Strymon Olivera Oil Can Delay

The Strymon Olivera is a modern recreation of the distinctive sound and behaviour of vintage oil can echo units, capturing their dark repeats, unstable modulation, and uniquely atmospheric character. Drawing inspiration from the original Tel Ray oil can delays first introduced in 1959, Olivera recreates a time when effects design was still experimental, resulting in echoes that feel mechanical, organic, and unlike tape or bucket brigade delays.

Oil can echoes generate repeats by storing a static charge on a rotating disk suspended in oil, producing a heavily band limited delay signal with natural warble and irregular decay. Olivera faithfully reproduces these characteristics, including the uneven echo cadence caused by the relationship between the record and playback heads, and the natural regeneration that occurs even with feedback set low. This results in repeats that drift and evolve, creating depth and ambience rather than strict rhythmic precision. As feedback is increased, the echoes become thicker and more immersive, with modulation that shifts dynamically alongside the input signal.

Designed to integrate easily into modern setups, Olivera combines its vintage inspired sound with contemporary functionality. It features discrete stereo operation, a Class A JFET stereo input preamp for enhanced touch sensitivity, and support for expression control, multiswitch expansion, and MIDI patch recall. Delay spillover ensures repeats decay naturally when bypassed, while robust construction and USB connectivity support long term reliability and firmware updates.

Key features

• Oil can style delay inspired by Tel Ray units from 1959

• Dark band limited repeats with evolving modulation

• Natural regeneration and irregular echo cadence

• Discrete stereo processing

• Class A JFET stereo input preamp

• Expression pedal and multiswitch support

• MIDI control and patch recall

• Delay spillover when bypassed

• USB connectivity for updates and computer control