Honestly I'm just excited to be able to sync everything to Reaper's tempo. Seems really efficient for studio use. I also like the addition of the spring knob on El Capistan. The Deco also added a cassette emulation and tone knob which is killer for some hyper compressed emo rhythm playing. Strymon is just holding it down in terms of quality 🤙
What a treat! This is the most focused, organized and relevantly detailed RU-vid video I believe I have ever viewed. You spoke for 80 minutes without straying from your topic. Bravo! And thank you for sharing/highlighting how much more accessible the presets/parameters of pedals are with MIDI. Like you, with my MC8 MIDI controller I rarely need to touch my pedals. I bought an El Cap about a month before the V2 came out (I resisted because it didn't have MIDI and I have a Timeline.) It's currently the only non-MIDI capable pedal on my board. But that's going to change, soon! Your video just cost me $380. But, thanks to you, I won't need to face the dreaded "buyers remorse." Thank you!
My favourite ambient effects combo before I went to a Quad Cortex would absolutely be the EL Cap and DIG. Covered everything and tbh nothing else sounded better (also owned a Timeline 2 separate times).
Nothing on earth rivals the El Cap's voicing and modulation. I've had the Stryfecta, Specular Tempus, Volante, DD-500, and a bunch of others and there is no equal to having the perfection that is the El Cap as your base layer.
I'd say the new JFET preamp and ARM processor chip does indeed make a difference. Also the v2 seems to have capacity for louder wet signal/ delay volume, which I think is great personally, for wet long dub style echos
Mark - just found your channel. Thanks for putting the time into this video. The sounds you're getting are great. I'm going to try the 1981. I've been trying to get along with a BB Preamp for a long time and it's just not the sound I'm looking for. I recently sold an MPX-1 (Lexicon rack unit) that I was using through the loop of my amp for the last 10 years for reverb. I'm now committed to finding a reverb pedal. I already own the El Capistan. What would you suggest for a reverb to go with the El Cap? I'm not into crazy reverbs, so I'm leaning towards the Flint v2 based on this video. On the MPX-1, I only used 1-2 settings anyway, so simple is fine. Thanks!
Great review of new pedals. I have the Dig v1 and didn’t realize it has the secondary filter high cut, low cut and flat in the Dig. I have the Blue Sky and Dig on a non midi board, so I’m a keeper of my V1’s. Great tones as always.
Definitely the El Capistan and Flint for me!! the sounds you got out of them are pretty much what I would use and more. Thank you for showing the midi implementation. is there a video you have about the midi setup and actual programming with the pedals? Thank you so much!
I have the Volante, but I'm thinking of selling that, and getting the new El Capistan. The Volante is more than I need. I have the Nightsky, so I don't think I need the Big Sky. Thanks for this.
At $380 they’ve moved into boutique pricing, which is unfortunate considering these pedals are a decade old and really aren’t adding much more than a secondary knob and midi, the latter of which should have been added years ago at the old pricing. I’m sure they’ll sell a ton of these pedals, but I’m just not as interested in these as I expected to be.
Actually the new processor chips and JFET preamps are pretty sweet additions. Means better sound coming into the pedal to be processed, *and* better processed sound going out of the pedal. With less power consumption :)
Yeah, I'm only interested in the JFET feature. I asked about it on a Strymon channel video. They said it's more of a "feel thing". I can't justify replacing my V1s yet.
@@Whizzinby777 Having both v1 and v2 and not letting go of any of them, I can say that there is an improvement, but probably not significant to everyone. To me it is, but I use very wet/loud and long dub delays and far from everyone does that
Midi alone is worth it. I have a Dig V2 and blue Sky and being able to tuck them away on the top of my pedal board and just use my Morning star controller for them, my Golden Boy and my Tricerachrous is a HUGE help with pedal board space. Edit: I'm pissed they dont' have a V2 version of the Ola (hence the Tricera)
To be honest, I was in awe of some of the demos for Strymon, but decided they were too expensive. I finally stumped up and bought the Ultraviolet pedal, it packed up in under 12 uses. The company I bought it from (GAK) were extremely helpful, took it back and got it fixed, but now, I can't bring myself to trust the quality anymore. I mean, for the ridiculous prices Strymon charge, they should have a better QA system, it's almost as bad a Gibson for poor quality imho.
@@markjohnstonofficial would you ever consider doing videos about your midi programming? You’ve done some cool stuff with the sound on sound looper and I think a lot of people find midi programming quite challenging
Love the V2 DIG. But why have MIDI and MIDI Time Clock if changing presets makes this ramping up/down sound ala analog delay plus completely cut off delay signal. Unusable to change presets in a song live. Anyone know a workaround this problem?
They are way too expensive. A flint always used to cost 330 Euros. I don't get why I shal pay 80 Euros more for those simple upgrades... I really dig that they added a mono stereo switch at its back and I really missed that one in the past BUT.... A flint still ain't wort over 400 euros. Mate, add a few more bucks and you have a bigsky. Of course a flint may be the exception because it is so unique and the 80s hall is truly one of a kind, so here I see the argument. However, a bluesky is clearly very very subpar to a bigsky or other pedals. How does it come that now a bluesky is more expensive than a meris mercury 7 or AN IMMERSE MK2 - which you cannot be better than an immerse MK2 regarding classic verbs. On the flipside, add 60 more bucks and you got yourself a Source Audio collider. Delay and verb in 1 BUT the verbs are quite more versatile and soooo good sounding. Same goes for the dig, but I can see the argument, that a dig is just everything one needs in terms of verb and it is truly amazing. On the other hand, add 25 Euros and you have yourself a TIMELINE which delivers anything the Dig can do plus so much more. In terms of easy to use, I don't let that argument count because you can set up an easy digital delay on a timeline without menu diving and very fast. For the El Cap, this is the exception, as its modulation and immitation of tape delays goes beyond what a timeline can do.... In terms of how good el cap is and since, if you use stereo, you need the flip, I think there the upgrade is necessary but the new price is annoying. And again, here you can add 30 more bucks and you got yourself a VOLANTE. My god, the Volante is breath taking, it is so creative, so much fun and the highest quality sounding delay I have ever heard. Does still not have as good of a tape modulation as the el cap but still it is absolutely awesome. So, yes the V2 pedals are an absolutely awesome idea but they MUST cost the same as the v1 versions to be worth it. I would say, sack the v1 versions and put out the v2s for the old prices, maybe 10 bucks more, so max 340 euros.
Nice, I have always really liked the sound of the Capistan but since I only use pedals with synths and make electronic music the lack of midi clock sync kept me away from it, now I am really considering it.
I don’t know about that latter claim but i would be surprised if it was the case. Absolutely do not think the old version of a digital tape delay has “more mojo” though.
@@markjohnstonofficial Thanks for the answer Mark. I think I’ll take a chance on the V2 then, also in the U.K. on reverb the V1 secondhand isn’t that much cheaper than a new V2 which is pretty crazy. Thanks again
Baum!! I love their designs. Please do a video review of them sometime if you haven’t already. Would love your thoughts. Because I couldn’t find one to try, I opted for the new Harmony Silhouette Bigsby instead.
Just found this channel. Subbed. Your demos are very well done. The video looks well produced, the sound is level and crisp, and the demo makes sense - a good balance of playing and speaking about the product.
Having 7 Strymon pedals v1,im only tempted for another Deco V2 to put only for Mastering purposes,the other one v1 will stay at the end of my recording chain.
I've went through this videos, skipping some pedals and focusing on others and then a few months will go by, Al cap v2 in hand, and wonder about the blue sky, had that for a bit, but now I'm like hey what about the flint? It's the video that keeps on giving.
sheesh... have a v1 el cap which is a few years old - which I will keep. I have a v1 deco which I bought like 10 months ago. I would replace it - but they haven't done anything with the line level v hi-z input where you have to unplug and plug back in while holding down 2 buttons and then twist a knob. Adding a jumper would have really killed them.
Did they upgrade the durability? I've always wanted a DIG but have heard so many negative things about them crapping out on people. The DIG has probably the worst reputation for that of any of their pedals
So what happens when everything is wired up stereo with the version 1 El cap, but i run in mono, not changing the internal jumper to mono? I’ve been doing this for ages 😅 I’m always flipping between a stereo and mono rig but have left the TRS thing in stereo the whole time. 🤔 I didn’t think this would be an issue as the delays don’t pan/ping-pong in stereo. Thanks so much in advance!
Hey Mark. Great video! I know you put it out a while ago, but I was curious if there was still carryover on the favorite setting of the BlueSky without using midi? Thanks!
Great. Everything clear now in terms of what they changed, added. Basically, it is worth upgrading for midi users. For non midi users, I don't know, maybe with Blue Sky. Will we see a Deco v2 demo, it would be very exciting to see you using it with midi? That one I think really benefits preset and midi functionality, since it does so many things.
I know almost zero about MIDI controllers and would like to be able to utilize something like Morningstar in order to pull off some the sonic tricks you’ve laid out here. I could get a Morningstar but wouldn’t know how to use it. Where do i start in learning how to hook this stuff up and use it?. . or is it just a “get your hands dirty and make all the mistakes possible” sort of thing? I have a fear of buying something like that and have it end up as a boat anchor. LOL. . I’m an old voltage control guy and this MIDI stuff just turns my brain to spaghetti. Thanks.
There are very helpful communities for this sort of stuff. My way was absolutely to get my hands dirty and make mistakes. But that was done with the support of a few friends who knew midi well, and some great groups on facebook and reddit. You're welcome to reach out if you ever need a hand getting started.
I am a troglodyte when it comes to midi, but don't feel the need to use it I use Flint, El capistane, blue sky when I play live, after many years of looking for reverb, Dealey and tremolo. I do not play ambient music, rather a wild strain of Psychedelic Rock and Roll. Previously, I used Boss dd-2, Tr-2 and MXR carbon copy (which are great) I looked at competitors, such as Walrus, Keeley (Hydra) and most of the well-known boutique effects, and they were either too complicated to use or had no stereo function. After extensive comparisons, the most listened to is Strymon, which remains on my board (Flint Capistane). Of course, I am aware that Midi, is great, as this demo wonderfully demonstrated. However, I would have to have a personal assistant to handle the whole mess.😉Greetings to all, especially the author of this beautiful Demo! Mar
Looks like get the hands dirty wins. LOL. . Oh and btw the demo was great. This is the channel i turn to when I want the in depth approach that i seem to need and they are always presented in a clear, logical way. Nice tone and playing.
@@johnduval482 Why these hasty conclusions? I have dirty hands up to my elbows. One does not exclude the other, there are many channels with similar themes. I listened to the same with pleasure. Do not reduce everything, specially art, to technical issues. Music is not a mathematical Olympiad. How deep is your insight into sounds,, structures? Do you measure it in centimeters or degrees Celsius? Cheers
Very nice in-depth video to answer your question I like these petals a lot but they're out of my price range I'm a Frugal guy my pedals usually range between 25 to $60 I have a rake that I built over there it's like a two year period it has distortion Overdrive compression boost delay Reverb vibrato tremolo a Looper and a tuna and it's great I can send you a picture if you like but I really enjoy your videos very educational maybe someday
REALLY great vid. I kinda passed by Strymon pedals, mainly due to cost, but over the last week, I’m a serious future buyer. An investment. Seen another vid on the El Cap, now 1st on my list. I love tape echo.
There is no better tape delay, seriously. When you get the modulation and reverb set just right, it's incredible. Many also don't realize the El Cap can also be used an EQ, chorus, compressor, boost, and overdrive.
Thank you so much for providing so much knowledge on these! I recently pulled my big sky and timeline and put the flint and El Cap on my board. After watching this I've realized I haven't even scratched the surface on the potential of these pedals!
Yeah I understand the why behind it I just disagree with it. I don’t mind that pitch drag and I’d prefer it to losing my delay in its entirety. Clearly it’s not too much of a deal breaker considering I am using the el cap almost full time these days
Nothing approaches the perfection that is having an El Capistan as your base layer. It's hard to imagine improving on perfection, but they seem to have done it.
@@andytylerbell thanks so much by the detail, one question pls, does v2 have the "dark"reverb aesthetic or being a bit cleareras you said ,is the reverb a bit brighter?
@@rickyrollersk8 a touch brighter imo but bringing down the tone knob a bit makes it negligible. The trem side still isn’t analog dry through but has a wider sweep.
@@andytylerbell Thanks so much for the "effect"detail. About the analog dry through, the unprocessed guitar sound ,with the Mix at 0, does it change? a tad brighter too? Im really curious about , thanks in advance!
Mark, I have the Dig v2 and the Morningstar MC6, and I've not been able to get tap tempo to work on it, because the DIG thinks the tap is "latched" and therefore when you tap in a tempo it just does the infinite swirling repeats. I contacted Strymon Support and they told me this was a bug that would be fixed in a firmware update. SO, my question to you - how did you get it to work for you at 24:19? I'd love to know so I can use my MC6 for tap tempo!
Are you trying to send a CC value to the left footswitch to run tap or using the mc6 to just generate a clock? Because the latter worked perfectly fine for me. You just need to configure the control port for midi and set the dig to listen to clock. That was all the set up I needed to do.
Sounds amazing!! I need to try my Dream 65 after my wet effects. Since i got it ive been using it after my gain section, before my wet effects, but sending one output on the Dream to my modulation which then splits to stereo to my delay and reverb. the second output on the Dream sends direct to my interface. For kinda a wet/dry/wet (not traditional wet/dry/wet) which i really enjoy, but really digging your tones and now i want to experiment a bit. That El Capstan and Dig sounds incredible too. Almost makes me want to replace my Timeline with both of them. Not going to, i already have a GAS problem, but man do they sound phenomenal. 😂😭
I don't use a pedal board but I do have a Flint. My amp doesn't have reverb and the Flint is fantastic and it's the only pedal I use. The Blue Sky has grabbed my attention recently as I really dig lush reverb, don't care for delay, and would dig the modulation, pre-delay, and shimmer features that the Flint doesn't have. I may just end up ordering one. I also don't want/wouldn't use the MIDI capability so I might save a few dollars and pick up a V1 EDIT: Picked up a V1 Blue Sky and within 15 minutes went back to the Flint. Simple. Classic. Versatile. I need nothing more.
I genuinely believe Flint is Strymon's best pedal. It is just designed, conceptualized, and executed to perfection. It is so lean and efficient at being what it needs to be. It's just an anthology of iconic trems and reverbs. Two effects that when married together make something truly beautiful. It has no excess, yet everything you need is there. And it does sound absolutely gorgeous. Fender couldn't help themselves and essentially tried to make their own, by copying the layout and feature set. Flint is still king. It's simply a "make it sound better" pedal. Hasn't got a bad sound in it.
I’ve got “both” the big sky timeline and these. I think that an ideal world has a mix and match of kind of “just what you need”. Being able to run two independent delays in this layout has obvious benefits over the timeline. But the timeline in turn obviously has a ton of sounds you won’t get here. It’s all preference.
I’m glad you brought up the “SPILLOVER/CARRYOVER” it was the MAIN reason why I returned my most recent pedal (Source Audio Collider) it did not have that feature in the pedal and for my playing and what I do at my church when I get to minister it was a MUST!!!! Great video man!!!!! Btw I also have the Blue Sky V1 and I personally wouldn’t change it for V2 but who knows lol. I keep telling my wife “I think I’m done buying pedals” guitarists know that ain’t gonna happen!!!!
@@wilmer33086 The addition of the shimmer control is huge, the didnt do enough to the Flint to make it worth while for me, and ive got the UA Golden in addition for spring
My man, that was absolutely incredible! I hope they paid you very well because this is going to sell a lot of pedals. Any chance you can do a video explaining the basis of the midi wizardry you employed here? That’s definitely a major key to unlocking the true potential of these pedals and you’re just the man to explain it, as you’re both intelligent and great at communicating clearly. 🤞🏻
Great video. Am I correct in thinking the saving and recalling of custom presets is not yet ready and we're waiting for Strymon to update its Nixie software?
@@markjohnstonofficial Thanks for the reply. Yes, I understand this MIDI functionality is already existing in the pedal. But (I can't find the URL now) I'm positive Strymon said there would also be a software update relatively soon after the V2 releases. Otherwise, how can you remember which is saved patch #4 versus patch #123? You'd have to run a spreadsheet and surely they have a more sophisticated and user friendly setup than that? Thanks, again. Great video!
@@stuartgonsal8443 Supposedly, the update is coming up. Can’t be soon enough. Being able to see all your presets and being able to name them would be so helpful.
I held off on buying a DECO because I figured a MIDI version would eventually be available, and now it is. I scored a slightly used one on Reverb, and when I received it this week, I looked at the return address, , it was from Mike Hermans! How cool is that? It's my third Strymon pedal with Volante and Nightsky. Top notch made in USA equipment, sounds amazing. My Nightsky died on an outdoor stage from heat exhaustion in Texas, it was 105 degrees. (never do that again!) - Strymon fixed it and had it back to me inside 12 days. How cool is that? Strymon is worth the price for sound, value, build and customer service.
@@shawnsaul7759 If you already have a timeline in you arsenal, you can do 90% of that el cap can do, except 4 heads and spring reverb (but i don’t like strymon’s spring tanks, uafx is better). By the price you can buy something that can diversify you pallet more instead having almost to identical effects (timeline also can do much more) you already have strymon gold classical delay. if you want some extra delay try: hologram microcosm or Meris LVX Modular Delay System ✌️
@@markjohnstonofficial you right 👍 i just want to say that in term of single head delay (no sos, no spring, no multiple head) the sound is the same. but SoS and multiple head are great, and ElCap is one of my favorite delays of al time. and i totally agree, it absolutely different from volante. What do you prefer by the way: ElCap or Volante?
@@shawnsaul7759 timeline is, technically, not gonna give you the exact same sounds but it’ll get generally close enough. I’ve never owned a timeline so I can’t speak to redundancy but I do know that I love the SOS on the el cap so I’d probably use a “need” for that as your barometer.
No they arent. Manualy switching trss and trs in but dual mono out is just hillarious to me in 2022. that strymon eventide microcosm y cable dance just sucks. Why?? Stereo patchcable in: stereo. Mono cable in: mono. My parker fly could do it back then with the piezo. Switchcraft is the magic word. Upping the price but not the hardware. Dont skimp on jacks.
I'm gonna give an advice - Do not buy the bluesky BEFORE you check out the bigsky and the flint. Plus, before you buy any reverb pedal, buy a delay pedal.
I'm gonna go ahead and disagree across the board with you. If someone is in the market for a 3 mode reverb with shimmer but doesn't want to spend the money or spare the board space for a Bigsky the Bluesky is a solid option. I also know people who very much just prefer the sounds in it. So "hey everyone don't buy this" is bad advice. And again, someone might have a good reason for wanting reverb more than they want delay. Maybe delay doesn't fit into their style of playing but they do want that sense of space and atmosphere that a reverb provides. So yeah, not great advice.
@@markjohnstonofficial Fair enough, editing my comment a bit. But in my humble opinion, delays are more fundamental in a pedalboard than reverbs. Specially, in open venues live playing reverb doesn't add as much to the ambience compared to delays.