If Dig’s emphasis on ’80s inspirations scares players averse to that decade’s production values, it’ll be a shame. Although Dig does deliver the best of ’80s rack-unit sounds and functionality, it feels as timeless and potent as any echo unit out there, when used judiciously. Dig’s smart, intrinsically rhythmic, and interactive controls also generate uncommon and radical textures quite outside ’80s stylistic boundaries. And with scads of “hidden” secondary functions (including filter and series/parallel/ping-pong settings), Dig adds up to much more than meets the eye.
Two delays and sensitive, rangeful dials mean a ton of control over complex textures and sounds that go beyond simple delay. Triplet, eighth, dotted-eighth, and dotted-quarter settings enable intriguing rhythmic complexities. And the “golden ratio” setting generates echoes that decay in a logarithmic spiral—creating galactic-scale reverberative ambience.
The three resolution settings are powerful for shaping echo characteristics. Repeats are grainier, warm, almost analog- or plate-like, thanks to the 12-bit voicing (state of the art in the early ’80s) mode. The modern 24/96 delays are very high fidelity with little perceptible degradation in repeats. The ADM setting emphasizes attack—killer for fingerstyle and polyrhythmic echoes. See? You need not fear the fabulous ’80s. Dig is a gas!
Test gear: Fender Telecaster Deluxe, Fender Stratocaster, Martin 00-15, Fender Champ, Fender Bassman
Ratings
Pros:
Clean, lush, and expansive delays for days. 12-bit to super-high resolution voices. Rich and simple-to-use modulation sounds. Intuitive creation of rhythmic and polyrhythmic delays. Could easily substitute for a more expensive studio rack.
Cons:
Might be out of reach for players on limited budgets.
Street:
$299
Strymon Dig Dual Digital Delay
strymon.net
Tones:
Ease of Use:
Build/Design:
Value:
