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elysia karacter 500 Series Saturation/Distortion Demo

2-channel Tonal-color Generator 500 Series Module with Symmetrical and Asymmetrical Distortion, Turbo Boost, Color Filter, and Stereo, Dual-mono, and M/S Operation

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elysia karacter 500 Series Saturation/Distortion
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High-end Signal Coloration

The elysia karacter 500 is a discrete Class A 500 Series distortion module that gives you a staggering range of sonic options, from mastering-grade saturation to tube-style distortion and merciless waveform annihilation. The karacter 500 sports two channels you can use in dual mono, linked stereo, or even a mid/side configuration, making it a supremely versatile tool for any studio or live situation. Use a gentle touch with THD generation and season to taste, or unleash sonic mayhem with asymmetrical clipping. Parallel process with the integrated mix control to achieve the ideal amount of grit. Fine-tune harmonics with the Color Filter network. Tweak away — the elysia karacter 500’s stepped potentiometers let you recall your settings precisely.

Infuse your tracks with rich character

Wish you had racks full of outboard gear to achieve the perfect tonal coloration? At Sweetwater, we’ve discovered you no longer need them — thanks to the elysia karacter 500. An ideal all-in-one solution, the karacter 500 delivers a broad palette of colors, and they all sound lovely, no matter how mildly or aggressively you process. The karacter 500 is designed and built in the company’s factory in Nettetal, Germany, using only top-shelf components, gold-plated PCBs, a robust 4mm aluminum front panel, and solid aluminum knobs. Bottom line, the elysia karacter 500 will be infusing your tracks with rich character for many years to come.

Painting with sound

To expand on this concept of “painting with sound,” it’s instructive to consider the well-established relationship between music and the visual arts. When you’re recording music, you are (hopefully) forming a mental picture of your mix. With each overdub, each brushstroke of EQ, in essence, you’re painting with sound. Mid-century Dutch-American abstract expressionist Willem de Kooning famously wrote, “Miles Davis bends the notes . . . I bend the paint.” The elysia karacter 500 is a tool for bending the sound. You’ll actually have to use it to fully understand the practical implications of what it can do. Trust us: you just have to hear it for yourself.

elysia karacter 500 Saturation/Distortion 500 Series Module Features:

  • Discrete Class A Topology running in constant Class A mode
  • Mastering-Grade Saturation generates soft-curve THD for musical symmetrical clipping
  • FET Shred mode, for a broad range of tube-like asymmetrical distortion
  • Turbo Boost shifts the operating point of the distortion circuit in FET shred mode
  • Color Filter changes the harmonics-frequency relation for even more tonal-color variation
  • Integrated M/S matrix lets you process the mid and side signals
  • Dual Mono/Stereo Link gives you true dual-mono and linked-stereo operation
  • Stepped potentiometers let you recall your settings precisely
  • Designed and built in elysia’s factory in Nettetal, Germany

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At Sweetwater, we're so picky that what we call a "demo" is actually better than what most music retailers sell as "new" gear! Our gear hasn't endured hundreds of people a week plunking away at all the keyboards, fumbling through Stairway to Heaven on every guitar or playing with every fader and knob on a mixer or control surface.

What demo means to us is that we've had it out of the box, or maybe it was in a customer's hands for a few days and isn't "factory fresh" as a result. Every demo item we sell has Sweetwater's 2-year Total Confidence Coverage™ warranty, and has been tested and verified up to "new" specs by our factory-authorized technicians to make sure it's in perfect working order before we ship it to you.

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Tech Specs

  • Type: Tonal Color Generator 500 Series
  • Processor Type: Harmonic, Saturation
  • Number of Channels: 2 (stereo, dual mono, m/s)
  • Controls: Drive, Color, Gain, Mix
  • Module Slot Size: Double
  • Power Usage: ±16V DC
  • Manufacturer Part Number: karacter 500

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Customer Reviews

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Rated 5/5

Many Tonal Colors

This box offers a myriad of colorful tonal options that can be used at any point in the signal chain, from tracking to mastering. From a slight fuzzy hug to an unrecognizable blur of distortion. Mine has been living on my master bus for the last 2 years. I've used it mixing bands, electronic, and voiceover, with excellent results. On my bus, I have it set in MS (mid-side) mode with different colors of light distortion mixed at about 30%. It provides a little organic texture and depth to my mixes. Bypass the unit and its absence in the chain is obvious and missed. I like it way more than the various saturation/distortion plugins I've tried.
Rated 5/5

This is THE distortion box

I've always liked using guitar pedals or distortion plugins to distort things like vocals and drums. Plugins tend to have that static feel and the pedals seem to blur the sound a bit, this thing does what I was looking for. I had previously been using the Thermionic Culture Vulture, but this thing actually replaced it in my rig. Both great boxes, but this one was far better at what I was using them for.

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What Do Our In-house Gear Experts Think?

Calvin Hull

The Elysia Karacter fits into the DAW based studio perfectly. It brings a new dimension to my mixes by adding the harmonic sheen that lets any element sit at the front of the mix, or even just to add a subtle layer of harmonics to a master to breathe analog life into the entire sound.
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