Meris MercuryX VS Strymon Bigsky MX: What you need to know

[@dougtolley]

Fascinating video Nick, even though I won't buy either, this was engrossing. Cheers!

[@nickreesyt]

I think your reverb is sorted Doug

[@thepedalcollaborative]

Well done sir! Covered all the important bits to help people decide

[@nickreesyt]

I actually shot two other videos in and around the topic and didn’t record the audio for them. Most disappointing. What a pro 🤗

[@thepedalcollaborative]

@@nickreesyt been there plenty of times! It’s so frustrating

[@pwrees]

Guitar sounds lovely on that Nick.

[@nickreesyt]

@@pwrees thanks Pa….its a beauty that guitar

[@michael_caz_nyc]

I own a Big Sky - but the closest thing that I've heard to a Lexicon Rack is the Chase Bliss CXM 1978 for that Pristine pure Reverb. Nice demo. oNe LovE from NYC

[@KodyXXVll]

Good thing Meris makes both the CXM and the MercuryX.

[@michael_caz_nyc]

@@KodyXXVll Yeah the Reverb-tails ( or trails ) just Fade-to-Nothing ( so seamless / no artifacts ). Phenomenal.

[@cliffymckernan6853]

Hi . Iv got a question. If you have two reverbs going at the same time in the big sky. Does that mean you can still get reverb while playing notes in freeze?

[@nickreesyt]

Yes you can

[@AVCOME]

Hi Nick, finally have you made your choice witch one do you prefer , i understand it is a personal choice. Thanks

[@nickreesyt]

I now own and use the bigsky mx as my main recent

[@BrockDavisson]

MercuryX all the way for me (and source audio ventris). I loved the BigskyMX when I had it but I couldn't seem to dial out that bigsky sound over all the algorithms. I don't care for that. However MercuryX is beautiful sounding, yet you can change algorithms and get different sound and not be stuck with a "mercuryx only sound" like the bigskymx has, at least to me.

[@nickreesyt]

Hey great shout. There definitely is a ‘sound’ for the bigsky…I happen to really like it but not for everyone

[@ShaighJosephson]

Agree with both the Merc X and the Ventris...my two favorite reverb pedals... I would even have to take the Ventris over the BigSky MX...

[@nickreesyt]

@ShaighJosephson I’ve never played the ventris

[@ShaighJosephson]

The Ventris is a dual reverb with the cleanest reverb algorythms...especially the spring reverb... Do a comparison with the reverbs on full wet to see the quality difference... It's pretty surprising...

[@analogsound1]

The Mercury X algorithms definitely have a signature sound, like every great reverb really. I prefer the BigSky algorithms for the most part and I had the same experience as Nick: it was much easier to get great sounds out of the BigSky MX than the Mercury X so the MX is the one that stayed. The bottom line is that I want to spend more time making music than programming reverb sounds. But if I was primarily a sound designer I’d choose the Mercury X.

[@bleakdistrictelectric]

Really interesting video. I am always put off by screens but you make it look so easy! 😂

[@kingfishats655]

3 comments: 1. You might be at ease with the bigsky because you used the original so long. 2. You don’t have to do much with the MercuryX to get great sounds. Go to a blank preset, choose a reverb structure using C2 (which is the right knob under the graphics menu), and use the other knobs to adjust sounds without ever getting into anything deeper. The pedal can be so deep it is easy to overlook how to keep it simple. 3. prEditor will be a game changer for MercuryX. It made editing the LVX so easy. I don’t even touch the LVX pedal now-I do everything with prEditor. I can do in 1 minute what took me 10 on the pedal. So easy to review parameters in seconds. I could go on. Not sure if you might have guessed already, but I have made my pick . . .

[@nickreesyt]

Thanks for watching and commenting. Great to hear your thoughts. I’m ease with both the pedals, I’ve owned the LVX and Mercury x since release but yeh defo my tenure with the original bigsky overshadows that. Both amazing pedals, it really is a great time to be a player we are spoilt with choice aren’t we

[@thepedalcollaborative]

Oh yeah baby!

[@myles.o.reilly]

Thank you Nick. Instantly insightful.

[@nickreesyt]

Ah the you Myles. I thought it made sense to just chat a bit rather than actually play the things. Cus they both do a lot of the stuff really well so you can kind of take that as a given

[@sgraider2425]

The Meris is so much cleaner and hifi. But the Strymon just has that sound. They both provide unique factors imo. Hard to choose just one.

[@nickreesyt]

Haha I get this, hard to choose just one hard to afford both tho right

[@cfs]

Alas, "that sound" is exactly why I avoid Strymon reverbs. However, if you prefer "that sound", then the choice seems obvious! I use the Mercury X as a studio reverb and look forward to the software editor, which sounds like it'll make it simpler and faster to use (perhaps faster than the Strymon?).

[@nickreesyt]

@cfs what do you think that sound is

[@winstonsmith8236]

@@nickreesytsafe

[@wheresallthezombies]

the amount of tweakability is why i dont want the two meris pedals. they sound great, but i know ide spend more time tweaking than i would playing guitar.

[@nickreesyt]

A fair point and I think a major consideration

[@masterofreality230]

One thing I like about the MX is the ability to have convolution, both seem great.

[@nickreesyt]

They really are

[@masterofreality230]

@@nickreesyt I guess I will have to get by on my Ventris....I like it, but I do want to get a convolution verb eventually.

[@patrickr6505]

I know what you mean about having too many options on the Mercury X.. I haven't even scratched the surface with it and I have it a couple of months..I have a preset that I tend to use and thats it lol.. Having said that sometimes Im in the mood to go to outer space on the Mercury X and boy is it a fun ride every time, I'm talking about the Prism and Gravity structures in particular,I have a feeling the Strymon wouldn't be able to get you there.....

[@nickreesyt]

Prism is very interesting for sure and I thought a fascinating addition. If you want to go to space with bigsky then it’s cloud…all great different flavours of a beautiful pie. Maybe I should make more videos on the bigsky mix and showcase some of the more obscure or ambient tones?

[@theouterplanet]

@@nickreesytyes please

[@nickreesyt]

@@theouterplanet I will make it so

[@myles.o.reilly]

@@nickreesyt Great!

[@Tim.Traveler]

Ok, not fair! I love both but for me the MX is less “divey.” We need a black version now!

[@nickreesyt]

It’s definitely less divey that’s for sure. Which for me I think is a big thing. How divey do you wana be?

[@Tim.Traveler]

@@nickreesyt I don’t like diving. So this seems to scratch all the itches of creativity without spending endless hours on being a menu wizard.

[@nickreesyt]

I get that sentiment entirely

[@justinmacaluso8712]

Every time I hear the Meris, I'm immediately pleased with the level of clarity it has, but then it just feels lackluster like it is just missing something. While the Bigsky MX doesn't feel like it is missing something without that initial Meris clarity, then just sounds buttery amazing. Just my 2 cents on KZbin videos, not playing them in person.

[@maurobelarde8527]

Oh Nick! This is serious dude... I have a favorite. But I'll watch the fight. 😬😬😬 😬😬😬

[@nickreesyt]

Haha more of a chat than a fight. they’re both amazing so what can you say but I do feel like there’s some considerations that need to be taken into account to help differentiate

[@maurobelarde8527]

​@@nickreesytHaha! A chat. That's a peaceful way to look at it. Can you choose just one? Your opinion matters to me.

[@nickreesyt]

@maurobelarde8527 I rewatched this video and I just realised I didn’t actually give my ultimate opinion at the end of it…. Is it better that way or should I actually come out and say which one im going with ?

[@Tim.Traveler]

@@nickreesyt I like the way you did it. You have a lot of influence, so it would be easy to say this one or that one. But it really is up to personal taste. I like that you’re not bias. Give the pros and cons of both and letting people know if this was a gift or if you paid for it with your own money is also very telling. I wonder if we’ll see a MX version of the timeline?

[@nickreesyt]

Thanks friend. At this point I buy most of my gear still and make sure I advertise when I don’t. I have zero reason to be biased and would never say somethings great if I genuinely didn’t think it. In fact if I thought something was bad I think I just wouldn’t share it on the channel. But we really are in a golden age of gear, most stuff these days is super good it’s just which fits better for what you need at that time, cost etc.

[@andsoistopped]

So many Xes.

[@andsoistopped]

£700. Yikes.

[@nickreesyt]

Yeh not cheap