Strymon Dig Dual Digital Delay

141
OCTOBER 2015 GuiTaRisT
Strymon & Free the tone
ORIGIN: Japan
TYPE: Digital delay pedal
FEATURES: True bypass,
99 presets, delay times from 1ms
to 9999ms, record and repeat
function (20 seconds),
trails mode
CONTROLS: 12x buttons,
Dry on/off switch, 2x footswitch
CONNECTIONS: Standard
input, standard output,
footswitch input, MIDI In,
MIDI Thru
POWER: 12V DC adaptor
(supplied)
DIMENSIONS: 146 (w) x 120.5
(d) x 57mm (h)
Guitar XS
01227 832558
www.freethetone.com
Free The Tone Ft-1y Flight time £385
2
ORIGIN: USA
TYPE: Dual digital delay pedal
FEATURES: True bypass,
Selectable Trails Mode Analog
Buffered Bypass, dual delays,
delay times from 20ms to 1.6s
(40ms-3.2s with Half Note Delay
1 Subdivision), tap tempo
CONTROLS: Time 1, Time 2,
Mix 1, Mix 2, Repeats, Mod mode,
Delay type, Tap Tempo and
Bypass footswitches
CONNECTIONS: Standard
input, standard outputs (L&R),
expression pedal input
POWER: 9V DC adaptor
(supplied)
DIMENSIONS: 102 (w) x 114
(d) x 62mm (h)
MusicPsych
0207 607 6005
www.strymon.net
STrymon Dig Dual Digital Delay £249
1
While the sound of BBD
analogue delays and tape
echoes is oft-revisited, digital
delays have been around for
35 years or so now, and early
rackmount units had a unique
sound of their own. Strymon
has incorporated the choice of
two early digital sounds as well
as pristine 24/96 delays into the
DIG, while also adding a whole
slew of features that enable two
simultaneous and synchronised
delays to be used side by side.
Each delay has its own mix
knob so you blend the two, and
while the actual delay time for
Delay 1 is set by a knob (or the
tap-tempo footswitch with
three possible subdivisions),
the time for Delay 2 is governed
by one of five rhythmic
subdivisions: triplet, eighth,
golden ratio, dotted eighth,
or dotted quarter note. A
single knob sets the number of
repeats for both delays while a
three-way switch lets you add
light or deep modulation.
Besides the 24/96 delay, you
get a choice of ADM (adaptive
delta modulation) 1-bit delay,
which offers repeats that have
a percussive front end to them.
That little bit of extra snap is
particularly useful if you’re into
creating prominent and driving
rhythmic delay patterns.
The other delay option is the
1980s-flavoured 12-bit with
repeats that are slightly darker.
Should you wish to tweak
repeats to sit in with your tone
and playing style, one of the
DIG’s secondary functions
adds either a high cut or a low
cut filter. Other secondary
functions include the ability to
disable synchronisation so that
Delay 2 is free-running (20ms
to 1.6ms), and configuration
of the sound at the stereo
outputs to be series (normal
operation) Ping Pong or Parallel
where Delay 1 and 2 come out
of separate outputs. You can
also set the Delay 2 repeats
independently rather than
tracking Delay 1.
As well as standard digital
delay (turn Delay 2 off ), the
unit is great for rhythmic
delays with the juxtaposition
of both delays creating some
brilliant patterns. What’s more,
you can keep delays repeating
continuously by holding down
the Tap footswitch. Add in
some modulation and you get
some cavernous sounds, and
setting Delay 2 free running
with a short delay time conjures
up chorus and flanging.
[TC]
At first glance, the Flight
Time’s lack of knobs – plus a
user interface that consists of
several tiny buttons linked to
numerical displays – may be
disconcerting. However, it will
seem familiar to anyone who’s
used a rackmount digital delay
and it puts those capabilities
into a pedal.
The FT’s high-quality digital
delay is provided by 32-bit
high-precision DSP, and it
sounds great. It is capable of
delay times from just 1ms up to
9,999ms, and the possibilities
– from chorusing onwards –
are vast. Delays can be set
in milliseconds or beats per
minute. Besides the delay time,
there are a few other editable
parameters including feedback,
which can actually go up to
110 per cent, something you’d
need to keep a careful eye on if
you value your speakers! The
repeats can be pristine copies
of the input signal, but you can
apply Hi-Pass and Low-Pass
filters to them to respectively
shave off some top end for
a warmer vintage sound, or
attenuate the low end. You
can also apply modulation
with separate Rate and Depth
parameters and turn on the
Trail function, which leaves the
repeats to die away after the
effect is bypassed if you don’t
want them to just stop dead.
Switching presets isn’t
something you’d want to be
doing during a song – it involves
holding down the Tap/Play
footswitch for two seconds,
using either footswitch to scroll
to the wanted preset number,
and then holding the footswitch
down again for two seconds.
If two preset delays are all you
need for a set, you can hold
the footswitch down for four
seconds to switch between
presets 1 and 2.
Two features are claimed
to be unique to the FT. One is
a very useful delay offset that
puts your delay slightly before
or behind the bpm-set beat for
either more urgency or a laid-
back feel. The other feature is
the Realtime BPM Analyzer,
which automatically resets your
delay time if you’ve entered
the delay with tap tempo but
are slightly out with the music
being played. A small mic on
the pedal’s top surface ‘listens’
to the performance and can
adjust within +/-20 per cent
of the tempo, which could be a
face-saver if your drummer’s
having a bad night…
[TC]
VERDICT This revival of the early years of digital
delay is an ingenious pedal with a set of features that
will let you get really creative
VERDICT The Flight Time is an expensive professional’s
tool, but its onboard facilities include unique settings
that some will find invaluable
9
8
Video demo http://bit.ly/guitarist399
GIT399.peds_stryftt.indd 141 04/09/2015 14:00