The Chase Bliss Clean is a studio-grade compressor pedal with a 100% analog signal path, two stages of compression, and true stereo input and output. Each stereo channel carries both a compressor and a limiter, which Chase Bliss describes as delivering "two stages of the most natural and musical compression"1. The company positions it as a compressor you can "turn on its head and push beyond the expected," built to bring the exploratory energy of distortion, from the touch sensitivity of an overdrive to the unwieldy response of a fuzz, to a clean signal1.
The pedal was announced with general release due in November, and the first pedals were due to ship during November2. Chase Bliss describes it as "a studio-grade compressor you can turn on its head and push beyond the expected"1.
What it does: a stereo dual-stage analog compressor
At the heart of the Clean is a dual-stage compression circuit, designed to provide studio-grade sound quality5. Because each stereo channel has its own compressor and limiter, the two channels respond independently, which Pedal of the Day described as making the pedal "a portable and creative finisher with independent response on each channel, for a polished and animated stereo" image4.
The attack and release behavior is worth understanding before buying. Delicious Audio notes that attack and release are mostly self-adjusting, in the manner of the venerable Teletronics LA2A studio compressor, with room for some tweaking via the Attack knob and Release toggle3. Two swell modes, reached through the pedal's mode settings, offer a softer, volume-swelling character1.
Chase Bliss's stated design goal sets the Clean apart from most compressor pedals: it "brings the interactivity of distortion circuits to a clean signal"3. In practice that means the pedal is meant to respond to playing dynamics the way drive pedals do, rather than simply smoothing levels.
The controls
The Clean's front panel carries a large set of controls, and press both footswitches together for alternate, secondary functions on each6.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Dynamics | Main compression control |
| Sensitivity | Sets how readily the compressor responds |
| Wet | Level of the compressed signal |
| Dry | Level of the dry signal |
| Attack | Trims the mostly self-adjusting attack time3 |
| Release | Toggle for adjusting the mostly self-adjusting release3 |
| EQ | Tonal shaping of the compressed signal |
| EQ MODE | Selects the EQ behavior |
| Physics | Adjusts the pedal's dynamic character |
| AUX | Secondary function control |
| Bypass | Engages or disengages the effect |
The pedal also has an expression control input for sweeping parameters with an expression pedal1.
The DIP switches inside the enclosure give access to modes and more5, which is where the two swell modes and other secondary options live. This is standard practice for Chase Bliss: the knobs stay on the surface, while the deeper configuration sits on the DIP switches.
Power and connections: 9V, 300mA, MIDI and sidechain
The Clean runs on 9V DC, center negative, drawing roughly 300mA1.
At ~300mA, the Clean draws far more current than a typical analog pedal and cannot run on a battery. A dedicated, isolated 9V supply is the safe choice; a low-current daisy chain may not keep up.
Connections go beyond the usual in/out:
- True stereo I/O over TRS jacks, in the same TRS stereo enclosure Chase Bliss has used on recent releases2
- Sidechain input for syncing with external instruments74, so an external source can drive the compression behavior
- MIDI over PC and CC for preset switching and remote control of parameters1
- Expression control for real-time parameter sweeps1
The sidechain input is the feature that opens up creative uses: feeding it another instrument's signal lets that source trigger compression on your guitar, a technique borrowed from studio mixing74.
Where it came from
Chase Bliss announced the Clean with general release due in November and the first pedals due to ship during November2. The enclosure follows the same TRS stereo model as the maker's recent releases, with an additional Sidechain port on the right hand side2.
Pricing at announcement was reported two ways: $399 in America and €469 in Europe, including taxes and shipping2, with a European MSRP of EUR 4695. Chase Bliss's own page lists the pedal at $399.00 USD as of 25 October 20261.
What reviewers made of it
One reviewer found that the Clean's attack and release are mostly self-adjusting, just as they are on the Teletronics LA2A3.
Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson, writing after living with the pedal, called it "the most kitchen-sink of all my compressors - with a thousand uses," while admitting it "can be a little overwhelming and intimidating," and that he enjoyed it without fully getting to grips with the whole feature set6.
"The most kitchen-sink of all my compressors - with a thousand uses"
That split verdict is the honest picture of the pedal: a deep, flexible stereo compressor with studio-style behavior and creative extras, at the cost of a learning curve6.
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Questions
Does the Chase Bliss Clean work in mono?
The Clean is built around true stereo I/O with independent compressor and limiter stages on each channel14. There is no dedicated mono mode, so a player running a single cable should expect the stereo design to shape how the pedal behaves.
How many presets does the Chase Bliss Clean hold?
It holds 122 presets via MIDI1. MIDI also carries program change and control change messages, so presets can be recalled and parameters adjusted remotely from a MIDI controller.
What do the DIP switches on the Chase Bliss Clean do?
They give access to the pedal's modes and more5, including the two swell modes1. The front-panel knobs handle the day-to-day compression settings, while the DIP switches hold the deeper configuration.
Is the Chase Bliss Clean true bypass?
Yes. The bypass can run in momentary or latching mode1, so the effect can be held temporarily under your foot or latched on, and pressing both switches together calls up the alternate secondary functions12.
Who designed the Chase Bliss Clean?
Sources (7)
- Clean - Chase Bliss, Chase Bliss
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-10-10
- Chase Bliss Clean Stereo Compressor, Delicious Audio, 2024-12-16
- Chase Bliss Clean Creative Compressor, Pedal of the Day, 2024-11-17
- Chase Bliss Clean: Revolutionary Compression, gearnews.com, 2024-10-10
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X
- “Clean explores the wild side of compression and brings the interactivity of distortion circuits to a clean signal”: Chase Bliss unveils Clean, a studio-quality analogue compressor with a “fun” twist, MusicRadar, 2024-10-11
