Hot off the bench from Strymon, their latest Volante Magnetic Echo Machine. Three Magnetic Delay Types, Spring Reverb, Looper, and More all in one pedal. This will replace 2-3 pedals on my main pedalboard. Volante features a magnetic drum echo, tape echo, and reel-to-reel studio echo, Volante is a stereo multi-head delay that also offers a looper and vintage spring reverb, with powerful sound-sculpting controls for limitless sonic possibilities. Some will call it a Strymon El Capistan on steroids. That its a good description, but sells the Volante short.

This pedal has the sounds of a Binson Echorec, Roland Space Echo, Maestro Echoplex EP3, Studio Tape Decks and a Spring Reverb all in a trouble free digital box with completely analog dry path.

Built with the live performance in mind the Strymon Volante features 8 x Preset Locations and a nice control layout for less deep editing needed as compared to the El Capistan. Also there is full midi control.

The Strymon Volante will replace my Strymon El Capistan, DECO, FLINT and an external Favorite Switch from my main pedalboard. I will save some space for sure.

In a typical digital effect the dry signal gets converted to digital, causing conversion noise and latency. Signals are often attenuated before combining digital dry and wet, with makeup gain amplifying the conversion noise. To avoid this, we’ve equipped Volante with a completely analog dry path, featuring all-analog, ultra low noise, discrete, class-A stereo JFET preamps. Volante is truly a studio-quality effect.

Four playback heads with individual control
Each of Volante’s four playback heads can be set for full volume, half volume, or off. And independent of playback level, you can switch each head in or out of the feedback circuit — you can even switch heads into the feedback circuit that aren’t activated for playback. You can also pan each head individually. Guitarists here at Sweetwater have had a blast crafting interesting, complex rhythmic patterns, unique atmospheric textures, and interesting psychoacoustic stereo images with Volante.

Create loops and electrifying special effects
You can use Volante to create loops — with a magnetic personality. These loops degrade and evolve, and you can play them in reverse with a tap of your foot. Pause them for a mechanical tape stop effect, or change their speed. Or if you really want to bring on sonic Armageddon, press and hold a footswitch to unleash classic psychedelic delay feedback. With a bit of experimentation, Volante can yield rich, hypnotic, unpredictable — but musically rewarding — results.

Variable head spacing yields interesting rhythmic repeats
Vintage multi-head tape machines could be a bit finicky. Their heads weren’t always evenly spaced, which led to all kinds of interesting sonic interactions when multiple heads were set to repeat. Volante takes this into account with a Spacing control that’s adjustable between Even, Triplet, Golden Ratio (for dense, non-overlapping echoes), and Silver Ratio (for non-overlapping repeats biased toward the quarter note). And the Spacing control is continuously variable, allowing you to morph between its settings in real time.

Add dimension with an independent spring reverb
Like many classic tape echo machines, Volante includes an independent spring reverb, allowing you to add dimension to your playing while imparting a gorgeous, gentle character. Volante’s spring reverb infuses your tone with an inimitable vintage vibe while enhancing your delayed signals.

Strymon Volante Magnetic Echo Machine Pedal Features:

  • Digital delay pedal that re-creates the full gamut of analog-style echoes
  • 3 magnetic delay types: magnetic drum echo, tape echo, and reel-to-reel studio echo
  • 4 playback heads with individual control over level, feedback, and panning
  • 3 echo machine speeds exhibit an interesting range of effects
  • Magnetic record head saturation yields warm, luscious delay signals
  • Looper with reverse, tape stop, and speed change effects
  • Variable head spacing creates interesting sonic interactions
  • Produce sonic cacophony with self-oscillating feedback loops
  • Dedicated spring reverb adds dimension to your playing
  • Tap tempo footswitch lets you set tempo on the fly
  • Provides instant access to 8 presets with up to 300 available via MIDI
  • Expression pedal input for instantaneous, continuous control
  • Instrument/line-level capabilities make it equally at home on your pedalboard or in the studio
  • Selectable true bypass/analog buffered bypass switching