Chase Bliss Audio reveals the Dark World

After teasing its all-new Dark World pedal via a quirky trailer, Chase Bliss Audio has finally filled in the details. Its first-ever fully digital unit, this reverb stompbox was designed in collaboration with Keeley Electronics and Cooper FX.

In a mini-documentary (which you can watch below) about the pedal, Chase Bliss Audio founder Joel Korte reveals that the pedal was inspired by The Legend of Zelda, the classic Nintendo video game series he used to play back in the day. The pedal’s two channels – “Dark” and “World” – echo the game’s “Light” and “Dark” worlds.

Diving into the details, the pedal’s “Dark” channel was designed by Cooper FX and is informed by its Generation Loss and Outward designs, which explains the lo-fi textures and atrophied VHS tape sounds. On the other hand, there’s the Keeley Electronics-produced ”World” channel with pristine “Hall”, “Plate” and “Spring” algorithms. When combined, the channels can be routed 33 ways.

In terms of tone, the Dark World ranges from “subtle, tasteful, and lush all the way to broken video cassette, glitch-shimmer, and infinite-freeze,” according to Chase Bliss Audio.

Here’s a quick overview of the pedal’s functions:

• “Dark” algorithm: “Shim”, “Black” and “Mod”
• “World” algorithm: “Hall”, “Plate” and “Spring”
• Channel operation: standalone, series or parallel

Besides the comprehensive switch and knob controls on the pedal’s top panel, it also features 16 dip switches for use with an expression pedal. Of course, it also has full MIDI compatibility. And last, but certainly not least, the presets: You can save two on board, six via Chase Bliss’ Faves switch, and 122 via MIDI.

Watch the mini-documentary here:

Retails for $349. More information at chaseblissaudio.com.