SolidGoldFX Lysis

From SolidGoldFX:

If you’ve ever awoken in a cold sweat dreaming of synthesizers, we’ve got just the ticket: Lysis. There’s always been something about synth players for which guitarists and bassists alike have yearned. Though they’re essentially the same instrument, the onboard accoutrements are what makes all the difference—oscillators, filters, LFOs; these are the makings of true electronic synthesis, and these are all things we stuffed into the Lysis.

All of the bells and whistles of synths are featured in full within the walls of the Lysis. For starters, the Lysis serves up a specially-designed wave-shaping fuzz circuit. This helps the Lysis sound more like a square wave or sawtooth wave.

Our DSP-controlled polyphonic octave circuit takes all the clang you’ve cooked up and sends it south, to a rich two-voice octave-down synthesizer that tracks one note or 88, all at once. Serve Lysis your longest signal chain on a platter, and it will eat it for breakfast.

The Filter section is where things get really interesting. For starters, the Lysis gives you the option to blend the octave/fuzz section with the filtering, so you can enjoy punishing octave-down fuzz, rich, goopy filter sweeps or anything in between. The Lysis also gives you a switchable high-pass and low-pass filter, along with the option to manually manipulate the filter’s cutoff or have it automatically modulate.

If you choose the manual path, an expression pedal jack gives you hands-free control of the Freq knob, for a sound-bending filter-wah effect that can absorb the impact of the most well-equipped dirt section. Should you choose modulation, the Freq knob controls the rate of the effect. An expression pedal gives you foot control over the speed for some psychedelic guitar freakouts or smooth undulation.

An onboard vibrato circuit finishes off the signal path of the Lysis. When in fixed mode, Lysis kicks in the vibrato, but in modulated mode, a filter LFO is engaged and Mod controls the rate of that. The two-position Warp switch works in tandem with the corresponding footswitch, either maxing or killing the Mod knob depending on the position.

Much more than a mere effect Lysis is its own future forward entity, a cellular organism of the sonic variety bursting with possibilities.

Knobs:

• Freq: See: Mode [toggle] This knob changes depending on the position of the Mode toggle, and can be manipulated using an expression pedal. In Fixed mode (left), Freq changes the cutoff frequency of the filter. In Modulated mode (right), Freq changes the speed at which the filter modulates.
• Mod: See: Mode [toggle] This knob changes depending on the position of the Mode toggle. In Fixed mode (left), Mod changes the rate and depth of the onboard vibrato circuit. At full counter-clockwise, the rate and depth are at their lowest. At full clockwise, the rate and depth are at their highest. Using this in conjunction with the Blend control transforms the circuit from chorus to vibrato and even includes some mild flanger tones. In Modulated mode (right), Mod engages a filter LFO, controlling the depth as you turn it clockwise.
• Blend: This control gives you a blend between the fuzz section and the filter section. At full counter-clockwise, only the fuzz is heard, and at full clockwise, only the filter is heard.
• Fuzz: Controls the amount of fuzz in the circuit as well as attenuated treble. At full counter-clockwise, you’ll hear a warm, lightly crunchy tone, and at full clockwise, you’ll unlock a searing lead fuzz tone.
• Vol: This is a master volume control, and you’ll find the best results at any setting other than zero.

Toggle Switches:

• Warp: This toggle switch changes the behavior of the Mod knob and how the corresponding Warp footswitch affects it. When switched to the left, the Warp footswitch will force the knob from its current position fully counter-clockwise to zero. When switched to the right, the Warp footswitch will max out the Mod control from its current position
• Voice: This two-position toggle adjusts the prominence of the always-on polyphonic low octave circuit. When the Voice is switched to the left, a mild polyphonic octave-down circuit is engaged that rolls off high frequencies and thickens the signal. When switched to the right, a more aggressive synth-like polyphonic octave down circuit jumps to the front of the mix, and is especially useful with the high-pass filter engaged.
• LPF/HPF: This changes the filter type. The left position engages a low-pass filter while the right engages a high-pass filter.
• Mode: This changes whether or not the filter is fixed (left) or modulated (right). When the Mode is switched to the left, the Filter can be manually manipulated by either your fingers or an expression device. When the Mode is switched to the right, the Filter sweeps automatically at a rate set by the Freq knob.

Auxiliary:

• Expression pedal jack: Takes over the function of the Freq knob.
• Warp footswitch: See: Warp [toggle] Performs a specific function depending on the setting of the Warp toggle switch.
• Input: Instrument or other pedal goes here.
• Output: Amplifier or other pedal goes here.
• True bypass footswitch: Turns effect on and off.

Power: The Lysis requires a center-negative 9VDC power adapter with at least 60mA of current (not included). Almost all power supplies meet this requirement, but check yours beforehand. There is no option for a battery.

Dimensions: 4.67″ x 3.68″ x 1.18″ (119mm x 94mm x 30mm)