At the 2016 NAMM Show, Strymon is previewing the Generalissimo – a voltage-controller Eurorack Four Head dTape Echo machine, with extensive control over tape characteristics and machine health.

According to the company, Generalissimo lets you ‘incorporate the warm, inviting sounds of tape into your modular rig in limitlessly creative and expressive ways.’

Five modules in one

The Generalissimo puts the functions of five separate modules in one.

• Four head tape system. – Generalissimo provides you with a complete four-head tape echo machine, with detailed tape warmth, character, and artifacts that can be tweaked with a host of dedicated controls. Adjust the health and specs of the machine with Wow & Flutter, Record Level, and Low Cut. Change the quality of the tape with Tape Age and Crinkle. Go from a brand new machine with new tape to a worn out unit overflowing with mangled magnetics. You get individual level controls for each of the four play heads, a master feedback control, and individual feedback tap switches for switching each play head in or out of the feedback circuit.
• Sound on Sound looper. – In Sound on Sound mode, the fourth head works as the Sound on Sound recording head. While you’re loop recording with the fourth head, you’ve still got an active three-head delay in front of that! With feedback active, this is a living, breathing system with a life of its own. There’s also a Sound on Sound Trigger CV input that seamlessly takes you back to loop start.
• Vintage spring reverb. – Generalissimo’s independent spring reverb allows for reverb-only operation, independent of delay playback levels. The reverb is voiced with inspiration taken from the darker sounds of the spring verbs found in some of the vintage tape echo machines. It pairs perfectly with the tape head echoes to provide an extra dimension of space and sound.
• Clock multiplier. – Generalissmo’s four heads are aligned so that the fourth head is the ‘quarter-note’ head, determined by the tapped tempo or clock input. The other heads are spaced at selectable subdivisions from equally-spaced sixteenth notes, triplet rhythm, or uneven spacing. Each head has it’s own CLOCK OUT jack, providing sub-divided clock signals determined by the selected spacing. Send a trigger to align the clock edges, or let them run free.
• Self-oscillator. – With the Feedback turned up, Generalissimo will easily self-oscillate, even with no input applied. The Speed knob acts as a pitch control, allowing you to use the Generalissimo as a slightly unpredictable sound source, as the speed, filtering, and frequencies present in the tape oscillation work in harmony.

Features:

• Processor-intense dTape algorithms deliver meticulously nuanced recreations of tape echo systems
• Four-head tape echo with delay time adjustable independent of tape speed
• Individual tape adjustment and tone shaping knobs for: Speed, Dry Signal Level, Playback Level, Feedback, Record Level, Low Cut, Tape Age, Crinkle, Wow & Flutter, Spring Reverb Level
• Sound on Sound mode with instant tape splice and bulk erase. A built-in tape-style looper with a three-head tape echo front end!
• Individual level controls for each of the four playback heads
• Individual feedback taps for switching each of the four playback heads in or out of the feedback circuit

The Strymon Generalissimo is coming in Spring 2016. Pricing is TBA.