Chase Bliss Thermae

The Chase Bliss Thermae is one of the more idiosyncratic and creatively rich pedals in the modern boutique scene — an all-analog bucket-brigade delay with digital control of the delay time, allowing it to function as a pitch-shifting delay, a sequencing harmoniser, and a melody generator built into a delay pedal. Chase Bliss describe it as "analog delay that thinks it's a synth," which captures the spirit of the design: take the warm, slightly degraded character of a classic BBD analog delay and add a digital control layer that does things no analog circuit could do alone.

The signal path uses four reissued MN3005 bucket-brigade delay chips wired in series, providing genuinely analog delays up to about 32 seconds at the longest settings (with significant degradation, in keeping with how analog delays naturally behave at extreme times). The pitch shifting comes from rapid digital modulation of the delay clock — by speeding up or slowing down the BBD clock at musical intervals, the Thermae produces pitch-shifted repeats that retain the analog warmth of the underlying delay path. There is no DSP audio processing involved; the audio always passes through analog BBDs, with the digital layer only controlling the delay clock.

The pedal has two main operating modes. In Step mode, the right footswitch advances through six selectable pitch intervals manually, with each press shifting the delay's pitch up by an interval (configurable from minor 2nd through octave). In Sequence mode, the pedal continuously cycles through a programmed sequence of pitch shifts, creating evolving melodic delay patterns from a single input note. The sequence speed, direction, and interval pattern are configurable via the front-panel knobs and the bank of dip switches on the top of the chassis.

The standard Chase Bliss feature set is all here: 16 dip switches on the top for deep parameter access, internal modulation (Ramping) of any knob via the Ramp footswitch, two preset slots, and full MIDI implementation (Program Change, CC, MIDI Clock) via TRS jacks. Expression pedal input, CV control, and external tap tempo with subdivisions are all supported. Bypass is selectable between true bypass (Trails off) and buffered bypass with delay trails, and the footswitches can be configured for momentary or latching operation per Chase Bliss convention.

Power is 9V centre-negative, with current draw around 150 mA — somewhat higher than many pedals due to the dual analog/digital architecture. The pedal is housed in the standard Chase Bliss aluminium chassis and is hand-built in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Thermae was officially discontinued by Chase Bliss, which has driven significant aftermarket demand and elevated used prices well above the original MSRP.

Who Is This For? The Thermae is aimed at players who want a delay pedal that does more than repeat — particularly ambient, post-rock, and experimental musicians who use delay as a primary compositional tool rather than a subtle background effect. The sequencing mode is unique in the pedal world; few other pedals can produce evolving melodic patterns from a single input note with the same musicality. Producers and synth players also find the Thermae compelling as a creative effect on synthesisers and drum machines (it accepts a wide range of input levels and works with any signal source). The discontinued status and the strong used market mean prices are unlikely to soften, so this is a pedal worth tracking on the price-history side as much as for its sound.