Kassandra

Mulit-Waveform VCA Phaser

## Description

### Graphic

The graphic is a portrait of the tragic Greek figure, Kassandra, who was a mythical Trojan priestess of Apollo who was fated by him to make prophesies that were true but never believed. In the image, her eyes are bandaged after having been removed, which is made apparent by blood running down her face.

### Controls

* Rate - LFO Frequency
* Feedback - Adjusts how much signal is fed back into the first stage of the phaser circuit
* Depth - LFO Amplitude
* Waveform - Switches between eight waveforms
* Phaser/Vibe - Switches between phaser and Univibe modes
* Level - Output master volume
* Tap footswitch - SmartRelay footswitch, replaces Rate control
* Bypass footswitch - SmartRelay footswitch, engages and bypasses effect

### Jacks

#### Top

* In - Signal input
* 9v - 9 volt, center negative power adaptor input
* Out - Signal output

#### Right

* Tap - External tap tempo input, controls effect rate
* Exp - Expression pedal input

#### Left

* Rtn - Effects loop input
* Snd - Effects loop output

### Webstore Description

> Named after the tragical heroine from Greek mythology our Kassandra is a unique VCA-based phaser that offers you tap tempo, 8 different waveforms from classical sine and triangle shapes to more experimental random sloped and steps along with the possibility to be turned into a Univibe.
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> The resonance knob adjusts the amount of signal that is fed back to the first phasing stage, resulting in a crisper, more vocal like phasing without ever distorting - a thing that we always felt was annoying with JFET-based phasers.
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> The LFO has a way bigger range than usual giving you unprecedented depth and speeds way out of the range you’ve ever heard in a phaser!
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> As if this wasn’t enough we also added a volume control with up to 6dB of boost, an FX-Loop on the modulated part to create unique sounds you’ve never heard from a phaser and an expression input to control the phasing sweep manually in realtime. While being digitally controlled the signal path stays 100% analog leaving your guitar signal 100% intact at all times.
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> Features:
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> * Lichtlaerm Audio Smart Relay technology
> * all analog signal path
> * 4 stages of phase shifting
> * 8 waveforms
> * tap tempo
> * fx-loop & manual sweep
> * Univbe & Phaser settings
> * volume control
> * resonance control
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## History

### 2020

The Kassandra was first announced on August 24, 2020 having been teased the previous day. The original version was switchable between 4- and 6-stage phase modes.

Kassandra guts tease, 2020/08/23Kassandra official announcement, 2020/08/24On November 28, 2020, the Kassandra was officially released with a 20% discount offered to women and a portion of the profits going toward a women's shelter of their choice. The description reads: "a phase shifter with way more features then you'd find in any other phaser of similar size: 4- or 6-stage phasing, 8 waveforms, manual sweep, an fx-loop on the wet signal , tap-tempo - you name it. The beautiful artwork again is made by our good friend @iam.tristesse"

### 2022

The relaunch of the Kassandra was announced on July 13, 2022 with a number of changes made to the original design: the footswitches were upgraded to SmartRelay switches (true of all relaunched pedals), the Feedback (Resonance) control took the place of the Blend control, which in turn was replaced by a Level control with up to 6dB boost, the 4-/6-stage switch was replaced with a Phaser/Vibe switch, the Waveform selector was changed from a 360° potentiometer to a 270° potentiometer controlling an ElectricDruid StompLFO chip, the single effects loop jack was split into a send and return pair, and a jack for an external tap tempo was added. The post also makes a special note about how the Kassandra is differentiated from phasers that utilize photo-resistors:

> "[W]e always wanted to find a way of doing phaseshifting without the health risks imposed by photo-resistors, without using obsolete and horribly noisy jfets [but] still bring capable of delivering all the swooshy sounds we know and love from classic circuits! After months of research and prototypes we came up with a unique VCA-based 4-stage phaser that covers more ground than any classic phaser: wider range capable of handling synth and super low bass tones, extremely low noise floor yet still with all the vintage warmth we all love!"
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### 2023

On September 17, 2023, in a post on Lichtlaerm's social media pages regarding Guitar Summit 2023, it was revealed that all pedals in production going forward would feature white text and pedals with dual footswitches (except for the two reverb pedals, the Transcendence and the Untiefe) would feature dual bi-color LED indicators rather than a single bi-color LED. Furthermore, the Kassandra would be returning to the 360° waveform selection potentiometer and feature an entirely new graphic by @\_aphelior\_.

## Videos

### 2022

* September 2 - Lichtlaerm Audio (played by Mike Scheidt of YOB)
* September 15 - collector//emitter
* September 27 - Truck Driver Shawn

### 2023

* October 4 - Mad Steex (feature explanation by Daniel with full Guitar Summit 2023 line)