Strymon El Capistan V2

Classic single-note slapback. Rhythmic multi-head delays. Ambient, washed-out echoes that dissolve into waves of noise. El Capistan’s three different tape machines provide a huge variety of vintage delay sounds, offering unique functionality depending on what the Mode switch is set to. The fixed tape head machine creates a classic delay effect with tape speed controlled via the Time knob. The Mode switch selects between three playback heads, each a specific distance from the record head for a specific delay interval. Choose between: (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.

A full suite of traditional delay controls make El Capistan a practical addition to any board. Set your preferred delay time using the dedicated Time knob, and dial in everything from snappy slapback delays to long, spacious echoes. Need to dial it on the fly? Use the dedicated Tap switch to lock in to your desired tempo without needing to turn a single knob. Use the Mix knob to make your delayed signal as subtle or noticeable as you need. From fully dry to fully wet, and everything in between. El Capistan’s Repeats knob lets you select just the right amount of repeats — from a single echo for double-tracking delays, to runaway oscillation madness at its upper settings.

Like certain echo machines of yesteryear, El Capistan features a finely-tuned spring reverb to add another dimension to your echoes. Use it to add subtle space and dimension to your delays at lower settings, or turn things up a notch for big, splashy waves of old-school spring reverb. Just want reverb? Turn the Mix knob to minimum to hear only your reverberated signal.

El Capistan captures the nuances of the dozens of moving parts that contributed to the sound of classic tape echoes. A dedicated Wow & Flutter knob adjusts the amount of mechanically related tape speed fluctuations. From the crisp delays of a fully cleaned and serviced machine, to the warbly, pitch modulated echoes of a road worn piece of gear — El Capistan gives you all the vibe and none of the maintenance.

Strymon's goal with El Capistan was to offer the most authentic tape echo experience in a modern, compact form factor. A component of that was replicating the tonal effects that the tape medium itself can have on your signal depending on the age and condition of the tape itself, as well as taking into account the significant effect of the bias setting of the tape machine. A dedicated Tape Age knob lets you decide whether you want the full bandwidth of brand new, glossy tape — or the warm top end of older well-used tape. By adjusting the Tape Bias secondary function, you can get high-headroom, extra clean, crisp echoes at lower settings, or crunchy, saturated echoes with higher bias levels. Higher bias settings also limit the echo volume, which can be useful at very high Repeats settings when you want to create high feedback and self-oscillation effects while still keeping output level under control. For “optimal” bias, set the knob at approximately 9 o’clock.

El Capistan’s Low End Contour secondary function gives you an extra layer of tonal control by shaping the low frequency content of the echo repeats. At the far left of the control, you get extended low frequency bandwidth for full, deep repeats. As you turn the Low End Contour knob clockwise, low frequencies are gradually filtered from the repeats, giving you the ability to create extremely high-passed echoes at the far end of the knob’s range.

Just like one of our favorite moving head tape echo machines, El Capistan gives you a Sound on Sound mode, but with some cool new features. When you enter Sound On Sound mode (Single Tape Head, Mode C), the machine is already recording, just like a traditional tape echo machine. We go several steps further by giving you instant tape splice and bulk erase functions. It’s like having a built-in tape-style looper! To set the length of your tape, press Tap once to set your splice ‘in’ point, and press Tap again to set your splice ‘out’ point. All of the tone shaping knobs are active and affect your loop as it plays back and re-records. Press Tap a third time to completely erase the tape. You get 20 seconds of tape at slow speed, 10 seconds at fast speed.

Strymon's new generation of El Capistan features full MIDI implementation, allowing you to 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. Remotely bypass or engage the pedal, sync delay BPM changes along with your tracks, automate knob adjustments, recall unique presets for each song on your setlist — the possibilities with MIDI are limitless.

El Capistan lets you choose electromechanical relay switched true bypass for a 100% untouched, unprocessed signal when the pedal is bypassed (this is the default setting), or you can opt for our premium quality buffered bypass that conditions your signal to preserve its integrity by preventing the high end roll-off that can happen due to longer cable runs.

Uncompromised dynamics and feel. Exceptional touch sensitivity and responsiveness. El Capistan feels just as good as it sounds, thanks to a high impedance ultra-low noise discrete Class A JFET preamp input.

We all need a lift every once in a while. El Capistan features a +/-3dB boost/cut secondary function that lets you add a little extra “oomph” when you engage the pedal — or dial things back a bit if you need a more subtle delay without changing your Mix control.

No need to make compromises when it comes to signal routing or pedal placement — El Capistan features full stereo in/out capabilities. A single TRS input jack allows El Capistan to keep its compact form factor while giving you the option to use a stereo input signal. A dedicated rear panel Input switch allows you to easily set El Capistan for operation with a stereo (TRS) or mono (standard TS) input source. Low impedance dual TS output jacks let you use El Capistan as a stereo effect.

Pedals aren’t just for guitarists. El Capistan’s adjustable input signal level makes it a versatile tool for endless applications from the studio to the stage. By setting El Capistan to line level input mode, you get 10dB of added headroom, allowing you to use El Capistan with bass guitars with active pickups, synthesizers, keyboards, effects loops, and more.

Significant developments in mobile phones and computers have led to an evolution in technology that now allows our pedals to perform more simultaneous processes with less power draw than ever before. That means more processing power for every sonic nuance with less power consumption on your pedal board.