Strymon VOLANTE Magnetic Echo Machine Stereo Multi-Head Delay & Vintage Spring Reverb

Choosing and connecting Strymon Volante

Volante suits players who want to shape magnetic echoes directly: choose drum, tape or studio echo, then set the four playback heads, feedback and spacing. For a wider delay workstation with two engines, see our TimeLine MX buying guide. Volante keeps the focus on hands-on multi-head echo, with spring reverb and a sound-on-sound looper.

Use LEFT IN and LEFT OUT for a mono rig, or both input and output pairs for stereo. Select INST for guitar-level input and LINE for hotter synth, mixer or amplifier effects-loop signals. Power requires 9V DC, centre-negative, with at least 300mA available; a 9V 500mA output on a Strymon Zuma or standalone Ojai meets that requirement.

The sound-on-sound looper records in mono, even though the delay supports stereo. Its maximum recording time is 64 seconds at half speed, 32 seconds at normal speed and 16 seconds at double speed. Eight presets are accessible on the pedal, with 300 locations available through MIDI. Standard 5-pin MIDI supports preset recall and external control, while USB supports MIDI communication with a computer.

Delays For Days.

Three Magnetic Delay Types, Spring Reverb, Looper, and More.

Delivering truly exceptional sound quality and intuitive playability, Volante is designed to radically enhance the sonic expressiveness of your pedalboard. Featuring magnetic drum echo, tape echo, and reel-to-reel studio echo, Volante is a stereo multi-head delay that also offers a looper and vintage spring reverb, with powerful sound-sculpting controls for limitless sonic possibilities.

Vintage Vibe.

To capture the nuance and complexity of classic tape and drum echo machines, every last magnetic delay system attribute was relentlessly studied and faithfully recreated. From the sought-after natural saturation and soft clipping of magnetic media when driven hard, to hands-on real-time controls for mechanics, wear, head-spacing, and low cut, Volante instantly adds tons of vibe to your sound.

Multi-Head Maven.

Volante provides the full experience and sonic attributes of iconic multi-head echo machines. At the center of Volante’s control surface are four delay playback heads with individual feedback, panning, and level controls—delivering unlimited creative options right at your fingertips. All of this range allows the creation of complex rhythmic patterns as well as reverb-like atmospheric textures.

Drum Delay With Unprecedented Control.

Magnetic drum echoes are famous for their warmth and for their harmonically rich and saturated sounds. This is due in large part to the many tube stages present in the most sought-after units. There were tubes in the input buffer, the signal mixer, the record and playback amplifiers, the tone shaping circuit, and the output mixing circuit.

Every sonic aspect of our favorite drum echoes has been meticulously reproduced within Volante. Dial in any possible sound from the full range of the best vintage drum echo units in conditions ranging from fresh-from-factory to road-worn classic.

Classic Tape Echo Experience.

Volante gives you superbly crafted multi-head tape echoes, including the smooth tape saturation and the characteristic imperfections and nonlinearities inherent to the sound of those vintage machines.

Mechanical alignment, head wear, and tape crinkles, splices, and contaminants are all accounted for in Volante, giving you all the richness and complexity of a classic tape echo, with modern control and stability. Volante also allows you to recreate the irregular head spacing of some of the classic tape echo machines.

True Studio Tape Sound.

The professional reel-to-reel machines of the 50s and 60s were high-fidelity units built to accurately reproduce full-range audio signals. In the hands of creative engineers, these machines also doubled as some of the earliest studio effects, producing some of the fattest sounds imaginable.

Of Volante’s three magnetic echo types, the Studio Echo provides the cleanest sound, able to sustain the highest number of repeats with minimal degradation. Volante gives you a pristine studio delay with the full-bodied warmth and fidelity of reel-to-reel tape.