Kascade Echo Bender User Manual
1Welcome
Thank you for choosing the Kascade Echo Bender from Keystone Musical Instruments.
Kascade combines musical echo, stereo depth, tape-stop-style pitch bending, rhythmic movement and performance control in a compact pedal for guitar, bass, keyboards and studio use. From subtle slapback to cascading repeats, warped pitch dives and animated ambient textures, Kascade makes delay move, bend and react musically under your feet.
2Product Overview
- Echo and bend pedal with tape-inspired pitch and time movement
- Echo engine for slapback, rhythmic repeats and ambient trails
- Bender engine for tape-stop, pitch-dive and warped-repeat effects
- Series and parallel routing between Echo and Bender
- One-shot, repeat and random bend triggering
- TS/TRS input and output with selectable mono/stereo routing, set at startup or in Keystone Control Center
- Free, Tap and MIDI tempo sources
- APEX expression assignment for real-time control
- MIDI In/Thru and MIDI CC control
- 128 onboard presets
- Free lifetime firmware updates via USB
3Quick Start
- Connect your instrument or previous pedal to Kascade's TS/TRS input.
- Connect Kascade's TS/TRS output to your amp, pedalboard, mixer, interface or stereo breakout cable, as your audio mode requires.
- Set the mono/stereo mode with the startup configuration in section 4, or anytime in Keystone Control Center over micro-USB. Pro tip: echo bending loves stereo.
- Connect a 9V DC center-negative regulated power supply.
- Press the right footswitch (Bypass Echo) to engage Kascade.
- Use the left footswitch (Bend) to trigger, repeat or hold bends, depending on the Bend FX mode.
4Mono and Stereo Operation
Kascade has one TRS input jack and one TRS output jack. Routing is set at startup and can also be changed in Keystone Control Center. Always check the routing mode before troubleshooting stereo behavior, and use the right TS, TRS or breakout cables for your rig.
| Mode | Cabling | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Mono in / mono out | Standard mono connections, with the TRS jacks working in mono mode. | A traditional single-instrument, single-amp pedalboard. |
| Mono in / stereo out | A mono source in, then the TRS output to a stereo breakout or TRS stereo destination. | A spacious stereo echo and bend image from a mono instrument. |
| Stereo in / stereo out | TRS stereo cables or suitable breakouts into the input and out of the output. | A stereo pedalboard, keyboard rig, studio chain or effects loop. |
Set the mode
- Disconnect power from Kascade.
- Connect the cables for your rig: standard mono cables for mono, or TRS stereo/breakout cables for stereo.
- Press and hold the startup configuration footswitches.
- Reconnect power, holding the footswitches until Kascade enters configuration mode.
- Select mono in/mono out, mono in/stereo out, or stereo in/stereo out.
- Confirm the selection and restart the pedal if prompted.
- Play through your rig and check that the signal reaches the expected mono or stereo destination.
You can also change routing in Keystone Control Center: connect Kascade over micro-USB, open the app, select the pedal and choose the routing mode.
5Controls
| Control | Function |
|---|---|
| Bend TimePOT 1 | How quickly the bend falls, rises or resolves. |
| Bend ShapePOT 2 | The curve of the bend, from smooth and gradual to abrupt and mechanical. |
| Bend IntensityPOT 3 | Wet/dry mix of the bend effect against the original signal. |
| Echo TimePOT 4 | Delay time, from tight slapback and doubling to longer rhythmic or ambient repeats. |
| Echo FeedbackPOT 5 | How many repeats regenerate. Lower gives single echoes; higher gives sustained trails and self-building textures. |
| Echo LevelPOT 6 | Balances the delayed and bent signal against the dry signal. |
| RoutingSWITCH 1 | Echo feeds Bender (echo-bend), Bender feeds Echo (bend-echo), or both run in parallel. |
| Bend FXSWITCH 2 | Bend triggering: repeats, one shots or random. |
| TempoSWITCH 3 | Tempo source: Free, Tap or MIDI (see section 6). |
6Free / Tap / MIDI Tempo Source
The Tempo switch sets where Kascade gets tempo for delay timing and tempo-synced movement.
| Position | What it does |
|---|---|
| Free | Tempo comes straight from the knobs. Use it when you want delay time and movement set by hand, without syncing to taps or an external controller. |
| Tap | Tempo comes from tapping footswitch 2 (left). Use it to match delay timing to a song, drummer, loop or live feel without MIDI. |
| MIDI | Tempo follows an external MIDI clock. Use it to stay locked to a pedalboard controller, sequencer, DAW, drum machine or other MIDI master. |
If tempo doesn't behave as expected, check the Tempo switch first. In MIDI mode, also make sure the external controller is sending clock to Kascade.
7Footswitches and Indicators
- Right footswitch, Bypass Echo: turns the echo on or off.
- Left footswitch, Bend: triggers or controls the Bender according to the Bend FX mode. Tap for one-shot bends, use repeat mode for latched rhythmic motion, or random for unpredictable tape-warp textures.
- RGB indicators: confirm bypass, trigger state, preset status and performance mode at a glance.
8APEX Expression Control
APEX (Assignable Programmable Expression) is Keystone's expression-control system. Once assigned, the expression pedal sweeps any or all chosen parameters in real time, over the full range or part of it, normal or inverse. With expression on echo time, feedback, level, bend intensity or bend time, Kascade goes from set-and-forget echo to a dynamic, foot-on performance instrument.
- Unplug 9V power.
- Hold FS1 (right footswitch) while you plug power back in.
- LED 1 (the left LED) blinks rapidly to confirm Kascade is in expression setting mode.
- You can assign any or all knobs to the expression pedal, over the full range or part of it, with direct or inverse mapping.
- To assign a knob's full sweep, turn it in the direction you want it mapped: up for up, down for down.
- To set a range instead, hold FS2 (left footswitch) while turning the knob to set two points, a minimum and a maximum.
- Kascade confirms each point with two blinks. Set the first value, wait for the blinks, then set the second.
- For direct mapping, set the minimum first, then the maximum. For inverse mapping, set the maximum first, then the minimum.
- After both values are confirmed, release FS2.
- To clear all assignments, flip SWITCH 1 (left). To clear only the most recent one, flip SWITCH 2.
- Press FS1 to exit. The LED blinks once for each parameter linked to the expression pedal.
- APEX settings stay on the pedal and can be backed up with Keystone Control Center.
9Keystone Control Center
Keystone Control Center is the free Mac and Windows companion app for Keystone pedals. Connect over micro-USB to change Kascade's audio routing after startup, manage device settings, back up APEX assignments and install free lifetime firmware updates. When you move between mono pedalboards, mono-to-stereo rigs, keyboard setups, studio interfaces and stereo amp systems, it's the clearest way to check and save the active routing. Download it at keystonemusical.com/pages/keystone-control-center.
10MIDI, Presets and Firmware
Kascade has MIDI In/Thru and MIDI CC control for switchers, controllers, studio rigs and preset-based workflows. Its 128 presets save echo time, feedback, level, bend behavior, trigger mode, routing, APEX assignments, audio routing and other performance settings. Firmware updates are free for life and install over micro-USB with Keystone Control Center.
Kascade uses the MIDI Type-A TRS standard for MIDI In and MIDI Thru. MIDI Thru repeats everything arriving at MIDI In, so one connection on the first pedal can carry tempo, CC and PC messages down the whole board over inexpensive TRS cables instead of bulkier 5-pin MIDI cables.
11MIDI CC Mappings
Continuous parameters
| CC | Parameter | Pot | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | Slowdown Time (Bend Time) | POT 1 | Variable |
| 42 | Curve Shape (Bend Shape) | POT 2 | 1.0 – 3.0 |
| 43 | Intensity | POT 3 | 0–100% |
| 44 | Delay Time | POT 4 | 0.1 s – 2.0 s |
| 45 | Feedback | POT 5 | 0–95% |
| 46 | Echo Mix | POT 6 | 0–100% |
Three-position switches
| CC | Parameter | Position 1 (0–42) | Position 2 (43–84) | Position 3 (85–127) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 47 | RoutingSWITCH 1 | Delay → Tape Stop | Tape Stop → Delay | Parallel |
| 48 | Trigger ModeSWITCH 2 | Random | One Shot | Repeat |
| 49 | Timing ModeSWITCH 3 | Free | Tap | MIDI Sync |
12Suggested Sounds
| Sound | Starting point |
|---|---|
| Classic slapback bend | Short Echo Time, low Feedback, medium Level, echo-bend routing and one-shot triggering. |
| Deep echo bending | Longer Echo Time, medium-high Feedback, bend-echo routing, longer Bend Time and higher Intensity. |
| Tape chirp texture | Medium Echo Time, medium Feedback, repeat triggering, fast Bend Time and a sharper Bend Shape. |
| Wide parallel wash | Parallel routing, medium Level, low-to-medium Intensity, smooth Bend Shape and stereo output for a wider image. |
| Expression sweep | Map APEX to Echo Time, Feedback, Level, Bend Time or Intensity for real-time transitions. |
13LED Color Standards
Kascade's signature color is red . Universal colors are the same on every Keystone pedal and mark configuration modes and special states.
| State | Color | When used |
|---|---|---|
| I/O Mode Config | White | Boot mode: selecting audio routing |
| APEX Mode | Magenta | Boot mode: expression pedal assignment |
| MIDI Sync | Bright green-cyan | Synced to MIDI clock |
| Tap Tempo | Cyan | Tap tempo learning mode |
| Save Confirm | Bright green | Settings saved successfully |
| Clear/Delete | Amber | Clearing assignments or settings |
14Troubleshooting
| Problem | Try this |
|---|---|
| No sound | Check the input, output, amp or interface, bypass status, preset level and power supply. |
| Wrong mono/stereo behavior | Restart Kascade and select the audio mode at startup, or change the routing in Keystone Control Center. |
| No stereo image | Make sure Kascade is set to the intended stereo mode, then check that the TRS output, stereo destination or breakout cable is wired correctly. |
| Expression pedal doesn't respond | Use a compatible expression pedal and cable, reconnect it, then reassign the parameter in APEX mode. |
| APEX range feels reversed | Relearn the assignment with heel and toe values reversed (set the maximum first for inverse mapping). |
| MIDI control doesn't respond | Check the MIDI channel, cable direction, controller mapping and CC numbers. |
| Firmware update fails | Restart the update, try a known-good micro-USB cable, and make sure the updater and firmware files come from Keystone Musical Instruments. |
15Specifications
| Product | Kascade Echo Bender |
| Effect type | Echo and tape-stop-style bender |
| Routing modes | Echo → Bender, Bender → Echo, Parallel |
| Trigger modes | One-shot, repeat, random |
| Delay range | Up to 2.0 s |
| Audio | 24-bit / 96 kHz processing; one TS/TRS input and one TS/TRS output for mono or stereo operation |
| Audio routing | Set at startup or in Keystone Control Center, using the correct patch cable |
| Bypass | Buffered, suited to time-based effects |
| MIDI | Type-A TRS In and Thru; CC control; USB MIDI where configured |
| Presets | 128 onboard presets, including APEX settings |
| Expression | APEX expression control |
| Firmware updates | Free for life via micro-USB |
| Power | 9V DC center-negative regulated supply |
| Warranty | One year from the original purchase date |
16Care and Safety
- Use only the recommended power supply.
- Keep the pedal dry and away from extreme heat, cold, dust and moisture.
- Disconnect power and cables before cleaning.
- Clean the enclosure with a dry, soft cloth. Don't use solvents or abrasive cleaners.
- Don't open the enclosure unless instructed by qualified service personnel.
17Warranty and Support
Keystone Musical Instruments warrants the Kascade Echo Bender against defects in materials and workmanship for one year from the original purchase date. The warranty doesn't cover damage from misuse, unauthorized modification, accident, improper power supply, liquid exposure or normal wear. For service, registration, firmware updates and support documents, visit keystonemusical.com.
