Bastl Instruments Kastle 2 FX Wizard Is a Hardware Effects Playground
A Wizard, a true star effects unit.
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Bastl Instruments Kastle 2 FX Wizard is a patchable stereo multi-effects hardware unit capable of everything from the simple to the glitched-out sublime.
Bastl Instruments Kastle 2 FX Wizard
Tired of plain Jane effects units? If this sounds like you, the boffins over at Bastl Instruments have you covered with Kastle 2 FX Wizard, the latest in the company’s Kastle hardware series and a patchable multi-effects unit.
Bastl Instruments Kastle 2 FX Wizard looks similar to the other Kastle entries in that it’s a black box, but rather than sound creation, this mini fortress is all about sound mangling.
“The FX Wizard embraces happy accidents, sparking excitement with unexpected and unheard sonic transformations,” says the company on its website.
Stereo Glitch Box
Bastl Instruments Kastle 2 FX Wizard is a battery-powered black box hardware unit with a digital stereo signal path. It features three “loose” categories of effects:
- Delay FX: Includes a clean stereo delay, a flanger with stereo chorus capabilities and a freezer to capture and hold moments of time.
- Amplitude FX: This effect group has an autopanner with ring modulation possibilities, a crunchy digital crusher with feedback, and a rhythmic slicer.
- Pitch-Shifting FX: The third group contains a “dirty pitcher” that shifts signals up in either tonal or rhythmic patterns, a replayer for reverse audio effects, and a nuanced shifter for detuned sounds and feedback pitch slopes.
The full list of effects is as follows: delay (maximum time 1.15 seconds), flanger, freezer, panner, crusher, slicer, pitcher, replayer, and shifter.
Modulation Magic
It wouldn’t really be a Bastl Instruments, um, instrument without lots of freaky-deaky modulation possibilities, and Kastle 2 FX Wizard does not disappoint in this arena. You can modulate effect parameters with the built-in LFO (triangle and pulse output) or the pattern generator. There’s also an envelope follower for dynamic effects.
Need more? You’ve got a filter with lowpass and highpass modes, a time parameter with attenuverting modulation, and a feedback parameter. You also get 10 patch cables for effects routing.
Connectivity includes a trigger input to sync effects with tempo, a tempo generator with tap tempo and external clock divider, a pattern generator with gate and CV output/patch programmability, stereo ins and outs and analog sync ins and outs.
Bastl Kastle 2 FX Wizard: Price and Availability
Bastl Kastle 2 FX Wizard is available from the Bastl webpage (link below). They’re taking preorders now and will start shipping by the end of this month. It costs €160 tax included.
More Information
- Bastl Kastle 2 FX Wizard product page
- All about Bastl Instruments
- All about effects
- All about synthesizers
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