New STRYMON REVERB… Best Ever???

In this vlog I investigate Strymon's latest modular offering, their Starlab reverb unit. Does this at last bring their insane reverb effects to Eurorack or is it just them stomping over well trodden turf? A Big Sky for modular or something more???
To find out more about SkyLab go here:
www.strymon.ne...
...and these are the best peeps to buy it off!
www.signalsoun...
Do you think this is a welcome addition to the toy box? Answers in the comments down below?
I bought this unit so this isn't a sponsored review.
#strymon #strymonskylab

[@TheDrumJockey]

To anyone thinking this might be a bit pricey for a reverb unit, this review skipped over the fact that it also has its own string synthesis engine! The Karplus-Strong mode opens up a whole other world with this module that can be combined with the other features. It's all pretty fantastic!

[@wackerburg]

And then ppl happily pay thousands of bucks for other reverb-only units. I think the price is very OK. Especially with all the cv-inputs which render this unit very flexible.

[@DavidHilowitzMusic]

Really loved this piano loop. Reverb is gorgeous too.

[@DavidLilja]

This is a scam. Don't fall for the Telegram comment above.

[@MaximilianDevice]

Safe! The Piano is awesome ❤

[@wraggal]

I think I can explain karplus in one sentence. When a delay is very very short with a high feedback and is plucked with a noise click, the time between delay taps becomes imperceptible, so you hear it as a sing string-like note.

[@entropybentwhistle]

I’m just incredulous that Strymon has to keep making these infinite reverb gizmos instead of everybody just hoisting a concert grand into the depths of Carlsbad Caverns and using our spelunking/mountaineering skills to mic the ceiling, like we used to do in the old days.

[@graphene1487]

That's wild you said that! I thought the same thing when we went to Carlsbad last.

[@florafunk4515]

It’s shameful

[@DavidLilja]

This is a scam. Don't fall for it.

[@tmfury29]

Well I am sold now. GREAT review! This thing looks pretty versatile!

[@LeeBlaske]

I got one, and I really like it. The voltage control opens up a lot of possibilities that you just don't have in the stomp box. It's nice to use it with something like Morphagene. FWIW, I recently added some Joranalogue transmit and receive modules, and a Strymon AA.1 to better facilitate interfacing with my DAW and stomp boxes.

[@jimsanger]

A whole video on a reverb unit without once uttering the word splosh! Hidden features are an absolute nightmare for someone like me with an almost non-existent short term memory.

[@richardsomerville5725]

The difference is Starlab is both a great reverb but also a playable reverb ,that is an instrument in itself unlike our high end pedals which enhance an instrument put through them.The ability to modulate the parameters differs it again.The monophonic playable karplus strong instrument also steps it up.I love my Magneto even using its inbuilt clock to drive a whole patch. Starlab is Reverb +

[@westhave]

Begeiling is such a wonderful expression, and this patch was the soundtrack to my dreary morning today. Thank you Christian for interesting videos with beautiful audio!

[@ichiban8558]

Although ubiquitous, it's hard to ignore the magic and intrigue of Strymon's sonic signature.

[@ZvookUK]

09:33 When the Low pass button is off the 'highdamp' acts as a reverb tail dampener for high frequencies ("removes high frequency content from the regenerating reverb structure as the knob is turned clockwise" - from the manual). This is one of my favorite functions of the Starlab. When the button is on it acts as a regular low pass filter.

[@aaronnewberry]

I've been approaching modular with each and every video, I think I'm about to dip my toes in and it's entirely because of this reverb. Wow, what a beautiful piece of kit.

[@Kyle-wb7wx]

After seeing a review like that, subscribing is a no-brainer! Thank you so much for this video. Fantastic quality and well described. I'm beyond excited for my Starlab to come in the mail now.

[@TheTheimpossible]

This is gorgeous but do the screws missing mean you haven't really committed?

[@DavidLilja]

This is a scam. Don't fall for the Telegram comment above.

[@tonymckeown1314]

I don't have anything useful to add to the discussion about the Strymon, but I did like repeating piano piece you were using, which worked well to showcase the variations in reverb etc. Like a 14 minute ambient remix :-)

[@prospectnyc]

Strymon stuff sounds so good. I can't wait for the day when they finally start making plugins.

[@DavidLilja]

This is a scam. Don't fall for the Telegram comment above.

[@nickgibbs4927]

That day has arrived!

[@sl33pw4lk]

regarding your overview of the filter section - the high damp DOES actually affect the sound without engaging the button next to it. It may be more obvious with some signals, but it indeed does damp some of the upper frequencies. When you hit the button, it turns on the LPF and the high damp knob controls the cutoff. Also, you should investigate the Karplus mode - the Starlab becomes a voice module and my favorite implementation of Karplus in modular.

[@GeorgeLocke]

Great exploration and tour of this module. The sort of saturated pitch shifty sounds are unique. Lovely.

[@ZachWirchak]

That sounds fantastic! Such a lush sound, full.

[@Ecmusicproductionschannel]

That sounds great! A nice wintry piano part and a creative effect, hope they also make a stompbox for the sticky stage

[@BeepBoopAudio]

Love the built in LFO minimizing cable clutter! This reverb is a great addition to your rack. Recently, I've been experimenting with making Kontakt instruments more modular. Thank you for featuring one of my experiments, BEEP BOOP, in your last video. I would love to help you make a new, more modular, Piano Book Kontakt template 2.0. Thank you, Christian, for all your inspiration.

[@spitfireaudiollp]

Owen Beep Boop is AWESOME!!!

[@DavidLilja]

This is a scam. Don't fall for the Telegram comment above.

[@DavidLilja]

Sounds absolutely amazing! Wow!

[@yuggothproductions]

I’ve been waiting to add a reverb module to my rack! I think I’ve finally found it!! Beautiful!!

[@DavidLilja]

This is a scam. Don't fall for the Telegram comment above.

[@kabood777]

the piano loop you send into it was really beautiful already and the Star Lab sounded magical too , but I really need to hear it with other sounds and mostly single notes so I can tell the differences it might have with the night sky and the others

[@saturnvsound]

I'm an absolute reverb junkie, and this is something like I haven't really seen before. I've messed with the Zoia to make more dynamic and interesting reverbs, but this really takes it to the next level. When I'm listening to you play with it, I'm imagining how I would play it like an instrument, not just use it as an effect. 2022 is the year of modular for me and this is definitely on the list!

[@AirArtStudiosOfficial]

Got mine today, it’s just beautiful, can be dark too. I have a Bricasti M7 and Eventide eclipse and this is more fun, but no room simulator😂😂

[@bassManDavis1953]

Absolutely fantastic, no, not doubling up at all, seems to be a very unique reverb unit, just looked at the price! Bit out of my bracket unfortunately but we’ll worth the investment Christian, nice buy.

[@Larry30102]

As a relative eurorack newbie, I came within a hairs breadth of pulling the trigger on this one. Using my DAW with Eurorack, made more sense/cents, using the effects in the DAW. So my setup is a Bored Brains Optx with 8 adat tracks out to my UAD. It’s a great combo. Would love the CV control, but it’s a sacrifice I can live without for now. This is a great box no doubt. Thx for the vid!!

[@alejandropnt]

hey, I'm curious to know what you think of the opts and if you have some background noise :)

[@Larry30102]

@@alejandropnt I’ve had it for prob 2 months. If I need something beyond stereo outs from my Intellijel case I’ll run multiple outs through the optx. I haven’t had any noise and am generally well pleased. Just the other day I was running 7 outputs and on of the track had what sounded like word clock jitter. I’m hoping it was just the module. I tried different settings in the UAD. So the module, for me is quiet. Stay tuned to evaluate jitter. I only noticed it once…I don’t think it’s the optx. Great module imo.

[@subradial]

Great video and lovely sounds! Have it (and Magneto) and love both, best reverb I ever had, love the flexibility and 'hands on' experience tweaking it live and discovering new textures and ideas

[@chridmeister]

If I already had a Strymon stompbox I would find it very hard to justify getting one of their Eurorack modules - but I'm an amateur noodler. My first Strymon will most definitely be a Eurorack one. Who wouldn't want all that CV control?

[@GlennBroadway]

All I could notice was the fact that STARLAB was written in the same typeface as SAMPLE D… on the Erica module next to it.

[@ichiban8558]

It was also set in the same font (Eurostyle)as the 70"s Sci-fi classic DARK STAR. i'd hazard a guess that was the typographic inspiration...

[@DavidLilja]

This is a scam. Don't fall for the Telegram comment above.

[@usualatoms4868]

Would've loved to see more modulation with CV but this demo of the genral sound really made a great impression on me. I might need one now.

[@rdomain]

Preodered it weeks ago. Postage is brutal to Australia. Really looking forward to pairing it with the Magneto as well!

[@DavidLilja]

This is a scam. Don't fall for the Telegram comment above.

[@rdomain]

@@DavidLilja Yeah, no worries there mate. Red flags all over that one. Cheers!

[@sleepysloth847]

This video alone has sparked my interest in hardware like this, all of the sudden I have the urge to build a large patch board. This will probably be the first one I get to play around with though. (edit - Is this a good video series to learn about hardware racking and stuff like you have in this video?)

[@bricelory9534]

This module has such a lovely tone and character. Even the more extreme settings are beautiful in their own ways. I don't have any experience with modular to really know how it stacks up, but it does seem like a truly distinct reverb quality that is worth considering for a rack.

[@DavidLilja]

This is a scam. Don't fall for the Telegram comment above.

[@jon_gee]

Many thanks! 🙏🏻🙏🏻 I love your vocabulary. Excellent demo of Starlab.

[@hyperactivists9390]

gorgeous

[@MinPlanck]

Magneto is my favourite module in my racks and this looks equally amazing! Cheers Christian. Happy christmas.

[@samburtyboy]

With the duplication question - have you already got this covered? - even if you could argue that yes you have in terms of the sound, it often it comes down to usability not just the sonics. How you tweak it changes what you get out of it. In this regards it is not a duplication at all of the pedal you have. With so many amazing sounding hardware, software, samples etc increasingly it is how the user interacts with them that makes a great product into a stunning product.

[@NYJhono]

This man over here with a coles 4038 as a dialog mic... what a suave bugger! haha Love it!

[@AynenMakino]

I think that if you're not using it's ability to take control voltage, then you may as well be using a pedal. CV is the most substantial difference between modular and other devices. The ability to affect more values at once than you have hands to control, and to control them faster than you'd be able to operate the knobs manually.

[@AirArtStudiosOfficial]

Got mine today and my god I’m happy with it, it’s just beautiful

[@therisinghope]

Thanks for the review mate. Love the Strymon stuff. Outstanding and superb creative company and quality in their products. Theire products are more then worth, the price that is asked on the market. And yes, we are tweakers ;-)

[@OriginalDarkMark]

I'd definitely listen to my Mrs more, if everything she said went through one of these.

[@OriginalDarkMark]

Maybe your scam would work better if you put it through a Strymon?

[@jedgould5531]

Trouble understanding some of the features you are speaking about. Maybe your hand is occasionally hiding what you are saying at the moment? Mostly, it’s a difficult demo because the dry sounds have long decay to begin with. No plucks, drums or voice. To answer your question, it’s not especially valuable, but a worthwhile tool in the rack, splitting the center with Magnito. On the whole - like Erica - a darker sound. My favorite reverb is the far right-hand section of the giant Elements by Mutable. Spacious but light. Appreciate your enthusiasm.

[@denovaire]

great sound; have ordered mine weeks ago,,, now I'm in the long wait :)

[@onelittleatlas5645]

I've had a lot of similar results to this unit with the eventide Blackhole plugin, very similar in sound and application. It sounds wonderful though being a strymon, huge fan of the timeline, really beautiful demo with that Olafur piano melody :)

[@dionkempenk]

Maybe a Nice idea to make An convolution pack of this so that this spaces are usable with convolution reverbs

[@ArturTadevosyan]

Christian i have your Blue Sky (the one with the red tape on it) Thanks again!

[@shogunai]

Even if the algos and basic functionality were the exact same as some of their pedals, you wouldn't be duplicating anything; the ability to CV modulate so many parameters puts this into a class of one when it comes to modular reverbs and indeed outboard reverb units in general.

[@trustedwizard]

Hi Christian! Great video. Thanks for sharing. Curious which case you're using as I'm looking to expand my setup.

[@FSHSKainon]

I Love you StarLab

[@Winterdagen]

It sounds absolutely amazing!

[@SouthpawShorts]

I think it absolutely justifies its size in HP. That being said, it's only as powerful as the other modules in your rack. If you *only* use it as a set and forget reverb there are probably better options

[@DavidLilja]

This is a scam. Don't fall for the Telegram comment above.

[@TheBawss90]

Just stunning!

[@antsteep]

Hidden menus are frustrating. I have some Meris pedals which have ipad apps that control the pedals. A game changer having preset recall and all parameters visible. Great way to recycle an old iPad or iPhone. I do love this module though. So many possibilities

[@FuZZbaLLbee]

First the euro buro and now this. I still need to invest in some effects, but first need to know what I need/want. Euro rack instead of different pedals seems like an increasingly tempting option.

[@No.0.o.0]

I wish the Starlab had lots of hidden functions. Wish Meris, Red Panda, Hologram and Source Audio(Ventris) would make modules too.

[@jonmackenzie]

eurorack polymoon would be insane...

[@St33v33]

Actually it does…. But they are hidden.

[@Miromarkus]

i love this! i just dont have a modular system...

[@richdewhittaker1746]

Yes, Love it 🎛✨

[@pn078]

karplus-strong is comb filtering to physically model a string. John Selway demonstrated it on last weeks selway's techno saturdays to make a nylon string guitar type sound out of white noise.

[@keiththeodosiou]

I am a firm believer that a composer/musician can never have enough gear. The only drawback is the amount of money we need to fork out for all the toys and gadgets. I can tell you now if I was minted, my studio would be 10 times bigger than it is now. Having two or three of the same item may be unnecessary but three different items from the same company would be ok if they all differ in some way like one can do something the other two can't do. Just my opinion :)

[@chris_wicksteed]

Tom Holkenborg (Junkie XL) had an incredible amount of gear, and ended up selling a large amount of it. From what I gathered, I think there was just too much mental load needed to look after it all, mixed in with some guilt about how most of it just sat there unused for 99% of the time!

[@samecoff2788]

There’s something to consider here. Having lots and lots of gear means lots of potential trouble shooting, a lot of manual diving when you find you can’t keep it all in your head, and option paralysis. At one point, I had over 40 hardware synths in my studio. I turned out less music at that point than at any other point in my career. I still have a lot of gear, but I have some new rules: no menus. Pedals are on shelves mounted on the walls. The shelves are full. If I get something new, something has to go. After adding a marimba to the drum room earlier this year, there is no floor space left in that room. If I add anything else, something will have to go. While it’s fun to fantasize about getting every piece of gear you’ve ever wanted, in the end, less is usually more.

[@chrismassa5891]

@@chris_wicksteed He stated that in a video. I think after sampling a lot of his gear too that it also did not define him as a composer. And he knew he could purge his gear and be ok.

[@Chibs]

I'm a firm believer that always wanting more gear is a trap.

[@VincentsVideoVisions]

Hard disagree. Having too much gear leads to being overwhelmed a d spending too much time experimenting and trying to fit everything in every track. There's a happy medium. Not enough gear and you can't do what you need to do but too much gear and it's overwhelming.

[@lucid484]

I love his mispronunciations of some of the abbreviations 😂.

[@snorrevonflake]

What i hear in this video - my EHX Oceans 11 pedal could also do.

[@DetroitMicroSound]

7:28 sounds like 6 or 8 granules, of granular. Nearly all of the fx-based patches I make inside ZOIA use it.

[@echosonicmusic]

That is a beautiful sound that had me drifting … ambient album from you Christian? Please? (p.s. It’s a keeper for me)

[@toumbas]

beautiful!

[@nicklymberis5371]

Big sky vs night sky vs star lab - what's the best investment for someone who doesn't yet own these but wants to try a pedal vs vss3? 🙂

[@tomfiggins]

Beautiful stuff.

[@IceLocus]

I'm flip flopping on whether I "need" this... I'm still on the fence.

[@Twelve50TV]

Wow ! !

[@masedrums]

Dude, DivKid is going to be a UK kind of happy that you mentioned his module, but also a UK kind of begrudgingly upset that you called it "Oh Kid" instead of "AHKT" like octopus, octagon, or octogenarian since it has eight pulses.

[@jorgefpramos]

Sounds really good! Just as a curiosity, are you aware of the Buchla partnership with Tip Top to release an Eurorack version of the 200e system?

[@jordanevo3]

They are releasing the 200 series in Eurorack, not 200e.

[@udomatthiasdrums5322]

love it!!

[@dnmariomaster]

What piano is this?

[@zackorr421]

Being one who likes to put things down on sticky stages I jumped on this review eagerly and then was all ☹️. Hahhaa

[@misshu]

By any chance does anyone knows where i can buy that ‘Afrorack’ face plate shown on this video? Thank u!!

[@Astronometric]

I used to own both Big Sky and Time Line and I used them on records and tours for maybe 7/8 years. I bought the Blue Sky "before it was cool" when they only had a couple of pedals in their catalogue and I was probably the first bass player in my country to buy one of their products. During Covid I decided to try and mix using my Strymons as external fx, knowing that they can receive a line level without problems... Well, I tried to use them for a couple of days and I put them for sale immediately after. I felt that even the stock reverbs and delays in Logic were better, not to mention when compared with something like Valhalla, SoundToys or Exponential Audio. I realized how harsh and metallic they sound when there is no cabinet filtering the high frequencies, and how much they rely on modulation to deliver a sense of diffusion. I still believe they are great tools for live music because they will never have latency issues, but there are so many plug-ins that sounds way better and are more flexible. Tbh, I made some IRs from my usual settings on the Big Sky before selling it... I found it harsh on many sources but it adds a nice colour to synths.

[@GizzyDillespee]

It's freakin reverb! Any latency issues with ITB reverb are no problem. It's actually the one effect where that really never matters, as long as you use it on a send or parallel channel 100% wet. You could compensate by ear when dialing in the predelay value, if you're THAT picky.

[@skipstream2]

@@GizzyDillespee think you’ve missed his point mate

[@FSHSKainon]

wait… how ??? why ?? are you not using poly washers to protect your facades 🥺

[@pthomas36]

I have yet to drink the Strymon koolaid, and this may be the right chalice to drink it from.

[@matthewjones7509]

❤

[@soundsafoolmusic]

I have the nightsky and although it sounds awesome I agree far too many hidden hold this down etc to get to all functions. Would be great if It a full knob per function interface. Starlab looks interesting. Maybe my nightsky needs a friend

[@jackflynn-oakley6137]

Can I ask your honest opinion on the nightsky mate? I’m thinking of treating myself this Xmas but it is so much money for me, I’ve seen a few videos and I really want it, but the price is just putting me off a bit

[@redlester]

@@jackflynn-oakley6137 I have the Nightsky. I think there is an over emphasis on “hidden” features, the important ones are mostly on the panel. The biggest difference is that for external modulation it would be done via MIDI (5 pin or USB) as opposed to CV, so it’s more DAW friendly than the Starlab, although I do have the Expert Sleepers ADAT modules for going from DAW to modular am more than happy to stick with the Nightsky. And it costs about £200 less than Starlab. For delay I use the Erica Synths Zen Delay which is incredible, has no hidden features, and I would think is right up Christian’s street, am surprised he hasn’t tried one.

[@jackflynn-oakley6137]

@@redlester cheers mate, yeah I’ve seen quite a bit on the Zen delay, looks savage - I think I’m going to cop the Nightsky, I make a lot of Dub Techno and Ambient so I think that’s the one for getting more creative with, but god it’s a lot of money lol

[@thomthom0101]

It sounds lovely but the Gain Staging on the Starlab is pretty wonky. The output is low and the input stage even at its cleanest before saturation rounds transients and is just…fuzzy. For soft sounds it’s incredible but it takes the edge off signals and drops overall volume significantly. Even with all the features this kind of coloration at the input stage makes this very much a one trick pony sonically. When placed against devices from other manufacturers the Starlab immediately shows its flaws. That being said it’s pretty lovely sounding for that kind of blurry ambience layer.

[@phazerbrains]

The Starlab is literally the NightSky without the sequencer, and it costs more to boot.

[@VincentsVideoVisions]

But you can modulate stuff with cv

[@bjondersson]

It has a lot of “hidden” functions. Check Strymon’s own demonstration video.

[@CinematicLaboratory]

I was wondering how it would hold up against a combo of the Erbe-Verb, Mimeophon, ZDSP and Desmodus Versio since most of us have one or more of these already patched in. As beautiful as it sounds as one module (probably the best starter reverb that can suit all needs) it feels a bit obsolete and it's too expensive to just give it a try... I probably get one anyway, because Magneto was also a very late buy and it just trashes all my delays.

[@johnp6274]

is it possible to plugin a mic to that directly?

[@johnp6274]

sorry, i'm a bit of a noob...I've got a good stereo microphone, how do I get from the xlr of my mic to this 'left in' and 'right in' on the reverb? thanks!

[@skipstream2]

@@johnp6274 no you can’t.

[@johnp6274]

@@skipstream2 so how could I record a piano through it? What kind of interface would I need as an intermediary?

[@TaffmanGuyo]

I've spent all my money on Spitfire, Native Instruments, etc - how can I reproduce these pedals using Cakewalk Pro, that's what I want to know!

[@TaffmanGuyo]

Tongue in cheek! :-)

[@PORRFNK]

This is going to be a big seller, well except that FXAID sounds just as good and can do a lot more for less HP, but no as much hands on control

[@studioonetuts]

Guess I get in first, what do I win? Jokes aside looking forward to this.

[@studioonetuts]

It definitely needs a good amount of dry signal. Would I say it's better/worse or equal to the 'stomp' boxes. Well it's neither here nor there, in that regard. It's just different, in a good way.

[@nascen7]

Oof, I just saw the price... This lil guy won't see the inside of my case for at least a couple more months.

[@symbiat0]

You almost look like Nick Batt in the vid thumbnail 😁

[@nasound2473]

Ughh.... RIP my wallet.

[@ScottofOakland]

Using a Coles for a youtube video is the definition of overdoing it.

[@nigelworwood8530]

Your PGS voice!

[@SamLowryDZ-015]

The most restful review ever.

[@localhost4460]

It's too big. I'd rather a Disting EX + F8R.

[@purpletapes1940]

beautiful etc?

[@ivanklass1]

Super OSCAR know...

[@dejangaletic7884]

2 most overpriced modules out there

[@richardharrow1946]

Your thumbnails are so cringey lol. What are you an 18 year old KZbin influencer