Strymon Ola Chorus/Vibrato Settings Guide
The Strymon Ola is a stereo chorus and vibrato pedal with seven distinct algorithms — standard Chorus, Vibrato, CE-1 style, Flange, Vintage Chorus, Ensemble, and Harmonic Tremolo. It uses the same DSP platform as the Strymon Mobius but in a compact single-effect format focused on chorus and vibrato applications.
The best Strymon Ola Chorus/Vibrato settings start with: Rate at 4/10, Depth at 4/10, Mix at 5/10, Mode at 2/10. Adjust from there based on your amp, guitar, and room volume. For Clean / Ambient: Rate 3/10, Depth 4/10, Mix 5/10, Mode 2/10.
⚡ Start Here — Recommended Settings
| Control | Starting Position | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Rate | 4/10 | Slow → Fast |
| Depth | 4/10 | Mild → Full |
| Mix | 5/10 | Dry → Wet |
| Mode | 2/10 | CE → Ensemble |
These are universal starting points. Adjust based on your amp, guitar, and room. Scroll down for genre-specific settings and artist-documented positions.
What Each Control Does
Recommended Starting Settings
Safe starting positions for any style. Adjust from here based on your amp and room.
All values on a 0–10 scale. These are starting points — fine-tune by ear.
Settings by Genre
Standard Chorus mode at slow Rate — the Ola's Chorus algorithm for clean ambient and pop guitar. Slow Rate produces a wide, spacious chorus that adds dimension without obvious pitch wobble. Mix 5 blends chorus evenly with the dry signal. Depth 4 produces noticeable but not excessive modulation depth.
Vintage mode at higher Depth and Mix — the Ola's Vintage Chorus algorithm for indie and shoegaze guitar. At higher Mix and Depth the vintage character adds the lush, slightly warped chorus of older analog circuit designs. Rate 4 produces a moderately fast vintage chorus.
Vibrato mode at full Mix — true vibrato (pitch modulation only, no dry signal) for country steel-style vibrato effect. At Mix 9 in Vibrato mode the Ola produces a pronounced pitch vibrato. Rate 5 and Depth 5 produce a musically useful vibrato speed and depth for country playing.
The CE-1 algorithm models the original Roland Chorus Ensemble circuit, giving a warmer, more vintage character than the standard Chorus mode, useful for period-accurate funk and soul clean tones.
HarmoTrem mode splits the signal into harmonic bands modulated out of phase, producing a more complex, swirling texture than standard tremolo or chorus, well suited to slow ambient passages.
Tips & Common Mistakes
- Ensemble mode produces a multi-voice chorus that simulates multiple chorus instances simultaneously — it is particularly effective in stereo where the ensemble character widens significantly. Ensemble at low Rate and moderate Depth adds an orchestral string-like quality to sustained clean guitar tones.
- The seven algorithm modes are genuinely distinct circuits, not variations on a single chorus — CE-1 and Vintage in particular are voiced to emulate specific vintage hardware rather than a generic modern chorus sound.
- Mix and Depth interact differently across modes — a Mix setting that sounds subtle in Chorus mode may sound much more pronounced in Vibrato mode, since Vibrato removes the dry signal entirely at high Mix values.
- Running this pedal in true stereo, through two amps or a stereo interface, reveals meaningfully more of the character of the Ensemble and vintage-modeled modes than a mono signal path can reproduce.
- For players unfamiliar with the difference between chorus and true vibrato, auditioning Vibrato mode at a high Mix setting specifically demonstrates the distinction: pitch modulation alone, with no blended dry signal creating a chorus effect.
FAQ
Strymon Ola Chorus/Vibrato — Common Questions
Best starting settings for Strymon Ola Chorus/Vibrato: Rate at 4/10, Depth at 4/10, Mix at 5/10, Mode at 2/10. Adjust from there based on your guitar, room, and playing style.
For Clean / Ambient: Rate 3/10, Depth 4/10, Mix 5/10, Mode 2/10. Standard Chorus mode at slow Rate — the Ola's Chorus algorithm for clean ambient and pop guitar. Slow Rate produces a wide, spacious chorus that adds dimension without obvious pitch wobble. Mix 5 blends chorus evenly with the dry signal. Depth 4 produces noticeable but not excessive modulation depth.
For Indie / Shoegaze: Rate 4/10, Depth 6/10, Mix 7/10, Mode 5/10. Vintage mode at higher Depth and Mix — the Ola's Vintage Chorus algorithm for indie and shoegaze guitar. At higher Mix and Depth the vintage character adds the lush, slightly warped chorus of older analog circuit designs. Rate 4 produces a moderately fast vintage chorus.
Rate: LFO rate — speed of modulation. (Slow to Fast). Depth: Modulation depth — how far the pitch/time is modulated. (Mild to Full). Mix: Chorus wet/dry blend. (Dry to Wet). Mode: Algorithm selection — CE-1, Chorus, Vibrato, Vintage, Ensemble, Flange, HarmoTrem. (CE to Ensemble)
Ensemble mode produces a multi-voice chorus that simulates multiple chorus instances simultaneously — it is particularly effective in stereo where the ensemble character widens significantly. Ensemble at low Rate and moderate Depth adds an orchestral string-like quality to sustained clean guitar tones. The seven algorithm modes are genuinely distinct circuits, not variations on a single chorus — CE-1 and Vintage in particular are voiced to emulate specific vintage hardware rather than a generic modern chorus sound. Mix and Depth interact differently across modes — a Mix setting that sounds subtle in Chorus mode may sound much more pronounced in Vibrato mode, since Vibrato removes the dry signal entirely at high Mix values. Running this pedal in true stereo, through two amps or a stereo interface, reveals meaningfully more of the character of the Ensemble and vintage-modeled modes than a mono signal path can reproduce. For players unfamiliar with the difference between chorus and true vibrato, auditioning Vibrato mode at a high Mix setting specifically demonstrates the distinction: pitch modulation alone, with no blended dry signal creating a chorus effect.
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