Strymon BigSky MX: Astounding Reverb for Ambient Guitar

[@d1rkSMATHERS]

17:45 these may be my favorite samples you've created. I have been going back and listening on repeat. Beautiful work!

[@jordonleigh174]

Man oh man, I definitely need to get this pedal. Gorgeous sounds abound!!

[@anthonyagins7872]

Man, it will be ages before I can buy one of these 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 thanks for reviewing! The last chords you played inspired a song out of me, thanks again! 😌

[@justinchampion5468]

There is no way I could ever become 'sick' of the amazing sounds of this device. :D - Love watching you ambient stuff, and find myself ever-more-addicted to unusual guitar pedals! - Thanks for sharing this cool reverb pedal synth with us.

[@KyleA1993]

Absolutely beautiful playing, and the pedal is cool too

[@agerven]

Strymon takes one of their best pedals, and even improves on it! I'll just stick with the solution you provided at the end; the Cloudburst. Currently have the Cloudburst as my first pedal, the El Capistan next and finally the Blue Sky. i can now create every variation i need and use this pedal chain both for multi-track recording and for mastering. It's just chopping up the internal workings of the MX into three individual blocks that i'm able to manage. Great video on the MX, and i'm sure it will appeal to many seasoned guitar players!

[@Telorchid]

I'm jealous. Thanks for the demo.

[@TheTinMan123]

As far as multi reverb pedals go, this new MX is top of the league. Awesome pedal, it had to be,to better the original Bigsky. Well done Strymon and thanks for the informative email …

[@CZPavel-c1p]

Excellent effect of super brand and manufacturer with huge settings and control options. Greetings. Pavel CZ.👍👍👍

[@keepitshortnsweet]

I've been away for a bit and it's good to see you still going strong. Checking out what I've missed while away I noticed you've never reviewed the Boomerang III. By some accounts, the 'Rang III is the closest to trad, tape-based, Frippertronis, that one can get without using open-reel tape machines. However, I can't think of anyone on YT more qualified than you (or Robert) to proffer a definitive assessment.

[@JeffHendricks]

Remember when we thought the Boss RV-6 was an amazing reverb pedal? Yeah... good times.

[@oscarpalaciosbustamante4029]

Oldies but goldies! Like the RV-500!

[@MattVoyageOfSound]

I still use one

[@ramencurry6672]

The Boss RV 6 is in some ways better than Strymon. Personally I feel it sounds more natural. That said, the Strymon has great useful sounds too.

[@MatthewFant]

Awesome to see you making videos again. 🤘🤘

[@sandyturner1911]

I see why I waited, to get the Big Sky. I will probably have to settle for the Cloudburst, or a Blue Sky, though. Thanks, Bill!

[@aliensporebomb]

OMG! When is it out? Is it out now? Fantastic! Oh boy, oh boy.

[@kissaguitar]

love you sir

[@wetdreamwarmachine]

Whoa. I don't see anything about this online. I've been thinking of switching out my original bigsky. May have to upgrade now

[@jonathanbennett4535]

Sold! Thinking about having it in my Ableton external effects loop, in fact as the only one!

[@oliverburnand1228]

Hope they to the same update for the big 3

[@chordsoforion]

Yes - I am hoping for the Timeline!

[@landonmatthew]

This is awesome! thanks for the review. I liked the mini version of the cloud they put out last year btw what pickups are you using?? they sound great!

[@fenderflyer]

Good afternoon, You videos are very good but I have a problem with my Big Sky. Every time I press a foot switch it may start off green but as soon as I touch a control it goes red, not amber. I only have a small Roland cube amp and fender strat, I dont have any other pedals, effects etc. I am 72 and decided I would like to play the guitar and I am finding out that this world is a technical minefield as I am not IT savvy. Can you please help. Kind regards. Greg.

[@HayesJC]

It would be cool to be able to put on the hold and then have the 2nd reverb kick in.

[@chrisdavies3422]

Great Video! - I certainly prefer the new layout compared to the original. - IR Loader is a must these days. - the upgrade to processing power is nice. Won't be upgrading my BigSky or Timeline for the MX version any time soon though. I'm looking forward to/hoping for the Mobius MX release (hope they include pitch shifting, doubler, freeze, stereo front and back loop, etc...), that I will buy immediately as I don't have a Mobius atm....🤞

[@BobGuido]

Best demo I've yet seen of the BSMX. Thanks Bill. I like your Celtic-style noodling. Will you be keeping your original Big Sky?

[@chordsoforion]

Hey Bob. To date, my MO is to keep everything, much to my lovely wife's chagrin. :-)

[@BobGuido]

@@chordsoforion Big Sky 1 > Big Sky 2 :)

[@jfo3000]

​@@chordsoforion Always keep everything 😊!

[@YonatanLidar]

I already do the same with my big sky and eventide blackhole

[@jasonporrazzo3573]

Called Strymon last year and asked if an updated Big Sky was coming out, and I would wait for it instead of buying the older one. Was told no…. Well, they got me!

[@jotheorange]

They got you twice. The new one sucks a**

[@tomminter1717]

So can you still find the presets of the old big sky unit in the new MX unit?

[@GregWallis]

Is it noisy as regards hiss when nothing's being played? Many thanks.

[@tersan8547]

In Norway it's only $900

[@CloudyNoodling]

This is exactly what I've looked for! When I'm using freeze feature inside reverb, while freeze is active there is no reverb for my dry signal. Same with shimmer. But looks like this unit solves it! Maybe you know, what max IR length?

[@Rob_B_93]

10 seconds!

[@elyssa.c90]

The best reverb pedal I'll never own!

[@puttsky7]

I’m not a pedal guy. I currently use zero pedals. But someday this will be the only pedal on my board

[@ramencurry6672]

You may not even need it. There’s lots of amazing pedals that end up not fitting in songs

[@jfo3000]

​@ramencurry6672 Or it can take you in different directions, into soundscape creations of your own.

[@XPJV]

Is there a rate function for the modulation? It's like having a chorus pedal without a rate knob..

[@worthmoremusic]

Not out a minute and it's already in your hands...wow. It's almost a $700 pedal ! Be nice if they choose to reduce the prices of the other Big Sky pedals. In essence this new Big Sky also has many of the Cloudburst features built in..it also has 100 presets. Good demo.

[@AVCOME]

HI Bill, i know you’ve tried both, wich one is your favorite, you understand we can buy both cause of the price Bigsky Mx or Mercury X Thank you

[@vonbrach]

Does it contain the patch "ghosts" like the old Strymon Big Sky?

[@reymhd7655]

i’ve watched your video on the RV-500 and it taught me so much on how to use it, i’ve been gigging/recording with it for two years, i just ordered a big sky MX, in your opinion that’s tried both, what would you keep on your board? i can’t wait to see what i think of the strymon!!

[@marcusstrymon693]

In terms of studio equipment this is monumental cause its dual stereo processing. Normally with strymon the signal was summed to mono for fx generation and then the dry signal was passed through. Thats a problem for studio engineers. So this has the potential to be a super realistic reverb. In terms of guitar playing itself its not worth the upgrade tho. So if this is a tool and weapon for your studio craft, then this is for you.

[@cfibanez]

Source Audio's VENTRIS could do two reverbs way bak in the day.

[@chordsoforion]

Very true. The SA Collider can also stack 2 reverbs or 1 reverb + 1 delay, or 2 delays. Very flexible!

[@theouterplanet]

Meris Mercury X?

[@josephwright5921]

What about it?

[@marekurbanowicz]

Can’t do two engines unfortunately

[@jotheorange]

Soooo… I could just buy a second (old) BigSky for half the price of the MX and run two reverbs together

[@jimi272]

Or even better, two GFI specular tempus

[@yb8080]

Probably a dumb question but why do you have a kapo on the 3 rd fret?

[@chordsoforion]

Probably because I recently posted a capo tutorial and was still in the mood to use a capo. :-)

[@georgejetson1923]

For everyone complaining about the price do what I did and buy the $35... yes $35 M-VAVE mini universe.....you can get the same sounds that this $700 pedal can get, seriously, at $35 there is nothing to lose....give it a try you will be amazed. 👍

[@StevenAlwine]

Not to take anything away from Strymon, but selling 2 reverb engines you can run in stereo and parallel puts it on par with the EHX Oceans 12, a 4+ year old pedal. I'm trying not to be cynical, because the Big Sky has always sounded amazing, and there are certainly upsides like patch creation and recall that put it ahead of any non-MIDI pedal, but that's a LOT of money for a pedal that, in many ways, updates a 10 year old pedal to keep up with pedals that are themselves a little long in the tooth. A lot of this reminds me of when Apple announced widgets on their iPhone. A slightly more polished version of ancient technology.

[@Jeffcatbuckeye]

Yes and no. I think while the feature isn’t “new”, it’s very desirable to add. I have a source audio ventris and it’s awesome. It’s had dual reverbs for the better part of a decade now, and arguably easier to setup. It also has some reverbs not easily accessible within the big sky MX, however the big sky MX has has reverbs the be true doesn’t. The MX essentially took a lot of old, good things from various pedals and added it to an improved big sky, which is very welcomed. Ensemble really being the figurehead. Again, some shimmers and pitch shifting edits in various settings in other reverbs can make similar swelling sounds, but they don’t algorithmically track as well as the ensemble mode. Most of what is in the package isn’t “cutting edge”, but it’s adding a lot of desirable features, enhancing existing reverbs, and creating a better user interface. I was going to buy a cloudburst for my Centris, but after the cost and space of it, I might as well just buy the Big Sky MX.

[@ellenrik]

Nice demo but too rich for my blood. As always, love your inspiration.

[@unabrazoatodoslosbuenos]

I'll call it my lottery pedal. If I hit the lottery I'll buy it. Incredible pedal though.

[@josephwright5921]

Would you kindly send me one, too?

[@AutisticCuriosity]

$700 makes feel sick

[@MATTE.U.K]

yes and a bit angry tbh

[@StevenH-g7b]

Absolutely. Not worth it at all at that price range. Putting $700 to Quad Cortex is a far better use of my dollars.

[@ramencurry6672]

The Strymon sound is great but it’s also kind of “plastic” sounding. So buyer beware. Still love the company since there is some great stuff.

[@QuietToproll]

$700!?! What the actual f…

[@marcusstrymon693]

​@@StevenH-g7b its because this reverb has a 2 channel 2 stereo processing instead of summing to mono and then processing the fx. This use of technology is particularly rare in guitar fx because its really advanced and very expensive to make. But you get a very big advantage in your signal: no more phase issues bc of summing and a lot more realistc reverbs. So yes, for us guitarists its not worth it See it more as a studio equipment. So for a sound engineer this now is a viable outboard reverb unit forndrums, orchestral, etc. Thats why im glad that srymon did this, they enter true studio realm now.

[@abacad]

Pre-delay 255ms? Odd, It sure was 1.5 seconds.

[@Farold_Haltermeyer]

The first one was my first “bank loan” level pedal...this one needs a mortgage. Also still sounds clinical and cold by comparison to so many cheaper boxes, something that has killed most Strymon products for my ear. Interesting to see anyone ballsy enough to pedalboard one of these at a gig, guessing it’ll be alongside a KoT and an Eventide iBrick ;) and they won’t leave the stage without it handcuffed to them

[@garlandlabat4922]

But Sir, you failed to show how to "type in the name of your patch". Perhaps it should be self evident, but it isn't. Now I have to search further.

[@dlpasco]

😍

[@carminelombardi9575]

It's more expensive, but I have to have it.

[@niclastname]

This thing sounds amazing! It's not nearly as impressive as this, but you should check out the ALABS Cetus reverb and Time Slip delay. They're fantastic for only around $120 (I've heard good things about their other two as well, but I haven't tried them). The Cetus has 2 really cool unique reverb sounds. One literally adds the sound of ocean waves to the reverb trails and it's so cool! As soon as I tried it I thought of you and thought you might think it was cool to check out for ambient stuff.

[@Master_RoSSShi]

This is the most beautiful-sounding guitar pedal my wallet cannot afford lol

[@adamnesbitt11]

Woo just got an email for andertons about this. Not even interested but woo new pedal videos.

[@adamnesbitt11]

Ah crap I might love it

[@kurtklingklang5918]

At the equivalent of about $800 in my country, I’m having difficulty justifying buying another reverb, however fancy it might be. Plus, I don’t trust paid reviews anymore, and being given one does not ensure impartiality

[@mrz80]

Iconoclast that I am, I just can't quite bring myself to buy a Strymon, because almost every worship guitarist on the planet has a pedalboard full of Strymons. 😀 I *am* intrigued by that Fender delay/reverb combo you reviewed a while back.

[@chordsoforion]

Also, Strymon tends to have a very distinct "family" tonal quality. If you like it, you like it - if you don't, you don't.

[@NomaDL2224]

I feel the same way. There is nothing I despise more than seeing the ridiculous Bigsky/Timeline/Mobius combo on someone's board! 🤣Spending $1500 on three oversized bricks in just insane to me. The Neunaber Illumine is like 1/2 of the size and runs on 100 mA.

[@mrz80]

@@NomaDL2224 I'm just bound and determined to find some way to wring any sound I want out of the the SY-1000. So far just the deeper/wider ambient things have escaped me, but given some samples I've heard of what others are doing with this gizmo, I'm inclined to believe it's mostly 'cause I still don't know my way around the box all that well.

[@alekseykislov4713]

Display race!?) Strymon in business too? It’s so funny)))

[@Check-it-out]

Look, honey ! I just got 700$ in the mail… Great huh ? Nah… There is no such thing as ‘free’. Somebody has to pay… Yup ! Those suckers actually buying this are paying for it… AND guess what… I also get paid for each of those suckers watching this !

[@TheOnlyGuitarFather]

BUY AN EVENTIDE H90 INSTEAD!!! DOES ALL THIS AND MORE

[@WickSounds]

a bit too digital sounding algoritihims on the big sky and timeline, overall but a nice looking pedal!

[@lsearchw]

its the shrill fake amp sound.

[@orange-rv9ek]

They sent that for free? Shhhit I need to demo pedals

[@noveltycrusade]

Man Strymon makes some great stuff, but so pricey😢

[@yutporres-ko6sm]

Todos suenan iguales ...

[@oscarpalaciosbustamante4029]

So, BigSky became a very expensive take on the Boss RV-500 😅

[@uluiepra]

мне не понравился звук плагина((

[@aurora3655]

@700$CAD,I’m not a fan.

[@ramencurry6672]

To be realistic, you may not even need it. There’s lots of amazing popular pedals I’ve had and it didn’t fit in my songs

[@StevenH-g7b]

Yeah, it would be a stretch at $350. $700 is an absolute joke. This makes me likely to never purchase another pedal from thus company.

[@darionbuck4614]

I love how everyone is freaking out about the dual reverb....a feauture the Boss rv500 has.

[@MATTE.U.K]

IF YOUR A MILLIONAIRE! The price is actually kind of sickening... £700

[@modelrushfan]

The price is crazy. Pass on this one.

[@toddcarroll2703]

Big Sky Big Price.....ouch

[@kadavr0s]

Gear Acquisition Syndrome Part 112

[@wargo6263]

I can’t afford this pedal, therefore it sucks.

[@xiaoxia5]

i don't like replies like that either. i like expensive cars, but can't afford one(nor do i want one), i don't go onto people's car KZbin channels complaining how i can't afford a $3 million Koenigsegg.

[@theleastsignificantbit4794]

Hard pass. But I liked the video!

[@metricdeep8856]

Overkill….on an already overkill pedal?

[@ykristianhd]

Too much money

[@attizzoso]

The moment they send you a product for free, you are already biased. Most credible review is when you pay the gear with your own money

[@chordsoforion]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/mX-roIeleZljo7c

[@attizzoso]

@@chordsoforion Can guitar KZbinrs be trusted when they review or recommend gear? No

[@Jeffcatbuckeye]

@@attizzosoI thought he did a good job. He didn’t even really garner out a huge opinion. He just did a badass job of demoing it and letting you decide for yourself.

[@metalmover]

Sounds like cartoon reverb….priced like they want to be the next Eventide. Like Eventide’s Bluetooth issues on the H2, Strymon lacks anything decent to edit with via phone or PC. UAFX reverb sounds way better….a real spring reverb sounds even better than everything else.

[@dasczwo]

well, dontfixifitaintbroke... or:: i´m so BORED. another slight evolution instead of innovation. too expensive. yea it sounds loveley. overpaying worship guitarists will stick at this like flys, letting strymon get away with this. the last 2 Really innovative pedals i can immediateley recognise was source audio multiwave distortion, and the microcosm. What a lame boring bunch we guitarists are. buying the same old stuf. trying to flee into modular…

[@trains2057]

Paid review...My entire feed is pure strymon reviews rn.All dropped at exactly 12:00pm central.

[@Soap5080]

That’s just an embargo. Doesn’t mean it’s paid