The Strymon El Capistan (V1) is a tape echo emulation pedal, designed to recreate the warm, organic character of vintage tape delay machines like the Maestro Echoplex and Roland Space Echo. Mark used an expression pedal with it to control the repeats Roland EV-5.
When I’m using the pedal I rarely pull the expression pedal all the way down to heel. Most of the time it’s either repeating gently or in feedback territory. If I’m using a heel down setting I’m most likely using that one repeat to supplement whatever rhythm I’m playing, whether it’s timed for an ⅛ note or dotted ⅛s.
However, another key factor is finding the mix level that works for your needs. If the pedal is set to where it’s equally wet/dry (oddly enough this is at 3 o’clock), then when starting feedback, I find it too loud against normal playing, and when the exp pedal is at heel, that one repeat is clearly heard. If the mix is set to something like 12 o’clock (maybe a little more or less) that one repeat is a lot less pronounced and when the exp is pushed into feedback the oscillations can have time to develop and overtake the main signal. Messing with [tape age] also can help mask some of these limitations.
Mark Speer on Reddit
As far as settings – Time is at noon, giving him a medium delay that’s not too short or too long. Tape Age is at 8, which makes the repeats sound warm and a bit dull, like an old worn-out tape. Repeats sit at 8, so the echoes keep going for a while before fading out. Wow & Flutter at 7 adds that wobbly, slightly out-of-tune feel to the repeats. Mix is at 11, meaning the echoes are almost as loud as his actual playing. Mode A is the cleanest-sounding of the three tape styles the pedal offers, and the tape head switch changes whether the repeats come out evenly spaced or in a more bouncy, off-beat pattern.
In the most recently years, after around 2024, he had got rid of the pedal and replaced it with a Strymon TimeLine. The reason being – TimeLine can store presets.
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