Xploration • Curation • Recommendation
Chase Bliss retires its Habit Echo Collector Experimental Delay / Looper after 4 years of service
Key Points
Chase Bliss has retired the Habit Echo Collector Experimental Delay / Looper after four years of service. The Habit was launched in March of 2022 as the third of Chase Bliss’s Experimental Looper / Delay trifecta, following the Mood (June 2019) and the Blooper (Sept 2019), and was the first pedal to carry the new Chase Bliss logo.
The Habit is a “Compositional Delay”: a smart Sampler‑Playback‑Delay built on a micro‑looper mechanic with scanning and buffer‑doubling tricks. Controls include Level, Repeats Number, Size/Interval, Modify Degree, Spread (2nd Delay), Scan, Modifiers 1|2|3, Modifier Bank A|Off|B, Output Mode In|Out|Feedback, Presets 1|Manual|2, footswitch functions, plus 16 top‑edge dip switches.
It did not match the Mood’s popularity. Chase Bliss released a 500 Unit Limited Shareware Edition (sold out to newsletter subscribers); some original Habits remain at a discount. The pedal has a learning curve—save presets when you find settings you like. The author notes preference for the Reverse Model C and stereo delays, and that they never acquired the Tonal Recall, Thermae, or mono Dark World.
The Habit was launched in March of 2022, and was the third of Chase Bliss’s Experimental Looper / Delay Trifecta - following the Mood Micro-Looper from June 2019, and the Blooper Endless Looper in September of 2019 - that same year. All three are Experimental Looper / Delay types - with the emphasis on Looping for the first two, and the emphasis on Delay for the Habit - which has some very clever tricks on scanning through and doubling up on the sample buffer. So in essence the Habit is a smart Sampler-Playback-Delay based on a micro-looper mechanic - and which Chase Bliss refers to as a ’Compositional Delay’.
The Habit was the first pedal to carry the new Chase Bliss logo - which dropped the ’Audio’ for the first time and introduced the new iconographic ident logo mark.
Controls : Level (Wet Volume), Repeats Number, Size / Interval, Modify Degree, Spread (2nd Delay), Scan (Memory Position), Modifiers : 1 | 2 | 3, Modifier Bank : A | Off | B, Output Mode : In | Out | Feedback, Presets : 1 | Manual | 2, Left Footswitch : Tap Tempo / Interval / Hold for Max Scan Value, Right Footswitch : Engage Output / Hold to Loop. + 16 top-edge dip-switches.
Evidently the Habit did not take off to the same degree as its siblings - certainly not as well as the Mood - which remains way in the lead as Chase Bliss's most popular pedal to-date. So presumably not enough units of the Habit are being sold nowadays to justify its ongoing manufacture - and so Chase Bliss are giving it a decent send-off as such - with a special 500 Unit Limited Shareware Edition - which sold out immediately to newsletter subscribers.
PT 3
I own the original Habit - and still prefer the look of that - there are still some remaining of that - also offered at a decent discount!
I quite like the Habit, but it does have something of a learning curve - and is for sure capable of delivery great outputs - but you're not always sure how you got there - hence - save something to a preset when you discover it - as you may find it tricky to replicate.
This is still an interesting experimental delay, but doesn't have as much appeal as the Mood or the Blooper - and I probably prefer the Reverse Model C as an interesting experimental delay unit. I never acquired the Tonal Recall or Thermae - as I've always favoured Stereo Delays - and my rig is set up in that fashion - it's the same reason I don't have the Mono only Dark World.
Hopefully the retirement of the Habit hints at the possibility of a new forthcoming Chase Bliss Delay to take its place. We shall see!
I've not seen anything featuring the Shareware Edition yet - but there are 2 new Habit videos released to day - which are featured below :
Demos
