The Strymon El Capitstan dTape Echo is one of the most full featured and powerful Tape Echo pedals on the planet. If you've ever looked into the cost (and size!) of real tape echo units then you'll appreciate how incredible it is that Strymon have been able to recreate the sound so perfectly with such a small and relatively modestly priced pedal! How do they do it? Well they dedicate a whole DSP chip to work the 'dTape algorithm' a digital process that accurately reproduces all of the nuances of a genuine Tape Echo!
Now just to look at the front panel you'd already think you had all the control in the world. But there's more! Aside from the fact you can control any parameter from an external expression pedal (not included), each knob has a hidden parameter so when you hold down Tap and Bypass together you can also adjust Spring Reverb, Tape Bias, Tape Crinkle, Low End Contour and +/- 3db boost. That's ten knobs worth of parameters to control and that's before you even approach the 3 tape-head types and 3 variations of each! Put simple: you get a LOT of control!
Stymon are some of the most sought after and best loved guitar pedals in the world. The tones are incredible and there are few pedals that match up head to head on tone or features!
Specification
- Hand crafted dTape algorithms deliver meticulous, nuanced reproductions of every stage of analogue tape delay systems
- Three tape machines in one: Fixed (one fixed playback head), Multi (multiple playback heads), and Single (sliding record head)
- Sound on Sound mode with instant tape splice and bulk erase. A built-in tape-style looper!
- Independent control of ‘tape speed’ for each head and independent control of head position; aperture-related bandwidth effects and frequency scaling of mechanical wow and flutter
- Bias level adjustment
- Five tape adjustment and tone shaping knobs: Time, Mix, Tape Age (!) Repeats, Wow & Flutter
- Super low noise, high perf. 24/96kHz A/D, D/A with 115dB signal to noise
- Analog dry path for a zero latency dry signal that is never converted to digital
- Dedicated Tap tempo and true bypass footswitches
- Mono/Stereo TRS in, Stereo out
- Expression pedal input with selectable control over any knob parameter
