Boss DD-500 & Strymon Volante discussion

[dave robinson]

I got the echoes for the Shadows numbers from the Volante after five minutes no problem. Heads 5 & 6 on the Meazzi are not that important anyway, you're pushed to find a patch that uses those two heads that anybody needs.
I can move the speed and head configuration around enough on the Volante to do everything that I need. It's a keeper - and if you know what you're doing, recommended !

[roger bayliss]

I got the echoes for the Shadows numbers from the Volante after five minutes no problem. Heads 5 & 6 on the Meazzi are not that important anyway, you're pushed to find a patch that uses those two heads that anybody needs.
I can move the speed and head configuration around enough on the Volante to do everything that I need. It's a keeper - and if you know what you're doing, recommended !

Welcome to the Volante club. It can do the Roland RE Types Echoplex and others too. 8 memory slots just enough to get by with. It really does sound like a tape echo too.

[dave robinson]

I've totally forgotten how to use midi and the Volante can store 300 patches should one need them.
I don't even know what kit I need, or if I already own it.
One thing is for sure, the Strymon Volante sounds almost as good as my excellent Klemt Echolette in the echo department, there's something in there that non of the other solid state machines have got and I've got the H&C, Blue Nebula, Catalinbread, Zoom BT100 and Vox ToneLab SE to compare. I'm trying to work out what it is, but it's that good that I can't stop playing with it.
If I were to hook up the Klemt Echolette just for it's pre-amp and put the Volante in front of it, the sound would be amazing.
I will get around to trying it.

[roger bayliss]

On the Strymon Volante page if you read it describes how the 3 main tape types are modelled. The drum type mentions the effects of the valve circuitry on the sound that they modelled and each of the 3 types has something modelled to get it dam close to the original. The Tape model appears to reflect the Roland RE design , the drum type the Binson type I think. It is often the pre-amp and other circuit design that gives some of those echos their own flavour and the Meazzi clearly has it's own sound as does the Long Tom etc.

The Volante is a great echo unit for £400 , where a tape unit would cost a lot more than that.

[roger bayliss]

Dave I think you have to buy a MIDI controller to do it and its complicated !

[dave robinson]

Good morning Roger an all other interested parties. I have unpacked my Hall & Collins machine and done some comparing, A-B tests with similar timings and feedback etc.
Listening and playing with it again, I have to say that Charlie's H&C machine is terrific and although the Strymon is good, it isn't by any means better.
The Strymon is more like a 'real' machine would have been back in the day, with everything visible to edit your sound, where Charlie's is pre-programmed but editable in a slightly more complicated way, but only more complicated if you are not a technical minded type. Sound-wise I don't hear anything between them for the stuff we play.
OK, the Strymon comes in at £375 against Charlie's £599, but the extra that Charlie's costs is surely worth it for the programmes for people who don't understand how to achieve the echo patches. I personally love the challenge of finding the sounds on the old school machine and playing with the controls and making discoveries.
One thin is certain, we live in exiting times as we have never before had such a wealth of good gear to use for not too much money.

I'll have a bit of lunch, then I'll get the Blue Nebula out and do a similar comparison. I'll then record some samples and post them here later, is there anything that I could perhaps play other than the usual Apache / Wonderful Land that would show the machine's potential ? I do get tired of playing the same stuff so I'm open to suggestion, but I can tell you that I'm really enjoying this and really that's what life should be all about isn't it ?

[Mikebeer]

Dave,
I'm enjoying very much your sonic experiments with all these different recordings. How about trying Man of mystery and The frightened city?

Regards Mike

[dave robinson]

Dave,
I'm enjoying very much your sonic experiments with all these different recordings. How about trying Man of mystery and The frightened city?

Regards Mike

Yes that would be no problem, but the echo pattern is the same, it's the one used for Apache but with trails.

[Ian Miller]

I am also very much enjoying your experiments Dave. I find them most interesting and informative.
As an alternative to actual Shadows numbers, but in the same style, may I suggest: The Golden Sea and Secrets Of The Sea, or maybe Rounding The Cape.
Re The Blue Nebula, I understand there has been an update which has improved things! I’d be very interested to hear this with the updates.

Thanks

Ian

Hi Ian, thanks for you interest and I hope you see or hear something that helps you. Although I made a BT for Rounding The Cape back in 2003, I haven't played it since and don't know those tunes well enough to attempt to perform them on camera, so maybe I'll add a couple of my own compositions if you want something different.

[dave robinson]

Here's The Frightened City and Man Of Mystery - USA DeLuxe Strat with Sliders pickups, plugged into Strymon Volante using MusLady Air Bridge, into my Yamaha desk with EQ to suit Strat i.e. All treble rolled off. Mid boosted, Bass rolled off.
All done in one take, what you see is what you get . . . . .

https://youtu.be/ws4eSHi2H2A