Strymon Volante Magnetic Echo Machine Pedal

Individual Head ControlEach head’s playback level can be set for full volume, half volume, or off. Independent of playback level, you can switch each head in or out of the feedback circuit. You can even switch heads into the feedback circuit that are not activated for playback. All of this control allows the creation of interesting and complex rhythmic patterns as well as unique atmospheric delay textures.

Tape SaturationVolante doesn't just deliver the warm, luscious delay signals that magnetic echo machines are known for, it is also capable of a high degree of saturation. Turn up the Record Level knob to increase the gain of Volante’s analog class-A JFET input preamp circuit, sending a hot signal with analog warmth to the record head for any amount of saturation you desire.

Spring ReverbSome of the classic tape echo machines included small integrated spring reverb tanks tuned to limited bandwidth. For Volante, we captured this vintage vibe while creating a spring reverb algorithm with a gorgeous, gentle character that stands on its own, in addition to enhancing delayed signals.

PresetsEven without using MIDI, Volante gives you instant access to eight presets. The playback/feedback buttons represent preset locations, and you can use the FAVORITE footswitch to recall from or save to any of those eight locations. Of course, if eight is not enough, MIDI gives you access to 300 preset locations!

Head SpacingOn some vintage multi-head tape echo machines, the heads were not evenly spaced, which created interesting sonic interactions when multiple heads were set to repeat. Volante gives you a SPACING control that is adjustable between Even, Triplet, Golden Ratio (for dense, non-overlapping echoes) and Silver Ratio (for non-overlapping repeats biased toward the quarter note). The spacing between the heads is continuously variable for the entire travel of the SPACING knob, morphing between the available settings.

Stereo PanningVolante allows you to set the pan of each head individually for spacious multi-head stereo delays. By default, all heads are panned center, with Volante still creating a pleasing psycho-acoustic stereo image.

Playable FeedbackVolante really excels when pushed to extremes! When you turn up Volante’s REPEATS knob, you get all the richly evolving, super-spacey sonic textures you could dream of. You also get intuitive and responsive hands-on control for sculpting the feedback. Volante rewards experimentation, yielding rich, hypnotic, and often unpredictable – but highly musical results.

Speed SwitchVolante’s SPEED switch selects the speed of the recording media and allows you to run any of Volante’s three magnetic echo machines at half, normal, or double speed. Fidelity is higher at higher speeds, while lower speeds result in warmer repeats and more pronounced effects from mechanical and media irregularities introduced when turning up the MECHANICS knob.

Infinite RepeatsUnleash classic psychedelic delay feedback sounds on command. While performing in Echo mode, press and hold the ON footswitch to activate Infinite Repeats, and regardless of your current REPEATS setting, Volante will crank up the echo regenerations for quickly-building delay feedback. When you take your foot off the switch, Volante returns to your previous settings.

Sound On SoundCreate dynamic loops that degrade and evolve. Change loop direction at the touch of a footswitch. Press PAUSE for a mechanical tape stop effect. Change the speed of your loop and simultaneously change the pitch in octave increments. Find an inspiring sound in Echo Mode, and all your echoes remain intact when you engage Sound on Sound. When your loop has reached the perfect state of mutation, you can engage Infinite Repeats to minimize further loop degradation, creating an infinite loop while disengaging the loop record head.

ReverseIn Sound on Sound mode, press the ON footswitch, and the whole loop length will play in reverse. You can continue recording new audio to layer with the reversed audio.

PauseThe PAUSE footswitch is part of Volante’s faithful recreation of a variable speed magnetic echo unit, with mechanical slowdown when pausing and mechanical speedup when coming out of pause. The speed of this mechanical slowdown/startup effect is user-definable.

MIDI ControlWith full MIDI control of every parameter plus 300 preset locations, Volante is designed to be the center of sonic expressiveness for your MIDI pedal board. Let Volante provide the inspiration, and the possibilities are as unlimited as your imagination. Volante transmits and receives MIDI over 5-pin DIN, USB, and even the Expression jack (via 1/4″ to MIDI cable)—perfect for your pedal board or in your studio.

ExpressionConnect an expression pedal and enjoy a whole new level of instantaneous, continuous control. Set as many knobs as you like for the heel position and toe position of your expression pedal, and all settings will simultaneously morph throughout the full range of the expression pedal.

Line Level SwitchVolante offers an input level switch to work perfectly with a variety of input sources. Set the switch to the INST position when using a guitar level input. Set to LINE when using Volante in the effects loop of a guitar amp, or when driving Volante with a hot output from a synth or mixer insert. The LINE input mode is also perfect for using Volante as a send effect or insert effect in the studio.

MultiSwitch PlusConnect MultiSwitch Plus to Volante’s Expression Pedal jack for additional footswitchable control. Use MultiSwitch Plus to select between three presets, remote control of the SPEED switch, remote transport control, or for additional foot control while in Sound on Sound mode.

Fully Analogue Dry PathIn a typical digital effect the dry signal gets converted to digital, causing conversion noise and latency. Signals are often attenuated before combining digital dry and wet, with makeup gain amplifying the conversion noise. To avoid this, Strymon equipped Volante with a completely analog dry path, featuring all-analogue, ultra low noise, discrete, class-A stereo JFET preamps. Volante is truly a studio-quality effect.

Insanely Powerful DSPVolante has been outfitted with the incredibly powerful Analogue Devices SHARC ADSP-21375 processor, which provides a 266 MHz core instruction rate, and an incredible 1.596 Gigaflops of peak performance. Thanks to this high-powered technology platform within Volante, Strymon had the freedom to craft their processor-intense echo algorithms without compromise.