BROCKSTAR
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It’s a standard, non-limited release. It’s kind of a sequel, but not really. I’ll explain why.
Before I get into anything else, I’m going to tell you the word of the day:
Dynamic.
This is what separates Onward from anything else we’ve ever made. It’s an audio-controlled sampler that tracks your playing and uses it to create these really immersive musical landscapes that move when you do.
Story time
When Tom Majeski joined Chase Bliss a couple years ago we knew we had to make a version of Generation Loss MKII, but beyond that it wasn’t clear if we would revisit any other CooperFX pedals.
Outward was always the other Cooper pedal that excited us the most, but it felt like there might be just a bit too much similarity with MOOD so that possibility just kinda sat there. Until a few months ago when Tom approached me with an idea.
The development for this one started really humble, we didn’t decide in advance if this was going to be a pedal or not. Tom just wanted to chase a curiosity and usually that’s a good idea.
And it worked out.
Onward is very much its own thing, I know Outward has its fans so I want to be really clear about that. It doesn’t try to do everything that Outward did. It’s a more focused, refined pedal that takes the envelope mode concepts from Outward and dives all the way to the bottom.
We did actually test out a version of this pedal that had a lot more in common with Outward, to see if we could make everyone happy. But it felt watered down.
So we committed to this new direction. Onward!
I personally think the most interesting thing about Onward is how well it tracks and reacts to your playing. It does some very synthy things, but unlike a synth pedal it doesn’t have to analyze your playing. It just samples it – it’s all you. So it’s really tight and responsive, and then you have a whole pile of ways to shape and mess with those samples and how they play back.
Another unique aspect of Onward is how the two sides form this unlikely friendship. The freeze is smooth and shapeless, the glitch is crisp and repetitive. One gives you atmosphere and synthetic soundscapes, the other gives you rhythm and structure. You can use them solo, both at once, or – my preference – lock in one side and play along to it, while the other continues to follow you.
When all of the parts come together it can feel like a synthetic orchestra supporting you and following your every move. That’s not a feeling I’ve had before.
ONWARD MANUAL
Pre-orders are open now and will be shipped in the order received.
We’re in the final couple weeks of beta testing now so it’s just about there. Features are all finalized, hardware is ordered and on the way. As soon as it gets here we’ll be ready to start building these things up.
Our target is to start shipping mid-June and have all orders filled by the end of July.
I feel like I get to bring a bit of extra energy to these announcements when it’s something Tom made, because I’m genuinely amazed by it. So that’s where I’m at with Onward right now. It’s wowing me and I hope it wows you.
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