DISC Elysia KARACTER

Full Description

Colour Your Sound With Saturation & Distortion

The KARACTER lets you colour and enhance your sound with a range of options. KARACTER generates gentle Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) with a soft curve that can be used to add thickness to individual sounds or a whole mix to make them punch. This a great way to bring together drums in your mix and make them full and driven. On the other hand, the tube-inspired distortion (FET Shred) can be used to subtly enhance sounds or completely decimate them. This distortion sounds similar to tube amplifiers, giving you a more musical distortion. Turn this up to full to completely destroy a sound. On top of these modes, the KARACTER lets you go one step further with the Turbo Boost, which puts FET Shred mode on steroids. This shifts the operation point of the distortion circuit and generates more asymmetrical wave forms, ideal for industrial styles, mangling samples, creating brutal guitars and much more.

Feed External Control Voltages

KARACTER is also equipped with additional EXT inputs that can be used to feed external control voltage into the KARACTER. This allows you to control the drive and mix with an external MIDI/CV box or your synth for example. The drive and mix parameters can be modulated or automated with any external signal for even more flexibility and creativity.

Colour Filter

This little control is a unique, complex filter network that changes the harmonics-frequency relation with just a single knob. The Colour offers something different from the simple top-end roll-off filters found on many distortion devices, as it is more flexible and integrated deeply into the saturation circuits of the KARACTER. It doesn't alter the frequency response at all and can give you a wide range of colouring options.

Flexible Modes

The KARACTER offers both dual mono and linked stereo operation, with the addition of M/S linked and unlinked channels, providing you with flexibility. Dual Mono mode provides you with two individual channels of saturation/distortion/destruction, allowing you to process two different signals simultaneously. Stereo Mode links both of the channels together, ideal for comfortably processing stereo sources.

Mid & Side Processing

Additionally, KARACTER offers M/S modes which can be linked or unlinked. In unlinked mode, the mid and side signals are completely independent, which allows you to process the separate mid and side signals with different saturation/distortion. This means you can beef up the centre material without altering the original stereo spectrum. This can also be done for the side signals without affecting the middle. Linked mode has the same behavior as linked stereo mode, with added benefits. The inevitable divergences between left and right channels which are caused by natural component tolerances will be reduced in this mode so the side information of both channels are processed in a single audio path. This integration of a M/S encoder and decoder into a saturator generates new possibilities that classic stereo processors cannot offer.

Discrete Circuitry For Optimal Audio Signal Quality

The KARACTER features a complete audio path that runs constantly in class-A mode, giving it an exceptionally transparent, wide and open sound. This discrete approach allows Elysia to design every single stage in signal processing. Original circuitry has been specially designed to deliver outstanding clarity. It constantly operates in permanent class-A mode, removing any crossover distortion and keeping the sound character wide, open and transparent.

Features

• Discrete class-A topology - discrete components for signal colouration, high-end style
• Mastering-grade saturation - generates Total Harmonic Distortion with soft characteristic curve
• Tube-inspired distortion - add some tube distortion
• Glorious destruction - FET Shred mode on steroids
• Control voltage - EXT inputs can be used to feed external control voltages
• Colour filter - unique, complex filter network
• Integrated M/S matrix - can process the mid and side signals
• Dual mono/stereo link - KARACTER offers both true dual mono and linked stereo operation
• Stepped controllers - makes precise recall easy
• Ground layer shield - helps to reduce interference caused by electric fields

Specifications

• Frequency Response (Dry): 10Hz - 40kHz
• Frequency Response (Wet): 10Hz - 27kHz
• Dynamic Range (20Hz - 22kHz): 112dB