Chase Bliss Audio Gravitas Settings Guide
The Chase Bliss Audio Gravitas is an analog tremolo pedal with digital parameter control — the analog signal path provides genuine optical tremolo character while MIDI control and 122 DIP switches allow precise modulation shaping, ramping, and wave-form customisation that is impossible on conventional tremolo pedals. Three tremolo modes (standard, harmonic, and vibrato) and expression pedal input make it the most versatile tremolo pedal available.
The best Chase Bliss Audio Gravitas settings start with: Rate at 4/10, Depth at 6/10, Vol at 7/10, Wave at 4/10. Adjust from there based on your amp, guitar, and room volume. For Vintage Country: Rate 5/10, Depth 7/10, Vol 7/10, Wave 3/10.
⚡ Start Here — Recommended Settings
| Control | Starting Position | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Rate | 4/10 | Slow → Fast |
| Depth | 6/10 | None → Full |
| Vol | 7/10 | Low → High |
| Wave | 4/10 | Sine → Square |
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
Standard tremolo mode with sine-adjacent Wave — smooth, vintage-style tremolo at moderate Rate. The analog optical circuit produces a warmer, more musical oscillation than digital tremolo. Depth at 7 makes the tremolo clearly present but not choppy. Vol at 7 compensates for perceived volume drop at high Depth.
Harmonic tremolo mode — the Gravitas in harmonic mode alternately modulates the treble and bass frequencies rather than the overall volume. This produces the vintage Brownface Fender amp effect where the stereo harmonic tremolo creates a swirling, spatial effect impossible with standard volume tremolo.
Fast Rate with square Wave and deep Depth — the gated stutter tremolo. At square Wave and deep Depth the signal chops abruptly from on to off rather than oscillating smoothly. Fast Rate produces rapid rhythmic stuttering for experimental and electronic-influenced applications.
The vibrato mode combines pitch and volume modulation rather than volume alone, producing the warbling character associated with surf and vintage vibrato-channel amps rather than a standard tremolo effect.
A very slow Rate with high Depth produces a long, breathing volume swell rather than a rhythmic chop, useful as a slow-moving texture underneath ambient or post-rock passages.
Tips & Common Mistakes
- The 16 DIP switches set program-level parameters on the Gravitas — LFO slope, ramp behavior, wave shape, MIDI control, and more. The default settings are musically useful, but exploring the DIP switch manual unlocks the full range of the pedal. Most notably, the Ramp function allows the Rate to automatically ramp up or down when the footswitch is held — a distinctive effect for gradual tempo changes.
- MIDI control allows the Gravitas to receive tempo sync from a DAW or MIDI clock source — for players who need the tremolo locked to a sequencer or live arrangement tempo, MIDI sync is more precise than tap tempo.
- Harmonic tremolo mode is a genuinely different effect from standard tremolo, not just a preset variation — it modulates treble and bass frequencies out of phase with each other rather than overall volume, producing a swirling, spatial quality standard tremolo cannot replicate.
- Because the analog signal path is separate from the digital control section, the core tremolo tone stays true to a genuine optical circuit even while parameters are being adjusted digitally — a meaningful distinction from fully digital tremolo emulations.
- Expression pedal control over Rate or Depth allows real-time manipulation during a performance, useful for building or releasing intensity within a song rather than relying only on fixed preset values.
FAQ
Chase Bliss Audio Gravitas — Common Questions
Best starting settings for Chase Bliss Audio Gravitas: Rate at 4/10, Depth at 6/10, Vol at 7/10, Wave at 4/10. Adjust from there based on your guitar, room, and playing style.
For Vintage Country: Rate 5/10, Depth 7/10, Vol 7/10, Wave 3/10. Standard tremolo mode with sine-adjacent Wave — smooth, vintage-style tremolo at moderate Rate. The analog optical circuit produces a warmer, more musical oscillation than digital tremolo. Depth at 7 makes the tremolo clearly present but not choppy. Vol at 7 compensates for perceived volume drop at high Depth.
For Harmonic Tremolo: Rate 4/10, Depth 7/10, Vol 7/10, Wave 4/10. Harmonic tremolo mode — the Gravitas in harmonic mode alternately modulates the treble and bass frequencies rather than the overall volume. This produces the vintage Brownface Fender amp effect where the stereo harmonic tremolo creates a swirling, spatial effect impossible with standard volume tremolo.
Rate: Tremolo LFO rate (Slow to Fast). Depth: Tremolo modulation depth (None to Full). Vol: Output volume (Low to High). Wave: LFO waveform shape from sine to square (Sine to Square)
The 16 DIP switches set program-level parameters on the Gravitas — LFO slope, ramp behavior, wave shape, MIDI control, and more. The default settings are musically useful, but exploring the DIP switch manual unlocks the full range of the pedal. Most notably, the Ramp function allows the Rate to automatically ramp up or down when the footswitch is held — a distinctive effect for gradual tempo changes. MIDI control allows the Gravitas to receive tempo sync from a DAW or MIDI clock source — for players who need the tremolo locked to a sequencer or live arrangement tempo, MIDI sync is more precise than tap tempo. Harmonic tremolo mode is a genuinely different effect from standard tremolo, not just a preset variation — it modulates treble and bass frequencies out of phase with each other rather than overall volume, producing a swirling, spatial quality standard tremolo cannot replicate. Because the analog signal path is separate from the digital control section, the core tremolo tone stays true to a genuine optical circuit even while parameters are being adjusted digitally — a meaningful distinction from fully digital tremolo emulations. Expression pedal control over Rate or Depth allows real-time manipulation during a performance, useful for building or releasing intensity within a song rather than relying only on fixed preset values.
Got the Chase Bliss Audio Gravitas? Build the rest of your rig.
Use the Rig Builder to find matching guitars, pedals and cables for your genre and budget.