unveiling that it is "cased in a normal size box so it won't take up nearly as much" board space⁸, and Pete Thorn called it "quite a small pedal," a traditional size enclosure⁹.

Controls

The S-L-B toggle is where the delay times come from. S stands for "short" (1 MN3005, 20ms to 275ms delay), L stands for "long" (2 MN3005, 40ms to 550ms delay), and B stands for "both," which creates a blurry, reverb-like wash³. Pete Thorn described the chip select behavior on the non red knob version: all the way left gives 50 to 250 milliseconds, the middle position gives 550 milliseconds, and all the way right puts all the chips on at once for a multi-head tape echo-like effect with a diffusive, reverb-like wash⁹.

The modulation is a big part of the pedal's appeal. Pete Thorn found the square wave mode has a random quality that reminded him of tape wear, like a tape delay⁹.

MIDI, presets and expression

The Tonal Recall offers full MIDI implementation to control presets and parameters, with the MIDI connection made through the Tap/MIDI jack³. Chase Bliss Audio pedals do not use 5-pin MIDI ports but 1/4" ones instead⁶. The pedal is set to MIDI channel 2 by default, and the channel can be changed if you need to⁶. Individual parameters map to MIDI control changes, for example the Tone parameter corresponds to CC number 14⁶.

On the pedal itself, two presets can be stored and selected with the toggle switch⁹. Over MIDI, there are 122 preset slots in total, saved by holding the Tap and Bypass switches and sending a Program Change message⁶.

Parameters map to MIDI control changes. The Tone parameter, which controls the brightness of the repeats, corresponds to CC number 14⁶. The pedal can also sync its tempo to MIDI clock from another device, such as a Morningstar MC6 controller, and Morningstar found 5 taps optimal for registering a tempo change via CC 93⁶.

Expression works through the Exp jack with internal dip switches that set which parameter the pedal responds to, such as delay time, delay mix or modulation rate, using an expression pedal or a 0-5V control voltage on the tip³⁹.

Versions: the red knob Tonal Recall

There are two versions of the pedal. Pete Thorn demonstrated the red knob version alongside the standard one in 2018: the red knob version has 1100 milliseconds of delay available, against the 550 milliseconds of the other version⁹. The standard version's two modes cover 20ms to 275ms and 40ms to 550ms¹.

Where it came from and what reviewers said

The Tonal Recall carries a $399 MSRP¹⁷⁵. Guitar World placed it in the family tree of the Boss DM-2, writing that the Tonal Recall, "while perhaps not directly influenced by the DM-2, couldn't exist without it"⁵. The pedal came from designer Joel Korte at Chase Bliss Audio³⁹, and reviewers received it well: one called it "one of the most talked-about and anticipated effects pedals of 2016" and found it fantastic and hard to top or rival overall³⁹, while another called it "a terrific analog delay pedal with tons of vibe and mojo"³⁹.

Pedal of the Day called it "one of the most talked-about and anticipated effects pedals of 2016" and found it fantastic and hard to top or rival overall³. Two years later Pete Thorn still called it "a terrific analog delay pedal with tons of vibe and mojo"⁹.

In his demo, Thorn walks through both versions, the chip select switch, the modulation waveforms and the expression setup, and plays examples of each delay range⁹:

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Demand stayed strong through the pedal's life: Aclam Guitars noted in 2017 that the Tonal Recall was highly demanded and no one had put one up for sale¹⁰. Chase Bliss finally discontinued it, with the announcement in October 2026 that remaining dealer orders would be filled over the following months⁴. Players looking for a current Chase Bliss delay can read about the Automatone Big Time Delay, or the company's MOOD and Thermae pedals.

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