Strymon Starlab First Impressions! Best Eurorack Reverb Delay Ever or Overpriced&Overrated?

[@brianreilly6545]

Great demo/review. It’s your honesty that stands out the most. Thx!

[@halcyonwinds1970]

I really enjoy your pacing and well considered comments. Excellent a video!

[@audiooooooo]

I like your critical view on this huuuuge module. Thanks.

[@HousePlant_Ambient]

I have it. So much into the modular and tend to utilize all. You have LFO/Filter/Simple Delay/Reverbs with Harmonics. You get so much that you can use as end of the chain.

[@kenny-op50]

The Karplus-Strong feature plus reverb is pretty fantastic all on its own. Yeah it’s bigger than a 2hp Pluck but also easier to tune.

[@jimcalverley]

great video as usual! I've been eager to hear what I will get for the $699 price tag.

[@modernguitardiary]

Hi! great review! a question, for those who already own magneto could it be interesting to pair??

[@DUNGEONMUSICTHEATRE]

So it's nice to have both. Strymon Starlab is one of the best, if not the best sounding "modulating" reverbs out there. And if you don't mind the price tag and if you have the HP space for it, I think it's hard to pass up.

[@InvertedPopesMusic]

I think you are spot on. I own a Starlab and although think it is great at what it does it just is bit to big when HP is at a premium. Not knocking it as I do love what it can do. I just wonder if i could of purchased something else smaller that does all that I need as I don't push the Starlab far enough. Maybe that is it, I liked the look and sound of it but for what I need I could of gotten something smaller and maybe cheaper. We will see.

[@DUNGEONMUSICTHEATRE]

Yeah it was their first one and I just feel like they missed the mark a bit. Again Strymon is a legendary company but it was their first foray into the eurorack world and I think it was some kind of “dip your toe” into a new market leveraging existing tech dev. I get it but a few more thought into physical footprint and a more well thought out feature set, even if it’s one or two would have been nice. It’s possible they understood the market is super niche tho.

[@blindianajones]

I prefer the nightsky over the starlab. The two things I like to use often on nightsky are the pre / post burn and the 8 step sequencer. I did not realize neither of those, to my knowledge, are not part of starlab. So, price and HP are too much to justify the price and size. To be honest, I feel like I can get similar outcomes by using the much smaller and easier to use FX Aid. That said, I'm still on the hunt for a reverb I can more easily modify and control.

[@DUNGEONMUSICTHEATRE]

Appreciate the insight! :) thanks for stopped by!

[@wrenchposting9097]

Have you tried the Desmodus Versio?

[@blindianajones]

I have tried it and I had a hard time trying to dial in what I prefer. The thing is, I dont think I actually like reverbs but I do appreciate the stereo field spread. I recently got a worng mid side module and been plugging in different distortions and comb filters to see if that is what more I prefer. @@wrenchposting9097

[@Goldkalb]

thanks for making this video! i already own the magneto and was very interested in the starlab, so your analysis helps to find out if i should pull the trigger or not. i will definitely wait for your further exploration on this beast!

[@DUNGEONMUSICTHEATRE]

Will do!!! Thanks so much for the kind words!!!

[@TheNimasan]

i would love to have it, because magneto is beside morphagene my fav module. but there is a big rival on the market which is much cheaper, much smaller and it sounds incridibly beautiful as well. noise engineering desmodus versio. i decided to get that one instead starlab. i use thel h9 max pedal in my system. it offers me lots of reverb, too.

[@DUNGEONMUSICTHEATRE]

well done! Thanks for stopping by! :)

[@SamplingPercussion]

If Boss got into eurorack modules then Strymon would be done. Say the Rev-500 and DD-500 in module form would be nice and probably better priced.

[@edwardprue]

LOL...if BOSS - Roland - got into Eurorack modules, they would release a great product, provide a terrible excuse for documentation, fail to properly market it, and abandon it after 1 or 2 updates. I love Roland, but their AIRA Modular EFX line (which are semi-brilliant modules) did not catch fire, did not do damage to any competitor in the modular space, and have nowhere near the capabilities of Starlab.

[@devondetroit2529]

There is a high freq buzz/hiss in your video audio dude, I thought you would wanna know… Loving your channel so far, subbed !!

[@DUNGEONMUSICTHEATRE]

Thanks for the heads up for sure! Yeah lots of weird glitches (both audio and video) as I was refining my production. Let me know if you hear any weird artifacts in my later videos! :)

[@stephenspackman5573]

Yeah, I couldn't help feeling as if (from the eurorack perspective) the integrated LFO wasn't more “how can we use these extra knobs provided by the platform” than “how can we provide maximum functionality per HP”. If that panel area had been dedicated to something that I don't already have available in my rack, ideally some unique modulations of the core algorithm, it might have been a more persuasive proposition. Does sound nice though.

[@medenine4828]

Sounds amazing.

[@boedye]

A couple of things; In talking with Strymon on an unrelated note, one thing that was discussed was how guitar pedals do not always play well with synths. Generally, yea, it works, but not always as well as you'd think it should, hence why you see a lot of crossover from the guitar pedal to eurorack world (and also why Strymon made a guitar interface module). That being said, the Magneto is meant to emulate tape delay and tape reverb. Its an entirely different animal than the big sky / starlab mentality. This is more akin to the ZDSP with Valhalla Shimmer (which I have as well). Had I not already had the ZDSP, Id have probably looked at this because it pairs incredibly well. So while yes, likely a firmware update could have changed this and that, thats not the point of eurorack. And too, this is actually much smaller than the Big Sky pedal.

[@DUNGEONMUSICTHEATRE]

All great points! Thank you for your feedback. I can attest that Starlab and Magneto sound unique and brilliant in their own way. They have each have a place for sure. I was just taken aback when I got my Starlab, the "hardware" is IDENTICAL to the Magneto, every button, every knob in the same location. It's like Magneto with a different faceplate. And certainly it's Strymon's right to release products this way. Software costs a lot to develop. And again, they both sound very different for sure. But as hardware fan, it would have been nice to have Starlab distinguish itself from Magento at the hardware UX level, maybe have unique button and knobs? Because they are really pricy and as a consumer, I definitely felt bummed. Again, appreciate your thoughts!

[@boedye]

@@DUNGEONMUSICTHEATRE A lot of that is a guitar pedal mindset of uniformity to fit on a pedal board, i.e Boss Pedals. Strymon started off as Damage Control and all their tube pedals had the exact same form. Its a bit easier to stick with a design that works, rather than reinventing it every single time. Personally? I like the uniformity despite the loss of HP, but Strymon isnt the only company whose delay / reverb module is that HP: The ZDSP, the Verbos Multi-tap, and the Pittsburgh Modular Cascade Delay are all the exact same HP. I never did pick up how all four companies came up with the same HP for the same type of module independently of each other.

[@TheGoldenWreath]

Howdy. For Starlab …Is there a “spill over” function for texture modes when switching between the three settings? And is there a way to get it back to factory reset ?

[@DUNGEONMUSICTHEATRE]

That’s a great question! I will have to double check but I’m pretty sure it does? It’d be super unmusical if it doesn’t.

[@TheGoldenWreath]

@@DUNGEONMUSICTHEATRE agreed. I just got one and when I switch from the 3 texture settings , sound just cuts off And the module just behaves funny. Maybe I got a dud.

[@TheGoldenWreath]

@@DUNGEONMUSICTHEATRE just looked at manual. Hard to understand under “favorites and texture “ section but I tried a few things, like switching some things behind module. Did NOT work. Doubt it has spill over mode. Unusable.

[@FuZZbaLLbee]

It’s a shame that euro rack versions of pedals seem to be quite a bit more expansive. I want to buy some effects, but since I am not a guitar player, having them In a euro rack case seem to make more sense to me.

[@jhop127]

I thought exactly the same man, I picked up MI Beads for effects which has worked a treat so far!

[@rossmotus669]

Totally agree.

[@fabamarie]

Thanks, my question is how can they make it smaller if they keep so much cv connections ? The goodies are those cv connections

[@DUNGEONMUSICTHEATRE]

I think you make a great point and Starlab seems to have a CV control for literally every control point. But I have also seen really good modules where not every control point has CV. So on one hand you could argue that tons of CV makes Starlab deep and complex. But you also could argue that having fewer CV control points ( and maybe less knobs) to make the module narrower makes it play nicer in the overall eco system. If Starlab was a standalone product, I would have no issues. I think because it’s a eurorack, the size (for me) is a key factor in any rack purchasing decision.

[@fabamarie]

@@DUNGEONMUSICTHEATRE yes, for me it is the opposite regards, I’m in real eurorack world with big system, I need cv and knobs for every fonctions and dislike small complex modules with menus 👍🏻 I don’t appreciate those new little computers made with raspberry pies that can do every things with just one cv and small knobs But I like your video 👍🏻 it really show the module and as I already have and love the Magneto, it is really goooood 😋

[@DUNGEONMUSICTHEATRE]

@@fabamarie that’s a great point!

[@fabamarie]

@@DUNGEONMUSICTHEATRE perhaps better than Magneto because Magneto doesn’t have cv on every parameter, to cv the four head you have to jump to a configuration with no access to reverse, play and freez fonction cv

[@ericoreilly8368]

I wish EVENTIDE would get into the Eurorack game…. Imho Eventide has to me ( being a lifelong guitar player) just getting into modular synth, always been the BEST ambient/reverb delay/ pitch shift and detune effects maker on the planet! Like the H9 , or even the old 19” rack mount hardware, i think they are top notch!!

[@DUNGEONMUSICTHEATRE]

Thanks for stopping by. They have a delay www.eventideaudio.com/rackmount/euroddl/ and the rumor is they have a very innovative new sequencer. (from NAMM 2022). Yeah big fan of the EVENTIDE sound for sure!

[@edwardprue]

As a user of both Strymon and Eventide pedals, Strymon goes toe-to-toe with Eventide (who are indeed beyond awesome). Strymon captures "the sound", which is of course the main measure. And they are way ahead of Eventide in the Eurorack space. As a Eurorack enthusiast, I'll say you can't really evaluate Starlab (beyond the audio quality) without patching it. Applying control voltage to modulate the sounds -- you could do a performance with 1 audio source, a sequencer (or keyboard,) the Starlab, and a limiter/compressor for your output. Check Pete Celi's demo video for a taste of the heavenly audio that's just waiting to delight you. Cheers for the overview!

[@rossmotus669]

Interesting review. With sincere respects to all opinion, I think we're just talkin' about extreme detailed technicism. This is a reverb, fundamentally. In my modest opinion this is too much expensive with no effective reasons because you can obtain similar results with less expensive gears (like pedal-effects). Just my two cents.

[@DUNGEONMUSICTHEATRE]

Thanks for your insights! Yep 👍

[@firedaxel]

Can you suggest me some of these less expensive gears? I'm totally noob and this reverb seems to expansive to me

[@rossmotus669]

@@firedaxel use pedals with stereo output.

[@firedaxel]

​@@rossmotus669ah ok, i think you talks about module and cv controlled stuff lol thanks anyway

[@VincentsVideoVisions]

Personally I'd rather throw in a small ~4 HP module that easily lets me pipe out Eurorack level to line level and back in so i can use pedals with my Eurorack because Eurorack effects tend to be expensive AND take up HP. Sure, you can do some cool stuff with them via CV but unless you actually *need* that ability it's kind of a waste of space, especially if you just want some standard delays and reverbs to animate and give depth to sounds sources. I think the Starlab sounds cool but it's very expensive and takes up a lot of HP. I'd rather just run stuff through my Ventris or many other standalone units.

[@chridmeister]

I use a 4ms Listen I/O for this and it's great. It's 6HP though

[@NathanChisholm041]

Looks the biz!

[@Hirsbrochannel]

I would not like it to be any smaller

[@Leo9ine]

700 bucks and the knob falls off... I really wanted it to sound as good as the hype. Maybe it's me, but I struggle to hear anything different than an average $150 reverb/delay pedal. The shimmer verb on a cheap Zoom MS70 modeling pedal is about the same to my ears. I'll look for something else to burn my eurorack money on, ha

[@wrenchposting9097]

that Zoom pedal 'stole' its particle algorithm from the old Line 6 modelers like the M5, M9, etc

[@brhodes0]

How about your 38th patch?

[@hypnoz123]

Not the same internals, that’s why they didn’t make it a firmware update

[@DUNGEONMUSICTHEATRE]

Good to know. Perhaps someone at iFixit could do a hardware tear down and confirm :)

[@NutritionalZero]

“Just asking questions” eurorack edition

[@newtronix]

It's a high quality 96k sampling rate reverb that fits in eurorack. How small do you want it!

[@DUNGEONMUSICTHEATRE]

Hey thanks for the feedback! Appreciate you stopping by! it’s probably the penultimate eurorack reverb so perhaps it deserves such wide footprint. I would respectfully disagree that the sample rate is what justifies Starlab’s size. There are stamp sized, incredible sounding 24bit 192k AD/DA’s in the market place. So I think it has to do with UX choices that Strymon made. Like the number of buttons, knobs, and CV control. I think some folks LOVE the features and knobs but I would love to see something half the size with less knobs but still that incredible Strymon sound!

[@newtronix]

@@DUNGEONMUSICTHEATRE OK it's just the fact it's hardware and the only 96k reverbs I have are rack ones. So to me this is small! Don't know much about convertors I'm completely out of the box.

[@foreverdoomedvolt]

you should name this video "Strymon starlab review (No sounds, talking only)" :)))

[@DUNGEONMUSICTHEATRE]

Link below of the post with no talking version! kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z37Eg5mqaJeYjtk

[@PedalScience]

Great video, not sure why so many dislikes! Nice work

[@garethjones7182]

Anyone know what make QWERTY keyboard is?

[@DUNGEONMUSICTHEATRE]

Qwerkywriter.com ;)

[@garethjones7182]

@@DUNGEONMUSICTHEATRE Thanks!

[@AirArtStudiosOfficial]

The answer here is to buy a bigger rack😂😂😂👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

[@TheSynthnut]

OMG Eurorack folk are just so obsessed with HP! You want controls that you can operate without needing a six year old on hand? I can't stand menus on modules, so one knob per function is cool, don't bemoan that it's actually ergonomic! OK, I'm off back to my 5U system... ;-)

[@DUNGEONMUSICTHEATRE]

I respect that! Thanks for stopping by!

[@NickHchaos]

Agreed. My eurorack system has become more and more larger and deluxe modules with beautiful designs and great Ui over time. I can’t stand those tiny modules.

[@modularnepl900]

still bit expensive for me..but I see it sitting in my case...

[@DUNGEONMUSICTHEATRE]

Hah!

[@tlebeau13]

No audio

[@milztempelrowski9281]

That is one weird looking wireless mechanical keyboard you got there. :p

[@DUNGEONMUSICTHEATRE]

it’s a Qwerkywriter.com :p

[@dejangaletic7884]

Yup, 2 most overpriced modules 😂😂😂

[@eento06]

Too much useless talking and too much of an “on the surface” review/impression… Boring

[@DUNGEONMUSICTHEATRE]

Appreciate the feedback but the video does say “first impressions” not an in depth review. Literally “on the surface” yes correct!