Strymon El Capistan V2 Tape Delay Effects Pedal

Plug in, play a note or chord, and you feel it: All the warm, saturated, distinctive qualities and subtle nuances of vintage tape echo combine to instantly create an unmistakable atmosphere.

Everything from classic slapback echoes to psychedelic space explorations have stunning richness and depth, responding to each note and knob turn in a musically inspiring way.

Turn up the repeats for organic delay feedback with just the right amount of grit. Dial in some spring reverb to further enhance the sense of space. Effortlessly create multi-layered ambient soundscapes with the tape-style sound on sound looper.

Transform your pedalboard into the inspiration machine it was meant to be.

Main Features

• Hand crafted dTape algorithms deliver meticulous, nuanced reproductions of every stage of analogue tape delays
• 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
• Expression pedal input with selectable control over any knob parameter• TRS stereo input (with stunning new JFET preamp) and output, plus MONO/STEREO input switch on the back of the unit
• Full MIDI control, MIDI clock sync and 300 presets
• USB port for updates and MIDI over USB
• TRS MIDI jacks: allow bi-directional MIDI communication with a single cable using the Conduit interface
• Editor/librarian support via USB

Magnetic Monster
El Capistan provides three different tape machine types in one pedal, each with three unique modes and extensive control over tape quality, machine health and tone shaping.

Go from the full-range sonic stability of a fresh-from-the-factory echo machine, to the heavily fluctuating sound of a road-worn unit in need of service. Enjoy the full bodied sound of fresh tape, or dial in the dark, gnarled and vibey qualities of worn out tape.

Our meticulously handcrafted dTape™ technology and powerful ARM DSP give you a range of tape experiences that would be unattainable with a single traditional tape machine. Plus you get sound on sound looping, all without the headaches of tape machine maintenance and repair.

Classic Sound, New Features
Our second generation El Capistan keeps the same rich magnetic tape echo tones from our original and adds significant new features, incorporating technological advancements, hardware improvements and design enhancements to give you additional flexibility, power, and ease of use on stage and in the studio.

MIDI
Full MIDI implementation means you can control just about every switch, knob, and setting remotely by sending MIDI commands from your controller or DAW via El Capistan’s EXP/MIDI jack or USB-C connection.

Delay time can be synchronized via MIDI Clock Sync, and the sync setting can be saved for each preset.

300 MIDI preset locations are available for loading and saving your favourite settings.

Hardware Improvements A premium analog JFET input circuit ensures superb responsiveness to your playing, and you can select mono or stereo input with the flick of a rear panel switch.

All this, plus a new ARM DSP chip provides more processing power for every sonic nuance, with less energy consumption on your pedalboard.

Spring Reverb
Some classic tape echo machines included small integrated spring reverb tanks tuned for limited bandwidth.

For El Capistan, we captured this vintage vibe while creating a spring reverb algorithm with a gorgeous, gentle character that stands on its own, in addition to enhancing delayed signals.