RECORDING November 2024 - 70

Strymon Echo Plugin Bundle
can range from clean, pristine, perfectly biased tape to aged,
mangled, warped, distorted lo-fi goodness.
The final two controls are a single-knob Spring Reverb and a
master mix knob. Nicely, the great-sounding Spring Reverb is independent
of the tape-echo mix.
In Use
Tape echo is a classic effect for guitar, vocals, keyboards and
drums. Like the original pedals, Strymon excels at capturing the
sonic signature of tape, not only tonally but this plugin somehow
accomplishes the " feel " of a tape delay.
I use a first generation El Capistan pedal often as an outboard
studio effect, because I can manipulate it in real-time and it sounds
quite different from most tape delay plugins-until now. Beyond
some input and output level variance, the pedal and plugin are
extremely close in sound, effect and use, plus the plugin can be
easily automated (the V2 pedal can also be via MIDI, to be fair).
I will wrap up this section with the summary from my 2014 pedal
review, " This is a stellar-sounding pedal with killer sound quality that
captures the vibe, feel and manipulation of tape in a tangible and
fun way that encourages live performance during a mix! " All this is
equally true of the plugin, including the real-time manipulation.
DIG Dual Digital Delay
The Strymon DIG is a digital-based dual delay with three different
circuit topologies capable of infinitely complex delay results.
DIG features two delay units that can be independent or interdependent.
Each one features knobs for time, repeats (with ∞ and cut)
and effect level-not a blend/mix knob. We will see why momentarily.
When set to free mode, Delay 1 offers 20ms to 1.6 seconds of
delay time, while Delay 2 offers 7ms to 2.4 seconds.
Delay 1 can be set to free, synced to tempo or tapped. Once
tapped or synced, the display changes from milliseconds to a choice
of 12 common note divisions, including dotted and triplet values.
Delay 2 offers a choice of free tempo (milliseconds) or Lock To D1.
This slaves the tempo of the second delay to the first. Here, Delay 2
offers five note subdivisions, all in perfect sync with Delay 1: eighthnote
triplet, eighth note, dotted eighth note, dotted quarter note and
the Golden Ratio. The Golden Ratio, with a delay time ratio of 1.618,
creates a washy yet balanced rhythmic delay that manages to avoid
an excess build-up of notes. The most famous example perhaps can
be found in the mid-'80s guitar stylings of The Edge.
Digital Topologies
DIG offers digital delay options of modern, clean, transparent
24/96 delay lines, ADM, an adaptive delta modulation (1-bit)
process found in some classic 1980s rack effects, and 12-bit, often
found in late 1970s and early 1980s digital delay units. ADM
has a distinct, almost percussive grab to its repeats, while 12-bit
offers a gently " cloudy " digital signature.
70 RECORDING November 2024
Final controls on the
DIG include a choice of
one knob " less or more "
Modulation and Tone as
well as the ability to route
the delay lines in Series
(essentially mono, even
on a stereo source), Ping
Pong (bounce across the
stereo field) and Parallel
that fixes Delay 1 left
and Delay 2 right.
The final control is a
master dry-level knob. Rather than a combined master wet/dry control,
each delay and the dry signal can be individually dialed to taste.
One final fun trick: DIG lets you choose between a black or original
magenta color scheme for its GUI.
Can You Dig It?
Of course, DIG offers instant '80s guitar goodness on tap. It
is also well suited for drums, especially on individual elements
like hi-hat, minimal snare and shakers, where it is a wonderful
evolving rhythm generator. In free mode, DIG also makes a great
floating, ambient textural delay on synths and such.
While I no longer have it on hand, a friend loaned me a DIG
shortly after its original release. While I can't compare the sound of
the two side-by-side, I do find the plugin to be more easily tweaked
and much more useful to my workflow. It has already found a home
on two tracks of an electronic album I am currently producing.
All Bundled Up
Strymon continues to do a stellar job porting these popular
pedals into plugin land. I have said this before, but I can't wait to
see which Strymon pedal gets the plugin treatment next...please
be the Flint, or maybe the Mobius, or the Timeline...
Friendly tip: the bundle price is a no-brainer compared to buying
them individually.
Price: $79 Each; $99 Bundle More From: strymon.net
http://strymon.net
RECORDING November 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of RECORDING November 2024
