Strymon DIG

The Strymon DIG is a dual digital delay pedal from Strymon: two simultaneous, integrated delay lines in one compact, pedalboard-friendly box, voiced on the rack-mount digital delays of the 1980s¹. Strymon describes it as unearthing "the true soul of digital delay and doubles it," with two synchronized delay lines, selectable subdivisions and three delay voicings that let you dial in rhythmic patterns quickly²³.

The idea behind the pedal is a tribute to a specific era. Rack-mount digital delays of the '80s ushered in a new era of audio effects, and the DIG brings those conversion methods to a pedal, from dazzling '80s echoes to pristine modern delay tones³¹. Delicious Audio calls it "an homage to the digital rack delays of the '80s"⁴. The original DIG is discontinued; the second generation, the DIG V2, was released in 2022 and is in stock¹⁴².

Two delays, three voicings

The DIG runs two delay lines at once. Delay 1 is the master: its Time knob sets the delay time from 20ms to 1.6s, or 40ms to 3.2s with the Half Note subdivision, and it acts as the master time control for both delays¹. Delay 2 is a rhythmic sub-delay whose Time 2 knob sets the subdivision relationship between the two, so a single tap tempo setting produces two interlocking rhythms²¹.

The Type knob chooses between three delay conversion voicings, each modeled on a different era of digital technology²¹:

Premier Guitar's reviewer found the 12-bit mode especially characterful, noting that "repeats are grainier, warm, almost analog- or plate-like, thanks to the 12-bit voicing (state of the art in the early '80s)"⁵.

Other sound-shaping controls include a Mod knob with three levels of delay line modulation (Off, Light, Deep), a Tone knob that sets the feedback filter response (left for high cut, right for low cut, flat at 12 o'clock), and independent Mix knobs for each delay, with 3 o'clock giving a 50/50 mix². The V2 also adds a Free Mode secondary function that disables time sync and subdivisions between the two delays, giving the Time 2 knob the full 20ms to 1.6s range as an independent free-running delay²⁴.

Series, parallel and ping pong routing

The two delays can be combined in three configurations, accessed by holding the TAP and BYPASS footswitches and turning the Mix 2 knob⁶⁷:

• Series (knob at 9:00): Delay 2, the rhythmic sub-delay, feeds Delay 1. Strymon's technical analysis describes this as equivalent to two single delay pedals in succession, with a mono input feeding both left and right channels⁸.
• Ping Pong (knob at 12:00): still a series connection, but the repeats bounce between the left and right outputs in stereo. With a mono output signal it behaves the same as Series. In stereo, each delay acts as a ping-pong delay, and they interact when both Mix knobs are turned up⁸. A November 2023 firmware update changed the V2's Ping Pong mode so it functions like the V1 pedal⁹.
• Parallel (knob at 3:00): the delays are independent and run at the same time without interacting. In stereo, Delay 1 outputs to the left channel and Delay 2 to the right; if the right output is unused, the wet signal sums to mono so both delays are heard from the left output⁸.

The Golden Ratio setting

One subdivision unique to the DIG is the Golden Ratio tap division, which Strymon says is not available on the TimeLine and "provides delays that will never step on the repeats for ambient sounds with long trails"¹⁰. Premier Guitar's reviewer put it more vividly: the setting "generates echoes that decay in a logarithmic spiral," creating very spacious reverberation⁵. In a Strymon demo video, Ethan Tufts combined the Golden Ratio subdivision with a very high Repeats setting and a Dotted Eighth subdivision, giving the delay "a distinctly reverb-like quality"⁶.

Controls, bypass and secondary functions

The front panel keeps things simple: Time, Repeats, Tone, Mod, Type and Mix for Delay 1, plus Time 2 and Mix 2 for Delay 2, and TAP and On/Off footswitches²¹. The TAP footswitch sets the master delay time, with its LED flashing red at the tempo, and holding it engages Circular Repeats, which infinitely repeat the delays without increasing in volume or dynamics for as long as TAP is held²⁶.

Several secondary functions live behind the knobs, accessed by holding both footswitches⁸:

• Delay 1 Subdivision (Time knob): changes the default tap subdivision, from Dotted Eighth fully counterclockwise, Quarter note at noon, to Half note fully clockwise.
• Delay 2 Repeats (Repeats knob): independently controls Delay 2's repeats; fully clockwise is the default Track Repeats setting where both delays' repeats are tied together.
• Kill Dry (Time knob at power up): kills the dry signal, useful in routing such as a parallel effects loop.

Bypass is selectable. From the factory the DIG is set to true bypass, an electromechanical relay switched connection that leaves the signal 100 percent untouched when the pedal is off; it can be set to buffered bypass, which preserves high frequency response through long pedal chains and cable runs²¹¹. Connecting a cable into the right output jack automatically sets the bypass mode to buffered bypass¹¹. Trails work only in buffered bypass: the wet signal's decay naturally fades out after the pedal is bypassed, enabled by holding the BYPASS footswitch while connecting power⁸.

The input stage is a high impedance, ultra-low noise discrete Class A JFET preamp, and an input level mode adds 10dB of headroom for line level sources such as keyboards, synthesizers, basses with active pickups and effects loops²¹².

Power and connections

The DIG V2 runs on a 9V DC center negative supply rated 300mA minimum, and the supply is not included². The original DIG drew 250mA minimum and shipped with its power supply included¹. There is no battery option¹³. The V2's ARM processor has more power and consumes less energy than previous iterations, according to Premier Guitar's news coverage¹⁴.

Connections on the V2²¹⁵:

• Input: single TRS jack, high impedance Class A JFET, with a rear panel switch for mono or stereo input type; output is stereo in both cases.
• Outputs: low impedance independent TS stereo outputs; use Out L for mono.
• EXP/MIDI jack: multifunction jack for a TRS expression pedal (continuous control over the knobs), an external tap switch, a Favorite switch, or MIDI.
• USB-C: computer connection for controlling via MIDI and firmware updates.

The EXP/MIDI jack has four modes, selected by holding the TAP footswitch while powering up: Expression Pedal (green, the default), Favorite (amber, recalling a Favorite setting with a Strymon MiniSwitch), Tap (red, setting master delay time with a MiniSwitch), and MIDI (blue, selecting three presets with a Strymon MultiSwitch Plus)¹⁶. Full MIDI functionality is also available by sending MIDI Program Change messages via a 1/4 inch TRS MIDI connection using a Strymon Conduit or MIDI EXP cable, or via USB from a host device¹⁵¹⁰. In MIDI mode, 300 preset locations are available, and the currently loaded settings can be saved to any of them at any time¹⁷²⁴.

Firmware updates are done by downloading Strymon's Update software, connecting the powered pedal to a computer with a USB-C cable, and clicking Check for Updates, then Install Update¹⁸. The current V2 firmware release is REV v1.26, released November 2024¹⁹.

History and versions

Strymon announced the DIG as part of a line of six new pedals, and the original pedal is now discontinued, with Strymon's brochure page carrying a discontinued product note¹²⁰. The DIG is also available as a plugin, bringing the rack delay sounds to a DAW³.

The second generation arrived in 2022. Delicious Audio reports that "V2, released in 2022, adds a Tone knob and several upgrades to the circuit"⁴. Strymon says the V2 "keeps the same distinctive rack-mount digital delay tones from our original and adds significant new features," including the new ARM processor, a TRS MIDI jack for bidirectional MIDI communication with MIDI clock sync, full stereo inputs and outputs with a rear panel Mono/Stereo switch, and onboard storage for up to 300 presets¹⁴²⁰. The updated pedals became available directly from Strymon and a select group of dealers worldwide¹⁴.

A Midnight Edition of the DIG was also produced as a limited finish²².

What reviewers said

Premier Guitar's reviewer concluded that although the DIG delivers the best of '80s rack-unit sounds and functionality, "it feels as timeless and potent as any echo unit out there" when used judiciously⁵. MusicRadar's Trevor Curwen rated its build quality, features and value for money as fantastic, with none to avoid, calling it a wise investment for spacey ambient sounds²³. Guitar.com's Richard Purvis noted the included 9V power supply and the absence of battery power in the original review¹³.

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