Chase Bliss MOOD review, and its unique clock explained (full tutorial)

Here's my review of MOOD - a new effects pedal from Chase Bliss Audio - a collaboration with Old Blood Noise Endeavors and Drolo FX.
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TIMELINE:
0:00 Intro
1:00 Overview
4:15 OBNE side
4:20 Reverb
6:00 Delay
7:30 Slip
8:35 Drolo side
9:30 Env
11:45 Tape
12:30 Stretch
13:55 Back & forth
15:00 DIP & bounce
16:30 MIDI & EXP
17:10 Pros & cons
18:50 Outro jam
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► Ziv (at) loopopmusic.com
NOTE: Occasionally I’ll try out affiliate marketing and include affiliate links. This means that I may earn a commission when you click on or make purchases via affiliate links. The content of this clip is entirely my opinion, and was not paid for or dictated in any way by the company creating the gear. Without addressing the particulars of products shown here as they might be under NDA, gear shown on this channel may be either sent by the manufacturer, on loan for review or bought at a discount.

[@duffinky2237]

Normally a 20 minute review video for a pedal seems excessive, but this puppy warranted one. And you did an excellent job of making this complex unit a little clearer to understand! Thank you!

[@Knobs]

This was wonderful Loopop

[@loopop]

Thanks - it's quite a thing this pedal - the "outro jam" says it all (if you can call playing one note a jam) - you feed MOOD one note and it becomes a story

[@rengerkoning1932]

This is a video that I (have to) watch every few month to get reminded of the almost endless functions and possibilities! 🙂

[@kevotheclone]

I've seen most of the CBA MOOD vids, you's was the best by far... thanks!!!

[@CaidicusProductions]

Just looking at it, I feel like I want one. I mean... aesthetically, it's stunning and lust worthy. Sound wise, it's also pretty cool. Thanks again for sharing another wonderful video, Loopop.

[@Peter7966]

I own a MOOD pedal. I've had it for almost a year. Your review has really helped me understand all of the functions and how there work separately or together. The pedal is getting much better use now. I feel like I know what I'm doing... much more. I'm not just turning dials and getting crazy sounds, although that's fun too. Thanks.

[@LEVRAN]

Is it just mono?

[@ingreynelg]

@@LEVRAN yes

[@Haze763]

This is the best explained demo of this pedal. Thank you for this.

[@jessejarrar]

Thank you for the video. Just got one and it's been a lot of fun exploring the options

[@Septimius]

I had bought this and tried it, and had no idea how it worked, until I watched this video. You always make everything extremely approachable, loopop. Thanks

[@binface9]

Best demo of this pedal on KZbin

[@sryburn641]

agreed.

[@richenloaf]

Thank you, this is the best and clearest demo

[@ChorusHunter]

This is such a pristine explanation. Hats off.

[@tompoynton]

I’m kind of amazed Chase Bliss hasn’t gone into Eurorack yet.... Great demo btw

[@canecreek00]

because there is far more money in the guitar market, the same reason why the guy who made the access virus now makes guitar amps instead.

[@matthiaswurm]

This made me buy a Mood immediately! Great sounds!

[@soundisles]

Sounds beautiful! Very clear and helpful vid loopop!

[@loopop]

Thanks!

[@admatlydian]

Best pedal I have seen in a long time. Great review! The break down on the left was the greatest thing ever. This should be the format for all, going forward.

[@loopop]

Thanks so much! Hey, wait a second... don't get people copying my format!

[@polaris_avshow]

GREAT REVIEW!!! UPDATE FIRMWARE THAT ALLOWS TO PLAY THE CLOCK WITH AN EXTERNAL KEYBOARD???? HELL YEAH!!! WE NEED THIS ASAP!!!

[@merrymonkey5172]

Damn, I'd love to have this baby in my rig, very cool stuff!

[@squoblat]

Put this through Valhalla shimmer and you could have a pretty out there ambient album finished in an hour.

[@ingekvam324]

And add a EarthQuaker Rainbow Machine to that. Totally spaced out...

[@scottsweatshirt9753]

Let’s go Mood into Meris Ottobit into Neunaber Immerse and call it a day.

[@andreperkowski2082]

It would certainly sound like you did it in an hour.

[@squoblat]

@@andreperkowski2082 😂

[@andreperkowski2082]

@@squoblat Please ignore all the "albums" I completed in an hour, of course. Those don't count.

[@MusicDiscoveryLab]

I just ordered this today. I can't wait to get my hands on it:)!

[@rikkousa]

Thank you for explaining how it works..I have listened to many videos-no clarity on this, until now!

[@Audiorial]

hooooow cute is this! you always provide dope content on stunning devices - i've been inspired for my own content with yours, thanks for that.

[@gabriellord9214]

Nice one Loopop! Great explanation again! Cheers 😊

[@loopop]

Thanks!

[@josehaya6362]

youve done it again. great vid.

[@BevisFriend2010]

I do really like this video though. These pedals do so much complex stuff, it really does need some scientific unpacking to even scratch the surface of their capabilities. Thanks very much I ordered one a couple of weeks back.

[@sp3ct3rsd3mos]

such a nice walkthrough. thanks man.

[@jonaseggen2230]

What you play in at beginning there is really nice.

[@johnnywalker3025]

Love the midi suggestion.

[@zydiz]

at <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="155">2:35</a> it completely turns into HEALTH, damn...

[@kabood777]

this thing is just crazy good !!!

[@SyncdAlien]

Fascinating & fun! 😍

[@soundethersinfo135]

Very good presentation for a very creative pedal!!

[@loopop]

Thanks!

[@Jackson.W.Rose1138]

Sounds great

[@elvn4933]

This is the by far best demo of this pedal so far. You feed it with a simple signal and show what it can do with it. Unlike a certain other channel, that sends absolute nonsense to it, and one never know if the pedal does the crappy sound or the guitar"player". Thank you for that!

[@Knobs]

Oohwee

[@loopop]

This contrasts nicely with the comment I got the other day "you talk too much - why don't you just shut up and play"

[@elvn4933]

@@Knobs oh snap! Sry man, now I am feeling bad :D For me, your videos are entertaining, but with some more complex pedals like this one, it's sometimes hard to keep track of what's actually going on. No offense and sorry for the "crappy". Don't mind me, I am just a rude ass on the interwebs :* Keep on doing things the way you want!

[@elvn4933]

@@loopop I say it's just right :)

[@maleficenthardware]

wow. thumbs up (not only) for the intro!

[@iosifkalpaktsoglou2045]

Highly informative...especially the drolo side for me.

[@LittleAmbientMachine]

This would be so nice to have as eurorack module with some cv options

[@LondraCalibro9]

or a larger format like glou glou pedals

[@dazehill]

This is such a great demo. I have a very specific question.

[@warius1]

Now this sounds like an interesting pedal.

[@Musical.Maze.1]

ΜΟΟD makes a project having a specific character & "mood!"

[@lcglazer]

In stretch mode, when you slow a loop up to 2x or more, is the loop smooth or broken up? (I have the tensor, anything slower than 1.25x the loop breaks up)

[@2438lor]

very informative, ty!

[@julienbayle]

As you mentioned it would be interesting to play it with a midi keyboard. But it actually can be mimic with the midi cc18 which can control the clock... It is easy to convert some midi notes to cc.. But indeed...there is not a big range of pitches here.... Only 11 as far ax I understand the clock knob

[@WillisZzz]

Another deep video, thanks! This seems like it'd make an amazing eurorack module. How is the sound? Any tape-like saturation? Does it have clean tails or does it break up (like a clouds module, for instance)?

[@loopop]

Thanks! Everything I now is in the video. I'm not sure it has a tape specific like effect like Blooper does

[@outtathenorm5192]

Tap tempo would have made this a deal maker for me. Still very tempting to get this!

[@dansuwinski787]

It has midi sync, for me that's even better

[@jrr832]

@@dansuwinski787 thanks

[@briangarrison2021]

Great review as always! I’m going to pick one up, I noticed it doesn’t come with a power adapter. What one were you using? Thanks 🙂

[@loopop]

Thanks! Standard 9v center negative...

[@enjenj6655]

This is one of the only ones to properly describe Envelope and Stretch from the Drolo side. Too bad that you didn’t connect CV (it’s not as useful as I’d hoped, so might be helpful to see) or an expression pedal, but nobody is doing that either. Nice work!

[@loopop]

I actually have a plan for a video that uses the expression input but that will take a few months

[@Alex_Martz]

Your reviews are much better than the ones from Knobs!

[@pico_cole]

Is it possible to sync the pedal over CV or midi? I have it now, and would like to somehow sync the tempo accurately, so the buffers and clock could be lined up with multiples / division of a source tempo. thanks!

[@rustikinc63]

Loo, if you had to get a unique multi fx pedal to make techno/electronica, what pedal would you get? Granular is awesome but what are your thoughts on what is out there for Xmas? Any older pedals even that may be little cheaper? I saw that Red Panda pedal? Thank yo

[@loopop]

you know what I'm going to say.... never let anyone make the decision for you. personally, I don't like multi effects pedals at all with the exception of H9 which I see as one pedal with many effects if that makes sense

[@danielasebsen787]

Nice job.

[@gregw4817]

All the amazing thought & effort put into this pedal, & then limit it to mono?

[@brianreilly6545]

Greg W Stereo would def b a plus

[@frankstetka7206]

This is how they get everyone who wants stereo to purchase 2 of them 🤣

[@scottsweatshirt9753]

I have one on an aux send channel in front of the Meris Polymoon and Death By Audio Rooms, which are both stereo. Works pretty well.

[@thelearningcenter]

Question: If a person buys the MOOD now in 2022 will it come with updated software assuming it is bought new? (Or has it not been updated)

[@DopamineOverload]

This pedal....... whoa.

[@tomsalguero7060]

Hello ! do you plan a video on mood mkii ? Thanks for your work :)

[@loopop]

Thanks! No plans currently

[@brianreilly6545]

Awesome sounding pedal. Hey how do you find it handling line level?

[@loopop]

It worked fine for me

[@abbenilsson]

Great instructional video! Can the Drolo side listen and play back instantaneously without recording a piece? Or do you have to record something manually in order to make use of it?

[@loopop]

Thanks! If I understand your question... Drolo is always recording in the background, so you don't need to do anything, just hit the stomp when you want to use whatever was just recorded (based on the current size of the Drolo buffer), and it immediately plays it back.

[@abbenilsson]

loopop Thanks. But you couldn’t use it similarly like ex Pladask Fabrikat, meaning it could work kind of like a stretch delay of sorts... Always listening AND playing back your input, without having to record something manually?

[@loopop]

I'm not familiar with that pedal (looks interesting!) but no, on the Drolo side you're either listening or playback. The left/OBNE side however does both listen and play back - if anything perhaps the Slip algorithm gives you what you're looking for - not sure - take a listen to that part of the video

[@abbenilsson]

loopop Thanks!

[@flukeymcfluke4582]

How would this compare to the MakeNoise Morphogene? I see some overlap in functionality. And as always thanks for the excellent review

[@loopop]

Thanks! Re a comparison - sorry.... it would take as long as watching both videos - in a nutshell, very different with minor overlapping features

[@flukeymcfluke4582]

@@loopop Ok, good to know. I have the morphogene but am curious whether the mood would be a worthwhile addition...it seems really deep

[@beyondthegong]

It’s almost completely different, circuit-wise..

[@avantgardenovelist]

Chase Bliss saved my life.

[@janhenckell4178]

does anyone have this pedal? how does one control what gets recorded into the right side? i seem only be able to record the audio cable and not the left side. if i dont feed the pedal anything and do a microrecording then the buffer gets empty quickly and dont hear anything anymore.

[@yongamusic]

Thanks, Ziv! If only it were stereo..

[@loopop]

I know...

[@mougabo]

This might be a dumb question but it wasn’t clear to me if it’s possible to have reverb and delay at the same time or just one or the other at once, anyway knows?

[@tendingtropic7778]

only one at a time

[@CertainlyCaro]

If they doubled the size of the box, would it then be a "Big Mood"?

[@KunchangLeeMusic]

Looking for a pitch shifter : would you pick the mood or the meris hedra?

[@ckrug32]

Kunchang Lee the Hedra is primarily a pitch shifter, that also has delay. The Hedra gives you exponentially more control over pitch shifting, but not so much with the delay. The Mood is primarily a micro-looper + spatial fx (reverb, delay, etc.), which also has some pitch shifting. I demoed both the Hedra and the Mood in my local shop and loved both but ended up taking home the Mood. I play ambient music and the Mood is perfect for making textural layers. I plan on getting a Hedra at some point too. I would say go for a Hedra if you primarily want pitch shifting. It was a bit intimidating for me since my music theory knowledge isn’t great, but I bet it would teach me a lot about theory after using it more. Hope this helps!

[@ShaighJosephson]

Please list the equipment you are using...

[@pongtrometer]

Playable clock , please.... that would rejuvenate my use of Axon2 and DM2 apps , which I love its texture, but want play the sound engines instead of sampling...what options are there to make a playable pitch shifter thanks.

[@zapzaraponline]

Pong Trometer you can via midi cc14 play the clock afaik

[@geha6596]

very nice review I have to say - but are you sure that you can record back from left to the right channel - I can't hear it- I did everything and could not get it working too - also on the cba home page blog "MOOD vs. Blooper" it says "There is also no overdubbing ..." I hope I am wrong and just do something wrong :)

[@loopop]

Thanks! There’s a difference between overdubbing - which is combining two layers and this indeed doesn’t do, and recording which as far a I remember it does

[@geha6596]

@@loopop and of course you are right - it is working - tried it again -I guess I did something wrong - sorry for the confusion :)

[@moshirazi]

How would this compare to red panda tensor?

[@pepejul]

I bought it about 3 months ago and tried really hard to like it. While there was a few happy moments, I spent most of the time trying to find a sweet spot and when I found something nice it quickly got repetitive and then had to try again to find a different sweet spot, and repeat. I'm not saying it's not a nice pedal but it's not for me because when using it, it was impossible to include it with other instruments in a coherent ensemble or to even use it in a subtle way. I think it may be more for someone enjoying turning knobs really slowly to discover unique soundscape with a single instrument. Also the lack of sync makes the internal clock almost impossible to pair with other clocks, and the pitch control is too restrictive, you can only change in the order and the tones already programed in the pedal.

[@pongtrometer]

Yes great point, a playable clock would be great... I hope this can implemented as an update. Though I also like non stepped quantised stuff as well , I though slip mode would be about that in an analog tape way...Great overview as usual. Got me in the MOOD for loop mangling.

[@LondraCalibro9]

if the clock was playable, itd be beyond perfect......

[@pongtrometer]

@@LondraCalibro9 I HOPE CBA are listening

[@pongtrometer]

they listened , MOOD 2 has landed on earth.

[@BladeJones]

Are there software-based products that do stuff that the Chase Bliss does?

[@loopop]

This pedal is a combination of a bunch of things, I'm sure there are products out there that do one or some of these things in different combos or more. Look for micro-loopers, reverse delays and granular effects to start

[@tommyrotts]

they must have listened to you, as I hear mood mkii has a synth mode that let's you play it as an instrument

[@loopop]

Yes, so cool

[@2cv]

the delay is digital, obviously. do we know what would be the looooongest delay/repeat time?

[@loopop]

16 seconds (though you might pull off a bit more with the tape effect) - that said, quality degrades as you increase loop length because you're using a slower clock rate, not extending the buffer

[@andivax]

Hi Loopop! My UNO is very noisy via usb. What to do? (

[@loopop]

Did you see my "6 ways" to eliminate ground noise video? Also try powering it with a phone charger or even better yet one of those power bricks that charge phones

[@andivax]

@@loopop thank you very much! will check check your "6 ways" video ASAP!

[@MarkoDeLaVoota]

eurorack module would be nice

[@pongtrometer]

Any news on you testing the MOODS MK2 pedal ?

[@loopop]

Seems cool, I don't have it yet

[@pongtrometer]

@@loopop i look forward to your request in this episode being fulfilled , as the advanced midi , now has note on/off for playing the samples, and other extensive additions, i can't preorder as of yet, due to other financial priorities , so will live vicariously through your review, much thanks in advance .

[@pepejul]

I came here to ask the same question 😅

[@pongtrometer]

@@pepejul Chase Bliss dropped another official vid, but Loopop has got that balance for testing, practicality , technical features with clarity.

[@jonmy7]

Looks a lot of fun but not sure I could actually make use of it

[@samhaskinmusic]

No midi sync, even through the TRS Midi jack like other CB pedals?

[@loopop]

No midi sync unfortunately- it does have midi but mainly for knob controls if I remember correctly

[@tendingtropic7778]

@@loopop yeah this restricts it a bit to soundscapes and intros

[@SlowDescentToWild]

Looks fascinating but could you use this for live playing or is it better for mashing up in post? I have enough problems hitting the right notes in the right order and don’t think I have any spare brain cells to be making loops on the fly. Perhaps with a sequencer? I do love the possibilities for ambient.

[@onkarlally]

What is the black synth? (Not the black box)

[@loopop]

UNO Synth

[@LittleMusicBoxes]

Drooling. wow. This is what became of "Blooper" on Knobs, right?

[@loopop]

No I don’t think so. Blooper seems to be a full fledged looper - this is more microloops and effects

[@LittleMusicBoxes]

@@loopop I was just looking at the Chase Bliss blog, they have an article about this. But it's not suuuuuper clear. But I think that Blooper is still going to be made. Release date TBD.

[@loopop]

OK read the article - indeed like I said - two very different things...

[@midicleric.derekcrockett]

This would sound great on my ambient stuff but the CXM 1978 has FADERS.

[@fosferus]

great execution of a pedal idea, but sadly reverb in mono sounds pretty flat.

[@fkdreamworks]

must to get pedal i think the blooper dropped off for the name choice in fav of mood, prbably some other company was coming with something similar i forgot the name anyway great demo loopop

[@loopop]

Thanks! I think Blooper is still coming though....

[@Knobs]

Blooper is a different thing :)

[@fkdreamworks]

@@loopop oh thats wonderful cause i was following that foe weeks and there was no indication of Mood so i though that became Mood good more reeasons to be poor now :)

[@MrCowfood]

Think of mood and dark world like a box of nerds (candies). Blooper seems to be all chase bliss. At least that's how I see it ;p

[@Knobs]

@@MrCowfood I like that a lot

[@DetroitMicroSound]

What do you say to the belief that the Microcosm is both the Mood, and Blooper +?

[@loopop]

I don't think so actually. But Microcosm is awesome regardless

[@DetroitMicroSound]

@@loopop May have to find out for myself, huh? 😆 have a microcosm coming from this july shipment. ZOIA arrived a month or so ago.

[@HomeCinemaJunkie]

Sounds really nice! Too bad it does not support stereo...

[@mayito3334]

FlyingLunatic when I bring up Lacking stereo in pedals I always get roasted. Stereo is necessary for something like this!

[@HomeCinemaJunkie]

@@mayito3334 Yeah, for good reverb I feel that stereo is needed. Sounds too flat otherwise IMO.

[@zapzaraponline]

Am i mistaken? You can control Clock via Midi CC#14 afaik

[@loopop]

That’s just like turning the knob - it doesn’t give you tempo like functionality unfortunately

[@zapzaraponline]

@@loopop OK make it like this and be smart. Have a couple of buttons define the buttons as momentary switch. Give each button the correct value for the appropiate tempo. It worked for me on the microfreak, "playing" the sync tempo

[@shitmandood]

I'm having a really hard time understanding how this pedal works! If I were to use software to emulate this pedal, which VSTs would I need?? I think I'd rather have the pedal than the software, but I just want to get a breakdown into VSTs as to what this thing is doing. This is one of the more interesting pedals I've seen in a long time & I can definitely feel the tug in my wallet happening...

[@ourcadence7681]

+1 on the external clock comment

[@thomassynths]

"Mood" is pronounced "Mode".

[@jrr832]

Then why note call it mode

[@shitmandood]

@chief tp Tell me about it, chief. I have to constantly tell everybody my name is dode, not dood.

[@PilferMusic]

Sure it's spelled Steve... but it's pronounced "Dave" as in "Dave's not here"

[@johncaccioppo1142]

Now doobt

[@yaking9610]

Underrated synth nerd comment.

[@BrunoWiebelt]

no prize announced ? so its free lol ... nice review

[@yongamusic]

Bruno Wiebelt 😃 $349

[@flynnpaul26]

So what is this?, a guitar pedal?

[@beyondthegong]

Yes.

[@eternalvoid2678]

So many of these granular effect pedals popping up lately... I feel like they're all still lacking something. In this case (and most others too), it being mono is the deal breaker for me. Most of these pedals also seem to lack focus, like they've just crammed in as much features as possible, instead of grouping some parameters into one knob, and/or come up with a limited, well thought-out combination of controls. Or a larger form factor, or even having some controls available over midi only! There's a lot of competition in this segment though, so I'm sure someone will eventually come up with something more optimised (and mostly more suitable for synths). Now is just not the time to buy one of these pedals imo.

[@nathanricker1]

I completely agree. With one exception.....maybe. Tensor. It still maybe needs stereo. Although it doesn't bother me that its missing. And also maybe longer loop times. But thats not really the point of the pedal sooooo

[@eternalvoid2678]

@@nathanricker1 Yeah, still mono and no midi, otherwise it seems well executed. I'd typically use a pedal like this on a send of my mixer... which is stereo, or after some other fx... which are also stereo. Besides, there's so much cool stuff you can do with panning in granular synthesis that it's a huge waste to do it in mono. The pedal in this video also has a delay/reverb, mono reverb is a no go for me. Modular (eurorack, modules like Morphagene, Nebulae, etc.) is also just too far ahead to seriously consider any of these pedals.

[@museovations]

Eternal Void particle V2Pict is stereo. It works well with my synths.

[@Luwispurpul]

Bastl Thyme?

[@unfamiliarenvironments]

I have no problem running the CBA stuff in mono ahead of all my other stereo pedals. Sure it'd be better in stereo, and I used to bemoan the lack of - however I'm a happy CBA convert with 5 of their pedals now. Its also forced me to be more creative in how to deal with carving stereo space after the CBA line. I enjoy using a SupaTrem2 after CBA stuff if I don't want any further effects. It pulses as slow as 6 seconds with two independent trems for plenty of stereo field. It's also fun to go full wet and carve space aggressively all the way up to the hummingbird fast stereo term that it can do. Usually I;m running stereo delays and reverbs after mostly though. No love lost is all I'm trying to say from a used to be be-moaner if that helps anyone get past the mono thing.

[@livelifeimprovisationallim8314]

Octaves and perfect fifths.. Hmmm interesting...

[@sryburn641]

This or zoia? Both?

[@pepejul]

I have both, for me it's definitely Zoia, endless possibilities. Mood is more a love or hate pedal and sadly, after multiple attempts at liking it, I must say that I belong in the latter :(

[@bahutu802]

The sad thing about those amazing effects pedals is that they are so immensely expensive (probably worth the price, still can't afford...). Does anybody know about nice (cheaper yet good) VST effects which create comparable effects?

[@LondraCalibro9]

yup.....the price tag is definitely a con - but its one of their cheaper chase bliss pedals! unfiltered audio have some cool stuff you may like that has a similar vibe - sandman pro was cool. someone else may have something more closer to the mood, but i really enjoyed this plugin.

[@bahutu802]

@@LondraCalibro9 Thanks alot for your advice!

[@frankstetka7206]

🤣 time to sell 4 more pedals 😁

[@jonridley]

Iys a pass for me for a couple fo reasons. Firstly i live in the uk and theyve managed to translate 350$ into £350. That is a bad deal. 2nd, no stereo. I can buy a 2nd hand clouds for anout £120 approx or a new mitable beads for £250 .

[@felipezh]

Clouds in a pedal... interesting...

[@angeloboltinimusic]

Just a little note... This delay doesn't self-oscillate. It just keeps a loop going, which is pretty cool!