Chase Bliss Audio Thermae Settings Guide
The Chase Bliss Audio Thermae is an analog pitch-shifting delay that combines analog delay circuitry with a MIDI-capable, programmable parameter engine. It can shift the delay repeats up or down in pitch as they decay, creating harmonically evolving echo effects that are not possible with standard delay pedals. The Thermae represents the boutique end of the delay market and is used by ambient, post-rock, and experimental artists for its unique pitch-shifted repeat character. Every parameter on the pedal can be saved to presets and automated via MIDI.
The best Chase Bliss Audio Thermae settings start with: Lag at 5/10, Ramp at 3/10, Interval at 2/10, Mix at 5/10, Feedback at 4/10, Tone at 5/10. Adjust from there based on your amp, guitar, and room volume. For Ambient: Lag 7/10, Ramp 5/10, Interval 3/10, Mix 6/10, Feedback 7/10, Tone 4/10.
⚡ Start Here — Recommended Settings
| Control | Starting Position | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Lag | 5/10 | Short (50ms) → Long (1000ms) |
| Ramp | 3/10 | No Ramp → Full Ramp |
| Interval | 2/10 | Unison → Octave |
| Mix | 5/10 | Dry → Full Wet |
| Feedback | 4/10 | One Repeat → Infinite |
| Tone | 5/10 | Dark → Bright |
These are universal starting points. Adjust based on your amp, guitar, and room. Scroll down for genre-specific settings and artist-documented positions.
What Each Control Does
Recommended Starting Settings
Safe starting positions for any style. Adjust from here based on your amp and room.
All values on a 0–10 scale. These are starting points — fine-tune by ear.
Settings by Genre
High Feedback with long Lag and active Ramp produces the Thermae's signature evolving ambient sound — each repeat drifts upward in pitch as it fades, creating floating, harmonically rich washes. Mix at 6 keeps the effect prominent without losing the dry signal. Tone at 4 (dark) gives a vintage, warm quality to the echoes.
Moderate delay with subtle pitch shifting — the Ramp at 2 adds a barely-perceptible drift to the repeats rather than an obvious pitch shift. This is the "musical delay with something special" application where the Thermae is used like a premium tape delay but with added harmonic interest.
With Ramp and Interval at 0, the Thermae functions as a standard analog delay — warm, slightly degraded repeats characteristic of BBD delay chips. This setting uses the Thermae as a premium slapback or short delay, ideal for blues lead playing. Tone at 6 keeps the repeats articulate.
Short delay time at 3 with minimal Feedback produces a classic slapback echo effect for rockabilly and 50s/60s rock tonality. No pitch shifting (Ramp/Interval at 0). Tone at 7 keeps the repeats clearly defined. Mix at 4 blends the echo naturally with the dry signal.
Tips & Common Mistakes
- The Thermae's MIDI implementation is genuinely useful live — assigning delay time to MIDI clock sync allows the repeats to sync to the tempo of your set without manual tap-tempo adjustments.
- Interval set to a fifth (seven semitones) with high Feedback produces harmonically rich delays where each repeat ascends through a fifth interval — extremely useful for ascending ambient washes.
- At maximum Feedback and full Ramp, the Thermae self-oscillates into a continuously ascending (or descending) pitch siren — a unique sound effect for experimental and noise applications.
- The analog BBD chips mean the Thermae has a noise floor higher than digital delays at long delay times and high Feedback. A noise gate placed after the Thermae in the chain is recommended for high-Feedback live use.
FAQ
Chase Bliss Audio Thermae — Common Questions
Best starting settings for Chase Bliss Audio Thermae: Lag at 5/10, Ramp at 3/10, Interval at 2/10, Mix at 5/10, Feedback at 4/10, Tone at 5/10. Adjust from there based on your guitar, room, and playing style.
For Ambient: Lag 7/10, Ramp 5/10, Interval 3/10, Mix 6/10, Feedback 7/10, Tone 4/10. High Feedback with long Lag and active Ramp produces the Thermae's signature evolving ambient sound — each repeat drifts upward in pitch as it fades, creating floating, harmonically rich washes. Mix at 6 keeps the effect prominent without losing the dry signal. Tone at 4 (dark) gives a vintage, warm quality to the echoes.
For Indie: Lag 5/10, Ramp 2/10, Interval 1/10, Mix 5/10, Feedback 4/10, Tone 5/10. Moderate delay with subtle pitch shifting — the Ramp at 2 adds a barely-perceptible drift to the repeats rather than an obvious pitch shift. This is the "musical delay with something special" application where the Thermae is used like a premium tape delay but with added harmonic interest.
Lag: Delay time from 50ms to approximately 1000ms. The Thermae uses analog BBD chips, giving the repeats a warm, slightly degraded quality at longer settings. (Short (50ms) to Long (1000ms)). Ramp: Rate of pitch change across repeats — high Ramp setting causes the pitch to shift more rapidly through each successive repeat. (No Ramp to Full Ramp). Interval: Musical interval for pitch shifting. Each repeat shifts up or down by this interval. Can be set to semitones, thirds, fifths, octaves via the dip-switches on the bottom of the pedal. (Unison to Octave). Mix: Wet/dry balance of the delay output. (Dry to Full Wet). Feedback: Number of repeats. At maximum Feedback, the Thermae produces self-oscillation with gradually shifting pitch — an evolving drone effect. (One Repeat to Infinite). Tone: Treble content of the delay repeats. Darker settings produce a vintage tape-delay-like tone; brighter settings produce clear, defined repeats. (Dark to Bright)
The Thermae's MIDI implementation is genuinely useful live — assigning delay time to MIDI clock sync allows the repeats to sync to the tempo of your set without manual tap-tempo adjustments. Interval set to a fifth (seven semitones) with high Feedback produces harmonically rich delays where each repeat ascends through a fifth interval — extremely useful for ascending ambient washes. At maximum Feedback and full Ramp, the Thermae self-oscillates into a continuously ascending (or descending) pitch siren — a unique sound effect for experimental and noise applications. The analog BBD chips mean the Thermae has a noise floor higher than digital delays at long delay times and high Feedback. A noise gate placed after the Thermae in the chain is recommended for high-Feedback live use.
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