DSP Decrypted Part I – The Sky is the Limit
Nice to meet you. I’m Michael—the new guy here at Strymon. In the last six months, I have shipped, repaired, filmed, and (my personal favorite) continuously
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Recently Alex Maiolo of Tape Op Magazine had a chance to spend some time with our El Capistan dTape Echo and blueSky reverberator. Here is what he had to say:
On Strymon:
“Strymon, while certainly being boutique, have unabashedly embraced the digital age – using modern technology to fix age-old problems and eliminate impossibilities. ”
“Fans of good design will notice that Strymon pedals are unique looking. They are beautiful and original, while still retaining the familiar qualities of good ol’ classic stompboxes. The layout is well thought out, and the construction is solid. The footprint is relatively small considering the controls but doesn’t seem crowded. All of the I/O is in the back panel, which is very handy if you have more than a few things on your board. I don’t think they could have done a much better job, aesthetically or functionally.”
On El Capistan:
“I went to both ends of the spectrum with these controls, which allowed me to hear what a machine new off the shelf probably would have sounded like, as well as one that was brought back into use after propping up a table for 30 years, with no servicing before powering up. After tailoring it to my needs, I used the unit for at least eight live shows with three different bands, and found it to be a joy to use, even under the pressure of a performance.”
“All in all, a fantastic, great sounding little box that delivers on its promise with no exceptions.”
On blueSky:
“The real reason to buy the blueSky is because it goes way beyond what other reverb pedals can do, almost into rack territory. When the left toggle is switched to Mod, a light chorus effect is added that is both subtle enough to not sound like you’re rehashing dated, ’80s sounds, but strong enough to add some interesting depth. It’s hard to describe what happens when the same switch is in Shimmer mode. As the reverb decays, harmonics develop and ‘bloom’ – the longer the decay setting, the more intense the harmonic development and overall effect. It’s very unique, usable, and can take things in an almost synthy direction.”
Check out the full review below:
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Ethan Tufts
Ethan Tufts left Strymon in early 2021.
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2 Responses
I received the El Capistan last week and what a great unit. I’ve tried several tap tempo delays and most of them ruined the sound to start with and I returned them. Like advertised, the El Capistan doesn’t color the sound. I found this unit to have the best natural sounding tape delay without noisy distortion on long delays. There are several reasons why I like this so much more than anything else I’ve but one simple one is that I need the option to use the Expression jack with a volume pedal for live performance. I have been massaging my pedal board now for 4 years and was stuck on another Dig/Anolog tap delay for the longest time. I sure am glad I gave this a try. Now this is my favorite pedal of the 17 pedals on my board. Strymon you Rock!
Thank you so much, Ron, for sharing that with us. Really makes our day to hear that. If you have any videos or songs up please post them, would love to hear what you are doing with El Capistan 😀