UAFX Galaxy vs Strymon Volante Guitar Pedals! Sound Comparison Showdown!

[@Dovvik]

Hey Racoon Studio, nice demo comparison, very helpful. Thank you!

[@RPMusicStudios]

Thanks for letting me know! I’m glad I could help!

[@cristianlaskoski1058]

Thanks for doing this! I have a volante currently but it has all this stuff to it that I don't use, ie; midi, expression, looping. I was debating about trading it towards the galaxy since it's more straight forward and smaller. But i love the ability to mix and match the different heads and the echorec "thing" about the volante. Decisions decisions lol

[@RPMusicStudios]

The Volante is definitely feature rich as well as very customizable. Soundwise both are great! It’s a tough decision for sure!

[@poulwinther]

I think it does the Echorec well, but the Galaxy clearly sounds much more like tape. If only it had ping pong and midi, lol.

[@cristianlaskoski1058]

@@poulwinther I felt the same exact way as far as how each one's own sound. Which made me beg the question "Am I a tape guy or a drum guy?" Lol all personal preference I suppose.

[@poulwinther]

@@cristianlaskoski1058 Tape for me. And actually the Nux NDD-7 probably sounds better than either. But real tape - check out the video: DIY cassette tape delay / echo (stereo)

[@masterofreality230]

@@cristianlaskoski1058 My main delay is the Volante, I use the drum for more spaced out trippy sounds and tape for more straight forward delay with a little mojo. But I dont think they are worlds apart or anything.

[@Nowhere.terminal]

your demonstration work is very well done. thank you 🎸Despite everything. - I have a Volante - the echoes hit like razor blows and despite the chemical wow and flutter nothing helps. you must have heard at least. once in real life a drum echo - I also have one - to realize the difference. If you can listen to Paul Rossiter's TVS3 - which has a tube preamp and digital delays programmed like the original models with the right levels on each playback head, you will be able to hear a good compromise whereas the models presented do not have a real cloning study😟

[@SunTzuBean]

I think the reverb on the Galaxy is in parallel with the signal vs the Volante's series spring reverb. I agree that the Galaxy sounds spot on like a space echo to me!

[@guythompson8908]

I find myself often using the Volante’s echorec as well

[@bobbybrown1787]

Can you do a 3 way between volante, galaxy and re-202? I’ve been torn between the 3 for quite some time but can’t be certain on the decision to purchase

[@RPMusicStudios]

I can! I’ll try to get something out soon

[@BobGuido]

Not a fair comparison because you have the WEAR knob turned all the way up on Volante which severely darkens the echo repeats and gives the impression that the Volante has a darker sound, when it really doesn't.

[@RPMusicStudios]

I turned the wear knob down because the Galaxy is darker by default. I was trying to get the Volante close to the Galaxy for people who already own it. There are other nuanced differences between these pedals as well as feature sets. Also, these pedals aren’t trying to emulate the same things exactly so the comparison isn’t going to be “fair” regardless.

[@BobGuido]

@@RPMusicStudios It is a good comparison video other than the brightness / darkness of the echo repeats not matching very closely. The Strymon Volante sounds wider and has this super stereo image, like most Strymon pedals. That doesn't make it better but it is a feature to know about and I think this video showcases it. The Galaxy does this strange thing, and I have heard it in other people's videos too - it sound narrow... almost mono and then at random times the image widens to this super wide stereo thing, just for a second and then collapses back into a narrow, almost mono image. I am not sure what UA was thinking with that feature because it kind of messes with the stereo imaging in a way that could be very undesirable for people who need their echo to be placed in a specific location within their mix. The most important thing, given that you went to all the trouble to make this comparison video is, which pedal did you prefer the sound of and which one did you end up keeping and which one did you sell or return?

[@mouthmw]

Would love to see a comparison of Galaxy and El Cap v2.

[@RPMusicStudios]

Wish I had one here! Hopefully I’ll get one

[@hevvyserve]

had a volante . sold it for the galaxy. they both sound great but tbh the volante is too big and the galaxy sounds fantastic

[@RPMusicStudios]

I’m thinking about selling mine for the same reason! Never put it on my pedal board. It’s a great pedal but takes up a lot of space on a crowed board.

[@m4ssi86]

Both sounds great, but the Volante has more to offer. If you play with the heads you have infinite combinations

[@DAZ0204]

Ha @silky I just did this comparison yesterday at home! Both are great sounding pedals. I feel that the Galaxy is closer to the Volante in sound than it is the Boss RE-202. Speaking of which, I’d that a comparison you’ll be making a video of?

[@RPMusicStudios]

I don’t have the 202 to compare but I compared to the Re-2. The Galaxy is definitely subjectively better too my ears. I agree that the Galaxy and Volante have a lot of tonal similarities.

[@DAZ0204]

@@RPMusicStudios Oh yeah, I forgot about that, haha. Speaking of that video, I appreciate your sound quality of these videos, along with your breakdown of the little nuances and characteristics of each pedal. From someone who is very particular (and sensitive) to those differences, your level of attention and detail is awesome.

[@RPMusicStudios]

@@DAZ0204 thanks! I’m always trying new things in the studio and I go off of feel mostly. Analyzing why I like one thing over the other requires attention to detail so I appreciate your input very much!

[@voxfender90]

The galaxy seems to darker by default. While they’re both digital representations of tape delay, the volante has this sheen to it. I find that while there’s less control over the modulation, the Galaxy just sounds better to my ear regardless of where the tape age is set. The galaxy’s oscillation seems very realistic to tape. I also love how the reverb has a dwell and volume knob. The sounds and user interface on the ua make that a winner in my book but like you, I’d be happy with either. Great comparison!

[@RPMusicStudios]

Thanks for commenting! The Galaxy is definitely darker and just sounds right out of the box. The volante has lots of features and things the Galaxy can’t. If you want space echo without buying a real one for 1500-2000 the Galaxy. If you want all the features and aren’t concerned with an accurate replica of any one machine then the strymon!

[@Bairov]

Volante has dwell ability as well by holding heads 2 and 4

[@AlainHubert]

I bought the Volante, and returned it for a full refund a few days after. The repeats are too static on it. Even here you can hear that the repeats on the Galaxy are much more dynamic and evolving. I finally bought the Boss RE-202 and am very satisfied with it so far.

[@RPMusicStudios]

Interesting observation! That’s what I thought about the Strymon timeline, therefore giving me a negative impression of Strymon pedals. I hear what you’re saying and the Galaxy has a morphing in the repeats that the Volante doesn’t quite have. The Galaxy has a character that you can’t really tame. The Volante can be pristine or modulated and worn. I guess the selling point for the Volante is versatility and midi. Everyone has their preferences and needs. I love both pedals for different reasons. The Galaxy is definitely in its own world… pun intended .

[@ThatWhatIsNot]

Have a Volante, but I somehow find it uninspiring. Maybe I just have GAS. Or maybe I’m just a UA fanboy. Either way, thinking of selling my Volante to pick up a Galaxy.

[@RPMusicStudios]

@@ThatWhatIsNot I sold my Volante. I liked it for super long delay lines with the warping but I never wrote anything with it that made me think I need to keep it. It’s also huge.

[@ThatWhatIsNot]

Yeah, I think I’m going to sell mine and get the Galaxy. I really dig all the other UAFX pedals I have. I understand the complaints (e.g., no MIDI, few, if any, presets, etc.), but I don’t really care about that stuff. I just want a pedal that sounds fantastic, is relatively intuitive to use, and makes me want to turn it on and noodle with it.

[@silkyb9869]

Dan Z was not first