Totally. That intro was great. I almost stopped watching the video after the intro. What else was needed? I wad sold on the volante! Rhett great point on focusing on one's preferred sounds. In a time and age of do it all pedals its great to find one which does one thing great and without a clutter of switches and settings.
This is probably the best straight out review of the Volante. Well done, Rhett. I've been using Strymon for years as well but have always found the Timeline to be overkill for what I need. I have the Deco on my board currently but have been on the fence between getting the Volante or something like the T-Rex Replicator Jr.(prices have gotten very reasonable lately). I'm pretty sure that this video has pushed me to buy a Volante now. Damn, CZcams is expensive.
I have the Volante and the Catlinbread Belle Epoch Deluxe. Volante iis definitely more versatile. The buttons for the four playback/feedback heads combined with the spacing knob on the Volante can give you endless variations on delay patterns, and the wear, low cut and record level knobs allow you to shape the tone of the repeats in myriad ways. The three different settings all add a different character, my favorite is the drum (echorec) setting, it's the most gritty and lo fi. So Volante is great. But I still can't bring myself to take the Belle Epoch Deluxe off my board, the EP preamp sound in it is just too good, and with it's other delay type settings and an expression pedal you can do some pretty awesome stuff. I know you can use an expression pedal with the Volante too, but the Catlinbread is just vibey-er and a little more unpredictable (like sweeping the resonant filter delay setting, which is always just on the edge of going into runaway self-oscillation). So for now, they're both still on my board, which is kind of a lot of space for two delay pedals, but I like them both too much.
Such a great and useful take on this pedal. Honestly I found it to be more informative, committed and to the point than most of the other reviews out there. Thanks. -Seal.
I LOVE mine! I took it out of the box, plugged it in without changing a thing, and got lost for almost half an hour. The simplicity of it inspires me more than my Timeline.
A $400 free pedal is still a payment. Not that is matters but perspective can get lost by many who's complete pedal board is about that value. It is nice that CZcamsr's are now required to release information about compensation however, and i am not singling out anyone for any reason. It is just a pedal that i would never consider due to cost, no matter how good it is. I can still dream and watch the high end reviews and know who bought the item and who was gifted it.
Yes budget should factor but... Who the fuck buys a pedal just because it's expensive? The two pedals I bought that were between 300-400 CAD were both because they did a sound I couldn't get with any other pedal... Strymom deco, steel string supreme... Yes you could say they are just expensive pedals but cost wasn't the driving factor of my purchase, I don't mention the cost when I mention what they do at jam sessions... Buy the gear that gets you the sounds you want. If a cheap set up can do it for you, great! But bashing something for the sake of cost is stupid. There's a lot of expensive components, design, and building required to make these pedals, it's not like it's a 30$ unit upcharged...
100% agree. I had a Timeline and got rid of it. Replaced it with the Volante. There's nothing about the Timeline that I miss. I Volante absolutely beats out the Timeline because of the multiple delay heads and the ability to change the timing between them. For ambient playing which I do alot of, this allows the Volante to replace a cascade of 2-3 delay pedals. I'm using a Kemper as well. In performance mode, the Kemper can call up Volante presets. Perfect!
You are such a good player man. Shames me cause I have been playing since about '68. Love your sweepy open chord stylings, hoping to pick up some chops from watching your videos. Some people are just more creative I guess. Love your stuff. And thanks for the Volante recommendation, I just bought one, looking forward to using it. Already have 4 different Strymons and love them all. And its all cause of you and your videos. Just love that huge, open sound!
Just got a volante today. Love the simplicity. Doing like you said. Putting the timeline away for awhile on my board ( not getting rid of it though!) and running the volante as my main delay. Love the tape sound! Thanks Rhett, love the effort you put into your reviews
This demo sold me on the Volante. I have a TimeLine but much like Rhett all I used regularly is the tape setting. I have only had the Volante for a day and it’s already inspiring me to find new sounds and play more. Keeping the TimeLine for now too but the Volante is gonna be my default for the foreseeable future.
Great review. I liked the instrumental at the beginning, but the part I most valued was hearing you discuss the pedal at a down to earth level I could understand. Thank you Rhett.
Thinking of selling my memory man and going down the volante road... I've got the big sky by strymon and I've got to say the sound and build quality is top of the class.
@@copheart I doubt he has to return it.. Strymon is out how much money for giving this pedal away? $100ish, maybe? And this video already has 65,000+ views.... As far as marketing goes, that's one hell of a deal for Strymon. And Strymon already knew this guy liked the Timeline and BigSky, and given that the Volante is a really nice product, it was an easy call to assume that he'd say mostly good things about it. So Strymon is out maybe $100ish and in return they have a video mostly praising their product, with tens of thousand of views.... Again, one hell of a deal for Strymon. All they have to do is sell a couple of pedals and their investment is made up for, and then anything past that is just icing on the cake and free marketing.
Yes, getting something "for free" is the same as getting paid, and even if you think you are trying to be unbiased, you will want to give it a better review because you want to get more free stuff in the future. The bias may be entirely subconscious, but it is definitely there. It takes a bit of experience knowing how to interpret a review from someone getting free things, but if it is a good review, they will show you all aspects of something leaving it up to you to make up your own mind, and it will point out whatever might be shortcomings according to the reviewer.
For tape echo sound, I really like my Keely Magnetic Echo. It does one thing really well. Only down side is I have to manually dial in dotted eighth note delay.
Had mine for a couple years. I would agree that without MIDI, your gonna be bent over the Volante tweaking knobs. Same thing with Nightsky, but with MIDI control over presets I can program some rather normal reverbs and delays in them and with a footswitch, morph them into preordained cosmic debris and safely back again. I run them in stereo, in parallel, to a mixer back to stereo before hitting the Peavey Classic 50/50, pretty sure my rackmount tube amp was made for keyboards. It sounds breathtakingly good on flute and guitar. Headroom. Yea, I run flute through my guitar rig, mostly just the ambience stuff. I use FET based amp style pedals on guitar to get a nice amp sound from this rig, the Catalinbread circuits are awesome for my clean flat huge tube amp tone, they work perfect for me. Totally different ambient programs for flute and guitar stuff, it's essential to simply hit a footswitch and make it so. Go MIDI. Morningstar Engineering stuff is really nice to work with.
Strymon does make killer shit, Ive got a Big Sky and love it... that being said, the new Audio Source Collider can play a tape echo and Binson oil can delay at the same time... and the AS spring reverb sound quality is unsurpassed... all in a smaller pkg with the option of using a phone app or puter to fine edit if one so wishes... these are cool times we live in..
I agree with the Bella Epoch Deluxe but this also does the binson thing... and it has built-in Reverb but the Belle epoch how's that preamp she kind of stuck mine both then you're going to need to get a bigger pedalboard just whatever you do don't watch that pedal show I person could go broke
@@hoover728 lunch sounds good but honestly I have no interest in tap Tempo I've got three or four other to lay is it do that I think it sounds great the Belle Epoch and the snooze driving pedal boat sound amazing and they're different from one another anyhow you can never have too many delay pedals but that's good info thanks for sharing
I watched a video with Rick Beato.. he asked you (who I've never seen before) your favorite delay. You said this one. So I searched it. Clicked the first video - And hey look - it's you again!
Late to this video but have to say I’m interested in the Volante because, like you, I live mainly on tape type delays. And I love your to-the-point, straight ahead reviews 👍
Sounds like an awesome addition to a rig... You're videos are awesome, the stuff you review shows that you spend quite a bit of time mastering the functions of the gear before you make a video. I appreciate that
To me as I love the Dunlop Echo Plex. It to me is not reverb with delay for the Volante. It's how authentic the basic tape Echo is. After that it's the controls to tweak to get the other sounds from the original sound, not 2 effects to burn an original.
2:00 Rhett, I am one of your frist subscribers (I think I was here when you were at about 2000 subs) and very very often you happen to remind me why I subscribed. Being very honest and transparent about the origin of the material you review should be the norm, but in reality A LOT of youtubers are very fishy and sneaky about it, even trying to mask paid reviews as a 100% indipendent opinion. Thanks a lot for your videos and your honesty!
agreed. more and more youtubers don't say a word about that even when they are fully paid to make a review. I don't even think that is legal. I've already seen a bunch of youtuber review this very Volante and not mentioning at all its origin. let's support transparent and honest guys like rhett
I vote MORE VIDEOS reviewing pedals. This video is highly apropos for me, and you nicely distilled your likes and dislikes and gave us an excellent perspective of what the pedal is. Your review is highly relevant to me since I've been toying with the idea of getting one of these VOLANTEs, and now I have a much better idea of what the pedal would mean to me as an average dude who tools about on his guitar. I totally dug this review man! Thanks Rhett.
Just picked one up today. I’ve got the DD-500 and the tape sounds on there are good especially after the update. But tonight I’ve found myself getting some really really really cool (but still musical) tones by playing with the spacing knob. Combine that with spot on tone, and I call that $400 well spent. I might find myself missing my analog sounds though. We’ll see. I’ve been able to tweak the wear knob to trim the highs and get in the ball park
I ordered the Volante and Timeline, letting the dealer know I’d be returning one of the two. Spent a good amount of time on both.Timeline is serious but I’m a BIG fan of El Cap and have always wished it had more presets along with MIDI capabilities. So it’s no surprise that I kept the Volante. I just wanted to be sure, though. I’m with you, Rhett: Cool as the effects are on the Timeline; I just knew I wouldn’t be using most of them. Love the Volante. Cool video. Thanks!
I sold a Catalinbread Echorec and Catalinbread BE-Deluxe to get the Strymon Volante, and it was a tough choice given how much I love Catalinbread's amazing pedal designs. Volante doesn't disappoint, and the ability to get tape and magnetic echo effects from the same pedal was a huge draw for me. Strymon seems to really nail the modeling of all these classic delay machines, and give you reasonably intuitive control over them. I'm a huge fan.
as a drummie, doing jamaican stuff, i need a delay that can double in a flick or half, or triplet. volante and do it as well as DIG. dig doesn't sound as good. i'd have to run it thru a tube screamer or the walrus 385...
Well I can't afford it, but I bought it anyway. I use a Specular Tempus also, but this just fills that "niche". It's a beautiful sounding pedal and more versatile than you might think. Thanks Rhett!
My sensible side is telling me to go for the timeline in terms versatility and features but I really like the volante.... definitely cant afford both that's one thing I'm sure about these things are pricey!
i didn’t but much stock in them as being a HYPE type effect for most Strymon...because of the underutilization factor. BUT the Volante does seem like all the best features of a few great delays rolled into on unit. still probably more expensive than i would like but stills THIS pedal seems worth the hype
Yea- that intro was great! Rhett, thanks for the review. Like you, I really hover on analog on tape. I come from years of a RE-301 chorus echo and now that its busticated, having a hard time finding the right "modern" replacement. The Volante is tops on my list right now - and your demo/review really puts my thoughts right - it's just a little outa my price range these days....
I'm so torn about swapping my Timeline out for the Volante! Like you, I'm on the Tape setting 95% of the time, but the screen does make it handy to see when I change presets on my ES-8, what delay I've switched to.
@@GuitarsAndSynths I ended up getting a Volante, and kept the Timeline too 😅 I love them both for different things, but I think the Volante has an edge in sound over the Timeline.
I recently invested in the Empress Echosystem and Reverb and before that I was using a Blue Sky and a DIG from Strymon. I'm thinking about selling the DIG to fund the Volante. The hands-on approach of it is really appealing and it'll be a great option for my smaller board when I do fly gigs and ship contracts.
it is all mostly the same with different features yes but its all delay hahaha just another place in life that's smells of brand wars, its just delay done by different companies, americans are particularly obsessed with brands and having new shit to take ur mind off boredom, get to work ya fuckers stop shopping n thinking about shopping and make music))
TheLeon1032 it’s more feature set no? I think the reason someone would buy the Volante so they could have the features of a drum echo and tape delay. Can you make them sound similarly? Sure but you can’t replicate their rhythmic differences and idiosyncratic feature set. That’s why I believe someone would get one or ought to above all
It's just repeats and EQ, mate. Analog dry-through can make a small difference. Any good delay with an effects loop will get you most tones, EQ in the loop, mod pedals, another delay, etc (EHX Deluxe Memory Boy/Man are good). Want multi-head? You can stack a couple delays (or use the FX loop as I mentioned) and, if they have tap-in, use a global tap. I got one from Loopi FX for $30 - it has polarity reversal on one output, so it's perfect for my MXR EP-103.
There’s something magical about the multi head delay sound. This pedal seems like a great pedal and right up my alley? I almost picked up the Catalinbread Echorec as my main delay. However, I went with an Echoplex pedal with tap tempo. With the tap, I can switch between slap and longer delay times, on the fly. I’m not a huge delay user and I generally have it mixed into the background. More felt than heard. This pedal would be overkill at my level and style of playing/recording. If my current setup wasn’t working or if I were a serious working musician, I would definitely be interested. $400 makes this a really expensive toy, and I have a Jones for a better amp that has be be scratched before a new delay comes onto my radar. Really cool sounding pedal, though.
Shoot man, All are great but I would either get Volonte or Timeline and save a few bucks. I know the Volonte would get more use from me than all the crazy features of the Timeline. If you got the money might as well get both tho.
@@shawnlaizure Ha ha. I understand that. I'm from the midwest too and have 3 delay pedals on my board at the moment.🤣 I preordered one of these from sweetwater when they get their next shipement. Lol
great insight. i have a couple of friends who could benefit from getting rid of their reverb pedal and just using the volante. that's definitely the unsung feature imo, incredibly useful
Rhett that into was absolutely stunning. You need to be getting your own stuff out there as an artist mate - I would pay for an album of that stuff and see the show on a tour. Please do it mate
I like the Volante. I just like Strymon... Their stuff is amazing and it all sounds great! Practicality be damned. I don't need a drum delay but it's cool to have it. Not about the "needing" all about the "wanting"!
I think the volante is cool, but not worth getting rid of a Timeline for. I’m lucky enough to say that the Timeline was only the second delay I ever owned after a TC Nova Repeater, and I got it around 7 years ago. I’m right there with you as far as the tape setting goes, I basically live there and only veer from it if I absolutely have to. But, I don’t think it’s worth throwing away 7 year’s worth of presets to have to make all new ones. I also have it paired with an El Cap, and I haven’t really heard anything I can’t get between the Timeline and the El Cap. That being said, I think the Volante is such a cool and amazing sounding pedal. And it does a great job at being that mid-range strymon for when you need more than an El Cap but less than a Timeline. I love the way it sounds, but I love the Timeline and El Cap duo too much to justify getting rid of one.
9:45 I'm in the exact same boat. I just got a timeline and bigsky a week or so ago, and granted I haven't made a conscious effort to dive deep into every preset and start crazily tweaking. I find myself just sticking to the dtape setting on the timeline because tape delay is my absolute favourite. I won't sell the timeline as some of the settings are really damn cool, but granted having more control and more focus on the tape settings would be good, so I'm definitely gonna pick a volante up. Sigh, I just bought a pedaltrain novo 24 and it looks like I'm going out shopping for a bigger board already. Awesome sounds at the start dude, if I had a kemper I'd be considering picking that pack up.
At first I was like, “why would I pay $400 for a pedal when I can get more options on the Timeline?” But after listening to you mention how you only use the Tape Delay anyway, I realized I do the same thing. And if I’m gonna strictly use Tape Delay, why not use a pedal that does it well. Thanks Rhett, this might be on my board soon.
@@markdavidofficial4274 You can't convince everyone but this is the best demo I've heard out there and this is my dream delay (other than a real tape echo)
I’ve been wanting this pedal so bad! To me the Timeline is nice but I don’t want to have a pedal that requires a midi to unlock its functionality. That said I like to turn knobs and this pedal looks like it was made to easily access this tones on the fly! It is definitely on my bucket list of pedals.... but $400 is so pricey!
@@agustinseva6682 I've heard that the presets are just difficult to come up unless you have a midi, which is more money. I just like the idea that this one seems more like a straight up delay with minimal advanced options... because I'm not advanced lol.
Great video! Really enjoyed your editing in the intro. Totally agree with your thoughts on the timeline. I pretty much always end up using the tape as well. Keep up the great content🎸
Loved the intro! Your instrumental pieces are always superb. I think the Volante is an outstanding pedal, but being that I don't use delay a great deal, I'll likely opt to keep using a delay that's cheaper and takes up less real estate on my board.
So, receiving the pedal for free is not getting paid? Not sure if I would have gone there. But good and fair review and I like what you do here on CZcams.
Nope, Overpriced. I got a Source Audio Nemesis for under $300AUD shipped with Neuro Hub for $95 (I use the SA Nemesis, Gemini Chorus and Vertigo Tremolo, all controlled via MIDI, Disaster Area DMC-3XL Gen3), an MXR Echoplex Ep-103 (amazing, best tape delay pedal around imo) for $150AUD shipped, and a Maxon AD-9 Pro Analog BBD delay for $180. All the delays I could ever want, and if I need Binson Echorec delays, well - I use a Keeley Darkside (mostly for mods and Fuzz, I don't use the delays often but they are there if I need them). If I want a clean, perfect digital delay I use my old T-Rex Replica. Got one cheap a few years ago. Best simple delay ever made, period. This new Strymon pedal is almost $800 bucks here in Australia. I sold my El Cap and got the MXR with some change in my pocket. I'm not a fan of Strymon. All their delays have this "sheen" or "gloss" sound over everything. Makes me sound like I'm in a P&W band, and I am a firm believer in separation of Church and Rock. Timeline is the one exception. That's a great pedal. Mobius sounds tinny and digital, and the Reverbs? All I can say is: GFI Specular Reverb V3.
The individual panning for each tape head is a huge personal seller for me I dream of double ping-pong (I have an old Ibanez pan delay) so I was really interested in the Seymour Duncan Dark Sun Delay/Reverb - also the hall reverb on that thing sounds GREAT - but the Volante’s beauteeful delay tone + the panning makes it the winner
I have this pedal and it sounds great, however its usabilty without the addition of a separate midi device is not good, there is no way to select presets when using it live
nice balanced take, Rhett -- will keep in mind if I find myself heading into tape delay territory (the local guitar shop/Strymon dealer is literally across the street from where I live here in SB!)
Man this demo was excellent! I have had this pedal since 2019 and I gotta say, it’s the best delay pedal I have ever heard. Top video, keep up the great work!
Sounds really great, but it seems a little bit late to the party. How many great drum and tape type echo's are there in the market already? I just don't see this thing making everyone trade the box that they've been using in for one. But then again, guitarists aren't always known as the most rational of people. Just my thoughts. YMMV.
Yes, for me it's the Volante, I am sitting here next to the phone thinking should I ? Or should I not ! 🤔 I am very happy to not have plug into a computer !! Hopefully this unit should have good reliability about it as there are no moving parts. 😁
I made the same conclusions at first, but now… I guess, nemesis still is more valuable thing. Even if you use tape most of the time, you can sculpt a dozen of tape-based sounds in neuroapp and store them not just as a presets, but even as algorythms (instead of those you're not using; so it's 12 algorythms + 8 presets = 20 out of box). In those saved algos you may rebind all the knobs to the hidden under the hood settings, so you won't miss anything without neuroapp. A bit more complex solution in a way, but for much less (especially second hand). And you still could use reverse/helix/you name it algos. One drawback here: you won't get volante's «sound on sound» which is a ≈70 second advanced looper and those 8 tape-simulating buttons.
Same conclusion. If the magnetic style delay is something that is a main part of your delay sound, this is a good buy, because of how much functionality within that style of delay it gives the user. If you require more variety of delay types from your pedalboard real estate, this is not a good purchase. I bought this thing a week after it came out, and a day after I found out about it, and it replaced my RE-20.
I wouldn't say it is not a good purchase. I have timeline and Volante. I think if you really are a delay fan and don't have to be limited by 1 delay pedal, you can't go wrong with Volante.
@@understone If you don't have to be limited by one delay pedal, then you don't fall under the condition of "needs the pedalboard real-estate" that I posited initially, when saying it would be an impractical purchase.
@@losangelesnefastvs I need the real estate but delay takes precedence for me. I'd rather keep my Mobius which is pretty average but does alot and have multiple delays.
I think people checking this out must be most interested in the Magnetic Drum setting, since they can get fantastic tape delay out of El Capistan for less. I recently discovered the Binson sound, and that I like it better than Tape. Volante must be extremely good in that to get my money.
Rhett just stop it now.. and record an instrumental album, that intro is great!!
armando arciniega +100!!
Amen! Rhett is a beast!
I was just about to comment the same thing!
sakamuras s maybe maybe not who cares. Would be nice if he does produce it anyhow as a single.
Totally. That intro was great. I almost stopped watching the video after the intro. What else was needed? I wad sold on the volante!
Rhett great point on focusing on one's preferred sounds. In a time and age of do it all pedals its great to find one which does one thing great and without a clutter of switches and settings.
This is probably the best straight out review of the Volante. Well done, Rhett.
I've been using Strymon for years as well but have always found the Timeline to be overkill for what I need. I have the Deco on my board currently but have been on the fence between getting the Volante or something like the T-Rex Replicator Jr.(prices have gotten very reasonable lately). I'm pretty sure that this video has pushed me to buy a Volante now. Damn, CZcams is expensive.
That intro was nothing short of spectacular! It deserves thumbs ups of its own!
That tone on “Run Like Hell” sounded like the studio recording
Studio: MXR Digital rack delays
Live: MXR in some photos, a DD-2 & DD-3 in others. Depends on the era/tour
Except gilmour was using digital delays by then
I have the Volante and the Catlinbread Belle Epoch Deluxe. Volante iis definitely more versatile. The buttons for the four playback/feedback heads combined with the spacing knob on the Volante can give you endless variations on delay patterns, and the wear, low cut and record level knobs allow you to shape the tone of the repeats in myriad ways. The three different settings all add a different character, my favorite is the drum (echorec) setting, it's the most gritty and lo fi. So Volante is great. But I still can't bring myself to take the Belle Epoch Deluxe off my board, the EP preamp sound in it is just too good, and with it's other delay type settings and an expression pedal you can do some pretty awesome stuff. I know you can use an expression pedal with the Volante too, but the Catlinbread is just vibey-er and a little more unpredictable (like sweeping the resonant filter delay setting, which is always just on the edge of going into runaway self-oscillation). So for now, they're both still on my board, which is kind of a lot of space for two delay pedals, but I like them both too much.
Such a great and useful take on this pedal. Honestly I found it to be more informative, committed and to the point than most of the other reviews out there. Thanks.
-Seal.
That opening track was very cool - nicely done sir...
2 years ago, I watched this. As impressed as I was, I had other delays and didn't see buying another. Ffw, mine is on its way!!!
I LOVE mine! I took it out of the box, plugged it in without changing a thing, and got lost for almost half an hour. The simplicity of it inspires me more than my Timeline.
A $400 free pedal is still a payment. Not that is matters but perspective can get lost by many who's complete pedal board is about that value. It is nice that CZcamsr's are now required to release information about compensation however, and i am not singling out anyone for any reason. It is just a pedal that i would never consider due to cost, no matter how good it is. I can still dream and watch the high end reviews and know who bought the item and who was gifted it.
It's around $750-795 in Australia. Fk that.
It's only $100 more than the El Capistan and way more feature-packed.
Yes budget should factor but... Who the fuck buys a pedal just because it's expensive? The two pedals I bought that were between 300-400 CAD were both because they did a sound I couldn't get with any other pedal...
Strymom deco, steel string supreme...
Yes you could say they are just expensive pedals but cost wasn't the driving factor of my purchase, I don't mention the cost when I mention what they do at jam sessions...
Buy the gear that gets you the sounds you want. If a cheap set up can do it for you, great! But bashing something for the sake of cost is stupid. There's a lot of expensive components, design, and building required to make these pedals, it's not like it's a 30$ unit upcharged...
100% agree. I had a Timeline and got rid of it. Replaced it with the Volante. There's nothing about the Timeline that I miss. I Volante absolutely beats out the Timeline because of the multiple delay heads and the ability to change the timing between them. For ambient playing which I do alot of, this allows the Volante to replace a cascade of 2-3 delay pedals. I'm using a Kemper as well. In performance mode, the Kemper can call up Volante presets. Perfect!
You are such a good player man. Shames me cause I have been playing since about '68. Love your sweepy open chord stylings, hoping to pick up some chops from watching your videos. Some people are just more creative I guess. Love your stuff. And thanks for the Volante recommendation, I just bought one, looking forward to using it. Already have 4 different Strymons and love them all. And its all cause of you and your videos. Just love that huge, open sound!
Just got a volante today. Love the simplicity. Doing like you said. Putting the timeline away for awhile on my board ( not getting rid of it though!) and running the volante as my main delay. Love the tape sound! Thanks Rhett, love the effort you put into your reviews
That Pink Floyd part was very convincing! That sounded so good!
Man, your playing shots and B roll are so killer!!
have owned a Timeline, el Capitan, H9/ Timefactor and TC Electronic triple delay, and yes I can clearly say it's the best delay barr none.
This demo sold me on the Volante. I have a TimeLine but much like Rhett all I used regularly is the tape setting. I have only had the Volante for a day and it’s already inspiring me to find new sounds and play more. Keeping the TimeLine for now too but the Volante is gonna be my default for the foreseeable future.
This is the best video yet, Dr. Shull.
Great review. I liked the instrumental at the beginning, but the part I most valued was hearing you discuss the pedal at a down to earth level I could understand. Thank you Rhett.
I'm definitely going to pick one up. Loved the demo from Andertons Music.
Thinking of selling my memory man and going down the volante road... I've got the big sky by strymon and I've got to say the sound and build quality is top of the class.
I'm not a huge delay guy but that one, that pedal is just awsome
Nice presentation, good info, but...... when you say you are not getting paid, well getting a $400 pedal is getting paid, in my opinion...
Randy H 100% correct!
Yep, I'd do a kiss ass review for any free pedal, especially a $400 one.
I didn't think he was given the pedal to keep, only sent one to demo it. No?
@@copheart I doubt he has to return it.. Strymon is out how much money for giving this pedal away? $100ish, maybe? And this video already has 65,000+ views.... As far as marketing goes, that's one hell of a deal for Strymon. And Strymon already knew this guy liked the Timeline and BigSky, and given that the Volante is a really nice product, it was an easy call to assume that he'd say mostly good things about it. So Strymon is out maybe $100ish and in return they have a video mostly praising their product, with tens of thousand of views.... Again, one hell of a deal for Strymon. All they have to do is sell a couple of pedals and their investment is made up for, and then anything past that is just icing on the cake and free marketing.
Yes, getting something "for free" is the same as getting paid, and even if you think you are trying to be unbiased, you will want to give it a better review because you want to get more free stuff in the future. The bias may be entirely subconscious, but it is definitely there.
It takes a bit of experience knowing how to interpret a review from someone getting free things, but if it is a good review, they will show you all aspects of something leaving it up to you to make up your own mind, and it will point out whatever might be shortcomings according to the reviewer.
Good review Rhett, I like how you actually tell people your honest opinion including the Cons for you and not just all about the Pro’s.
For tape echo sound, I really like my Keely Magnetic Echo. It does one thing really well. Only down side is I have to manually dial in dotted eighth note delay.
7:13 YES yes yes. Sing it, Brother. THIS!
Been my favorite and most versatile pedal I’ve ever had so far... great review Rhett!
Had mine for a couple years. I would agree that without MIDI, your gonna be bent over the Volante tweaking knobs. Same thing with Nightsky, but with MIDI control over presets I can program some rather normal reverbs and delays in them and with a footswitch, morph them into preordained cosmic debris and safely back again. I run them in stereo, in parallel, to a mixer back to stereo before hitting the Peavey Classic 50/50, pretty sure my rackmount tube amp was made for keyboards. It sounds breathtakingly good on flute and guitar. Headroom. Yea, I run flute through my guitar rig, mostly just the ambience stuff. I use FET based amp style pedals on guitar to get a nice amp sound from this rig, the Catalinbread circuits are awesome for my clean flat huge tube amp tone, they work perfect for me. Totally different ambient programs for flute and guitar stuff, it's essential to simply hit a footswitch and make it so. Go MIDI. Morningstar Engineering stuff is really nice to work with.
Strymon does make killer shit, Ive got a Big Sky and love it... that being said, the new Audio Source Collider can play a tape echo and Binson oil can delay at the same time... and the AS spring reverb sound quality is unsurpassed... all in a smaller pkg with the option of using a phone app or puter to fine edit if one so wishes... these are cool times we live in..
the volante is a different beast by allowing the tape heads to pan, or trigger versatility with the feedback ...also its green 😜
Love the honesty of your gear demos Rhett!
In my opinion, the Catalinbread Belle Epoche Deluxe is the best tape delay out there.
If they put a Tap Tempo on that thing . . . Its OVER for Everyone. I Agree with you and I have tried many.
I agree with the Bella Epoch Deluxe but this also does the binson thing... and it has built-in Reverb but the Belle epoch how's that preamp she kind of stuck mine both then you're going to need to get a bigger pedalboard just whatever you do don't watch that pedal show I person could go broke
Disaster Area Microclock enables tap tempo for the Deluxe.
@@hoover728 lunch sounds good but honestly I have no interest in tap Tempo I've got three or four other to lay is it do that I think it sounds great the Belle Epoch and the snooze driving pedal boat sound amazing and they're different from one another anyhow you can never have too many delay pedals but that's good info thanks for sharing
I was responding to Michael Caz in particular.
I watched a video with Rick Beato.. he asked you (who I've never seen before) your favorite delay. You said this one. So I searched it. Clicked the first video - And hey look - it's you again!
Late to this video but have to say I’m interested in the Volante because, like you, I live mainly on tape type delays. And I love your to-the-point, straight ahead reviews 👍
Sounds like an awesome addition to a rig... You're videos are awesome, the stuff you review shows that you spend quite a bit of time mastering the functions of the gear before you make a video. I appreciate that
To me as I love the Dunlop Echo Plex. It to me is not reverb with delay for the Volante. It's how authentic the basic tape Echo is. After that it's the controls to tweak to get the other sounds from the original sound, not 2 effects to burn an original.
Now that is how you do an informative and honest review of a piece of gear. Thanks Rhett!
2:00 Rhett, I am one of your frist subscribers (I think I was here when you were at about 2000 subs) and very very often you happen to remind me why I subscribed. Being very honest and transparent about the origin of the material you review should be the norm, but in reality A LOT of youtubers are very fishy and sneaky about it, even trying to mask paid reviews as a 100% indipendent opinion. Thanks a lot for your videos and your honesty!
agreed. more and more youtubers don't say a word about that even when they are fully paid to make a review. I don't even think that is legal. I've already seen a bunch of youtuber review this very Volante and not mentioning at all its origin. let's support transparent and honest guys like rhett
Thanks for the support David!
The Volante was sent by Strymon you said. Do you mean you keep it for free?
I vote MORE VIDEOS reviewing pedals. This video is highly apropos for me, and you nicely distilled your likes and dislikes and gave us an excellent perspective of what the pedal is. Your review is highly relevant to me since I've been toying with the idea of getting one of these VOLANTEs, and now I have a much better idea of what the pedal would mean to me as an average dude who tools about on his guitar. I totally dug this review man! Thanks Rhett.
Just picked one up today. I’ve got the DD-500 and the tape sounds on there are good especially after the update. But tonight I’ve found myself getting some really really really cool (but still musical) tones by playing with the spacing knob. Combine that with spot on tone, and I call that $400 well spent. I might find myself missing my analog sounds though. We’ll see. I’ve been able to tweak the wear knob to trim the highs and get in the ball park
I ordered the Volante and Timeline, letting the dealer know I’d be returning one of the two. Spent a good amount of time on both.Timeline is serious but I’m a BIG fan of El Cap and have always wished it had more presets along with MIDI capabilities. So it’s no surprise that I kept the Volante. I just wanted to be sure, though. I’m with you, Rhett: Cool as the effects are on the Timeline; I just knew I wouldn’t be using most of them. Love the Volante. Cool video. Thanks!
Does the Volante sound better than the El cap? I'm looking for a good delay & tape delay pedal.
I sold a Catalinbread Echorec and Catalinbread BE-Deluxe to get the Strymon Volante, and it was a tough choice given how much I love Catalinbread's amazing pedal designs. Volante doesn't disappoint, and the ability to get tape and magnetic echo effects from the same pedal was a huge draw for me. Strymon seems to really nail the modeling of all these classic delay machines, and give you reasonably intuitive control over them. I'm a huge fan.
I saw Kenny Vaughn demo the Volante- got one and never looked back. Always on pedal for me
as a drummie, doing jamaican stuff, i need a delay that can double in a flick or half, or triplet. volante and do it as well as DIG. dig doesn't sound as good. i'd have to run it thru a tube screamer or the walrus 385...
Well I can't afford it, but I bought it anyway. I use a Specular Tempus also, but this just fills that "niche". It's a beautiful sounding pedal and more versatile than you might think.
Thanks Rhett!
After seeing you clip, I think I am going to buy this pedal. You answered all my questions. Thanks !
My sensible side is telling me to go for the timeline in terms versatility and features but I really like the volante.... definitely cant afford both that's one thing I'm sure about these things are pricey!
i didn’t but much stock in them as being a HYPE type effect for most Strymon...because of the underutilization factor. BUT the Volante does seem like all the best features of a few great delays rolled into on unit. still probably more expensive than i would like but stills THIS pedal seems worth the hype
that opening track is KILLER!!!
Yea- that intro was great! Rhett, thanks for the review. Like you, I really hover on analog on tape. I come from years of a RE-301 chorus echo and now that its busticated, having a hard time finding the right "modern" replacement. The Volante is tops on my list right now - and your demo/review really puts my thoughts right - it's just a little outa my price range these days....
Got it. Love it. I don't think it will ever leave my board.
I'm so torn about swapping my Timeline out for the Volante! Like you, I'm on the Tape setting 95% of the time, but the screen does make it handy to see when I change presets on my ES-8, what delay I've switched to.
I like Timeline better
@@GuitarsAndSynths I ended up getting a Volante, and kept the Timeline too 😅 I love them both for different things, but I think the Volante has an edge in sound over the Timeline.
Use the ears !
@@Wooburnmusic that’s why I recently sold the Timeline! The Volante just always sounded better 🕺🏼
Thankyou Jake 😁👍 yeh
Like you, I SORELY under utilized my timeline. Volante + Nightsky + Vox AC30HW = ❤️
Would like to see some of your fav Volante settings. Like maybe a little in depth video of it.
I bought one last week came in the mail yesterday loving it. Thanks man for this video helped me out a lot
I'm going to buy one for sure. Great video Rhett!
Thanks Shawn!
I recently invested in the Empress Echosystem and Reverb and before that I was using a Blue Sky and a DIG from Strymon. I'm thinking about selling the DIG to fund the Volante. The hands-on approach of it is really appealing and it'll be a great option for my smaller board when I do fly gigs and ship contracts.
Thanks for your thoughts Rhett.
Why do the drums on the intro sound so much like Darren King? Phenomenal.
Because they’re from the Darren King pack on that sound.
I’m gonna be honest, I have a terrible ear for distinguishing differences in delays. Outside of the speed and length, it all sounds the same to me.
it is all mostly the same with different features yes but its all delay hahaha just another place in life that's smells of brand wars, its just delay done by different companies, americans are particularly obsessed with brands and having new shit to take ur mind off boredom, get to work ya fuckers stop shopping n thinking about shopping and make music))
TheLeon1032 it’s more feature set no? I think the reason someone would buy the Volante so they could have the features of a drum echo and tape delay. Can you make them sound similarly? Sure but you can’t replicate their rhythmic differences and idiosyncratic feature set. That’s why I believe someone would get one or ought to above all
It's just repeats and EQ, mate. Analog dry-through can make a small difference.
Any good delay with an effects loop will get you most tones, EQ in the loop, mod pedals, another delay, etc (EHX Deluxe Memory Boy/Man are good). Want multi-head? You can stack a couple delays (or use the FX loop as I mentioned) and, if they have tap-in, use a global tap. I got one from Loopi FX for $30 - it has polarity reversal on one output, so it's perfect for my MXR EP-103.
@@justingarcia7722 "ought"??? Gimme a break, man. What's next - "Thou Shalt Buy All Strymon Above All"??
Matt Gilbert you alright dude? You do know we're all on the same page right? Hope everything's alight
There’s something magical about the multi head delay sound. This pedal seems like a great pedal and right up my alley? I almost picked up the Catalinbread Echorec as my main delay. However, I went with an Echoplex pedal with tap tempo. With the tap, I can switch between slap and longer delay times, on the fly.
I’m not a huge delay user and I generally have it mixed into the background. More felt than heard. This pedal would be overkill at my level and style of playing/recording. If my current setup wasn’t working or if I were a serious working musician, I would definitely be interested. $400 makes this a really expensive toy, and I have a Jones for a better amp that has be be scratched before a new delay comes onto my radar. Really cool sounding pedal, though.
I LOVE that EP-103
The Empress Echosystem never gets any love and is probably the most diverse delay out there
Ivan Ibarra that’s my favorite delay. So good. Diverse for sure.
Big +1 for the echosystem. The things it can do with pitch are incredible
I use them both!! Incredible pedals!!
It’s diverse but it’s also pretty vanilla sounding in most modes
Great review! Great pedal! Thanks Rhett.
I'm getting one along with the Big Sky, Timeline, and Mobius...it's going to be an expensive day. *sigh*
Don’t forget the new Free the Tone Future factory coming out in March. I pre-ordered one.
Shoot man, All are great but I would either get Volonte or Timeline and save a few bucks. I know the Volonte would get more use from me than all the crazy features of the Timeline. If you got the money might as well get both tho.
J Steen I’m from the Midwest, love options and layers.
@@shawnlaizure Ha ha. I understand that. I'm from the midwest too and have 3 delay pedals on my board at the moment.🤣 I preordered one of these from sweetwater when they get their next shipement. Lol
@@Jaysteenn See, you get it,, my dude.
great insight. i have a couple of friends who could benefit from getting rid of their reverb pedal and just using the volante. that's definitely the unsung feature imo, incredibly useful
Rhett that into was absolutely stunning. You need to be getting your own stuff out there as an artist mate - I would pay for an album of that stuff and see the show on a tour. Please do it mate
*intro
I like the Volante. I just like Strymon... Their stuff is amazing and it all sounds great! Practicality be damned. I don't need a drum delay but it's cool to have it. Not about the "needing" all about the "wanting"!
Yeah it's all about getting from that "high" again and again, ain't it? Just add more tools to expand your sound library, so you can be more creative.
That was an incredible demo. Cheers to you man. New competition for Pete thorn now. The only 2 pedalers I watch.
That Pedal Show is pretty great too if you like getting really deep in long form video.
Sounds killer Rhett. I really dig the golden & silver ratio functions on the Volante. Also- best intro to date!
Dude!!! Amazing tone... I can't believe how good that sounded through computer speakers. I agree with Armando, you need to do an album.
Great review and sounds, this just cost me 1 x Volante plus shipping :P
I think the volante is cool, but not worth getting rid of a Timeline for. I’m lucky enough to say that the Timeline was only the second delay I ever owned after a TC Nova Repeater, and I got it around 7 years ago. I’m right there with you as far as the tape setting goes, I basically live there and only veer from it if I absolutely have to. But, I don’t think it’s worth throwing away 7 year’s worth of presets to have to make all new ones. I also have it paired with an El Cap, and I haven’t really heard anything I can’t get between the Timeline and the El Cap. That being said, I think the Volante is such a cool and amazing sounding pedal. And it does a great job at being that mid-range strymon for when you need more than an El Cap but less than a Timeline. I love the way it sounds, but I love the Timeline and El Cap duo too much to justify getting rid of one.
9:45 I'm in the exact same boat.
I just got a timeline and bigsky a week or so ago, and granted I haven't made a conscious effort to dive deep into every preset and start crazily tweaking. I find myself just sticking to the dtape setting on the timeline because tape delay is my absolute favourite. I won't sell the timeline as some of the settings are really damn cool, but granted having more control and more focus on the tape settings would be good, so I'm definitely gonna pick a volante up.
Sigh, I just bought a pedaltrain novo 24 and it looks like I'm going out shopping for a bigger board already.
Awesome sounds at the start dude, if I had a kemper I'd be considering picking that pack up.
At first I was like, “why would I pay $400 for a pedal when I can get more options on the Timeline?” But after listening to you mention how you only use the Tape Delay anyway, I realized I do the same thing. And if I’m gonna strictly use Tape Delay, why not use a pedal that does it well. Thanks Rhett, this might be on my board soon.
Your tones are fantastic, definitely makes me want to buy a Kemper.
"they're not sponsoring in any way other then providing me it for free" lol that's a $400 sponsoring! But great sounds nonetheless :)
The time spent making a video like this is worth more than the 400.00 pedal, so Strymon got the better deal.
@@ChadWork1 He is also paid by you tube for the number of views
@@constantine412 Payment for 80k views is pretty much zero dollars.
Chad Johnson uhhhhhhhhh...I would heavily disagree. This may be an awesome pedal but it still would never Persuade me to get one
@@markdavidofficial4274 You can't convince everyone but this is the best demo I've heard out there and this is my dream delay (other than a real tape echo)
My Timeline took a backseat to the Volante. You can play the Volante live.
I’ve been wanting this pedal so bad! To me the Timeline is nice but I don’t want to have a pedal that requires a midi to unlock its functionality. That said I like to turn knobs and this pedal looks like it was made to easily access this tones on the fly! It is definitely on my bucket list of pedals.... but $400 is so pricey!
You don't need anything to unlock all the stuff on the Timeline. And the interface on it is very simple once you get it.
@@agustinseva6682 I've heard that the presets are just difficult to come up unless you have a midi, which is more money. I just like the idea that this one seems more like a straight up delay with minimal advanced options... because I'm not advanced lol.
Great video! Really enjoyed your editing in the intro. Totally agree with your thoughts on the timeline. I pretty much always end up using the tape as well. Keep up the great content🎸
Loved the intro! Your instrumental pieces are always superb. I think the Volante is an outstanding pedal, but being that I don't use delay a great deal, I'll likely opt to keep using a delay that's cheaper and takes up less real estate on my board.
So, receiving the pedal for free is not getting paid? Not sure if I would have gone there. But good and fair review and I like what you do here on CZcams.
Great Video! The best thing about this pedal is you can see what other players do with it and try it out! love mine!
Yes... more videos on these types of pedals. Thanks!!!
Nope, Overpriced. I got a Source Audio Nemesis for under $300AUD shipped with Neuro Hub for $95 (I use the SA Nemesis, Gemini Chorus and Vertigo Tremolo, all controlled via MIDI, Disaster Area DMC-3XL Gen3), an MXR Echoplex Ep-103 (amazing, best tape delay pedal around imo) for $150AUD shipped, and a Maxon AD-9 Pro Analog BBD delay for $180. All the delays I could ever want, and if I need Binson Echorec delays, well - I use a Keeley Darkside (mostly for mods and Fuzz, I don't use the delays often but they are there if I need them).
If I want a clean, perfect digital delay I use my old T-Rex Replica. Got one cheap a few years ago. Best simple delay ever made, period.
This new Strymon pedal is almost $800 bucks here in Australia. I sold my El Cap and got the MXR with some change in my pocket.
I'm not a fan of Strymon. All their delays have this "sheen" or "gloss" sound over everything. Makes me sound like I'm in a P&W band, and I am a firm believer in separation of Church and Rock.
Timeline is the one exception. That's a great pedal. Mobius sounds tinny and digital, and the Reverbs? All I can say is: GFI Specular Reverb V3.
love the intro jams on your videos man, well done!
The individual panning for each tape head is a huge personal seller for me
I dream of double ping-pong (I have an old Ibanez pan delay) so I was really interested in the Seymour Duncan Dark Sun Delay/Reverb - also the hall reverb on that thing sounds GREAT - but the Volante’s beauteeful delay tone + the panning makes it the winner
Thanks Rhett!! You just helped me deciding on buying the timeline. I was curious about the volante, though but couldn't use tape delay alone...
I have this pedal and it sounds great, however its usabilty without the addition of a separate midi device is not good, there is no way to select presets when using it live
As always a well thought out, practical, and honest opinion. Good review.
That intro has so much U2 in it, so good!
Hello sir from Montreal!!
Glad to be able to tune in!!
nice balanced take, Rhett -- will keep in mind if I find myself heading into tape delay territory (the local guitar shop/Strymon dealer is literally across the street from where I live here in SB!)
Man this demo was excellent! I have had this pedal since 2019 and I gotta say, it’s the best delay pedal I have ever heard.
Top video, keep up the great work!
Sounds really great, but it seems a little bit late to the party. How many great drum and tape type echo's are there in the market already? I just don't see this thing making everyone trade the box that they've been using in for one.
But then again, guitarists aren't always known as the most rational of people.
Just my thoughts. YMMV.
I'm rational. I don't need one.
Yes, for me it's the Volante, I am sitting here next to the phone thinking should I ? Or should I not ! 🤔
I am very happy to not have plug into a computer !! Hopefully this unit should have good reliability about it as there are no moving parts. 😁
Best demo I’ve seen of this pedal thanks
I made the same conclusions at first, but now… I guess, nemesis still is more valuable thing. Even if you use tape most of the time, you can sculpt a dozen of tape-based sounds in neuroapp and store them not just as a presets, but even as algorythms (instead of those you're not using; so it's 12 algorythms + 8 presets = 20 out of box). In those saved algos you may rebind all the knobs to the hidden under the hood settings, so you won't miss anything without neuroapp. A bit more complex solution in a way, but for much less (especially second hand). And you still could use reverse/helix/you name it algos. One drawback here: you won't get volante's «sound on sound» which is a ≈70 second advanced looper and those 8 tape-simulating buttons.
Yes, Rhett didn't mention the looper feature.
Same conclusion. If the magnetic style delay is something that is a main part of your delay sound, this is a good buy, because of how much functionality within that style of delay it gives the user. If you require more variety of delay types from your pedalboard real estate, this is not a good purchase.
I bought this thing a week after it came out, and a day after I found out about it, and it replaced my RE-20.
I wouldn't say it is not a good purchase. I have timeline and Volante. I think if you really are a delay fan and don't have to be limited by 1 delay pedal, you can't go wrong with Volante.
@@understone If you don't have to be limited by one delay pedal, then you don't fall under the condition of "needs the pedalboard real-estate" that I posited initially, when saying it would be an impractical purchase.
@@losangelesnefastvs I need the real estate but delay takes precedence for me. I'd rather keep my Mobius which is pretty average but does alot and have multiple delays.
Shout out to those still rocking the Danelectro Dan Echo 🤘
I would love to see videos like this on your tried and true gear. Recording/Performing/Writing...
I think people checking this out must be most interested in the Magnetic Drum setting, since they can get fantastic tape delay out of El Capistan for less. I recently discovered the Binson sound, and that I like it better than Tape. Volante must be extremely good in that to get my money.