Strymon
Deco
The Deco is, to put it succinctly, a
miracle. For any guitarist or studio
rat who has ever daydreamed of
the glorious sonic possibilities
that could be had if only a couple
quarter-inch tape decks could
somehow be pressed into service
as portable effects units, the Deco
will make those dreams real. In the
past, there were so many things one
could do in a studio environment
with a pair of tape machines that
simply could not be adequately
reproduced in a live scenario. The
Deco solves this conundrum by
squeezing what amounts to a pair of
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TONE TALK //
virtual tape decks into one brilliant,
very portable stompbox. It does
many things well, including slapback
echo, tape saturation effects, and
double-tracking, but we’re here
to talk about the through-zero
tape flanging tones. The Deco can
reproduce a huge spectrum of
tape flanging effects, from subtle,
static filtering sounds, to dramatic
through zero sweeps, and its AutoFlange feature is both very easy to
manipulate in real time, and lends to
a more interactive feel. Tape effects
enthusiasts cannot live without a
Strymon Deco.
Better than the Real Thing: 5 Incredible Tape Flangers