Strymon Magneto

Magneto is a versatile stereo multi-head tape delay designed to elevate your modular system with its powerful features and intuitive playability. It functions as a looper, phrase sampler, vintage spring reverb unit, phase-aligned clock multiplier, chaotic oscillator, zero-latency sub-oscillator, and more, making it an essential tool for creative sound manipulation. With extensive CV I/O and the warmth of magnetic tape, Magneto transforms even the smallest modular setup into a fully expressive, immersive instrument.

Vintage Vibe

Magneto faithfully replicates the essence of vintage tape echo machines, incorporating their sought-after characteristics like natural saturation, soft clipping, and the mechanical quirks of magnetic tape. Every feature is designed to give you the authentic experience of working with a classic tape delay, while offering hands-on controls like Tape Age, Tape Crinkle, and Mechanical Wow & Flutter. Whether you’re seeking subtle warmth or rich, complex delays, Magneto delivers it all, bringing an unmistakable vintage vibe to your sound.

Play It Like An Instrument

Magneto’s design prioritizes musicality and expressiveness. Every control, gain stage, and signal path component works in harmony, even during the most dynamic live modular performances. The unit’s ability to respond musically to real-time changes makes it perfect for modular improvisation. Additionally, the built-in spring reverb adds an extra layer of richness to your sound, further expanding your sonic palette.

Features Overview:

Tape Saturation

Magneto offers an exceptional range of tape saturation options. Turn the Record Level knob to push the signal to the record head, allowing for a beautiful tape-saturated sound. The Tape Age control introduces warmer repeats, and the Spring Reverb enhances the overall tone. The result is a lush, organic warmth that breathes life into your modular sound.

Self-Oscillator

With fast delay times and cranked-up Repeats, Magneto enters self-oscillation, creating evolving tonalities determined by the Speed/Pitch setting and other controls. Engage the Infinite transport button to freeze the current tonal character, or use Pitch Quantize mode to lock the oscillation to one of 15 selectable scales. This feature adds dynamic and evolving elements to your sound, transforming it into an evolving soundscape.

Pitch Shifted Delays

In SHIFT mode, Magneto manipulates the playback speed of its four heads to create rhythmically pitched delays. Head 1 plays back one octave and a fifth at 3x speed, Head 2 plays one octave at 2x speed, Head 3 plays down an octave at half speed, and Head 4 plays quarter note repeats with no pitch shift. This feature allows you to add depth, melodic complexity, and rhythmic layers to your sound. When configured as a sub-oscillator, Head 3 delivers zero-latency deep bass sounds.

Spring Reverb

The spring reverb in Magneto is inspired by vintage tape echo machines but stands on its own with a flexible, beautiful sound. It can be driven hard to achieve lo-fi distortion or dialed back for a sophisticated, spacious reverb with gentle character. Whether enhancing delayed signals or creating lush reverb tails, the spring reverb adds a unique flavor to your setup.

Looper and Phrase Sampler

Magneto’s Sound on Sound mode (LOOP Mode) functions like a traditional tape echo machine, automatically recording incoming signals and using Tape Heads 1-3 for delay repeats. Set the loop length by tapping the TAP button to mark your splice points, and the loop will play back and re-record with the active tone-shaping knobs. The Phrase Sampler mode lets you record loops triggered by the TAP button, with playback controlled via the RESTART transport button or CV input.

Infinite Echo

The INFINITE button allows Magneto to continuously play back the most recent delay cycle or loop length. This feature frees you to explore other modules while maintaining a flowing soundscape, making Magneto function as a virtual oscillator or background texture generator.

Reverse

Magneto’s Reverse feature plays the entire tape contents backward, creating surreal and trippy effects. This can be especially powerful when used in ECHO mode with SPEED manipulations or pauses. Reversing loops or samples adds an entirely new dimension to your creative possibilities.

Clock Multiplier/Divider

Magneto offers individual Clock CV outputs for each of its four tape heads, phase-aligned with incoming clock or Tap CV signals. In different head spacings, Magneto provides varying multipliers and dividers, such as 4/1 for 16th notes, 2/1 for 8th notes, and more. These clock outputs make Magneto an excellent tool for generating rhythmic patterns and syncing with other modules in your setup.

Tape Stop/Start

The PAUSE control introduces the mechanical slowdown and speed-up effects found in classic tape delay machines. Customize the speed of the slowdown and startup to achieve the exact tape-stretching effect you desire. This feature adds a tactile, analog feel to your delay manipulations.

Audio Scrubber

When the transport is paused, the Speed knob acts as an audio scrub tool, allowing you to explore different sections of your tape buffer. This feature is invaluable for creating intricate, evolving textures or rhythmic variations.

Stereo Operation

Magneto is designed to give you instant stereo effects, even if your setup is mono. The outputs of each tape head can be panned to different positions in the stereo field, with three selectable pan modes (LRLR, LRRL, and customizable Center). The combination of Tape Age, Wow & Flutter, and Spring Reverb further enhances the stereo dimension, creating an immersive listening experience.

Completely Analog Dry Path

To avoid the noise and latency issues found in digital signal paths, Magneto utilizes a fully analog dry path. This ensures a cleaner, more dynamic sound with reduced noise and a smoother integration of dry and wet signals.

Insanely Powerful DSP

Magneto is powered by an Analog Devices SHARC ADSP-21369 processor, which delivers 2.4 gigaflops of peak performance. This powerful DSP platform allows Magneto to run processor-intensive tape echo algorithms with no compromises, offering you the freedom to craft complex, evolving sounds.

Magneto is a truly unique and powerful addition to any modular setup. With its extensive feature set, it provides an endless array of creative possibilities, from lush stereo delays to chaotic oscillations, lo-fi textures, and deep, evolving self-oscillation. Whether you’re looking to add vintage warmth to your sound or explore new sonic territories, Magneto delivers.