The Old Blood Noise Endeavors Bathing Liminal Delay is a delay pedal that runs its repeats through a cascade of up to twelve allpass filter stages, the building blocks of a phaser. Where a normal delay pedal hands you back clean copies of what you played, the Bathing smears, swirls and morphs those copies, layering in modulation, a stereo chorus and multi-tap reverb-style textures along the way1.
It is the third installment of OBNE's Square series, and it grew out of the "phase repetition" idea in the company's Dweller pedal, expanded into a stereo unit with MIDI, presets and a much deeper control set12. Gearnews's Julian Schmauch described the result as a pedal that can sound like granular processing, like a phase-y room reverb, and even like the most spaced-out analog delay, while still managing to stay in its own lane, especially once the phaser is dialed to 12 stages1.
A delay run through up to twelve phaser stages
At its heart, the Bathing Liminal Delay uses a central delay line processed through multiple allpass filter stages, adjustable from 2 to 123. Allpass filters are the stages a phaser uses to notch frequencies and shift phase, so as the repeats circulate through more of them, they come back increasingly smeared and unrecognizable. Gearnews describes this as "a cascade of up to twelve allpass filter stages that smear, smear, and morph your sounds"1.
The pedal combines three effect families in one box:
- Delay: the central repeat engine, with tap tempo and feedback control31
- Phaser/Flanger: the allpass cascade, from two-stage subtlety to twelve-stage smearing31
- Multi-tap reverb: diffused, scattered echoes that sit somewhere between delay and reverb3
Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio sums up the intent: "Combining delay, phaser, and reverb-like textures, it creates an immersive, ever-shifting soundscape"3.
The controls
The control set breaks into the delay core, the phaser cascade, the modulation engine and the Dimension layer.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Time | Sets the central delay tempo3 |
| Feedback | Controls echo resonance and decay3 |
| Stages | How drastically the phaser affects the delays, from subtle two-stage phasing to full twelve-stage smearing1 |
| Modulation (Rate / Depth / Shape) | An LFO adds movement, with stereo offset for wide, swirling effects3 |
| Dimension | A subtle stereo chorus for added depth3 |
The modulation engine is deeper than a typical delay's built-in wobble. Gearnews calls it "a deep modulation engine with Rate, Depth, and Shape controls," with multiple LFO waveforms or envelope modes that react to playing dynamics1. The Dimension control adds a shimmering stereo chorus or mono vibrato to the wet signal only, leaving the dry path untouched1.
Two footswitches handle the rest. The On/Off switch does what you would expect, while the dual-function Tap/Aux switch lets you tap in tempos, trigger infinite repeats, or swap presets12.
Stereo, MIDI and expression
The Bathing offers both mono-to-stereo and a fully stereo signal path, with stereo input and output on TRS jacks and the option for mono or mono-in-stereo-out routing12. Delicious Audio pitches the stereo I/O as the route to immersive spatial effects3.
Connectivity on the rear panel covers everything a modern board might ask for2:
- In and Out (TS / TRS)
- MIDI In and MIDI Out, with MIDI clock I/O for external tempo syncing2
- USB-C2
- Expression pedal input, with expression and MIDI control over all parameters32
MIDI gives full control over every parameter, including sync to an external clock1. Three presets are stored onboard, with further control available over MIDI2.
Power is 9V DC at 350mA2. A current draw that size rules out a battery, and it is more than a typical small daisy chain outlet supplies, so plan on a dedicated or high-current isolated supply.
Versions and colorways
The Bathing Liminal Delay ships in three colorways: Algae (the standard finish), Orchid and Ink2. It is the third installment of OBNE's Square series1, and Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson frames it as a massively expanded take on the Dweller's phase repetition concept rather than a straight sequel: "It's a complex confection of effects for sure - and very different to the relatively recently released Stereo Oil Can Delay... a much more evolved expansion that will need to find its own audience"2.
Guitar Pedal X also credits it with a low noise floor and an expansive stereo field2.
Where it sits in the OBNE lineup
The Bathing Liminal Delay launched at $299 MSRP in the US, £299 in the UK and €349 in Europe12. Players comparing it against other OBNE delay and reverse-effect pedals can look at the Black Fountain V2, the Mondegreen, the Minim Reverb Delay and Reverse, or the later Setback reverse pedal, depending on which side of the company's experimental delay catalog they want to explore.
Videos
Old Blood Noise Endeavors
The Pedal Zone
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Questions
Is the OBNE Bathing true bypass?
It offers selectable switching: you can run it in buffered trails mode or in true bypass mode, and it keeps an analog dry-through signal path either way. That means your dry signal stays analog while the wet, processed repeats are layered on top of it.
Does the Bathing have trails?
Yes. Buffered trails mode is one of the two selectable bypass modes, so repeats can continue ringing out after you switch the pedal off. If you prefer a hard cut, you can switch to true bypass instead.
How many presets does the Bathing store?
It stores three onboard presets, numbered 1 to 3, and you can swap between them with the dual-function Tap/Aux footswitch. Full preset and parameter control is also available over MIDI.
Can the Bathing sync to MIDI clock?
Yes. It has MIDI In and MIDI Out with MIDI clock I/O, so it can sync its delay time to an external clock as well as receive full MIDI control over every parameter.
How much does the Old Blood Noise Bathing cost?
The Bathing Liminal Delay launched in July 2025 with a US price of $299 (MSRP and MAP/RRP). UK pricing was listed at £299, with European pricing at €349.
Where is the Bathing made?
It is hand-made in Oklahoma, USA, by Old Blood Noise Endeavors, the Oklahoma City-based effects maker known for experimental pedals like the Dweller and the Rever.
Sources (3)
- OBNE Releases Bathing Liminal Delay: Phaser Meets Reverb Meets Delay, gearnews.com, 2025-07-29
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-07-29
- Old Blood Noise Bathing Liminal Delay, Delicious Audio, 2025-10-31
