Strymon Deco

The Strymon Deco is a digital pedal that recreates what recording engineers did with two reel-to-reel tape decks in the late 1950s and early 1960s: saturating tape for compression and warmth, and running a second, delayed deck against the first for flanging, chorus, slapback echo and doubletracking¹². Strymon describes it as capturing "the lost art of creating effects with dual reel-to-reel tape decks"³. It is built around two virtual decks, a Reference Deck and a Lag Deck, and the signal path runs input into Tape Saturation first, then into the Doubletracker⁴.

The pedal is in production as the Deco V2, designed and built in the USA, in an anodized silver aluminum chassis¹.

What it does: tape saturation and doubletracking

Deco has two independent halves, each with its own footswitch¹³. The Tape Saturation side smooths the sound with tape compression and saturation while adding what Strymon calls a subtle tape-driven transparent overdrive¹. The Doubletracker side is where the two-deck trickery happens: the Lag Time knob sets the delay offset between the decks, and its range maps directly onto the classic tape effects¹.

The controls follow the same studio logic¹:

Pressing and holding the Doubletracker On footswitch engages Auto-Flange, a through-zero flange effect of the kind engineers got by dragging a finger on a tape reel¹. The Wobble knob also doubles as the access point for Wide Stereo Mode's Live Edit function, and Lag Time accesses Auto-Flange Time¹.

Strymon's white paper, written by designer Pete Celi, documents the study of reel-to-reel tape recording behind the pedal's sounds and technology⁵. Premier Guitar's reviewer placed its lineage squarely in the studio: "Deco's repertoire is limited to the tape-based effects you might have obtained in a late-1950s recording studio"². Because it accepts input levels as high as +8 dB, it also works as a line-level studio effect, and Strymon has used it with vocals²⁵.

Power, stereo and MIDI connections

Deco V2 runs on 9V DC, center negative, with a minimum of 300mA, and the power supply is not included¹. That current draw rules out a battery and is worth checking against a small daisy-chain supply before you build around it.

The pedal is true stereo except in Wide Stereo and Bounce modes¹⁴. Wide Stereo Mode sends the mono input through the Reference Deck to the left channel and through the delayed Lag Deck to the right, creating an adjustable stereo spread; in Bounce mode the Lag Deck's right channel is phase-inverted and bounced to the left input for a ping-pong-like effect¹¹⁴. The single TRS input jack takes a stereo signal with a TRS adapter cable, and the rear-panel switch selects TRS stereo or standard TS mono input¹¹⁴.

The EXP/MIDI jack is multifunctional: a standard TRS expression pedal gives continuous control over the knobs, and it also accepts Strymon's MiniSwitch, MultiSwitch Plus (for recalling up to 3 saved presets), or a TRS MIDI connection¹¹⁵. Full MIDI implementation means nearly every switch, knob and setting can be controlled remotely, the Lag Deck can be synchronized via MIDI Clock Sync, and there are 300 MIDI preset locations¹. A USB-C jack on the back handles MIDI from a computer and firmware updates¹¹¹. For connecting a MIDI switcher or controller, Strymon recommends its MIDI EXP cable or Conduit¹⁵.

Bypass modes and setup options

From the factory, Deco is set to true bypass, with the option of buffered bypass¹⁰. Buffered bypass preserves the high-frequency response of the guitar signal through the pedal chain and long cable runs¹⁰. One detail worth knowing: connecting a cable into the right output jack automatically sets the bypass mode to buffered¹⁰.

To change the bypass mode¹⁰:

1. Press and hold the Doubletracker On footswitch while powering up Deco.
2. Once both LEDs flash, release the footswitch.
3. Turn the Lag Time knob to choose the mode: green Doubletracker On LED is True Bypass, red is Buffered Bypass.
4. Press either footswitch to store the mode.

The EXP/MIDI jack can also be configured for Tap mode, so an external tap switch sets the Lag Time¹⁶. The subdivision is fixed at an eighth note: you tap in quarter notes and the Deco returns eighth-note repeats¹⁷. Alternatively, the jack can be set up so the switch works as a Favorite preset selector, with setup detailed on page 7 of the Deco user manual¹⁸.

Deco and Deco V2: what changed

The V2, released in 2022 alongside updated versions of the blueSky, DIG, El Capistan, Flint and Lex¹¹⁹²⁰, keeps the original's reel-to-reel sounds while adding several features¹:

• Studio Mode: 10dB of added headroom, so the pedal works with bass guitars with active pickups, synthesizers, keyboards and effects loops¹
• Cassette voicing: a switchable cassette tape voice in addition to the classic reel-to-reel mode²¹
• MIDI and presets: TRS MIDI jack, USB-C, and 300 preset locations¹¹¹
• New hardware: a more powerful ARM processor that consumes less energy, and full stereo inputs and outputs with the rear-panel Mono/Stereo switch¹¹

Strymon states plainly that the V2 features cannot be added to an older Deco: the electronic and mechanical designs are different and the hardware is not interchangeable²². Firmware updates continue, with the current release at REV v1.33 (November 2024)²³; a November 2023 update fixed a loud volume burst when sweeping the Saturation knob from maximum to minimum²⁴.

What reviewers and players made of it

Premier Guitar's reviewer was blunt in praise: "Deco isn't just a nice emulation, it sounds like a frickin' tape machine!"². MusicRadar's Chris Vinnicombe found it "emulates a great range of analogue studio effects very well. Can be used as outboard gear," wrapping them up in a smart brushed-metal enclosure²⁵. Guitar.com's Josh Gardner noted the new cassette voicing on V2²¹. In 2016, Deco won Best Guitar Effect at the 17th Musikmesse International Press Awards²⁶.

Players have put it to varied uses. Ethan Tufts runs Deco last in his chain to treat delays and reverbs with subtle tape saturation, stereo widening and tape-style modulation, with Tape Saturation around 9am, Bounce mode, Blend fully clockwise and Wobble around 2pm²⁷. The band Kauan recorded the entire bass chain of their album Kaiho with just a DI and a Deco²⁸.

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