Strymon La Brea Analog Tape Drive

Strymon's all-analog drive pedal applies multi-stage tape saturation techniques developed over a decade of refinement, originally inspired by the company's Deco pedal topology. The La Brea Analog Tape Drive runs on an internally boosted 24-volt custom power supply from a standard 9VDC input, delivering extended headroom and a gain range spanning clean boost through to full fuzz saturation. Pre-emphasis and de-emphasis filtering mimics magnetic tape deck behaviour, creating natural compression alongside harmonic distortion. The variable dry path stays phase-coherent with the saturated signal across all settings, maintaining transient clarity even at maximum saturation levels.

The Tape Sat control governs saturation intensity, with a dedicated Gain switch selecting between normal and high ranges for the knob's response curve. A three-position Shift switch offers flat response, high-frequency boost for sparkle, or combined high-mid emphasis for cut and presence in dense mixes. The independent Dry control ranges from zero to +6dB boost, allowing parallel blending of clean and saturated signals or operation as a standalone clean boost when Level is set to minimum. True bypass switching with internal power-up state jumper suits integration into multi-tier pedalboards and rack systems where manual access is limited. Dimensions measure 11.51 cm deep by 7.19 cm wide by 5.92 cm tall, requiring minimum 500mA current draw.

The phase-accurate dry path maintains transient attack for triggering downstream gain pedals that rely on strong pick dynamics, while the saturated path uses soft-clipping tape characteristics to glue chord voicings and sustain lead lines. High gain settings produce smooth fuzz textures that compress harder playing rather than introducing harshness, responding dynamically to input level and pickup selection. The pedal ships with JFET buffered input and mono in/out configuration, part of Strymon's Series A line of purely analog designs with no DSP, MIDI, USB, or firmware components in the signal chain.

Features

• All-analog tape saturation drive with multi-stage gain topology and compression
• Internal 24-volt power supply from 9VDC input for extended headroom
• Gain switch selects normal or high range for Tape Sat control
• Three-position Shift switch: flat, high-frequency boost, or high-mid emphasis
• Variable Dry control from zero to +6dB, phase-coherent with saturated signal
• Pre-emphasis and de-emphasis filtering replicates magnetic tape deck behaviour
• True bypass switching with internal jumper for power-up state selection
• Requires 9VDC centre-negative power supply, minimum 500mA current draw