I have a couple of questions for you folks:
What’s a good price for a Deco v1?
What are the benefit of having Midi on such a pedal?
Why do I even what these things… I have a 4-track here and a pile of tapes I could abuse. I’m such a sucker…
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The additional JFET input circuit and new cassette algorithm with ALC should make the V2 unit sound much different I would think. I’m most eager to use this new algorithm and sequence midi changes to the gain and midi commands to engage and disengage the double-tracker.
250€ is a good price IMO.
I don’t see the point of presets, really, but it could be fun to send program changes and plucks from the Elektron machines I guess.
Still, this pedal is pretty much a hands on tool that you can set and forget, and there is just the right amount of control to master it quickly.
I really like Deco, had what’s now the old version for ages. I don’t think I’ve once thought “I wish I could MIDI control this”, and I extensively MIDI control most of my pedals that have MIDI. The only control that might be nice to automate is the time knob, which makes a pretty pleasing stereo image of scrolling through a ‘tape’ when you move it around in wide stereo mode. The new tone knob might be cool though.
It doesn’t really feel like a very preset-y pedal either - there are only a few controls, and I typically just dial it in for the sound it’s on in 5 secs and leave it. I’ve never felt like I would benefit from being able to recall a particular state. I think the old version will be a nice bargain soon: the only thing that might be worth the new one is if the new algorithm sounds particularly cool, but the classic algo sounds great imo.
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I actually think Deco benefits more from midi control than most of Strymon’s small box pedals, at least in a live scenario.
Consider that you can set the pedal up to do tape flange, through-zero flange, chorus, vibrato, ADT, slap back, single or double repeat tape delay AND varying levels of tape saturation from light compression to full on overdrive, it’s probably the most versatile pedal in their lineup outside of Mobius.
Being able to assign that many sounds to presets instead of knob\switch tweaking? Pretty powerful.
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I just ordered a V2 last night to drop on my master bus for some glue. I’ll report back when it arrives. They say sometime in mid to late July.
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IMO it is not its right place.
- high frequencies tend to get distorted/filtered a lot
- a slight delay on the master will make everything muddy
- the phasing effect can push a central sound in the stereo field, it is this a nice tool to separate instruments and you’ll do the opposite if you apply this on the master…
Just my 2c
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Yea, fair. And I love shoe gaze and gritty, muddy sounds. So…
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I can’t read German. What does this say? My understanding is that the new V2s have a switch in the back to go from mono to stereo whereas the old ones you had to open up and change a jumper. It’s stereo with a TRS cable and the switch engaged is it not?
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V2s do have a switch now. Also you can control them with midi, and there is a USB input, so I think there is an editor of some sort and potentially there will be firmware updates and maybe we get lucky with new features down the road?
And yes, Stereo with a TRS on the input… so you need a Y splitter for some applications.
EDIT: They also make a point of saying how these are now based on ARM processors… which makes me wonder further about firmware updates and maybe even alternate firmwares.
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That’s what I thought. My V1 El Capistan is stereo with the jumper. I would consider upgrading if the JFET input stage is worth it. I love my El Capistan. Having a dedicated reverb knob is a really nice bonus as well.
I also have a V1 El Cap and love it. Don’t always use it, but it’s a fabulous pedal.
Also, just realizing that there is a tone knob on the new version, which has a secondary function as a high pass. I’m curious if that might affect some of the things you outlined.
To be clear I’m mostly interested in the saturation side of this. Not sure if I’ll be running any flange/delay.
If you want saturation and glue, you might consider getting an old cassette Portastudio. I resisted for years, but they are really great for what you are talking about. Aside from everything the cassette brings, the inputs can be overdriven really musically, analog EQ is fantastic, and on many machines you can adjust the same speed for cool effects as well.
I have a Deco as well (picked up in a trade with a friend years ago), but mainly use it for guitar, rather than on the master.
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Looking forward to hearing what the new one sounds like with an OT or Syntakt.
The “hat killing” I found to be actually beneficial with Machinedrum or Volca Drum, though annoying on other sources. I did like the natural tape style compression it did to the low end though. No HPF sidechain needed!
But otherwise, a couple hundred $ more for an AH MK1 has kept me more than happy.
If the high frequencies have a bit more fidelity in the MK2, I could be persuaded to swap my RNLA for it!
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All this conversation has me doubting now… maybe I’ll cancel and look at another option for glue.
I have an RNLA for sidechaining my bass only to the kick. Wonder if I should just get a RNC for glueing the whole mix?
Thoughts?
The RNC is wonderful.
I’m looking to add the RNLA for a bit more character.
I personally LOVE my Deco.
I used to use it on the Master or Master inserts, but over time did not like how it muddied some things while making other things sound fantastic.
I finally started using on a Send and I absolutely love it there.
I’m not sure how interested I am in the new version.
I already have the Deco, and the Generation Loss II seems like a better companion to complement my tape emulation desires.
too clean for glue. far too transparent.
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What’s the poor man’s Heat?