Strymon Dig

STRYMON DIG £249
One pedal, two delays, maximum possibilities
STRYMON DIG
REVIEW
IF
you fancy a delay pedal with
sounds a little different from
the normal digital delay fare, the
Strymon DIG – which boasts
two simultaneous delays, one
synchronised to the other – might
be just what you’re looking for. It’s
not just about dual delays, though;
the DIG also revives the sound of
early digital delays, just like other
pedals strive to recreate the sound
of tape or BBD analog units.
While the pedal can output
modern pristine 24-bit, 96kHz
sounds, it also aims to recreate
older rackmount digital delays
from a time when the technology
wasn’t as advanced as it is today,
and the repeats had a distinct
sound of their own. One of these is
known as ADM (adaptive delta
modulation) one-bit delay, which
produces repeats with a distinctive
envelope, like a percussive snap at
the start, which works extremely
well if you want prominent
rhythmic delay in time with the
music you are playing, driving it
along like The Edge in early U2.
The other choice offers 80s
-style12-bit repeats – again, not
quite as pristine as the 24/96
sound and with a darker and
warmer tone. As with any Strymon
pedal there’s plenty of adjustment
here, including adding a high- or
low-cut fi lter to tweak the sound of
those repeats further.
Back to the dual delay functions,
though, and the main delay (delay
1) time can be set by a knob or the
tap tempo footswitch. Delay 2 is
then automatically synchronised
with it, dependent on which of fi ve
subdivisions you select – triplet,
The magic is having two delays
working perfectly in sync
FEATURES
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
USABILITY
OVERALL RATING
SUMMARY
eighth, golden ratio, dotted eighth
or dotted quarter note. Delay 1
and delay 2 each have their own
mix knob, so you can set the
relative levels, and light or deep
modulation can be added.
While the amount of repeats
(feedback) is set universally with
another knob, there is a secondary
function – accessed by a process of
knob twiddling while holding
footswitches down – which allows
independent feedback levels. You
can also disable synchronisation so
Delay 2 is free-running, and with
delay times that start from 20ms,
you can use that to add chorus and
fl anging to the mix. You can also
set up series, parallel or ping-pong
operation for the two delays – if
you use both outputs rather than a
standard mono signal chain, you’ll
hear the ping-pong effect, and
get delay 1 and 2 coming out of
separate outputs in parallel mode.
The DIG will do conventional
delays if you turn delay 2 down,
but the magic is in having two of
them working perfectly in sync,
serving up a world of rhythmic
repeat patterns to explore. For
spacey ambient sounds, it’s a wise
investment, and you can even keep
delays repeating continuously by
holding down the tap footswitch
– how cool is that?
Trevor Cu rwen
82 OCTOBER 2015
TYPE: Digital delay pedal
CONTROLS: Time 1, time 2, mix 1,
mix 2, repeats, mod mode switch,
delay type switch
SOCKETS: 2x inputs, 2x outputs,
expression pedal
BYPASS: True or
buffered bypass
POWER: 9V power
supply (included)
CONTACT: MusicPsyc
0207 607 6005
www.strymon.net
AT A GLANCE
TYPE
SET the sound of your delay
with this switch – there’s
a choice between modern
high-quality 24-bit delay or
a couple of retro 80s types
TIME 2
THIS is where you set how
delay 2 relates to delay 1;
it can be synchronised via
a choice of fi ve different
rhythmic subdivisions
TAP TEMPO
NORMALLY, this tap tempo
switch sets the master delay
time, but you can also hold it
down to engage the Circular
Repeats function, which will
keep it repeating infi nitely
TGR272.gear_strymon.indd 82 08/09/2015 16:45