It's all coming back to you
Hey, remember tape? Remember cassettes? VHS? Remember physical media in general? Whatever happened to that? In any case, tape probably holds the distinction of the format of physical media that is at once the most recently relevant and the most currently antiquated. Remember VHS tapes? Of course you do. Would you ever use them again?
Tape is a funny thing. For a long stretch of time, it was the premier format for storing audio. We can look back on those old videos of people in the '40s with Transatlantic accents and tight haircuts thumbing through yards of physical tape reel and giggle at the effort and expense the format demanded, but seeing how tape reel delays are still a fairly prominent flavor of effect even today, we can't deny those high-waisted suits were onto something.
The year is 2025 and we're still talking about tape. Who would've thought? This is the Strymon EC-1 Single Head dTape Echo.
The Truth of Tape
Introducing the Strymon EC-1 Single Head dTape Echo
As we just said, there is something to the truth of tape. Way back in the days of physical tape reel delay devices – your Echoplexes, Echosonics, and Space Echoes – delay was an effect brought about with an unavoidable negotiation between function and fidelity. You see, in the days of physical components, the experience of your media was directly dependent on the function of the equipment producing it. There's a whole line of patents and a fat stack of cash waiting for you if you go back in time to capitalize on the "lo-fi" craze that eventually came to be because of this, but for now, the quality and upkeep of your physical materials were paramount for producing its intended effect.
We skirt on for a couple decades, the format of tape eventually phases out of relevance, and today, tape is nowhere to be seen. However, the sounds of physical tape delay units are still a prevalent force in modern delay effects. You can find tape delay effects in quite a few effect pedals these days, one prominent one being Strymon's very own El Capistan, but we'll talk more about that later. Today we're here talking about digital wizardry, pedalboard pageantry, and the modulated, analog stylings of Strymon's EC-1 Single Head dTape Echo.
Extensive Echoes
Strymon EC-1 Single Head dTape Echo Controls
The Strymon EC-1 Single Head dTape Echo bases its design principally off of a specific modified Echoplex EP-2 restored by technician Cesar Diaz. These modifications done by Diaz were found by Strymon to gravitate the unit's sound closer to an Echoplex EP-3, resulting in a tape echo delay tone all its own. Through the EC-1, Strymon sought to deliver this unique delay tone to a compact and streamlined pedal utilizing the one-of-a-kind dTape technology originally developed for their El Capistan pedal.
Onboard the EC-1, we have a suite of controls designed to cut straight to the chase for fans of tape reel delay effects. Let's talk about 'em.
- Mix – As with most delay effects, we can start with our Mix control. Rolling through this control, the delay effect can be increased or decreased in presence in the signal. Right for more, left for less, no surprises here.
- Time – Clocking in here, we have our classic Time control. However you're familiar with it, Time controls the delay intervals between repeats. Lengthening or shortening the space between delay repeats, your Time control functions as you'd expect.
- Repeats – At this juncture, we have our last step off the proverbial platform onto the EC-1 bullet train. Repeats is once again a familiar control to delay users, controlling the prominence of delay repeats in the delay trail. Roll this upwards to the right to increase the presence of repeats in the delay trail, effectively lengthening the time the signal will repeat. Notably, the Repeats control will get into bold, oscillation-bordering territory fairly quickly when turned past 2:00 on the dial.
- Tape Age – Welcome to the EC-1 expressway. Onboard, our Tape Age setting, at its most essential, controls the amount of tape saturation in the delay repeats. For those not familiar with tape reel-style delays, tape saturation refers to the coloration or even distortion of delay repeats as produced by imperfections in physical tape reels. As physical tape reel ages, natural oxidation can occur which will result in the repeats created by the unit to be darker and more saturated. This is compounded by older tape reel being naturally less complex and having a lower bandwidth than newer tape reel, simplifying and warming the tonal character of the repeats. Those seeking interesting characteristics for their repeats are sure to have a field day here.
- Mechanics – From here, the EC-1 introduces the Mechanics control. This nifty little control consolidates the imperfections and tiny malfunctions that can occur through the operation of intricate and delicate tape reel delay devices. We're talking imperfections in mechanisms, changes in tape feed speed, and the natural sonic artifacts that come with them. The Mechanics control will harness the power of simulated tape snags and pitch modulation as produced by malfunctioning mechanical components just like mom used to make.
Tiny Moving PartsYou might be familiar with the terms "wow" and "flutter" when it comes to talking about tape reel delays. These two phrases refer to pitch variation that can occur when tape reel changes from its normalized passing speed, either going faster ("flutter") or slower ("wow") than is expected. This is caused by the small, particular parts moving the tape through its mechanical components. These parts are naturally delicate and can be prone to wear, tear, imperfection and malfunction due to their design – however, we can't do much about that due to the limitations of physical design and the fact that physical tape reel designs aren't getting updated anytime soon (but that doesn't mean we can't still love them nonetheless).
- Rec Level – The true secret sauce of the EC-1 however, comes from its three-way Recording Level switch. On this dial, Strymon designed in three different levels of tube preamp ranging from non-existent and unaffected to a more natural preamp, to a more prominent, high-end tube preamp. These recreations do quite a bit to change the tonal character of your repeats, but let's hold off on that for now. Let's talk sounds.
Not All Heroes
Strymon EC-1 Single Head dTape Echo Tones
You're likely familiar with tape reel echo delay tones. Coming to prominence through those spacey, psychedelic-leaning bands of rock history, tape echo is a classic flavor of delay effects. With the EC-1, you have a wealth of tape echo tones at your fingertips.
Through the EC-1, Strymon successfully streamlines the tape echo experience by cutting to the chase on quite a few things*. For one, the EC-1 allows for pretty wild coloring of a delay signal right off the bat. The EC-1's Tape Age and Mechanics controls do a lot to make your delay experience natural and imperfect. You can easily ramp up on the Tape Age and Mechanics control to introduce darker and warmer repeat trails that simulate the natural tonality that comes with different types and ages of physical tape reels. Mechanics, as we've mentioned before, will create random fluctuations in pitch with the occasional tape slipping artifacts you would get from running tape reel through physical components. These random introductions are massively helpful in making your repeat trails not only more natural and organic, but chaotic and noisy, should that be your prerogative.
Another thing that should not go simply implied here is that your Rec Level control, simulating different models of tube preamps, can influence the character of your simulated imperfections. Running from left to right on the Rec Level switch, you will experience your Tape Age and Mechanics imperfections to appear more prominently with a noticeable boost in volume and presence. On the high-end preamp model positioned to the right position on the switch, you will get a boost in volume resulting in more noticeable artifacts and imperfections. Use this function to finagle these controls to your taste and come to your own unique delay conclusions.
Rec Level can do quite a bit to move the EC-1 into warbly delay territories. Pushing Rec Level, Tape Age and Mechanics can result in the EC-1 going into more modern, lo-fi, noise-adjacent soundscapes likely familiar to users of more recent tape-style delay pedals. It is quite a bit surprising to hear this vintage-inspired effect go into pseudo-vibrato territory like your favorite "woozy" effects, but here it is. Make some noise, if that's where you're at. The EC-1 goes the distance in ways that other tape delays might not.
Oh Capistan, My Capistan
Strymon EC-1 vs. Strymon El Capistan
So, one more thing here. Let's talk about a likely elephant in the room, "Strymon's El Capistan has a single-head tape delay mode, how does the EC-1 compare to that?" Great question, might we say. Admittedly, we had a similar question here, so we sought to find out for ourselves. Great minds think alike, I suppose. Comparing the Strymon El Capistan and EC-1, we found that the difference was primarily in the distance between the calm and the storm.
With the El Capistan's single-head tape delay mode, we found that we had a lot more room to be subtle when introducing imperfections into the equation ("Tape Age" and "Wow and Flutter" on the El Capistan V2 effect pedal). The El Capistan offered a bit more elbow room to find more subtle sweet spots in between absolute tape delay serenity and devil-may-care, self-oscillating noisiness. The EC-1 exceled in cutting to the noisy chase when it came to tape delays whereas the El Capistan offered more space and angles to make for a noisy tape delay experience, if requiring a little more work.
Largely, the EC-1 and El Capistan play with similar complex and intricate sound palettes perfect for any tape echo delay fan to swoon over. Either would make an excellent choice for one's own dedicated tape delay space on their board.
Strymon EC-1 Single Head dTape Echo Final Thoughts
Alright, so I think we've learned a lot today. Let's talk about a few things.
Strymon's EC-1 is truly a streamlined pedal. Following in the example of its Brig and Ultraviolet brethren, the EC-1 successfully minimizes the effect process while not compromising on quality. The digital palette of the EC-1 effortlessly replicates the analog tape echo delay effect and puts players on the fast track to achieving their own unique tape delay effect mixes. If you're new to the tape echo flavor of delay, the EC-1 is a marvelous entry point. If you're an experienced tape echo user, the EC-1 is a great pick for achieving those classic tones quickly and with great fidelity. If you're a player who takes tape echo delay tones to the stage, we don't need to spell it out for you – the EC-1 fits just fine.
With Strymon's EC-1, we're reminded of the charm of tape and the importance of preservation. Strymon's preserved a physical tone in digital components that will hopefully live on for years to come. Maybe we weren't destined to sift through tape reels forever, but the sound? That legacy is still in the making.
