Strymon - El Capistan dTape Echo - Audio Clips #1

Here are several El Capistan audio examples played by our resident Sound Designer, Pete Celi. Signal path: Damage Control Demonizer » El Capistan » PC audio interface.

http://strymon.net/products/elcapistan

Here are some descriptions of the audio you're hearing:

Saturated wash
Single Head, Mode A with no Tape Crinkle, max Low Contour for a very high-passed repeat sound, ala magnetic drum units. High repeats generate a nicely saturated wash behind the guitar.

Dark and dirty.
Fixed, Mode B. Maximum Delay Time results in slowest tape speed, resulting in the most exaggerated Wow/Flutter and Crinkle influence. This is a sick machine.

Dirty slap.
Fixed, Mode A for a slapback on a distorted guitar. The natural warmth created by the slower tape speed allows the delay to sit in the mix nicely.

Power guitar.
Single Mode A. Using the Tape Age knob, the bandwidth is reduced and a natural echo is created from the cranked power chords.

Wow & Flutter.
The Single Head, Mode B machine. By varying the Wow & Flutter, and Tape Crinkle controls from minimum to maximum in four increments, the range of 'machine health' possibilities is highlighted.

Category:

Music

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• strymon
• el capistan
• dtape echo
• tape echo
• delay pedal
• effects pedal
• stompbox
• echoplex
• echorec
• space echo
• how to
• demo
• demonstration
• guitar
• guitarist
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[ihasmario]

How well does it accept line level signals?

[strymon]

@ihasmario El Capistan accepts levels up to +8dBu, which can handle pretty much anything you can throw at it. :)

[triviani1234]

Does the oscillation not "runaway" to uncontrollable volume? WOuld be great if so!

[strymon]

@triviani1234 - the oscillation is very controllable, and you can further tame it with the Tape Bias control. Thanks!

[odgeUK]

This pedal is Jeff Beck tastic. Is there any chance you could knock off about, say, £125 from the Retail price so I can take my youngest kid off eBay before the auction ends?

[TaylorKingMusic]

@alanpitfall So do you want people to carry around massive units with real tapes in them?

[wayfechylde3]

i wish you guys had done the setting from the "Baritone" sample :/ oh well

[nadiyahz]

@Strymon, thank you for all the quick

responses to my emails to info@strymon.net

Having good equipment is just part of the

battle, great support goes a long ways.

Terry is great to deal with. Now having

all three,Brig,El Cap, & Blue Sky I will have many more questions. Next up,

Orbit. A thank you to Danny Jones from

Walnut Creek Ca. for turning me on to

Strymon...if had his skills!!!!! Full Shred!

[joshmolina3]

dark and dirty was by far my favorite, I really hope to get one of these very soon.

[TheResonating]

I like the reverberator by strymon but the el capistan doenst seem to beat the tone of the lunar echo pedal by dmb despite the cool effects

[TheResonating]

@88mpny what r your thoughts on the lunar echo pedal from dmb? cause i like the tone of the delays better....lol u would think only the guitar was effecting it but ive gone back and forth and the el capistan has a weird tone to it, seriously!!! other than tubescreamer using it there is no video that the pedal sounds great on, unfortunately.....

[88mpny]

CHECK IT OUT....... THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST SOUNDING DIGITAL PEDALS EVER... I WILL BE GETTING ONE OF THESE VERY SOON. ALL OF STRYMON'S PEDALS SOUND GREAT. THE MARKETS FLOODED WITH TOO MANY "BOUTIQUE" PEDAL MAKERS BUT STRYMON ARE TOP NOTCH IN THE TONE DEPT. AND THE PRICE IS FAIR AS WELL AT $300. I LIKE THE MAXON'S SOUND BUT ITS 100 BUCKS MORE AT $400 DOESN'T SOUND AS GOOD and NOT MADE IN THE USA. STYRMON= AWESOME SOUNDING, AFFORDABLY PRICED and MADE IN THE USA!!!! ...HOW CAN YOU GO WRONG.

[alanpitfall]

The El Capistan sounds great in isolation, it's not until you compare it directly with a real tape echo that you get to hear how digital it sounds. It's very good for a digital unit, but don't be conned into thinking that it sounds as good.