Cascadia

Meet Cascadia

A massive semi-modular system in a small case with the footprint of a laptop. Cascadia has MIDI in/out/thru/USB, Eurorack compatible signal levels and pro-level audio I/O to interface with the rest of your studio or get your studio started.

A deep and flexible semi-modular mono synth, it was developed by a team of veteran synth aficionados to be the realization of their collective dream. It is a synthesist’s synthesizer — a well-considered, finely-honed, stand-alone instrument capable of both nuance and bombast. You are never more than a slider away from turning sweet into raucous, or a patch cable removed from corrupting the virtuous into the wicked.

Modern Analog Architecture

Cascadia is packed with a mix of classic East and West Coast synthesizer blocks. Normalized connections let you get straight to the sounds inside. Or, let your imagination run wild and patch any of the modules together however you choose. Make small tweaks to the architecture, or re-route the entire synth to your liking—the choice is yours!

To distill Cascadia into a bullet-list of features does not do justice to the sonic possibilities that lurk just behind the panel. Instead, it’s best to imagine the potential of two oscillators (one capable of operating at LFO rates; and one with full TZFM and sync capabilities) — each with multiple independent outputs working as both sound and modulation sources. Think about the possibilities of a fully-modulatable, self-oscillating, multimode filter with numerous modes simultaneously available, or the sonic advantages of having both wavefolding and ring modulation built-in. Envision having a pair of fully-configurable envelopes — one, a take on a classic ADSR with an assignable Hold stage; the other, a powerful multimode function generator, which becomes an Envelope, LFO or Burst generator with the flick of a switch. Picture using either MIDI or CV (or both) to drive your sound and modulation; or using the built-in trio of utility LFOs; an additional VCA/LPF/LPG; slew; sample & hold; multipliers, inverter; and mixuverters to refashion it. Ponder the sonic options of bringing in external audio and using it to either modulate or mix into Cascadia’s architecture. Speaking of mixing, consider the fully-featured on-board mixer that blends not only all these internal and external sources, but also features multiple types of noise, a sub-oscillator, and soft clipping. And because we wanted Cascadia to be as flexible as possible, we decided not to hamper it with a limited selection of on-board effects but, instead, imbue it with the capability to fully integrate and control external effects devices — allowing you to incorporate your favorite pedals into your own personal playground of signature sounds, anywhere in the signal chain.

Cascadia is a semi-modular synthesizer, meaning that many of its capabilities reveal themselves to the musician without the need to insert a single patch cable. Cascadia’s default signal path is well-conceived and deep. But for those willing to dive even deeper, a plethora of new sounds are possible when you start rerouting signals using the many available patch points. And to allow for the ultimate flexibility, these patch points conform to the Eurorack standard, meaning you can expand Cascadia’s capabilities through the use of external modules.

Cascadia leverages Intellijel’s long commitment to modular synthesis and coalesces it into a single package of sonic possibility. Whether used stand-alone or as part of a larger system, we at Intellijel believe this is the synth to bridge the past to the future; the novice to the pro; the desktop to the eurorack; and you to your musical goals.

Features

• Performance-oriented,  "East and West" Coast modern analog semi-modular synthesizer 

• 101 jacks (plus 10 on rear), 34 sliders, 16 knobs, 28 switches, 36 leds and 5 push buttons

• Two precision analog VCOs  (VCOA has TZ-FM with INDEX VCA, PWM and SOFT/HARD sync options)

• Eurorack compatible signal levels

• Liquid-sounding, cascaded 4-Pole multimode filter with extensive modulation options and unique modes

• ENV A: Versatile ADSR / AHDSR envelope generator with HOLD function and dynamic level/time control

• ENV B: Complex, beat syncable,  multimode function generator with Envelope, LFO, and Burst generator modes

• Triple analog LFO with linked, divisible rates and CV control

• Comprehensive and precise MIDI to CV and GATE implementation with additional synced/tapped LFO and CLOCK outputs 

• Six channel waveform mixer with asymmetric soft clipping 

• Extensive utility section that includes Noise, S&H, Envelope Follower, Attenuverter, Buff Mults,  Summer,  Inverters,  and connection to a digital potentiometer based guitar pedal expression control interface.

• Analog ring modulator

• Parallel “West Coast” style wavefolder

• Auxiliary VCA and 4-Pole Diode Ladder VCF combination for additional dynamics

• External effect send/return loop with line or guitar pedal levels and wet/dry mix

• Global output drive circuit with bypassable asymmetric soft clipping

• Balanced 1/4" line inputs and outputs plus a dedicated headphone output

• Very Compact (fits in a backpack) and durable powder-coated enclosure with bespoke oak wood sides.

• Comes with 14 assorted patch cables, USB-A to USB-C cable,  and an international power supply.