Sitek Guitar Electronics Ushers in Queen of the Waves - the Glorious Aqueous Phasia - Analog Multi-Stage OTA Phase-Shifter
I’ve already called 2021 as being the year of the Phaser - with several varieties released this year and 4 of those entering my own collection already - including this one of course. This is a very significant step-up from a Phase 90, PH-2 or Small Stone and greatly expands the range and versatility of those earlier simpler formats.
At its core, the Phasia is an all-analog OTA variety of Phase-Shifter with a choice of different stages and Waveforms alongside 4 smart, intuitive and interactive controls, and dual-footswitches - including Tap-Tempo. The tone generation is wholly analog, as are the filters, in fact the only digital component is for the sake of Tap-Tempo LFO control.
Its 6 controls are :
- Rate - Speed of the LFO - CCW is Slower, and CW is Faster
- Depth - Maximum Sweep Depth of the LFO - CCW for more Subtle, and CW for more defined and pronounced Phasing
- Feedback - Amount of modulated Signal sent back through the Filter Stages - CCW is more classic Phasing, CW is more Intense and Resonant
- Symmetry - Balance of LFO Waveform - 12 o'c delivers a fully Symmetric LFO wave, CCW is longer LFO Rising and shorter Falling, while CW is longer LFO Falling, and shorter LFO Rising
- LFO Shape / Waveform - Hypertriangular / Sine / Triangular (Hypertriangular is a sharper and more accentuated variety vs Triangular)
- Stages - 4 / 5 / 6 - more Stages means more characterful and more pronounced Phasing effect, 4-stages is the classic Phase 90 essentially
The two footswitches are On/Bypass and Tap-Tempo
Andy Sitek's attention to detail is always next-level, and with partner Hania delivering the perfect artwork for this effect, and housed in the most appropriate Oceanic Cerulean Blue enclosure. Everything about Sitek Guitar Electronics says exceptional high quality and attention to detail - and I've assisted Andy just a touch with refining and enhancing the Instruction sheet - which further raises the bar.
Andy is the master of getting the most impact from the least amount of controls, and the interplay of Feedback and Symmetry in particular is pretty genius here. This is a particularly strong and distinct take on the Phase genre - and is every bit as distinct as each of my other 3 phaser acquisitions. Each has its own voice and special qualities - and like I always say - inspires different styles of playing. The Phasia also has really cool light blue / cyan LEDs.
Preferences
I tend to in the main have two key personal modes of phase-effect that I deploy the most often - a slow textured phase - to add definition and crunch to gain stages, and the full-on EVH Phase 90 sound as typified by 'Ain't Talking Bout Love'.
The Phasia handles those effortlessly, and does everything in between and beyond - delivering many more styles over and above the norm - meaning that you can more precisely hone in on your preferred phase effect / texture or otherwise achieve more distinctly accentuated tones not possible elsewhere. The combination of Hypertriangular and Symmetry is incredibly rare and can deliver very unique tones.
It's fascinating how each of my recent phaser acquisitions all have quite different control topologies - and each emphasizes a slightly different take on phasing. The Phasia is one of the most versatile of these, and is incredibly easy to dial in. Andy has laboured long and hard at perfecting this circuit and getting it to sound as musical and aqueous as is possible, and this is undoubtedly a triumph of those ambitions.
My own default settings tend to be for a Slow Textured Phase - Rate at 9 o'c, Depth at Max, Feedback at 11 o'c, Symmetry at 12 o'c, Triangular Waveform, and 6 Stages. For my rock'n'roll EVH setting (Phase 90 style) - it's the classic 4-Stage Phaser, with Rate around 10 o'c, Depth around 4 o'c, Feedback dialled back, and Symmetry at 12 o'c - with Waveform set to Sine.
You can go totally crazy with Hypertriangular at 6 Stages with skewed Symmetry - and then you get some really cool warbly and burbly sounding watery effects - great for intros and outros!
Demos
Final Thoughts
I don't think anyone could be anything but delighted with the Phasia - it totally looks the part, and totally sounds the part too - with a very fair and distinct degree of nuance. If you're looking for a great-sounding, versatile, extended-range, and easy to dial in Phaser - then this is surely a prime candidate.
So much thought and attention to detail has gone into this pedal - every part of the process has been thoroughly considered from every angle - and Andy has laboured for quite a considerable time to get the signal-to-noise ratio just right, and have the pedal sound as musical and refined as possible.
I feel that Sitek Guitar Electronics doesn't yet get the full respect that it deserves - these are some of the very best hand-made effects out there. And typically very reasonably priced. The Phasia Analog OTA Phase-Shifter is available right now via the Sitek Webstore, with a price-tag of €220.
