New Strymon El Capistan V2 dTape Echo Guitar Effects Pedal

Vintage Vibe Machine.

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.

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. 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 favorite 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. 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.

Three Tape Machines. The fixed tape head machine creates a classic delay effect with tape speed controlled via the Time knob, selecting between three playback heads: (A) short delay with 1/16 note tap tempo, (B) medium delay with dotted 1/8 note tap tempo, and (C) long delay with 1/4 note tap tempo. The multi tape head machine simultaneously uses two of the three playback heads to create rhythmic delays: (A) Heads 1 and 2, (B) Heads 2 and 3, (C) Heads 1 and 3. The single tape head machine runs the tape at a fixed speed while the Time knob sets the delay time by adjusting the position of a sliding record head, and features a sound on sound looper: (A) double speed for higher fidelity, (B) normal speed for lower fidelity with longer delay times, (C) Sound on Sound mode for tape-style looping.

Delay Controls. A full suite of traditional delay controls make El Capistan a practical addition to any board. Set delay time with the dedicated Time knob, use Tap to lock in tempo, the Mix knob to balance dry/wet, and the Repeats knob to select from a single echo to runaway oscillation.

Spring Reverb, Wow & Flutter, Tape Age. A finely-tuned spring reverb adds dimension to your echoes. A dedicated Wow & Flutter knob adjusts the amount of mechanically related tape speed fluctuations. A dedicated Tape Age knob lets you decide between the full bandwidth of brand new tape or the warm top end of older well-used tape, with secondary functions for tape crinkle and tape machine bias.

Low End Contour. A secondary function shaping the low frequency content of the echo repeats, from extended low frequency bandwidth to extremely high-passed echoes.

Sound On Sound. When you enter Sound On Sound mode (Single Tape Head, Mode C), the machine is already recording. Instant tape splice and bulk erase functions act like a built-in tape-style looper. Press Tap to set your splice in and out points; press a third time to erase. 20 seconds of tape at slow speed, 10 seconds at fast speed.

Features
Full MIDI implementation with 300 preset locations
Selectable true bypass or premium buffered bypass
High impedance ultra-low noise discrete Class A JFET preamp input
+/-3dB boost/cut secondary function
Full stereo in/out capabilities
Line/instrument level input adds 10dB of headroom for bass, synths, keyboards, and effects loops
520MHz ARM Superscalar processor

Specs
High impedance ultra low-noise discrete Class A JFET TRS stereo input
Low impedance independent TS stereo outputs
Expression pedal input (TRS expression pedal, MiniSwitch, MultiSwitch Plus, or TRS MIDI)
USB jack for MIDI control and firmware updates
Ultra low noise 24-bit 96kHz A/D and D/A converters
32-bit floating point processing
20Hz to 20kHz frequency response
Audio Input Impedance: 1M Ohm; Output Impedance: 100 Ohm
Strong and lightweight anodized dark gray aluminum chassis
Power requirements: maximum 9 volts DC center-negative, minimum 300mA (power supply NOT included)
Dimensions: 4.5" deep x 4" wide x 1.75" tall
Designed and built in the USA