New compressor by Chase Bliss - Clean

Alper Yilmaz

Supporting Member
Dec 5, 2005
774
705
5,056
55
Istanbul, Turkey
www.alperyilmaz.net
It won't ship until November 1 as far as I understand but has anyone seen a pre-release version of this?

 
Chase Bliss - Clean

About $480USD

Clean.png

Clean 2.png


Highlights include:
  • 100% analog
  • True stereo
  • Two-stage compression
  • Dynamic EQ
  • Physical modelling
  • Tube-like sag
  • Auto and manual swell modes
  • Limiter overdrive
  • External sidechaining
  • Mono to stereo expansion
 
Last edited:
The fact that it's stereo really has me interested, I've been considering a compressor for my stereo synths but hadn't seen one that fit a pedal board.
Though it isn't analog, might want to check out Source Audio's Atlas for stereo. It also has a kind of compressor emulation (LA2A, 1176, and others) and is extremely tweakable.
 
Though it isn't analog, might want to check out Source Audio's Atlas for stereo. It also has a kind of compressor emulation (LA2A, 1176, and others) and is extremely tweakable.
Looks pretty cool, but does it require hooking it up to a computer to do all the tweaking? That's very much not something I'm interested in. I like simple tools (not that CB pedals are simple, but at least it's all on the pedal).
 
  • Like
Reactions: BunchyMutt
I'm not interested in a compressor pedal for bass...but I might be interested in this unit for guitar. However, I'm curious about these seemingly contradictory features:


How does any device do "physical modelling" if it's not digital?
A low pass gate is an example of physical modeling in the analog domain.

Time permitting today, I will come up with other examples. :)
 
A low pass gate is an example of physical modeling in the analog domain.

Time permitting today, I will come up with other examples. :)

The following from the user manual suggests to me that their use of the term "physical modeling" here refers to interference; specifically according to a physics model of a spring whose variable dynamics modify the envelope's response. This is a VCA compressor, so by modifying the envelope controlling the VCA, the compression is varied. Conceptually this isn't so different from a LPG (low pass gate), wherein rather than modeling the attack and ringing characteristics of a drum head or tube specifically, this models those characteristics in an imagined spring modulator. Your source sound, but the spring's dynamics... or something:

PHYSICS

Manipulates the physical behavior of Clean’s dynamic response, letting you sabotage it to produce instability and fluctuations.

LEFT - Subtle, wobbly movement
MIDDLE - Normal, stable movement
RIGHT- Twitchy, unstable movement

AND

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

To go further into disrepair, you can experiment with Clean’s PHYSICS toggle. It models the physical response of a spring to interfere with the envelope’s ability to follow you accurately, creating organic wobbles and bursts of motion.
 
The Don Buchla "bongo sound" is the archetypal example of physical modeling in audio synthesis. It did (decades ago) and to this day still does rely on the use of an analog low pass gate.
Here is more, since this got me thinking about it:

My guess is that you are thinking of Karplus-Strong as being the main example of physical modeling in audio. If true, that would be fair; but it is not the only example.

Using only analog modules in my modular synth, I can model cymbals and other metallics with considerable accuracy, including most importantly spectral dynamics. Can I do a more convicing job using digital models instead? Yes. But the analog example is valid, both technically and musically. (And when I say "analog" in this context, I do not count BBD.)

Similarly, whereas my guess is that they are using the term a bit liberally in this application, Chase Bliss's description of the spring model in this pedal is valid as an example of physical modeling.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bob_Ross
my guess is that they are using the term a bit liberally in this application, Chase Bliss's description of the spring model in this pedal is valid as an example of physical modeling.

Yeah, I guess that’s what’s causing my confusion: “physical modeling” has such a specific meaning in contemporary DSP for audio that the idea that they might be using the term colloquially never occurred to me.
 

Latest posts