i don't know why i'm watching this! i've been losing sleep for the last month over my decision between the volante and the El cap, and now i also want the brigadier!
@@benjaminjacob6716 Haha! i decided to go for the Volante simply because one showed up used but in new condition for 230 (and the el cap goes for around 200 used). One thing i will say i hardly ever touch the left hand side of the Volante pedal. Once i have the pre vol set and wear then theres no need to. The "mechanics" can be a bit unnecessary for 99% of delay situation (for me anyway) and the low cut is a nice addition. i don't see much difference between the types of tape delay either so in reality i probably should have got the el cap for tone, but just got a bit lucky with the price of an opened new Volante (i knew i could sell it on for more than what i bought it for). Go for the El Cap, or if you are anything like me and wont be happy till you get the apparently best try a Volante but check the used market. i personally knew El cap was more for me but got greedy. Hope this helps!
0:00 - Quick audition between all pedals 0:48 - Talking about differences in features 3:30 - Looping maximum times 3:58 - What's this pedal best at: Brigadier 6:01 - What's this pedal best at: El Capistan 7:46 - What's this pedal best at: DIG 9:51 - What's this pedal best at: Timeline 12:35 - What's this pedal best at: Volante 15:31 - Volante vs. El Capistan 16:37 - Timeline = 90% solution 17:31 - Timeline replicating El Capistan 18:22 - Timeline replicating Brigadier 18:52 - Timeline replicating DIG 19:45 - Which pedal you should get according to your needs (wrap up) 22:14 - My special gift to you
I got one recently -- thanks to Antoine's previous video -- and it's great, nicely complementing the El Cap and others. The long delay and modulation are real attractions, and you can get one used for around $200.
Great video! Best comparison I've seen and one that brings out the great features of all the pedals. It will be a time saver for many looking to make a decision. Wish I had it a few months back before I got my Volante. Not that I would have bought something else, but it would have saved me days if not weeks. I ended up buying the Volante as I found it to be the most "historically rich" peddal of them all mixed in with some modern features like midi and expression peddal support. For me it's the best mix between present and past. I find the Volante brings back features lost in time. Those features from the old tape and drum units that would be lost in the more compact and reliable units to come. Features such as the low fidelity of the drum delay and the multiple heads of the early magnetic units. The Volante can go from low fidelity drum to hifi studio tape. Mechanical wear can be simulated and the spacing knob is just a killer feature that allows head spacing to be adjusted for infinite rhythmic options. Oh and the record heads can be panned individually left or right and that just makes for a killer effect. It blew everything else right out of the water when I heard it and you should really include that in your video. It's worth the trouble of a stereo path and recording. That being said I'd like to point out that the Volante has 300 presets. Eight can be accessed through the buttons and the rest through MIDI. The support for MIDI opens a world of opportunities in regards to configuration on stage.
I had both the volante and the el cap and kept the volante. You can get it to make those warm sounds if you mess with the rec level and other controls.
Had the Brigadier & Dig at one point. Sold the Dig to get a Boss DD500, and kept the Brigadier which causes lust and envy from my guitar buddies. It’s such an underrated pedal that has so much life on the repeats. One of my favourite settings makes it sound like a pad underneath my guitar tone!
I do agree with you, Antoine, on the learning curve of the Timeline. I bought one within the last couple months. It is slightly frustrating to grasp, but once you get it, it’s fine. I just find that for the ambient stuff that I play regularly, the Timeline (due to sounds and presets) is worth the investment. At $450 USD, it is exactly that: an investment.
What a great lesson Antoine! Thanks for sharing all of that information on each of these pedals. There really are a lot of different choices and they are all good depending on what style of music you play. Great tips by the Master of Ambient Guitar!!!
Great comparison/demo.... To my ears, the El Capistan sounds the richest and most interesting delay.. I've got two of them plus the DIG and Volante...Strymon make superb delays....
Do you find you use one or the other more? I'm weighing up getting Timeline to cover "everything" or just getting the sound I love the most - the El Cap.
Man I have the timeline because I need the reverse and digital delays but the el cap I can’t quite match. I did match my boss Waza bucket completely as well my boss digital but the el cap I miss something even using the flint spring. That said I really need the variety of the timeline and the ability to save patches and set bpms . If money wasn’t an issue I would have kept the el cap and the Avalanche Run but I gotta sell anything I don’t have on my board and the timeline is the best all around that I’ve encountered. I had the new line 6 Dl4 and returned it within a week.
Thank you for a great comparison! I’ve used the timeline since it was released… It does everything I need and a lot more. The presets are a winner. There are only a couple of pedals which compete well with the timeline. Thanks again for a great review!
I debated between the El Cap and the Volante for a while. Ended up with the Volante because of the looper, but honestly I feel as though it's complete overkill as I literally use it for slapback and looping, with guitar and nothing else! That being said, it's only £100 more than the El Cap and to me does a hell of a lot more (fleshed out looper, 2 more delay types, infinitely more rhythmic possibilites, built in favourite switch). I use software delays everywhere when recording, so it will be fun to put it through it's paces in a recording environment, especially with drums.
yeah I actually bought the El Capistan today just because of you! Better video explaining what you get with these delay pedals doesn't exist on RU-vid. Have a great summer :D
Great review!! Well done explaining differences. Crazy how one could be happy owning just one or all of them and not feel like they overlap each other. Use to Iove reverb the most, but found out I love delay more. Can never have enough!!!
Really good review and summary. Judging by the boomerang ii Looper peeking out top left I'd say you're something of a connoisseur of loop and delay pedals.
Highly detailed and focused comparisons. I can't even think of a question to ask for choosing one or more pedals as all my questions were answered. I have the El Capistan and have been wanting to get the timeline as well. I'm still juggling on whether to get the Volante or not. I think it's great using more than one delay. Thanks again Antoine.
This video really drives home how much better the small boxes sound than the Timeline, at least to my ear. And then, other than the reverse mode, most of the other Timeline modes are like substitutes for a delay with an FX loop - I’d rather use one of those with my favorite bitcrusher, for instance, rather than the bitcrush delay on the Timeline.
Agreed. I have a Timeline and I really like it, but after hearing Strymon's other delay pedals side by side, I realize that it's definitely not the warmest sounding of the bunch. I may sell and get a Volante or El Cap.
I found them to be night and day in the store. Found it hard to believe how many people were happy and using the timeline. Timeline is a nice unit, but if your a snob grab the el cap.
Thanks for this. I recently bought the DIG, and I love it, but really interested in the El Capistan...just a great sound. Great demo of these fine pedals.
Thanks for the comparison! This helped me a lot in deciding what to get. I play keys and synths so I mights go with Timline or Volante. I like DIG the best out of the smaller pedals.
Timeline clearly stood out in the first round... Lol... I've been running a DD500 into my Timeline for years and will never get to the end of the creative possibilities...
For me most delay pedals used like this are for ambient or film scores. In a band situation I found the El Capistan to be more musical. Using them like this is fun when you are noodling alone but when do we hear that much exaggerated delay in music? It exists but rarely.
Very nice video one of the best comparison videos. As for the el capistan can be set pretty clean if set the tape age to nil. And wow and flutter all the way left secondary bias function all the way to left.
Great video but 2 points. Anyone considering everything Strymon should also know about the Deco. I felt the best features of the Dig were overlooked, how the dual delays interact (or not). I also still don't yet know if the TimeLine or Volante have any dual delay capabilities.
I have the Bigsky, and I find it to be very intense. I play ambient music, and I tend to set the Bigsky up with a subtle long reverb at the end of the chain, and then stack my delays for the wash and swell sounds as delays are less complex and tend to be cleaner. I started out being more into reverb than delay, but now I'm the other way around.
I'd rather have the 3 small pedals than either of the 2 big ones. Presets on delays are overrated. If you get familiar with your delays the convenience of presets will shrink in comparison with tone. Cool demo.
He talks about the "warmth" of the El Capistan, but the primary tone (dry) seems to have trebles attenuated as much as the echoes. That leads me to think that the tonal range of the El Cap is skewed to the bass, relative to the more trebly tonal range overall of the Volante.
