Strymon El Capistan dTape Echo Delay

The Strymon El Capistan dTape Echo is a delay pedal that emulates vintage tape echo machines, built by Strymon. It first appeared in 2010¹ and, in its second generation, provides three different tape machine types in one pedal, along with spring reverb and a sound on sound looper². Strymon describes it as capturing "the iconic sound of vintage tape delay with all its subtle movement, warmth and musical imperfections"³.

Despite the tape echo character, the pedal is digital. Premier Guitar's review describes it as showing "Strymon's prowess in crafting analog-inspired sounds using DSP (digital signal processing) technology"⁴, and That Pedal Show calls it "one of the world's most loved and widely used digital tape echo emulation pedals"⁵.

What dTape means

dTape is the name of Strymon's tape echo algorithm, the DSP engine the El Capistan is built on. The pedal was first introduced in 2010 in its original version¹⁸, and Strymon's technical white paper on dTape opens: "Soon we will be releasing our El Capistan dTape™ Echo."⁸

The algorithm is not exclusive to this pedal. Strymon's own delay buying guide lists the pedals that use or include dTape⁹:

• Strymon TimeLine
• El Capistan
• Strymon Volante
• Strymon Deco⁹

Strymon says the El Capistan "recreates the mechanics and subtleties of vintage tape echo machines"³, and a Strymon support article calls it "a go-to delay pedal for those seeking vintage mojo with the convenience of modern engineering"¹⁰.

Controls, modes and tap tempo

The V2 carries six knobs, Time, Wow & Flutter, Tape Age, Repeats, Spring and Mix, plus a 3-way mode switch and a 3-way tape head switch¹. The Time knob's behavior depends on the tape machine type: in the fixed head machine, it varies the tape speed while the playback head stays fixed in position⁶.

The fixed head machine offers three modes, each with its own tap division²¹¹:

Tap tempo is onboard. The Tap footswitch sets the delay time when you tap quarter notes, and the TAP LED flashes to indicate the tempo⁶. Gearnews notes that the pedal "also includes a dedicated tap delay footswitch to set the tempo"¹². One limitation: Strymon states plainly that "Neither El Capistan nor Brigadier support the use of an external TAP tempo switch"¹³. On V2, the EXP/MIDI jack can be configured in Tap mode, indicated by a red LED, to set the master delay time via tap tempo using a Strymon MiniSwitch¹⁴.

Infinite repeats

Holding the Tap footswitch gives infinite repeats. This dates back to the original 2010 press release, which listed "Press and hold Tap for instant infinite repeats" among the pedal's features¹⁵, and Strymon's preset write-ups describe it in use: "I play the progression while occasionally holding down the Tap Footswitch for infinite repeats"¹⁶. A retailer listing of V2 adds that turning up the repeats gives "organic delay feedback with just the right amount of grit"¹⁷.

The pedal also has secondary functions on its knobs. The Tape Age knob doubles as a Low End Contour control, shaping the low frequencies of the echo repeats from extended low frequency bandwidth at far left to high-passed delays at far right¹⁰.

Versions: the original and V2

The original El Capistan, introduced in 2010¹, is discontinued: Strymon's product page for it carries a discontinued notice⁶, and the mono input version is likewise described as discontinued¹⁸. A Midnight Edition in black was also offered, described by Guitar.com as "a digital tape echo"¹⁹.

El Capistan V2 is the current version. Strymon says the second generation "keeps the same rich magnetic tape echo tones from our original and adds significant new features"², and in more detail: "With El Capistan V2, we preserved the original sound and functions while updating the user interface for expanded I/O"⁷. Delicious Audio describes V2 as "a lush stereo emulation of a vintage Tape Echo device"¹¹.

What reviewers said

Reviews across the pedal's life have been consistent. Pedal of the Day wrote in 2016 that "this is absolutely one of our favorites that they produce. The El Capistan is a dTape Echo Delay, emulating the sounds" of classic tape echo machines²⁰. Premier Guitar's verdict framed the buy/skip decision directly: buy it if "you want one of the finest tape delay emulators on the market today," skip it if only an original tape delay will do⁴.

Guitar.com reviewed V2 in 2023 and rated it 9, concluding that "The El Capistan has become a benchmark for authentic tape echo sounds, and V2 offers subtle enhancements that, while probably not worth an upgrade from V1, keep it at the very top of the pile"²¹. Guitar World's Chris Gill, reviewing V2 alongside the bluesky reverberator, noted the pedal was "first introduced way back in 2010"¹, and in a later review of the Strymon Volante wrote that the El Capistan "proved that digital technology could accurately replicate classic tape echo effects - quirks, imperfections and all"²².

That Pedal Show compared the V2 against the V1, a Roland RE-201 and a Fender Space Delay, framing it as one of the most widely used digital tape echo emulations⁵.

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