Strymon El Capistan dTape Echo

When we decided to develop an effects pedal that delivers the sound and feel of our favorite tape echo machines, we knew we must relentlessly study and faithfully recreate every last nuance.

We spent months in the Strymon sound design labs with an intense focus on capturing the warm, saturated, distinctive qualities of tape echo machines. The result is our hand crafted dTape™ technology. Utilizing a ridiculously powerful SHARC DSP, every drop of processing power is harnessed.

El Capistan provides three different tape machine types in one, each with three unique modes. With ten parameters to tweak, you get extensive control over tape quality, machine health and tone shaping.

Go from the sound of a pristine, studio-quality tape machine to the heavily fluctuating sound of a machine in need of service. Get the full bodied sound of fresh tape all the way to the gnarled qualities of worn out tape.

Because it’s DSP driven, you get a range of tape experiences unattainable with a traditional tape machine. All of this without the headaches of tape machine maintenance and repair!

El Capistan has three distinct tape machine types, each with three separate modes.

Time knob varies the tape speed while the playback head is fixed in position.

Fixed Head:

A – short delay with 1/16th note tap tempo
B – medium delay with dotted 1/8th tap tempo
C – long delay with 1/4 note tap tempo

Multihead:

2 of 3 playback heads are selected at once. Time knob varies tape speed.

A – Heads 1 & 2 selected.
B – Heads 2 & 3 selected.
C – Heads 1 & 3 selected.

Single Head:

A – Tape motor at double speed. Higher fidelity with shorter delay times.
B – Tape motor at normal speed. Lower fidelity with longer delay times.
C – Sound on Sound mode with instant tape splice, bulk erase, and two tape speeds. A tape-style looper!

Tape speed is fixed while the Time knob varies the position of a sliding record head.

• Hand crafted dTape algorithms deliver meticulously nuanced recreations of tape echo systems.
• Three tape machines in one: Fixed (one fixed playback head), Multi (multiple playback heads), and Single (sliding record head)
• Each tape machine has three modes for extremely flexible echo options
• Five tape adjustment and tone shaping knobs: Time, Mix, Tape Age, Repeats, Wow & Flutter
• Five “hidden” knobs for extensive tone tweaking: Tape Crinkle, Tape Bias, Low End Contour, Spring Reverb, +/- 3dB Boost/Cut
• Sound on Sound mode with instant tape splice and bulk erase. A built-in tape-style looper!
• Press and hold Tap for instant Infinite Repeats