Chase Bliss Onward - It's HERE

This is NOT a review of Chase Bliss Onward, a sample + glitch + freeze pedal that I've been STOKED about and will get so much use both for soundtrack projects and live performing. Unboxing, my first notes with it, and eventually reading the manual and learning stuff. Lots to unpack (no pun intended).
J Mascis Jazzmaster
Conn 6M Alto Saxophone
Left - 1975 Fender Princeton (Senn MD-421, Capi VP26)
Right - Tyler PT-15 (Senn MD-421, Capi VP26)
Apollo x16
Just a little Fabfilter C2 and Pro L2 to tame things. No color, no FX otherwise.
0:00 Unboxing and Intro
0:25 First notes, Freeze
1:40 Glitch
2:49 Texture
3:18 Initial reactions and playing intentionally
4:22 Instant Eno
4:50 Getting out the SAX
5:38 Ambient sax improvisation
6:54 Considering live sax performance
7:30 One last ambient improv
8:39 Final first-day thoughts
#chasebliss #onward #chaseblissonward #glitch #guitarpedals #pedalboard #guitar #ambient #ambientmusic #saxophone #conn ​⁠‪@ChaseBlissAudio‬

[@ChaseBlissAudio]

This was very fun to watch

[@geardead]

🐐thx! huge grats on the release, excited to continue diving in with it. 💙

[@rocknrollboise]

Joel is the GOAT.

[@liamcrittenden]

this adds a whole new pocket to the "bon iver glitch" style, especially involing the sax. genuinely never heard anything like what you're getting out of this, and I love it. didn't realize i needed granular sax in my life, but this is so rad and innovative.

[@IDriveAnAudi]

That sounds really great! I’m happy i preordered one now. It seems very accessible and immediately musical. Its extremely nice on your saxophone! I love it!

[@MichaalHell]

Sounded so Good with the saxophone. Very Bon Iver

[@EcstaticSuffering]

You've sold me on the promise of this pedal. i love how reactive it is to your playing.

[@jprnn]

Wow! That sounded sweet. Really happy to hear you play saxophone through the pedal. I've been contemplating ways to play my tenor through some effects for a while, so this gave me lots of ideas to explore. Thank you!

[@geardead]

awesome 🔥 lots of unexplored territory 🎷

[@chrislink73]

thanks for sharing, loved the sounds of it on sax!

[@geardead]

🙏💙

[@JoRoBu17]

Thanks for posting! It's nice to get a preview (hopefully mine ships in a few days :)). And ESPECIALLY THANK YOU for demonstrating something other than keyboard or guitar! It sounds wonderful with saxophone - though that probably has something to do with the player, too.

[@geardead]

you bet.. next time I'll bring out the bass clarinet 🤓

[@muziKmakeSmehiteflOR]

2:16 is so good! Thanks for sharing your experience of the pedal with us.

[@geardead]

you bet 🙏

[@jasonvytlacil1256]

*really* digging that ambient sax

[@saggygnaw]

Mine arrives tomorrow and I absolutely cannot wait. Also I love the EHX Tri-Parallel Mixer, definitely a great utility pedal.

[@HyBr1dRaNg3r]

Waiting for mine to come😌

[@davidc0812]

great demo, thanks.

[@Gloobtoob]

Sounds great on the sax in glitch mode! Really nice

[@ClotheslineRevival]

Nice demo and good luck with your channel!

[@geardead]

thx!! 🙏

[@focuspullermusic6725]

Beautiful sax work, somehow sounds like Terry Riley!

[@jackattack8044]

Every soundbite i hear of this pedal makes me want it more and more 😅

[@commandergoznales546]

Sounds great on sax!

[@geardead]

yo thx!🙏💙

[@cesteacy]

hearing it with the sax was truly something else.

[@avysbb]

pedal sounds good! Cool conn 6M too

[@geardead]

thx! 🙏

[@BrockDavisson]

This is the type of video I've been looking for! Can't wait for mine! Gonna be so fun with everything, and fun with my boss sy1000 and boss gm800 guitar synths!

[@geardead]

glad to hear! 🔥

[@FastRCToys]

At least a stereo pedal ! 😻

[@256k_]

hi! nice video 🙂 enjoyed your presentation style and voice. glad to sub. would love to hear some thoughts between microcosm and onward. I've owned a microcosm for a while and really enjoyed it. felt like a great musical partner that can really riff off and augment my playing without much interaction from my side. sadly i sold it off when i sold a bunch of gear but was thinking of getting one again although i feel like there's some overlap with onward wanted to see how much overlap is there and how different it is. take care and looking forward to more content from you 🙂

[@geardead]

yeah that’s a whole video unto itself but in general onward is more glitchy and immediately reactive while microcosm is more akin to a delay pedal and leans into more ambient vibes. they compliment each other nicely. this is a drastic oversimplification ofc, try both out for yourself if you can and see how it would fit (easier said than done i know)

[@NealCaen]

this pedal just made making ear candy so much easier 😅

[@Two-Eyed_Boy]

I really like your style! This was a very cool exploratory demo. Which would you choose between the Onward and Tensor?

[@geardead]

thx! too soon to tell but i love tensor, esp the amount of control it gives you. onward doesn’t require it and allows for a different musical approach. up to you and your needs likely

[@nicholasbtorretta]

Any thoughts on it in the jazz context you mentioned? I’ve been interested in it but trying to understand of it has ise outsode the ambient world :)

[@geardead]

yeah - given how performative/responsive it is, it can be more attuned to the more-minute changes in harmony or motivic development. that’s actually what mostly got me excited about it - I love the sound of these micro-loop-pitchy things from CBA and others but they always require a bit of finagling. with this, i can just leave it on, and let the amplitude detection (don’t quote me on this) do it’s magic

[@nicholasbtorretta]

Nice! Thanks for the fast reply! Some follow up questions the: 😊 how is the glitch sode for soloing? I had a meris ottobit for quite a while but felt it was too predictable. And the freeze overall function, does it replace the ehx freeze you also have there?

[@rossfuqua]

Sounds amazing! Can I ask about the sax mic you’re using here?

[@geardead]

intramic by viga music tools. kind of a funky ordering process, a custom-ish thing www.vigamusictools.fr

[@azazabacheche3973]

Nice demo! makes me think I may wanna swap my Habit for one of these🤨

[@geardead]

😮🙏

[@BrockDavisson]

don't sleep on habit though, it's awesome too! The right answer is get both lol.

[@HyBr1dRaNg3r]

Omg Fuzz Sax would be interesting😂

[@geardead]

it *would* be 😮

[@chiefbucknell]

@@geardeadsometimes I’ve felt that bass guitar + fuzz = a loving imitation of bari sax

[@willcook1530]

Hey great video! Quick question, what is the Klon looking pedal before the Freeze?

[@geardead]

jhs notaklon 👀 kzbin.info/www/bejne/p57Mcq18pcafh9Usi=1mWJ_0wyAQX9Z-LU 👀

[@willcook1530]

Dang it was right.on the tip of my brain! Thank you! 😂

[@rokagrooveradio8429]

Hi mate, this is just a quick one, do you know if a 12v power supply would be k with the Chase bliss Onward at all? thank you for the great demo and you sound amazing on your sax through the Onward:) thanks again Paul

[@geardead]

im using 9v, sorry unsure!

[@s.r.b.4582]

are you going to review the fairfield circuitry you got as well?

[@geardead]

for sure 👍

[@pjnewman5947]

Mine ships today

[@milesholt3655]

DO MORE

[@calebhartsfield5451]

I noticed you have a Tensor and a Freeze. Are there sounds you're getting out of this you can't accomplish with combinations of your other pedals? I've been on the fence about jumping on this since I own a Tensor. I don't imagine one outright replaces the other, especially with how responsive Onward seems, but I'm curious about what can be accomplished having both.

[@geardead]

yeah, variations on a theme, these pedals are. onward seems to be special in how it listens and responds, ideal for more-performative use cases, or at least a more-alive and tactile, it seems. i’ll still keep my tensor because i feel very in-control, esp when coupled with an expression pedal, great for more compositional / loop-performance tweakiness. whereas onward is more “set it and forget it”-ish, a vibe i’m excited about as an improviser in live settings so i can rely on its responsiveness and be more intentional with the music. great question

[@chiefbucknell]

I’m also interested in how Onward and Microcosm may compare/contrast 🤔 😊

[@matthewhackett3429]

Where would you put this in the chain involving a Swiss Things? Definitely want it before the volume pedal?..

[@geardead]

i think as long as it’s before anything that you don’t want hitting the amplitude detection, you’re good. i like it after the vol pedal and overdrives and a few other things, midway through the chain. up to you though

[@IIoWoII]

That is one of the chase bliss pedals.

[@sese6344]

Very nice playing❤ Support this guy, like and subscribe. please show the whole neck when you play 🙃

[@michaelogden5093]

What's a sampler do?

[@j0sacas]

what's the name of that sax pickup?

[@geardead]

intramic by viga music tools. kind of a funky ordering process, a custom-ish thing www.vigamusictools.fr

[@j0sacas]

@@geardead thanks my dude

[@kierenmoore3236]

I get the impression that most CB pedals do this kind of modulated glitchy warbly delay/sample thing … like, they have 10 or so pedals that do this kind of thing … ?! 😏🙃

[@styphonthal2]

How does this differ from the mood and their other pedals

[@geardead]

mood = granular microlooping delay and verb stuff with sample rate shifting and magic onward = always-listening performative freeze and glitches with controllable errors and magic

[@darionbuck4614]

​@@geardeadmood is also an always listening freeze glitch lmao.

[@geardead]

oops yeah true

[@mdihero]

How many times can they release literally the same pedal for 400 dollars

[@RecklessG4B]

You don’t think this is different than the others??

[@DeusExAurum]

Same thought