Is This The Best Effects Pedal EVER??!!

By popular demand Mondular Mondays is back! With the tech review we've all been waiting for, and the burning question is the all-new #strymon "Nightsky" a true successor to the "Big Sky" throne? The pedal was paid for in full by myself the reviewer and I have made clear in this video previous generosity offered to me by Strymon. One thing for certain, Strymon will make you think differently about reverbs from here on out!
Check out the NightSky here: www.strymon.net/product/night...
Another great desktop reverb unit the Oto Bam: www.otomachines.com/product/bam/
CONTENTS:
00:00 INTRO
03:49 FORM FACTOR
04:10 BACK PANEL
05:32 GETTING STARTED (STOMP SWITCHES AND MIX KNOBS)
06:11 PRESETS
07:40 TONE (FILTERS)
10:03 DECAY (REVERB CONTROLS)
12:42 VOICE (HARMONICS & PITCH)
14:24 MODULATION vs OSCILLATION
18:05 MOD (LFO AND ITS TARGETS)
21:05 MORPH
22:10 INFINITE
23:08 SEQUENCER
25:29 FINAL THOUGHTS
Sounds I used today
PIANO: (Cinematic Soft Piano) www.spitfireaudio.com/originals/
SNARE: (Abbey Road ONE) www.spitfireaudio.com/shop/a-...
STRINGS: (Intimate Strings) www.spitfireaudio.com/originals/
Are you strict with your stomp boxes, determining whether they’re desktop or covered in gig wee?

[@christopherwilliams375]

It pleases me greatly to see serious people using pedals as serious production tools. The majority of home producers seem to almost completely dismiss pedals as a guitar only endeavor not worthy of the studio, especially since “a plug-in can do that.” I come from playing guitar, and have loved pedals since I started playing, and immediately gravitated to them, despite the added complexity of shuttling sound out of the box and back in. And I naturally look for pedals, rather than plugins, to handle my effects. An EQD Pyramids for flanger, Mr Black Twin Lazers for phasing, Walrus Julianna for chorus or vibrato (along with some very excellent modulation), Strymon Volante for tape echo, Empress Echosystem for any of various sorts of delay, Source Audio Ventris and Free The Tone Future Ambi-Space for reverbs and on and on.

[@TheCrowHillCo]

Thanks Christopher, I truly believe that finding your own voice is ABSOLUTELY key. For me, pedals (well, maybe not this one) are a relatively inexpensive way of discovering your own sonic footprint. There's tons of them available second hand and because they're built to gig and tour.... well they're brick shit houses and last forever.

[@BitcoinTakeover]

The argument for purchasing pedals instead of plug-ins is that they have a resale value. You can't sell your license to anyone after you stop producing music, and you can't borrow them to a friend. On the other hand, pedals are physical and retain value over time.

[@christopherwilliams375]

@@BitcoinTakeover And it doesn’t even take not producing anymore. There may be an effect that you use only for a particular project or that otherwise has limited utility for you. Buy the pedal, use it, sell it. Pedals are quite literally plugins, only made of “stuff” instead of digital ether with locking schemes that occasionally fail, aren’t really portable for collaborators purposes, etc. Plugins certainly are convenient, and most sound great, but they’re not inherently superior unless convenience is your top priority.

[@marshalsea000]

Home Producers dismiss pedals? I always thought this was the standard and cheap hack we were all doing? I've been plugging keyboards into stomps, guitars into my old DigiTech 44 Rackmount, and routing out of VSTs through both of these for years. Didn't realise this was an oddity. Although, we did used to play live with laptops and Guitar Rig running into further stomp boxes... cause sometimes what you really need in life is three Quad Delays in serial, with a split channel of 100% plate reverb, all going into a stomp fuzz box for maximum screaming fuzz box noise. The Strymon's are filthy good, should come with some sort of dribble shield. Been tempted by the Big Sky and now the Night Sky for years, but went with a Helix instead for ease of routing options and... sort of portability... but I'm still tempted to put a Night Sky at the end of it. :D

[@marshalsea000]

@@BitcoinTakeover Most of the big VST producers allow you to resale or gift your licenses now via their site. I've sold a number of my Native Instrument licenses over the years. Agree on the value tho.

[@axline2328]

You must have your own Netflix show.

[@fivewattworld]

There is something about this that reminds me...of why I fell in love with this channel in the first place.

[@alex0589]

Right?

[@mccorrisken]

I couldn't agree more

[@mjholiday557]

You "fell in love" with a KZbin channel? Perhaps it's time to change up your medication.

[@ShaheedShabazz]

Sold!!!! I just ordered a Night Sky

[@ZacPettyMusic]

I’m amazed at the sounds you got out of this, and amazed at your knowledge. Subscribed!

[@globalcitizen5310]

Such a high quality video!! You deserve so much more views. Enjoyed it thoroughly. Thank you!

[@johnchongsing7745]

Thanks for helping me understanding the Night Sky in such detail. This is a great video! 👍

[@liamcrittenden]

This is one of, if not the most comprehensive reviews/demos I’ve ever seen. Your production adds so much to the information, but it also shares how much you care about and love music, as well as what you do. Your hard work doesn’t go unnoticed. Awesome work man. Most likely going to pick up this pedal due to this review lol. Keep up this awesome work !

[@TheCrowHillCo]

That’s so kind. The unit is REALLY expensive and as a working composer I would want to see a review like this before taking the plunge.

[@adroc9101]

A wonderful review / commentary on this box. Thank you.

[@johnrupsch2461]

Thank you for doing this Christian! I’m always grateful for your reviews that end in “will this be the one thing standing in the way between you and success as a sound designer or composer? NO”. A lot of other channels that handle this sort of kit don’t necessarily have that in mind. Your perspective is grounded in reality

[@DavidDiMuzio]

You're a great video maker. Really enjoyed this 😁

[@bellplaines]

Awesome in depth review. You're a great teacher, thanks for sharing Christian!

[@genieboots4269]

thanks for that beautiful piano sequence as the demo loop.

[@SyncdAlien]

A great review, thank you!

[@samecoff2788]

Thanks for articulating the troubles with hidden functions on pedals, Christian. I have always felt somewhat ashamed that I don't learn and remember every detail of every piece of gear I own as I once did when I was younger and had far less gear and a better memory. I've always felt it was a bit cheap that I was only scratching the surface of a piece of gear. One thing I will say, however, is when you seriously fall in love with a piece of gear, when it becomes part of your sound, your secret weapon, you use it so much that you end up learning all of the hidden functions, or at least, keep the manual handy because you use it so often. I bought the Night Sky as soon as it was announced, but it's not my current secret weapon. It's the Microcosm from Hologram Electronics. You owe it to yourself to check it out if you don't know it.

[@jongegelman]

I watched a number of videos on this pedal. This is the only one that made me go "Oh my god I need that". Thanks for always creating inspiring videos and music.

[@klauswhitedreamer]

I have the Big Sky, as the first pedal from Strymon, I bought it in 2017 - in the meantime I bought another 11 Strymon pedals , all my savings went there in the last 3 years - of course, the Night Sky is like the next pearl on the crown ... and you are right, having all these dreamy pedals it's not necessary a guarantee to become a better musician ! ... But having them is like being able to touch a bigger part of the Universe ! ...

[@daikuone]

Chris, your enthusiasm is so infectious that my back pain actually dropped after watching your video! Someday I hope to some day (disabled) afford some Spitfire orchestral libraries. Please Keep up your great videos!

[@teknical100]

I've had mine for a few days playing guitar through it but this makes a lot more sense after hearing keyboards. Thank you

[@vacuumelite2065]

Outstanding overview: and you saved the best for the very end. Many thanks. 😊😊

[@DaniMustangMeazzi]

You managed to put in a great lesson of electronic music / synthesis, well done! 🙌

[@JulianMerkerMusic]

That piano piece was absolutely stunning. Transporting!

[@DaveElke]

Excellent production. Great information, and storytelling. Cheers

[@m.g.kroger]

A deep sound design pedal, worth remembering / recalling the hidden features. Not a shortcut tool for pop vocals, but... we can survive! Amazing tool!

[@Jdcrouch1972]

Thank you, you convinced me and arrives Thursday 😊

[@anemonaloco]

Inspiration is the very essence of our lives, may the Nightsky be the right tool for it. I'm currently saving for one. thanks for the review!

[@terrybarnes5343]

Great video Christian look forward to your Evos library whenever it arrives, sure you will have lots of fun making it. Take care and thanks, best wishes Terry

[@drcockles]

Great demo and overview, cheers

[@No.0.o.0]

The Source Audio Ventris is also very special, it's kind of like two Big Skies that you can run in parallel or in series with wild wild sounds and huge stereo width.

[@josephwright5921]

Yes, it sounds beautiful, and so does the Specular Tempus

[@williamamann]

Loved this so much

[@garibaldidev8946]

I love how this isn't just any other pedal reviews. There's concrete reasoning behind why Henson used this pedal, and how other musician might be able to utilize it. 5 minutes in and I already forgot I was supposed to watch a "review" of a pedal. Please make more of this story-oriented films in the future!

[@sotem3608]

Really loved the video!

[@Winterdagen]

Can I just say that Cinematic Soft Piano sounds beautiful as well!

[@mgscheue]

The best demo of this pedal I have seen.

[@janweigel772]

You`re the best! Even as a reviewer. I will keep using my timeline and BigSky, though. Thanks like always!

[@11clouds]

this was a great demo thank you

[@nik_elektrik]

Very useful and inspiring. Great video.

[@TonyAndersonMusic]

They should have created a desktop editor like GFI did with the specular tempus. Beautiful review man. You’re locked in.

[@SteelCustomGuitars]

Brilliant video @Christian Henson Music great breakdown of the pedal and its various sections- really helpful as a new Nightsky owner. Now subscribed!

[@Zodliness]

The name 'Night Sky' is such an appropriate name for this great sounding reverb pedal. 👍

[@willswitchcraft]

First time watching one of your videos. exceptional!

[@pbasswil]

This pedal sounds great - especially if you love to mess with sound design. There's no end to the manipulations. But if you want a pedal reverb of the same high quality, with the ability to save presets, but can make do with about half the feature set for less money, check GFI System's Specular Reverb 3. I particularly like the width of its stereo outs - lush & wide.

[@rachaelelliott]

Gig juice...one of my favorite lines from this wonderful demonstration. Thank you!

[@MrGezzh]

Love that chord progression 👌 cool piece of gear too.

[@Wtfdawg321]

Who would dislike this thorough review? Such a great video!

[@montazownianr1]

Video, maybe, but pedal... meh

[@hakonsoreide]

Nice review and overview. In fact, probably the most comprehensive and well-structured I've seen on any piece of kit, though it probably helps that there aren't that many features to go through. I am also quite fascinated by the fact that after getting into pathcing my Empress Effects Zoia properly, I can watch a review like this and not feel any urge to buy the reviewed item at all. Instead my mind is starting to conceive of ways to do exactly the same on the Zoia, which I think you can for pretty much all the features of this paragon of Strymon reverb pedals. I think the Strymon pedals are great, but I am so glad I've got the Zoia as it's saving me so much money.

[@Snowdeaf]

I had the same exact idea! Although Zoia’s CPU is a bit limited I am sure you can get some of the functions done. So please, create a patch, I’ll sure download it! Been digging your stuff already.

[@TheBawss90]

This sounds just mesmerizing

[@Pushpin06]

Splendid vidd!! im getting the nightsky tommorow together with a Moog Matriarch and i'm STOKED

[@chrisharrison809]

Wow dude thank you. This is an extremely well made video.

[@ameeva8655]

I was about writing the classic comment "great! now I need 500€ to fill my needs" but right at the moment you came up with the ending speech about ideas and our possibilities as an artist regardless the equipment

[@Left777]

24:39 these strings sound amazing and with NightSky they're just magical!

[@richardhawley8041]

Never seen this channel before. This was a very well made video - nice one!

[@WilliamGrobbelaarMusic]

Number 7 is definitely the best. Not sure if I can achieve that with Valhalla Shimmer. Great video as always, Christian!

[@3tmbn429]

Nice pedal!! Thank you upload:)

[@patienthands]

MoogerFoogers are what got me into modular synthesis. I was using effects like the EHX Freeze, and a Dave Smith Evolver in a giant chain with my guitar to do like 'modular pedals' straight to 4-track cassette. Those were the days.. Now I have a eurorack system with a Strymon Magneto, and while it's super convenient, something about it just isn't as sweet...

[@NQbass7]

13:59 I'm with Robbie. I literally put my hand over my mouth and said "ohhh" at that sound too.

[@nedfo72]

Haha at 14:00 I had the same face going. Definitely added to my wishlist. Would sit nicely next to my big sky and timeline.... lol

[@NathanielPrinceCoulter]

the meandering makes this special. subbed belled

[@alexharbin4124]

i've preordered the Chase Bliss/Meris CXM 1978 to use for this same purpose. thought about the Nightsky instead but the amount of features and options seems a bit overwhelming, but probably well worth it once you've spent some time with it and created yourself some go-to presets.

[@pablocampos7029]

Loved the pedal, but mostly I enjoyed how you presented. Greetings from Budapest

[@simonbecker748]

My god what a beautiful pedal that is

[@AynenMakino]

That little clip of Oliver made me laugh uncontrollably :D

[@christopherecatalano]

This thing is amazing. I have yet to see a poor demo of it, but I think this may seal the deal...Phenomenal rig. And playing, too. Beautiful application on a musical level here.

[@jaredfoldy2139]

there you go again, christian. my studio life was seemingly just fine, and then you introduce me to this piece of kit!

[@helloworld-vc8lq]

I believe the nightsky is the same form factor as the volante (Strymon obviously doing focused versions of iconic bigsky and timeline) which is then just a lengthier version of the el capistan/bluesky case

[@liegev]

Well done sir.

[@deastman2]

I have several Strymon pedals, and my only complaint about them is the hidden features. They all have additional functionality hidden under shift buttons without any labeling on the box to indicate that those features exist. I keep meaning to add my own labels. It's very frustrating to have to go look up the user manuals for all these different boxes every time I use them. That said, I think they sound great, and NightSky is no exception.

[@donmyers3779]

I hear some Alex Patterson in here, and a few other artists that must have been using this beauty. Good on ya mate, really enjoy angles, the sound mixing and the editing. As a first year film student at the age of 45 I am incredibly appreciative of your hard work sir. Also your wrap up and positive message is what we need from fellow artists and creators. Look forward to spending more time on what you come up with and sharing what you’ve inspired me to create. Cheers.

[@DIGITAL7Media]

I turn 45 in a week or two. Reading "As a first year film student at the age of 45 " reminded me it's ok to learn new things.

[@rhicksmusic]

That’s lovely. I’d also recommend checking out Devin Townsend’s Mooer Ocean Machine pedal. Along similar lines but from the master of reverb (in my opinion)

[@corradomorgana]

I think it's no longer in production. Much cheaper, and really nice.

[@rhicksmusic]

@@corradomorgana ah, I didn’t realise. Maybe that will make it a “classic”

[@Mr.A_LDN]

The sound at 6:38 just sold it to me....Stunning

[@echoguitarist]

For me it was the sound at 7:13

[@thecoderofyoutube]

Sounds like Sigur Ros...

[@swatrick_payze]

Haha, that moment when you hit the overdrive button... immediately sold.

[@richardsomerville5725]

Nice verb ,im still happy with my OTO BAM

[@joanofheart]

Thank you for making this video I really enjoyed it and reminded me a bit of top gear but for music gear lol My thoughts are Big sky and night sky can’t be compared, two different pedals completely. At the end you said complexity bogs down night sky but earlier you complained about how big sky had become a common studio effect sound when used or standard which you tried to stay away from. In the complexity of the Night Sky that will not happen because you are the one stirring the sonic paint, you create your sound completely! That’s why having both pedals I will say with the night sky people don’t understand it or weary because the amount of freedom is scary and off putting to a lot of people whereas to people who like to hang around in ambient depths or like yourself with composition you really have a full control over sculpting the reverb signal. I need so much more time with it but I find it doesn’t have that million knobs paralyzing effect that the big sky at times gives me..”oh damn what preset settings did I have again?” Problem. I feel like a curious child exploring with my ears on a new adventure that is my completely unique reverb that I can create and might not be replicated by someone else unless by accident lol Tip - Bigsky into night sky on cloud setting is heaven. I love the post drive on the night sky it’s sooo tasty

[@willswitchcraft]

LOVE you final remarks - about not spending $ having anything to do with your success!!! I have a serious gear fetish, and I buy and sell gear regularly, however, I also have decades of experience, and worked as a full time touring and recording musician, with some of the biggest names in music. I can't emphasize how that comment resonates with me - so rare to hear this perspective these days. It all comes down to our creative abilities, discipline, etc. An experienced and passionate creative player will make any piece of gear sound original and optimal.... Anyway, can't wait to check out some of your other uploads.......All the best!

[@EdPettersen]

I'm no Strymon fan boy but the Night Sky sounds amazing and records beautifully (which FWIW was not my experience with the Big Sky).

[@danielpirone8028]

Strymon used that same form factor for their Volante delay pedal as well.

[@morten1]

But not as nice knobs

[@zoommpro]

Re: 9:10 - nervousness in forgetting how to use infrequently used features. I have a 'stickies' handy hints note just for this purpose - with stickies kept permanently open on my desktop (top right) but minimised until needed. Command/M opens and closes the note and as an added bonus you can float your stickies on top and make them translucent. You have to navigate to the program to use it but it doesn't take long to get used to that. Hope this is of use to anyone. 👍

[@eastvantony]

Finally a review that echoes the might of the pedal great job

[@cymbolic_space1832]

i havent quite finished the video here but i believe i know exactly what i think about this pedal. its simple really. yes, many obvious features of a reverb are buried beneath button combinations, however, in its priceclass it far outfeatures its competetors. for a guy like me who will run this in his live synth rig, dub style, i am going to build 8 excellent presets that do exactly what i want, and have 8 empty slots for experimenting and trying to remember what button combos do when in the studio. i think this pedal is excellent.

[@Quicksilver_Cookie]

What I love about Strymon pedals is how well their feature set is thought out and carefully planned out. They could've gone completely overboard. Load it with every feature any reverb ever had. They have the expertise, if they wanted to. But that would lead to it being unbelievably annoying to use and control like some other all-in-one type of pedals. But they didn't. Every bit of functionality is there for a reason. And as usual there's multiple layers of features, which can be accessed via specific switch press combinations. So things you might not want to adjust on the fly are still there, but they are not in the way at all. You can see this design philosophy running through majority of their pedals. Yes people will complain about how Strymon became so mainstream it's a little annoying. However, there's some real masterwork engineering and software design going on in these boxes. So, it is well deserved I'd say. P.S. Those are the views of a guitar player. Reception might be totally different among other groups of people who may use Strymon pedals.

[@johnsepulveda9538]

Great detailed review. I enjoyed the LFO modulation of the filter. I wonder since, the Nightsky can be controlled via MIDI, if you can modulate the controls via a MIDI LFO at audio rates? for example Logic has a modulator that spits out CCs.

[@seanpruitt506]

Hahaha that Oliver clip was the icing on the cake

[@Gibson1976uk]

I love this pedal :) I'm mainly a guitar player but also love synths! the nightsky to me is half guitar pedal! half synth!! you could sit there for hours just creating ideas! and making whatever music you like!! that doesn't need to be generic :) I have had people saying I should get a Strymon for years!! I came close with a secondhand blue sky which sadly got lost in the post? I got a refund etc. and didn't have enough to push for a new and just left it! but finally ended up with the nightsky when I sold some stuff and the time was right :) no regrets

[@fattyboombatty7736]

I'm completely with you on hidden parameters - why no pre-delay on the front panel, for instance. The Moog Matriarch drives me nuts with its hidden settings; if I've not used it for a while, I've no idea what settings I left configured from the last time I used it. Nightsky looks interesting, but not for me....

[@tweets9349]

As a guitar pedal I am EXCITED to see what kind of sounds I can get

[@Joldrath]

Brilliant. I subbed because of what you Said in the very end of the film. I don't need so many gadgets, as the biggest gadget is hanging between my shoulders. Take care.

[@MeAndTheBoys_]

Good video. Young people today have no idea how much it helps if you can fiddle with a knob, it enhances your life for real. But yes, moving real faders and knobs DOES make a BIG difference. I learned it yet again. I used to be all in the box, but the mixes suffered a bit. I went back to moving faders etc, and things locked in place. I came from the hardware world, and later i went all in the box. Now im 50/50 and my mixing got not only faster but im not second guessing so much anymore.

[@hippyskin6490]

Great pedel need to try and get one🎶

[@Voig7peMusic]

Great insight about creativaty at the end of the video! No need for any specific tool as the indispensable one will always be the idea in itself. Great pedal though!

[@IceLocus]

Nice overview, Christian! I use the Big Sky paired with my Moog Subharmonicon (magical), and this pedal is still on the "maybe list" (not completely convinced yet). One module I'm waiting for to be released is the Empress ZOIA Euroburo, which is new Eurorack version of their ZOIA pedal with like 80 modules all in one. The Expert Sleepers ES-9 is also on the "must get" list to create a hybrid synth setup. Yes, I have G.A.S....

[@jeremyjohnson7676]

Get the Oto Bam and you will fall in love completely.

[@IceLocus]

@@jeremyjohnson7676 cool! I'll look into it. Thanks!

[@robertgladstein]

I have this pedal and it's one of the greatest I've owned

[@paulversey6589]

I had to Google anathema. Maybe I've led a sheltered life but never heard that before. Thanks. Great review.

[@GreezeXzone]

If someone is searching a tune that is playing, then it’s very similar to «Sparklehorse - Eyepennies». It’s a very lovely sad song!

[@jeremyrandall7228]

You had me at David Lynch.

[@jonathanwingmusic]

I couldn't agree more about the pronunciation of "Moog"! Bob himself apparently preferred the German way which is like 'Mogue' but he accepts the other one, too. I just think it suits the instruments better. Mooooog. Anyway, great video and beautiful sounds!

[@muzikmystro]

The pedal makes the piano sound so scandi - I love it. This is a great pedal to get people into using analogue reverb and provides for deep learning. Also a fantastic gateway into analogue synths. Really great explanation for new composers on oscillation vs. Modulation, Christian; Sometimes built-in tools like Space Designer and RetroSynth can be difficult for newbies to negotiate. Many musicians find that it’s not the same learning experience when grabbing a parameter with a mouse compared to the tangibility offered through a physical module :)

[@flaviob829]

Hey Chris - very good video, nice details! Did you ever "compare" this pedal with Deat by Audio's Rooms?

[@dfreeman120]

Going to try this pedal on my keyboards

[@64north20west]

The content was excellent, but I subscribed because the dogs were very cool.

[@diegofotuche]

I love the number 5