Boss RE-202, Strymon Volante, Line 6 DL4 MkII [Likes, Dislikes & Which Should You Buy?]

[@michaeldorn5925]

Hey guys, Volantes WEAR knob is basically a high-cut filter and you can access 8 presets from the front panel. Just press FAVOURITE and then one of the eight tape head buttons. Cheers!

[@JayLeonardJ]

Thanks so much for the sweet shout out 😁😁😁Miss you and am itching to play with you guys again soon!!

[@ThatPedalShow]

J! Love you buddy! Hope everything is well! X

[@martinvanier249]

I have the original re 201 and i A/B with my Line 6 HX FX cosmos echo I was surprise with the quality of the Line 6 Very good

[@bifjohnson1986]

Just and FYI, Like the Space Echo pedal the Volante has dedicated Treble (Wear) and Bass (Low Cut) tone controls that effect only the repeats only. Also the delay models go from very clean "Studio" mode to very dirty in the "Drum" mode with the tape mode fitting nicely in-between the two.

[@tiadiad]

You guys should do a 4 hour video just soloing. So good!

[@astewart9410]

That was lovely… lovely… lovely… lovely…

[@charliepratt]

YES. Pedal shootouts. The reason I started watching you boys in the first place. Glad to see this!

[@michaellucas1102]

Agreed! I feel like it’s been awhile since they’ve done this.

[@alecalfaras5936]

MORE SHOOTOUTS

[@kennethc2466]

A darn fine one too. Quite well done. I thought the Boss sounded so good, I went to buy it...until I saw the price.

[@isaacandhismusic1153]

Shootouts and non paid reviews. It’s what I love on TPS

[@albertplaysguitar]

@@kennethc2466 lol

[@acidtechno]

when your woman is away , just reach for a guitar pedal shootout vid 💦

[@ethandorsett4895]

I would like to take a minute and acknowledge you blokes. During the pandemic you gave me something to look forward to during the worlds craziness. My wife is a nurse and that reality was beyond insane. You guys gave me and I know thousands of others a sense of normalcy. You both make me feel like I’m in the same room hanging with you. I feel a kinship when it comes to that pedal show. Thank you for all that you do. Thank you for also helping me consider all the options for pedals, it makes it much easier on the wallet (most of the time haha) ! Much love! If you both ever make it to Texas, I’m getting you BBQ and tacos!

[@ThatPedalShow]

We’re so there Ethan and thank you for the kind words. And of course to the missus for doing something actually really important. Best! X

[@johncoleman4986]

Things we don't like about the Volante: "it sounds too good"

[@DavidDyte1969]

One thing to mention about the DL4 MkII: it's buried deep in the manual, but you can get analog dry through now. I don't really get why that's not the default, but it's there.

[@grtxyz4358]

The reason is because that cuts off your trails when you turn off a delay... the old DL4 had this analog dry option already.

[@AudioWonderland]

@@grtxyz4358 You turn your delay off? :)

[@MojoJojoMojo]

The Volante actually has 8 presets accessible from the panel. Holding down the Favorite switch turns the 8 buttons that are used for the play and record heads into preset buttons. But you do indeed need a finger for switching between them. Thanks for the great show, been looking forward to it! Now I need to go off and explore my Volante again.

[@ShinyShinyBlack]

Came here to say this!

[@stevensrp2music985]

That’s a sick function. I’ve never heard anyone mention that about the Volante.

[@ChrisTotster]

They cover this in the video.

[@zach_theguitar2472]

They did say that, not very clearly though.

[@zach_theguitar2472]

Even with 2 presets at the foot, it’s the best sounding delay.

[@OmarGearReview]

I was eyeing the 202 for a while and this video sealed the deal for me. It is easily my favourite pedal I’ve ever owned, not only does the delay and reverb just nail it for me, in a way that inspires me to play, but it’s made me strip my board down cause I don’t need anything else besides drive. I never use mod pedals without delay and if I up the wow and flutter, add some verb I can get that warble chorusy spacey thing. The 202, the EQD plumes, the DnM drive and a tuner are now the only pedals on my board and I’m happier with my board than I have ever been! Great review as always guys!

[@weschilton]

For me the Volante is still king, it just sounds amazing with everything. I do love delays and have a bunch, so when I get a chance to check out the RE-202 in person, I will probably buy it. Right now I am loving running a 1990s Deluxe Memory Man into the new Chase Bliss Habit and then into the Volante! Talk about crazy cool! :) Great video guys!

[@claudioportugal1786]

Deluxe EHX Memory Man into CB Habbit into Volante!!! Jesus!!! Holy Shit!!! ❤

[@LeviBulger]

I am not a huge strymon fan, mostly because of the "strymon sound" that they also mentioned in this video that is in every pedal they put out. It's not a bad tone, but I always know and feel that I'm playing something artificial because of it. That said, I do like the volante and the Capistan quite a bit. The RE202 is the only pedal since the volante that I actually prefer for that particular type of effect. And it's because to me it sounds so incredibly natural. But you can't go wrong with either

[@davidburnsmusic]

I came here for a break from social media politics news at the local election count, and I'm straight in to yet another echo chamber... 😉

[@ThatPedalShow]

Hahahaha!

[@davidburnsmusic]

@@ThatPedalShow Seriously though, great show!

[@grantconnors2496]

Love when Mick raises his finger while Dan's starting to getting into the 202 and Dan goes: "Yes, Michael." and Mick clarifies the reverbs available on each device. I honestly rarely buy effects (got the basics covered and have for years), but the camaraderie between these two is always a joy.

[@hawkeye2816]

On the topic of the Strymon sound, I got myself a Volante just the other day and I immediately noticed that "sheen" as Dan put it. It's has a bit of a hi-fi kind of sound that I can imagine doesn't work with certain genres depending on how much level you have dialed in, but I've played it with blues, rock, and even metal and gotten pretty awesome sounds out of it so far. But absolutely it has that shimmery, hi-fi kind of sound.

[@andsoistopped]

Interestingly the ‘more affordable’ brand NUX also released an RE 201 style alongside a Boss style smaller RE201 pedal. Josh has them on the show this Wednesday and he really liked them. Although is there anything that Josh doesn’t like? For the record that particular show was hilarious.

[@teknomanning]

Bro I’m stealing the poetry rock.

[@markandclairethomas2062]

NUX also do a tape core pedal that simulates 3 heads and has Reverb , plus analog dry through . All for around £50 . It’s been out for a few years but never appears to get mentioned , probably because of its price . NUX do make really decent gear though .

[@andsoistopped]

@@markandclairethomas2062 Yes, I think that’s the one I was referring to that Josh had on the show on Wednesday

[@MrBallynally2]

i am happy with my Nux. Sold my RE20 and went with Nux after various 202 videos including tps. Only drawback: the Nux 'time' does not go slow enough..

[@ggkohler]

Volante has 'tweak n tweez' by holding down head buttons 5/8. For example, if you want to adjust Reverb decay, hold 5/8 and turn Reverb knob.

[@CitizenOfEverywhere]

On Volante, setting the spacing to Golden Ratio causes the repeats to be well dispersed. Obviously, if each head only produces a single repeat, they won't overlap, but when set to even, subsequent repeats from the first head will coincide with the second, third and forth heads. By using the golden ratio, the repeats don't overlap (so much), and each finds better its own space.

[@MusicFillsTheQuiet]

Aaaah, yes because it's an irrational ratio! Fascinating! (Is that an oxymoron? "Irrational ratio"?)

[@RipIPDime]

​@@MusicFillsTheQuiet It is, more or less, an oxymoron, as irrational numbers are defined as those which can't be represented as a quotient of two integers. It technically can be presented as a ratio, but only by including other irrational terms.

[@CitizenOfEverywhere]

@@RipIPDime it’s not an oxymoron, and plenty examples of irrational ratios exist, e.g. Pi, being the ratio of a circles diameter to its circumference, is irrational.

[@RipIPDime]

​@@CitizenOfEverywhere Sure, hence the deliberate inclusion of the phrase "more or less". In a strictly definitional sense, anything can be a ratio as long as something can be expressed in term of that thing. My point was that irrational numbers can never escape their irrationality, and that the nature of irrational numbers runs somewhat contrary to our common use cases for ratios (fractions of measurement, time relationships, etc). Pi may be the ratio of diameter to circumference, but taking the ratio of a human's measurements can never yield pi because it's not possible to measure with infinite precision.

[@RobertFisher1969]

With the addition of the extra loop time & mic input, the DL4 Mk2 is the first looper that finally ticks all the boxes for me. Thanks for demoing the MIDI control of the looper on it, by the way. I’ve been wanting to see that in action. Maybe that means I’ll actually explore the delays rather than only using it as a looper. 🙂

[@MusicFillsTheQuiet]

I'm in the market for a new delay pedal. I've got to say, I'm probably going to purchase the DL4 mkII, partly because of the added reverbs and looper, making it useful to me as a 1pedal add-on to my synthesizers, but, tape me to a drum and tell me I have 4 heads, but I have to say, the Volante sounds good!

[@THEJADAN200]

I listened to the episode on headphones and the stereo imagining differences were VERY noticeable. I think that is why I like the Valante and why I like using it on when I’m mixing. Great episode, killer tons as always!

[@ThatPedalShow]

Thanks Jordan 🙏

[@DavidDyte1969]

The ability of the Volante to alter the spacing of the heads is what wins it for me. It's absurd how much you can change the effect with that one knob.

[@davidsaliba9209]

And...the mechanics and wear knobs modify that effect in endless ways...

[@marcusstrymon693]

Would you say that a volante adds some extra to my timeline? Cannot sell the TL

[@DavidDyte1969]

@@marcusstrymon693 Definitely much more capable than the multi-head delay on the TL, but unless messing with washy soundscapes is your thing (it's my thing), it's not exactly necessary.

[@marcusstrymon693]

@@DavidDyte1969 I am a fanatic to ambient guitar - love fripertronics, chords of orion and pery frank. The endless river was one of my favorite pink floyd albums bc of the ambience. A strymon nightsky was a breath of fresh air to me and it saved me from getting bored. And I like pitch altering sounds e.g. vibrato modulation and especially broken tapes... That is why the volante fascinates me... TL dual is beat and it sounds awesome bit I never use it bc setting a tempo subdivision in the menue is too demanding for me.... Like a multihead delay needs to be at hand immediately, I demand max tweakability from that.. The thing is just.... I have a timeline and I will get a meris hedra pitch shifter delay soon... Another delay might be overkill... But the volante is just fascinating Maybe on sound - does the volante sound different to TL tape machine? I alway feel loke the TL could go obe step further - It doesn’t saturate like real tape and it always reminds me a bit of a digital delay with tape modulation... With the Nightsky I thought it might not add too much in terms of reverb sound but the mod is just supercool... Turns out that the base verbs of noghtsly sound totally different - more realistic but less lush. Wonder if it is the same for volante and Tl thx

[@DavidDyte1969]

@@marcusstrymon693 Oh for sure, you have so much more variation available in the Volante. Wow and flutter, saturation, ratio knob for the playback heads (that gives you all kinds of rhythmic patterns so easily), and choice of which heads feed back. If ambient is your special thing, then save your pennies for a Volante. You won't be disappointed.

[@RipIPDime]

The Boss hadn't impressed me (above the others) until you guys ran it with max saturation. The rise time on the distortion and the sweeping sound are truly a special combination. That being said, my money will almost certainly be going to the Strymon - I just love the interface so much, and it really feels much more versatile if you have the luxury of a stand alone reverb. My plan is a Volante and a Boss RV-500, which has (at least, a version of) their Space Echo algorithm, though it doesn't look like it has that saturation control.

[@ryanmaroney4793]

Familiar with all three but the one that feels the most fun to play and stays on the board each time I reconfigure is the Volante. It’s just more inspiring to play and I find less twiddling and more playing with the Volante. I’ve moved away from “endless” options and find that limitations are the gateway to creativity.

[@gazb2069]

The Volante looks complicated but its so easy to use

[@UMCmetal]

same for me! real pedals, knobs and more playing. Digital is great, but is a bottomless taphole for sound experiments and the last 10% :D

[@lincolnosiris3665]

I use the Deep Blue Delay in combination with the left side of the Keeley Dark Side. It is a superb combination.

[@ludlow555]

I will forever love the way the DL4 sits with my guitar tone. I’m halfway thru the video and my mind was blown learning that the Euclidean is the new Binson! I’ve been yearning for one in my Helix and it’s been there for months. 😂

[@timchalmers1700]

Fantastic playing and great information as always !! For those who are budget challenged, as am I, the TC Electronics Flashback II has TonePrints for the Space Echo and Binson Ecrorec. Clearly, neither has all of the capability, but there are some nice sounds nevertheless.

[@ericreaves2536]

The Dual Delay mode on the DL4 is parallel (panned hard left and right). You can also achieve the same in the Crisscross mode with Tweez set to 0.

[@JB_Eckl]

I came here to say this!

[@miguelteixeira1979]

The dl4 Mikii has a few amazing delays: elephant man and transistor for example. However, because you have done deep dives into the re202 and the volante you don't know the dl4 Miki to the same extent. We tend to like what we understand better. Perhaps it's time for a deep dive into the dl4 Miki.

[@uelude]

Lots of people have, it just doesn't sound good

[@Eric-nn9xf]

@@ueludeThat’s a damn lie. It’s your opinion and you know fully well that’s all it is.

[@Eric-nn9xf]

@@ueludeYou’re full of you know what, bud

[@otaviosmartins1]

Re-202 looks magic but the lack of stereo delays is such a bummer 😭

[@bluesful]

I thought it has stereo outs?

[@charliekrengel1344]

@@bluesful The stereo outs only preserve stereo flow through it, there's no panning options to the repeats. Some (or all) of the reverbs in the RE-202 are stereo though.

[@edmiglia]

& lack of a tap divide feature. Wtf do they think we're doing with it? EVERYONE is going to play Run Like Hell on it!! Tapping with the drummer is so much easier to get a dotted 8th

[@ZachariahConnor]

@@edmigliathey do have it, it’s in the manual

[@DRChevalier]

Thanks for the interesting episode. I own a Volante, a Timeline and an El Capistan on different boards in different places. The Timeline and Volante are part of a DI only configuration. I love the Volante. For a new use case, I tried out the DL4 Mk II in a store, albeit only for a short time and while it sounded ok, I would need a big sheet just to keep track of things and I am not in love with pedals that you need a phenomenal memory to use well. I don't think that the DL4 fits this comparison, it really is more a Timeline alternative, and honestly both are too much work for live play. I did buy the RE-202 finding the RE2 too cluttered for my vision and fingers. It looks fabulous and sounds really nice. The reverb I can live without, and the secret squirrel dance to change the reverbs is just annoying. And with great respect to Boss, I do not think it actually sounds like a Space Echo. As it is the most expensive option of the three here in Canada, and only does one delay type, I ended up with another Volante. Great user interface, excellent tape sound, terrific drum echo and a really pristine reel to reel multi machine echo. More $$ than the DL 4 but more focused, less than the RE 202 in cost and more useful functionality, the Volante is still the win for my use cases. I do concur with the comment of the lack of usability of the presets, that is annoying, but Strymon could fix that with a firmware change, not that I think that they will do so. I sincerely appreciate the effort that you fellows put into your work. Cheers and be well.

[@darwinsaye]

@Ross Chevalier Where in Canada do you live? The stores I see all have the Re-202 at $559 and the Volante at $588.

[@DRChevalier]

@@darwinsaye prices have settled since my initial response nine months ago. When the RE-202 first arrived it was more expensive than the Volante.

[@wizardz7938]

I wish i can find random notes and chords to play for my pedals

[@NyaDxb]

Golden ratio just happens to be at 2 O'Clock

[@samwisegrangee]

While we can half, double, and reverse in the sound on sound looper, I still wish the Volante had a reverse delay mode. Reverse delay is one of the coolest things tape ever gave us and it gives a very musical, almost string-like sound. I can’t believe Strymon didn’t include that with the El Cap or the Volante: it’s a legacy effect that pedals do so much better than a tape unit ever could.

[@peternorth6782]

the line 6 echo park has the best reverse delay ever.

[@btwgg]

The Volante can do reverse delay, even without loop. Just enter sos mode and tab the left button.

[@liamballsculpture]

Although similar they all acually have there own niche, the stymon is defo the most Hifi and if you want a choice of tape emulations it’s the one, the 202 is an out and out 201 digital emulation and if you want say to be lee scratch Perry or classic dub or gong this is the best choice, if you want versatile, got to be the dl4 mk2 it’s covers delay looping and reverb for £100 less than the other 2 do no brainier if you have multiple needs for sounds. Good show guys!?

[@samuelxavier2473]

Automatic upvote for mentioning Lee Perry.

[@kierenmoore3236]

The ‘bright, digital sheen’ - that started, most notably to my recollection, with the Strymon pedals - is really not my thing … 😒 Less offensive on delay pedals … and godawful on modulation pedals … 😶

[@ralvknights]

Yeah more gear shootouts please. Fuzz and overdrive episode is my main dessert. Get the Marshalls and LP out more too. New pedals have been kinda scarce, need to feature more of the new pedals coming out. Hope this input gets view as positive suggestions. Keep rocking.

[@Kuztomshop]

in regards to the DL-4: as Bruce Lee said, I don't fear the man can perform 10,000 kicks once as much as the man who performed one kick 10,000 times. I'll stick with my El Cap.

[@alanmccartney4052]

Still use mine, I have 2 presets and that's all I've needed for years. First, Matt Schofield type 1 repeat, with some reverb. Next a huge Floyd sounding delay.

[@WhatsUpWhitey]

I have owned many strymon pedals including the Volante. They are fantastic, high quality studio grade gear, but I have found the glossy effect / “strymon sound” is not to my tastes. I would never tell anyone that it is bad, just not my preference. Amazing how we all have a difference of opinion on what we are looking for and also how dependent it is on your amp, guitar and other gear.

[@paulcowart3174]

That's my issue I tried a Deco thinking it would be more organic but just not to my liking The functions were cool but overall sound just not for me either

[@라젠카-y2b]

So, what do you use now??

[@paulcowart3174]

@@라젠카-y2b Lovepedal EPH3 and a Boss DD-5

[@라젠카-y2b]

@@paulcowart3174 I asked What's Up Whitey, but thank you.

[@paulcowart3174]

@@라젠카-y2b gotcha no prob hope he answers Yeah was kinda wondering Have a good day

[@jbgaludhimself]

The Volante is a huge part of my sound with my band, i love it so much ! I'll listen to that video with a lot of attention :)

[@crouton3455]

JayleonardJ for anyone who can't figure out the spelling like me ;)

[@FormerlyknownasT]

Hey DAN Hey MICK .. T here 😎 Would have liked to have seen the Dawner Prince BOONAR on the board .. still looking forward to the show.. 😎🎸🇮🇪

[@jeffreyradick6486]

I had an El Capistan d'Tape, then I got the Volante a few years back ... now I feel like I have to get the RE-202 and the DL4 too! And the Belle Epoch, and the Future Factory, and .. and ... I'm feeling a little gassy ...

[@edmiglia]

The MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe is not far from these imo. It has an important feature, for me anyway...The tap division button. The bright switch is huge too, to be able to control where it sits in a mix. To boot, there's speed & depth control for the modulation! I have no idea why Boss didn't put a tap divide on the 202. I really wanted a 202, but no divisions was a deal breaker. For $400 it really should have it. They all should have it imo

[@lightaces]

I mean, the eight buttons of the Volante are doing the job of the tap divisions. The tap switch sets the time of the fourth head - turn that on, it's your quarter note. 1st head is a sixteenth, 2nd head an eighth, and the 3rd head is your dotted eighth. You can have just one, two, three or four, AND you can pan them, and adjust their levels. It's very intuitive, and very versatile.

[@edmiglia]

@@lightaces Good to know. The Volante has tap tempo? Tapping with the drummer with head 3 is a dotted eighth 🤔 good feature

[@lightaces]

@@edmiglia I mean, only if you have the ratio knob set to even, but yeah.

[@edmiglia]

@@lightaces So tap divide is essentially being able to choose between 4 heads? But, the Carbon Copy Deluxe doesn't allow more than one to be on at the same time

[@lightaces]

@@edmiglia The Volante lets you have multiple at once. Its a really strong device.

[@repomanband]

Trippy Trippy Trippy

[@muuhn]

thank fuzz it's friday! ..iday ...iday ...iday

[@AnthonyGartung]

202 sound does it for me :) hands down the best sound.

[@Producer4Realz]

The Boss RE-202 is amazing replica of the real tape echo. The Green machine DL4 mk2 is fantastic complex of delays and reverbs. Sure is a classic. The valante sounds very nice but quite different from the original tape echo and sounds a little too clean and lack of character. I've got also the Strymon El capitan mk2 and it has more character than that. But... Boss is an addictive pedal that is simple to operate and yet had a deep route for creating unique sounds. All 128 patches can be stored and recalled with a simple midi cc foot switch pedal.

[@isaacandhismusic1153]

Didn’t actually realise just how big the DL4 mk2 was but in saying that if you only have the dollars and space for one big box delay that makes the most sense. Sounds good and is the most versatile. Would love a deep dive on it

[@dahliafiend]

If you have it personally and like it that’s fine. I returned mine and wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.

[@isaacandhismusic1153]

@@dahliafiend why’s that?

[@joeschlicht]

Thank you guys, this video is very illuminating. In theory, I want to like the Volante, but I just can't get over the Strymon "sheen." I came here for more info in the DL4, but I have to say, I think I'd choose the re202. I really like the saturation control and the independent tones of the repeats all at the twist to f the knob. When you had the DL4 on the Ehcorec Euro whatever setting, that sounded fantastic, and I think better than the Volante (to my ears)... but having to have a cheat sheet is a big turn-off. And like Mick, I don't need all of those delays... I guess in theory it's better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them. But I was really sold on the Re202 when Mick was "selling" it on the strat towards the end. And I thought I wanted just a simple delay like the new $99 JHS or the Echoplex pedal, but I would like something where I can access a couple presets just by tapping. Incidentally, I'd be running (sometimes) stereo in a similar setup. Vox AC30 60th ann and a Tweed Deluxe clone. The added reverbs to these pedals are a big welcome as none of my amps have reverb.

[@BCarpenter2314]

Is the reverb on the 202 usable without having the delay on?

[@toddlogan9023]

Yes

[@LWilloxMusic]

As much as I would love having a play about with the Line 6 and especially the Boss RE-202 nothing is going to make me swap my Volante for them. As you say it is spectacularly impressive.

[@vandal_dk]

I bought the Space Echo after last weeks episode (probably would have anyway) and couldn’t be happier. Cheers!

[@paulcowart3174]

Thinking about the small box

[@proteusswarm7291]

Not to be too hyperbolic, but... Volante gets my vote for best guitar pedal ever. SOS mode is the fantastic.

[@alphanuevo]

Hello, I'm rather late to the party here. Great video! I wonder if a follow up combining the boss BP-1W & the 202 would be interesting? Analog preamp with digital 202? Cheers.

[@jonesybones13]

Great video. But you guys never talk about price, which I think comes ino most people's decision making.....

[@dorianford6227]

Damn I straight up sold Volante for Habit. I surprisingly do not regret doing that but I do miss having it on my board such a gorgeous delay.

[@randaji]

How 'bout the TC Electronic Triple Flashback? Wouldn't trade mine for any of those. Has "most" of the delays (12. Including Space, Tape, Tube, 2290, Slap, etc.). 3 presets via footswitches + 4 via knob (toneprints). Can stack up to 3 delays, serial or parallel. Analog Dry-Thru. Toneprint Editor (via computer USB connection) allowing access to saturation, EQ, modulation, etc. and downloadable presets from the community. Dynamic delay to keep repeats out of your way. My only beef is that it's not MIDI controllable, MIDI is for tempo sync only. Not a looper or reverb, but I use separate pedals for those.

[@ThatPedalShow]

It’s a great shout - super capable!

[@chilidogcowboy]

Informative comment. Thank you!

[@nickzimmerman7242]

Anyone know how to do something similar to the 202's Warp function on the DL4 MKII?

[@moosemuseum1853]

The Volante has 8 presets on the top panel.

[@santrixhimself3679]

my personal Echo King at the moment is the late great Behringer Echo Machine. A very obvious copy of the Line 6 Echo Park. Sadly discontinued it remains the best sub 50$ Echo Pedal ever in my book. Even got stereo unlike the Re-202

[@mark.guitar]

Mine is late. Very late. Died in the middle of a gig and all the resurrection skills in the world couldn't put the silicon back together again. Replaced with a dd200 (clunky but great sounds once you have set up your preferred sounds) on the live board and I have a DL4 mk2 on route at the moment for the looper stuff.

[@santrixhimself3679]

@@mark.guitar the behringer died on you? what you mean by 'late' and which silicon?

[@mark.guitar]

@@santrixhimself3679 Sorry about the obscure language. "Late" is a joke from Douglas Adam's "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy". "Come with me Arthur Dent or you will be late". "Late for what?". "No, late as in the late Arthur Dent. It's a threat. I'm not very good at threats." The main chip stopped working after several years of use. My friend is an electronic engineer and, over a beer, he showed me that the main chip was at fault. I was sad to lose what was a really useful delay pedal!

[@santrixhimself3679]

@@mark.guitar damn i thought i know my hitchhikers guide ;) now i am scared that mine will break too lol. might get a backup from the used market. sometimes they show up for around 40$ used, sometimes for 90$ used. we will see how long it takes to find one for cheap

[@mark.guitar]

@@santrixhimself3679 I listened to the original Radio 4 series back in the 1970's. Brilliantly stupid. Meanwhile back in the present, check out the Boss delays. Compacts are really good, I like the DD3, DD5. There are loads to consider on the second hand market for around £100 in the UK. Also check out the cheapo pedals. Great analogue 0.5second delays and some halfway decent multi-delays for sub $60. Check out 60cyclehum and the "affordaboard". Happy hunting!

[@BluesCover]

I wonder how this nostalgic duo didn't choose the "Cave reverb" from the DL4 MK II as the best and the most authentic reverb. by the way this comparison is bullshit! they compare oranges and apples and cucumbers. the proper comparison will be: RE202 VS El Capistan, and DL4 MK II VS TIMELINE. you may add other multi delays (and reverbs) to that. but the Volante is a different beast all together. sorry, but this is how I see it.

[@steveharris3943]

For me the interesting thing here is not how good the Volante and the 202 are, we know they’re stunning, it’s how little the DL4mkII gave away in terms of sound quality. Reading the manual for the DL gives the impression that you can programme reverb-only sounds, so if you already have, or are prepared to do midi on your board, then you could easily get away without a dedicated reverb pedal. That would make the Line 6 pedal staggering value for money. I have a Helix and those reverbs are great. Has anyone got a DL4mkII to confirm?

[@mr.d.572]

I don't have one but the draw for me is the reverbs. I am thinking of getting one just for those.

[@jaymaster77]

Yes, I have one and I can confirm that you can also eliminate the delay (=set the mix to 0) and only use the reverb

[@JamesOnGuitar]

I don't even use delays... why am I here? Oh... because you make it sound so good! 🤘

[@ThatPedalShow]

Ha! Thanks James!

[@SergioAureo]

For your style of playing I bet you would like some slapback delay once in a while. Love your channell, especially how it's evolving, James. Keep up the good work. Cheers

[@JamesOnGuitar]

@@SergioAureo cheers Sergio! You know, i really should try it out a bit more 👍🏼 i have the volante and the mad prof deep blue… gathering dust!

[@SergioAureo]

@@JamesOnGuitar I have the Mad Professor Deep Blue too :-) it’s great even in front of an overdriven amp. Some cool sounds used that way. You should give it a chance. I’m sure the Volante is also killer though I never had the chance to try one.

[@JamesOnGuitar]

@@SergioAureo yeah the mad prof sounds great and is nice and reasonably simple to use! The volante has so much potential and then i feel a little lost!

[@DM-dc7lc]

…. Whoa whoa whoa… am I the only one hearing repeated melodic references to the Beverley Hills 90210 theme song here?………at least in the intro and Volante portions….

[@mcpribs]

If I needed all the sounds, I’d get the DL-4 mkii, but I don’t. The 202 sounds incredible, and looks cool. That phasiness between the heads has always bothered me, though. The Volante blew my doors off when it came out, and has not, of yet, ceased to impress. That is (still) my winner. Really can’t go wrong with any of them. We are certainly spoiled for choice. Thank you for the brilliant questions asked!

[@EdvinLaura]

i had a dl4 and i sold it, i have avalanche run, dark star, boss rv5, lore, slotva, mariana, 2 arcades, particle 2, carbon copy, echo park and dd6 on my board. I love delays and reverbs, but dl4 was too big and too generic. It's better to have 3 other pedals on your board instead

[@ionobelisk]

I just ended up wanting all three!

[@phillipasby9202]

They all sound great - I have a DD500 and a H9 max so not sure I'm seeking out a different delay ... if I were the 202 really does have some quality to it that I find appealing.

[@iwiggs6870]

Fascinating. After hearing these 3...I still prefer the RE-20! Looks like I'll be buying one of those.

[@tejas.darwin]

Dan, clean your guitar. LOL

[@francescodamico7903]

Jerry, actually, tweaking the reverb's pre-delay you can get a quite effective slap-back-ish thing to be used in parallel with a delay Try ;-)

[@aaronandabbie]

Thanks for this episode guys! TC Nova Delay user here, watching you guys use these things is really helpful and inspiring, thanks for sharing. Keep it LOUD (says me, the professional sound guy)

[@chilidogcowboy]

Love my nova delay and I’m just snifffing around to explore what might stack well just ahead of it as a bucket chip thickener....those cheap new tc bucket chip echo (echobrain) maybe the all too easy solution....hmmm...and now memory man is super small...what an era to be making sounds!

[@jamescolunio2801]

I started playing in my first band in 1972 and was one of the first around my neck of the woods to use a tape echo... (I believe it was A Univox... all black and very inspiring). Then, not long after, the RE-201 came out and I got that right away. I fell in love with the sound, but over time, maintaining tapes and heads became very problematic. I got to the point where I was splicing my own tape because Roland no longer made the tape packs. I fell in love with that sound and am still in love with it today. I would say that I've moved on to liking a lot of delays, but I think... IF you're really into delays, then a tape OR a good emulation should be added to your board. Loved the episode.... TPS has helped me "hear" the subtleties that I was missing. Thanks for that!!!

[@doginconfusion]

Hey mate. I am that close buying a real re201 not cheap at all. I am also afraid it will be a pain in the ass with the maintenance. Given that you look like you have a lot of experience with the real thing.. what digital tape echo would you recommend as an alternative? I heard good things about belle epoch..

[@BentleyRotary]

Have the Volante ( bought it to replace my ancient Alesis Q2 with Echoes From The Past programme). Its paired stereo in parallel with a NU-X Atlantic via a WetterBox and GigRig G2. I so far stick to three or four sounds but have the option of Wet Dry Wet (stereo left and right), Wet Dry or mono/ dual mono. All by changing the simple amp connections via a 'Pedal Snake'.... I also use a dedicated expression pedal for the Wetter Box and a cheap volume pedal after the dry output to vary the wt effects volume on the fly.... I can go from Hank Marvin to Andty Timmons/ Chris buck type echo and reverb very easily via midi and the volume and expression pedals very easily...... Love my Volante now its all set up 👍

[@MichaelSmith-gd1ig]

Damn, that’s a nice gold top…

[@DownByTheRiver234]

Boy oh boy, the Volante is everything I don’t want in a pedal - yes great sounds but all those options, all those decisions to get wrong. I think I’ll find the same in the DL-4. But the Boss? Doing what it says it’s going to do, not messing my head up! It’s bigger than I would prefer but I understand. On the other hand - my Eccos probably does everything I really need!

[@paulcowart3174]

Yeah unless different delays is a huge part of your thing most good pedals do the trick I prefer simple pedals as well

[@TheFlutecart]

Volante is King of MIDI tape tone. That "sheen" you guys speak of is the Premium input JFET buffers. Though, the others are really cool too. I think the Boss has a more convincing tape tone and finesse than the Line 6. It is on par with the convincing sound of Volante but different as it should be. That DL4 is cool with the mic input, great feature. I've had my Volante for a couple years, I'd be hard pressed to move on from it. I got a Nightsky to go with it in stereo parallel, they program the same hands free way with a program message. - very convenient for my brain.

[@fallenshallrise]

Not a criticism of you or the show but it's interesting how adding some high end "sparkle" or "sheen" at 16 or 18 k is called premium now. Or we call it detailed or hi-fi. It used to be called "ice pick" because at high volumes it'll rip your head off. Different use cases now.

[@kylebichler2258]

Volamte is amazing

[@danielherbert8060]

Bit busy today, so I'll be DELAYED in watching. But when I do, I will watch it OVER and OVEr and OVer and Over and over.

[@JamalHRA17]

When mick says let’s pull the strat out and the ‘61 appears can’t help but smile and be genuinely happy for ya! Sounds amazing! And if you read this yes I am related to Steve Albini although we’ve never met, same family tree.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Haha! Cheers Jamal…

[@KOTFlame]

whats the better looper? Line 6 DL4 or Volante.... I am a novice with loopers but really want wonderful ambient sounds without a lot of complication.....to play chord progression loops with.

[@Merraldooo]

Amazing as always. I will be buying some merch soon. About to switch to Peavey w/ some spring verb or..fender. Gotta pair it with a delay. Thanks fellas 🎸

[@DAZ0204]

Regarding not hearing the “Strymon sheen” and difference between the Volante when on and off, do you have the buffered bypass enabled in the pedal? If you dial in your amp EQ with the pedal off and true bypass on, that would explain why Mick heard such a difference the first time you tried the Volante. On the other hand, if you’re not hearing a difference this time (like in this video), the buffered bypass is enabled. Personally, I think the Strymon sounds really good in buffered bypass mode with the pedal off. I feel it has a bit of an EP-3 preamp flavor of sorts, with that fat bottom end and clear top end. If you’re not hearing a difference in the sound off or on, chances are you have the preamp on! :)

[@bjornd9375]

Yeahhhh Delay, thats my effect. I still prefer my tc NovaDelay. Many times I thought about changing, because I'd like to have more programs. Very often I combine dotted eights with quarter delays. I don't need a looper in the delay pedal, I need more than a tape delay… The new line6 DL4 might be my new one. (had 2 echoPro in my rig for a long time and the old FM, MM, DM Line6 4-Pedals) What happened to the KorgDD3000-Pedal? To me that was the holy grail. I missed to buy it years ago, because I didn't need a new single delay pedal at that time. Was it so bad? They didn't continue it and you never talk about it?

[@the5chord]

Size and volume drop killed the SDD3000. I liked a lot when I had it. Not a ton of stereo spread. I would say the Nova has more spread and little more attack on the repeats. Both are great but the Nova is a steal for the price.

[@bjornd9375]

@@the5chord thank you

[@erpringle]

Just ordered the keeley Halo and feel like a little kid at Christmas waiting for my new bicycle. It's the Andy Timmons signature delay that just came out. I ordered it from sweetwater and it will be here this week. I'm sure you've heard of it but have you tried it yet? Let me know what you think. Supposed to be the delay to beat all but how many times have you heard that? When I saw it I instantly got G.A.S., go figure. Anyway I guess you can tell I'm excited, hope I'm not disappointed but it looked pretty good on KZbin video with Andy Timmons, Robert keeley, and some other dude that had something to do with it. Of course Andy Timmons could make anything look good but time will tell.

[@averyavenue]

I'm just gonna pick the DL4mkii because I love Minus The Bear so much, lol

[@leftymike5625]

Mick I'm going to have to steal that little riff chord progression thing you did about 22:22. I've said it before you should be taking little nuggets like that and expanding on them and creating songs

[@jesseleite]

Sitting over here with my Belle Epoch Deluxe looking at that 202 like it's a shiny new toy, but would I feel the same way with the 202 when the next big tape emulation pedal is released?

[@stevengarvey5782]

A cogent and lucid exploration and explanation of a seemingly complex issue. I have avoided the more "involved" delay units in the past but will reevaluate that stance after enjoying your videos. Thank you.

[@flynn_22]

can you guys do a video on affordable pedals comparing them to expensive pedals

[@el_kammeroni]

I am not sober, I am not drunk and I am spacing out watching M&D play lovely delay pedals. What am I?

[@wulf67]

Who are we kidding? If I don't get some help I'm going to buy them all.

[@ZeBubba]

- DL4 (and MkII), the 1st real do-it-all is the best for looping - Timeline is the better sounding do-it-all vs DL4, imo - RE-202 and Volante are more about one thing, different beasts altogether BTW, I've owned DL4, Timeline, RE-20 and Volante. All cool in their own way.

[@garystackhouse5787]

Paused at 8:07 to go look up J Leonard Jay's DL4 review.... aaaaaaaaand back.

[@kasakka]

I really like this format as I think it's important to discuss also the things that a particular pedal does not do well. No pedal is perfect.

[@Jamooshoe]

Looooong time watcher, first time commenter. Thankyou for doing pedal shootouts again. Those were my favorite episodes. I’d love to see more of them again (even if it’s a pick n mix). Thanks for all the amazing content :)

[@kentonschroer2347]

Man I miss Pick n Mix, or pedal jams, or any of that stuff that really focuses on a couple pedals just for fun.

[@987654321ck]

RE202