@@johnnathancordy I'm trying to get my guitar tones to mesh with my (analog) synth sounds, blurring the edges so its ambiguous as to where one starts and the other stops. I think the Night Sky might be a good tool for that. I'm also hoping that Strymon make a trio from Volante and Night Sky by adding an innovative modulation device in the same form factor. I also hope its the colour of a Quality Street Green Triangle.
@@johnnathancordy I would never give up my Big Sky its great! I have the Iridium and the Big Sky and for more gain I use the Revv G 3. Its a great combination. For low gain settings the Strymon Iridium with punch amp is sufficient.
I bought my bigsky new almost 5 years ago now (I guess you could say I was "late" to the game as well); definitely well worth the money. I've thought about selling it for some newer reverb pedals, but the more i've really dove into it, the more I realize that this is the end all be all of reverbs for me. It does any verb sound I want/need, plus more that i'll probably never use. I like to live by the saying (with pedals at least, when it comes to delay and reverb), "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". I love that it's midi capable and super easy to use. Most of the parameters you'll end up using 99% of the time are the knobs on the front. Like I said, the more I get to know it, the more I love it.
I love my Big Sky. I bought it with the Timeline and couldn't be happier. You talked me into the Irudium first then a few weeks ago I bought the HX Stomp. I've never been happy with my Katana Head and Peavey 6505 MH until I ran them clean into a stereo 4x12 using the HX Stomp. I get lost for hours with the most beautiful ambient sound I couldn't get with anything else I had. Thanks for your inspiration.
Yep. Did two film scores with the help of this box. But calling it an effect doesn't do it justice - it's almost an instrument unto itself. You can check my 25 minute demo just messing around with it on my channel which showed the kind of thing I was after.
I’ve tried all the newer hyped up reverbs including the new Chase Bliss/Meris CXM 1978...still nothing beats the BigSky or even comes close in my opinion. Still the king for me. I do love the NightSky though too.
I had the Digitech Polara, Walrus Slö, EHX Oceans 11 and 12 reverbs at separate times. There was always something else I wanted from them all. Then I sold the Oceans 12 and bought this. Been beyond happy for the last year. I’ll never get rid of this.
Even after all of the hype about Ventris, I still come back to the Big Sky because I love it's sound. Nice guitar playing also by the way. I use mine with synths also sounds great there.
Well, thanks to you and other videos showcasing this amazing box, I just ordered mine, and here it is in 2022. I'm working on a more portable setup for live performance and this will most certainly add a great deal to my sound. It is pretty expensive still for a pedal - but after trying several others and returning a couple, I understand why the extra expense is worth it. I kept coming back to this one over and over. I finally pulled the trigger today.
Btw.. just want to say that I love your channel. I learn something new from you everyday. Love you brother. I appreciate everything you do and thank you for taking the time making these great videos🤘😎
Eventide H9... on the up side it has less knobs, and as far as I’m aware neither bea or Rhett have laid mitts upon it... at least live on the toob, great vid JC
Errr...the poly digit/ beebo... cheaper than H9, I have literally just put mine up on eBay for a very fair price if anyone’s shopping.which might not seem like the best advert, the verbs are amazing, real spaces convolution and models, delays, mod effects plus routing options beyond anyone’s needs. I am having to downsize my gear and just like the empress voia I let go... the pedal was almost too big for me, I think I will regret it but needs must at the moment .cheers
I think a mixed board i.e. Stomp/FM3+pedals is the way to go. I know I'll get G.A.S for some pedal as soon as I'd sell my individual pedals and go full helix. I know I'd be the guy with a helix and an El Capistan loose next to it. I don't want to be that guy. I'm really happy with my Stomp+pedals board. Lots of flexibility.
My board these days is simply the FM3 + Source Audio Ventris. The Ventris sounds fantastic and offloads a good chunk of the DSP by saving a Reverb block in the FM3. It works great.
To this date Big Sky is my fav reverb unit. These sounds are just made for me. And i have hx stomp, neural stuff, used Kemper. They all aren’t in the same leauge as Big Sky imho.
Is it worth getting one for Kemper or is there not a difference worth the money? I am mostly interested in ambient stuff rather than subtle spring reverbs etc.
I'll answer myself. In my personal opinion it's not worth it. I had one to test and compare with Kemper reverbs. Don't get me wrong, it's awesome but Kemper is very close. So close that I don't feel anything missing tone wise. It's nice to have easier physical controls on Strymon though. Ease of use has never been Kemper's strong point anyway though.
I have owned lot of reverb pedals, including the big sky (which is amazing), blue sky, wet, immerse, space, etc etc... but for some reason my ehx cathedral is still remaining. I know its outdated, and the algorithms are crude by today's standards, but it just fits my music perfectly. Cathedral is my all time favorite reverb. However for the more modern "mega reverb" type box, the Big Sky is the best. Not even a question.
id say GFI specular tempus is definitely up there with the big sky... smaller footprint and huge sounds with lots of algorithms, also like half the price!
The Big Sky is much more in tune with live players vs. other reverbs which require constant tweaking but no presets. Lots of good choices, but it boils down to live vs. desktop, etc. Nicely done video....
I have a Boss DD-8 and RV-6 behind HX Stomp. It's a great combo, letting the HX Stomp handle other things, the pedals are small, and the sound is awesome and easily tweakable.
I have looked at most of the Big Sky videos on here trying to decide on either Big Sky or Night Sky. Big Sky is 12 years old. The Night sky is 2 and technically more up to day. I want one or the other. I just can't decide which would be best for me. I need reverb and ambient sounds. They both have their strong points. I have the feeling If I get a Big Sky, Strymon will immediately come out with a new Big Sky with up to date electronics and improvements on everyone's wish list.
Strymon seems to be doing a lot of updates lately but the problem is they tack on another hundred dollars or so to the new versions. The old versions are already so expensive.
A great and unique reverb for sure! I am trying it through many of my synths. Some minor things that I think would like an improvement is the reverb type knob is easy bumped while fiddling with other gear. A notch for every knob setting would be nice. I would like to see numerical read out for the MIX level. A stereo option for Magneto algorithm...a must for synth users.
The ones that come to mind that compete with the big sky are the empress big box reverb, the eventide space, and the cxm 1978. The 1978 is ridiculously expensive but it's super cool. I really like reverb as an effect though, so I've also been looking at grabbing a big sky for some of the huge wall of reverb sounds to combine with the spring in my amp and the flint reverb. I also have a wet from neunaber which is super cool, I just love reverb lmao
Big sky and timeline are great together, even in 2021. I run mine in the loop of the stomp after the amp block (I know you’re not keen on that but hear me out). I found by lowering the channel volume of the amp block so it wasn’t slamming the analogue to digital converters (same as what it would expect in a normal pedal chain) I couldn’t tell the difference with the loop on or off, maybe a touch of background hiss.
Big Sky = total Inspiration machine. I use mine, to emulate keyboard parts - strings, pads, choirs ect . . . It's like an instrument unto-itself. Mine is going to the Grave with me !!!
Hi Michael Maybe you can help me. I just bought a Bigsky an I think it is defect. I cant use the AB/BC way to change the bank presets. The only way is by get down on and turning the Valu knob. How can I set this up ?
@@normc8169 It sounds like the Pedal might be defective? If I'm understanding you right, the unit will Not Allow you to Bank-down (typically done by: pressing the B&C Bank simultaneously) - Check your global parameters, perhaps do a complete Factory Reset or just call/contact Strymon (they are great at getting you the proper information). Strymon provides = Phenomenal client service. Good Luck.
@@michael_caz_nyc Hi. I contacted Strymon and my pedal needed a seting that been done by the salesman at store and everything is absolutely perfect now. Tks
Surprised there's very few mention of the Empress Reverb. To my ears the reverb on Empress sounds more integrated with the guitar hence it sounds more complete. Once I got used to that I couldn't help but notice how the reverb on the BigSky sounded somewhat 'attached' or slapped on. They're both great for what they do nonetheless. If usability is an issue however, hands down Strymon is the right choice.
Well, I just bought my Big Sky a couple weeks ago, and I haven't been able to spend much time working with it just yet (just doing a lot of research first). But I will be soon, and I'll be sure to follow your channel to hopefully see and hear what you discover. Cheers!
I think Strymon should put " the big 3"...AS IN ..1.Timeline .2.BigSky...3.Mobius into one unit...add built in stereo mixing and independent level controls . Seems like a nice idea.
When Strymon began, they were called Damage Control..& they made a Reverb+Delay+Modulation pedal caled Glass Nexus..& it was wonderful..analog dry path, midi-controllable, tube input/output buffers..very much ‘ahead of it’s time’..
Not all orgies are up to snuff, if ya know what I mean, so don't fret if you have or have had to miss one or two. You'll definitely know the good ones from the ones to avoid as time marches on. Thanks for the video and I will be investing in one of these pedals. I've been through so many cheap reverb units,,,and they all seem to bring nothing to my mix but a lot of hiss and chirp!
The BigSky is my favorite so far, but would like to check and compare it to the Seymour Duncan Dark Sky or the Eventide Space. And just for the discussion: The Valhalla Room and Shimmer are near the BigSky, when it comes to PlugIn-Choice.
I use a swell (volume) pedal a lot to adjust reverb time and other parameters. Make it go from subtle ambient to nice wash underneath my playing. I even used the cab sim for a while before I had the HX stomp!
Great tone and nice job capturing it. I would recommend a used axe fx ultra to anyone shopping for effects, yes it's twice the price of this strymon but it has everything you need to play a gig in a 2u rack space. Though why not have both =D The axe fx has an effects loop to run the big sky through. Cheers.
I’ve had my eye on a big sky for a year at least. Big reverbs make me want to make relaxed music. 😄 Will complement my eventide space well. BigSky shimmer can produce more intervals than eventide space (which itself allows +5, 7, 12 octave etc)
Remember that other video you had where you "weren't going to buy any more big delay and reverb pedals" But its crazy to believe the Big Sky is so old now, it still feels way modern.
@@jaydenanderson53 Yea the tiny button and cycling through presets the way it does isn't exactly ideal. I ended up selling mine in an attempt to shrink my board. It's a great pedal and a total powerhouse, and while they're more annoying to twek the verbs in the stomp do me just fine.
I have a good spring reverb in my amp, and I mix the reverb from The Flint and my sound gets huge. Yes I’m limited and there is no midi / programming. I can always experiment with various delays from HX Stomp. I think they sound great as with all Strymon products. It’s my belief any serious musician needs at least one Strymon product on their pedal board.
It’s definitely a great product and worth it especially if you play live but I do a lot of recording in a daw So are use Valhalla supermassive and the other products by Valhalla
Thanks for the video. It sure sounds like you made a fantastic choice. The looks of your guitar is almost as mesmerizing as the box sounds. Thanks again have o good night. I'm off to do a bit of internet browsing now. Never heard of any of these incredible boxes I'm very curious and interested now....
can you check out the cathedral pedal that one and canyon id like to hear the comparison and also run together. Love that quality of your videos great job.
Often I’m need “The reverb you don’t think you can hear” - something to give space and body to a mostly clean sound. My Ventris does this pretty well. I can’t hear it until I turn it off ! Then with the Ventris you can have a second, bigger reverb or effect brought in with the second Control Knob. I’m very pleased with the Ventris for this job. It also has some luscious “obvious effect” algorithms. One thing I will have to do is try to replicate the Big Sky USPs to see if I can avoid buying one ! There is the Source Audio Neuro software to get into deep settings. Another plus for the Ventris - it uses a simple double momentary footswitch give access to eight double presets. Of course, the bottom line is "does the Ventris sound good?" which I think it does. p.s. I should mention I’m not really a Stomp person . . . I’ve tried but doesn’t quite connect for me. Great for my bass player though :)
I sold my BigSky a few years ago and bought a Boss RV-500. Recently sold the Boss too but I was very impressed with the higher fidelity of the Boss. The Strymon’s lower fidelity is massively part of it’s sound though and gives it it’s very unique and identifiable wash. As a workhorse for gigs I found the Boss to be a bit better as you can add a delay to any reverb patch which came in handy more often than I thought it would. Would be interesting to hear what you think of those two compared. For me the Strymon was more inspiring but the Boss was more useful (while also being cheaper).
While Strymon stuff does sound great, most every day guitarists don't need their depth of effect. For composition, film score, sound scaping, etc. they are great units, but the average guitarists can just get a used Helix Stomp or HX Effects and get way more mileage out of the spend. I have an HX Effects I use with Tube amps and Helix Native on the PC. Never found anything this setup couldn't do to warrant the price of an external Strymon. You have to have a real need to get this OR you just have plenty of cash to spend and love to noodle knobs.
Very nice - you bought one!!! BTW I used to have a ventris, but way prefer this. Just a personal preference thing I guess. Oh and H9s, which are a close second I recon.
I've tried so many reverbs and I went back the older BlueSky. It was simplified in its modes and offerings, which the Mercury 7 and Wet had, but the Ventris lacked (better to utilize 70% vs. 30%, imho). It had expanded pre-delay, which the Ventris had, but the Mercury 7 and Wet lacked. It had control over Lo and Hi frequencies that the Mercury 7 and Ventris had, but the Wet lacked.
Hard to compare it to others in terms of pure flexibility, but for some reason among the Strymon reverbs I actually prefer the darkness of the simple Flint, especially when using heavy or multiple delays as well and just need a basic reverb rather than all the hifi sheen of clouds and chorales and shimmers that sound a bit obvious and too familiar (at least as defaults). One thing I know people dislike about the BigSky (and TL) is the menu-diving, but using midi and nixie solves that in the studio, anyway.
I really can't find a good demo of how to setup and save presets and how to use well the big sky or other big boys timeline and mobius. Hope you can do it one day
I’ve been contemplating picking one up for a long time. I’m running an Eventide Space, which is still the biggest competitor in my mind to the Big Sky. What are your thoughts on how those stack up to each other?
I have a gfi specular 3, and I'm still going to buy the big sky as well.... Then I'm done buying reverbs.... Lol right you bought this because it's the best or... One of The best reverbs period.... strait up ....
How is the Specular Tempus on more "natural" sounding reverbs? I really need to upgrade my reverb and I absolutely LOVE the ambient tones the Specular Tempus has, but i keep gravitating back to the Big Sky for a good all around, jack of all trades type of reverb.
I say they are all expensive. Probably very worth cost indeed. For now, Valhalla has opened many many doors for me. For free with their Supermassive. The last year I've use it in every video. Its every bit as amazing.
I have the big sky and eventide space. Both have super bits to them. The eventide can generate weirder sounds and defo is like an instrument in its own right but I like the big sky algorithms they sound wonderful.
Just checking the specs - the Empress reverb conversion rate seems to be lower than the Strymon (if that matters?) I did borrow the Empress Reverb from a friend, and didn't particularly get on with it, but that's probably my fault!
To name a few... Empress Zoia or Effects Reverb Source Audio Ventris Dual Reverb or Collider Delay+ Reverb Eventide Space or H9 Price might be an issue with some, but for example Zoia can do it all, way way more stuff then just reverb... if you have the time (there's also patches made by the community).
There's a few things it does that the line 6 can't, or at least not without using lots and lots of DSP, I was thinking this plus the Stomp would be Uber useful or the Timeline plus the stomp
Less blocks to use on the stomp. Same reason for me BUT The stomp now with the 3.0/3.1 update has very lush reverbs etc.. They have figured it out (line 6)
I have the hx stomp and big sky. The stomp reverbs still pale in comparison. They claim to have copied bloom and cloud in the stomp, but they're not even close.
Nothing matches the CLOUD engine on the Big Sky. Lots of folks have come up with patches on their favorite reverbs that come close but the Big Sky is still the champ. I'm sorry I sold mine. Will have to buy it again I guess.
I sold my bigsky last year to buy a specular tempus.. Needless to say, I had to purchase the big sky again because it was the only way I could get a good satisfying cloud sound
So far i have not seen any reverbs that beats the "Reflektor" reverb from Native Instruments. The "Start" knob can create some really interesting sounds, and together with the insane library of different types of reverb, built in EQ, and other features, i have some doubts it is possible to find a comparable hardware alternative.
Don't know if anyone has suggested it yet but you should really have a look at the GFI Systems Specular Tempus. Does both reverb and delay. Has a much smaller footprint, has midi, it's own fx loop, runs on 100ma and costs less than the big sky (New they're $300 I bought mine for $250 used). I have had both the Big Sky and the Timeline and in my opinion the reverb algos are better in this. Might be worth checking out.
@@DelScully I’ve never had the empress or the dark world, but I can tell you the algorithms on the gfi are some of the best I’ve ever heard. It sounds like a more hi-fi big sky.
@@orryfishburne5326 Oh yeah, it’s got an amazing plate and spring verb algorithm and we haven’t talked about all the killer delay and delay + reverb combo algos. Seriously check it out.
@@iwasapeddlerman awesome! Thanks for the response. Still debating what i want to get, but ive narrowed it down at least to either the Tempus or the Empress Reverb. Both are amazing, but im leaning more towards the Tempus.
I've got a big sky and I'm looking for an amp/cab sim to put in front of it. Am I a fool for not going helix? I'm looking at the Walrus Mako SCS1 more so than the iridium. I have an analog Simplifier but it's just too harsh for me like nails on a chalkboard. I just want some pretty tones like this. 😀
Still torn, conflicted and confused between this and the Night Sky. Head says Big Sky, Heart says Night Sky. Wife says neither.
For me personally I think this is a fair bit more useful than the Nightsky, if I'm being honest
@@johnnathancordy I'm trying to get my guitar tones to mesh with my (analog) synth sounds, blurring the edges so its ambiguous as to where one starts and the other stops. I think the Night Sky might be a good tool for that. I'm also hoping that Strymon make a trio from Volante and Night Sky by adding an innovative modulation device in the same form factor. I also hope its the colour of a Quality Street Green Triangle.
@@CitizenOfEverywhere praline you're saying...
@@johnnathancordy I would never give up my Big Sky its great! I have the Iridium and the Big Sky and for more gain I use the Revv G 3. Its a great combination. For low gain settings the Strymon Iridium with punch amp is sufficient.
Have them both and they are amazing together!
Who cares if it's 'old' , it is still one of the best reverbs today..I'm waiting for my TimeLine to arrive, and I will have 3 big old ones :D
I bought my bigsky new almost 5 years ago now (I guess you could say I was "late" to the game as well); definitely well worth the money. I've thought about selling it for some newer reverb pedals, but the more i've really dove into it, the more I realize that this is the end all be all of reverbs for me. It does any verb sound I want/need, plus more that i'll probably never use. I like to live by the saying (with pedals at least, when it comes to delay and reverb), "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". I love that it's midi capable and super easy to use. Most of the parameters you'll end up using 99% of the time are the knobs on the front. Like I said, the more I get to know it, the more I love it.
I love my Big Sky. I bought it with the Timeline and couldn't be happier. You talked me into the Irudium first then a few weeks ago I bought the HX Stomp. I've never been happy with my Katana Head and Peavey 6505 MH until I ran them clean into a stereo 4x12 using the HX Stomp. I get lost for hours with the most beautiful ambient sound I couldn't get with anything else I had. Thanks for your inspiration.
Wow that sounds incredible. What I listen for in delay or reverb pedals is the after note trail. The EQ and harmonic content of the trails or repeats.
Fir what it’s worth this is box of choice for all the film composing chaps.
No wonder I always the reverbs on film music. Haha
@@jessieplaysmusic8530 always what
Yep. Did two film scores with the help of this box. But calling it an effect doesn't do it justice - it's almost an instrument unto itself. You can check my 25 minute demo just messing around with it on my channel which showed the kind of thing I was after.
@@jordanprysmiki5361 guess we’ll never know
@@jordanprysmiki5361 I always too whenever I.. don't you?
I’ve tried all the newer hyped up reverbs including the new Chase Bliss/Meris CXM 1978...still nothing beats the BigSky or even comes close in my opinion. Still the king for me. I do love the NightSky though too.
What about the empress reverb, tried it? Mixed feeling on it personally.
Gosh, do I appreciate your sense of humour!
“Their knobs had already been fiddled with” crass
They were wearing her......as a hat
@@johnnathancordy it cant be crass if its engraved
I had the Digitech Polara, Walrus Slö, EHX Oceans 11 and 12 reverbs at separate times. There was always something else I wanted from them all. Then I sold the Oceans 12 and bought this. Been beyond happy for the last year. I’ll never get rid of this.
I had tremendous noise problems with the walrus audio slo. I had to send it back.
Even after all of the hype about Ventris, I still come back to the Big Sky because I love it's sound. Nice guitar playing also by the way. I use mine with synths also sounds great there.
Well, thanks to you and other videos showcasing this amazing box, I just ordered mine, and here it is in 2022. I'm working on a more portable setup for live performance and this will most certainly add a great deal to my sound. It is pretty expensive still for a pedal - but after trying several others and returning a couple, I understand why the extra expense is worth it. I kept coming back to this one over and over. I finally pulled the trigger today.
The cloud algorithm is quite special. same for the bloom, cant really get them anywhere else
Btw.. just want to say that I love your channel. I learn something new from you everyday. Love you brother. I appreciate everything you do and thank you for taking the time making these great videos🤘😎
HAHAHAHA. The first few minutes was hilarious!!!!
Eventide H9... on the up side it has less knobs, and as far as I’m aware neither bea or Rhett have laid mitts upon it... at least live on the toob, great vid JC
Errr...the poly digit/ beebo... cheaper than H9, I have literally just put mine up on eBay for a very fair price if anyone’s shopping.which might not seem like the best advert, the verbs are amazing, real spaces convolution and models, delays, mod effects plus routing options beyond anyone’s needs. I am having to downsize my gear and just like the empress voia I let go... the pedal was almost too big for me, I think I will regret it but needs must at the moment .cheers
I think a mixed board i.e. Stomp/FM3+pedals is the way to go. I know I'll get G.A.S for some pedal as soon as I'd sell my individual pedals and go full helix. I know I'd be the guy with a helix and an El Capistan loose next to it. I don't want to be that guy.
I'm really happy with my Stomp+pedals board. Lots of flexibility.
My board these days is simply the FM3 + Source Audio Ventris. The Ventris sounds fantastic and offloads a good chunk of the DSP by saving a Reverb block in the FM3. It works great.
The "CLOUD" setting is what Im GASing for. I can't seem to emulate that with any other reverb I have had previously
To this date Big Sky is my fav reverb unit. These sounds are just made for me. And i have hx stomp, neural stuff, used Kemper. They all aren’t in the same leauge as Big Sky imho.
Is it worth getting one for Kemper or is there not a difference worth the money? I am mostly interested in ambient stuff rather than subtle spring reverbs etc.
I'll answer myself. In my personal opinion it's not worth it. I had one to test and compare with Kemper reverbs. Don't get me wrong, it's awesome but Kemper is very close. So close that I don't feel anything missing tone wise. It's nice to have easier physical controls on Strymon though. Ease of use has never been Kemper's strong point anyway though.
I agree. But you gotta try the specular tempus. That pedal is fucking nuts
I have owned lot of reverb pedals, including the big sky (which is amazing), blue sky, wet, immerse, space, etc etc... but for some reason my ehx cathedral is still remaining. I know its outdated, and the algorithms are crude by today's standards, but it just fits my music perfectly. Cathedral is my all time favorite reverb. However for the more modern "mega reverb" type box, the Big Sky is the best. Not even a question.
id say GFI specular tempus is definitely up there with the big sky... smaller footprint and huge sounds with lots of algorithms, also like half the price!
The Big Sky is much more in tune with live players vs. other reverbs which require constant tweaking but no presets. Lots of good choices, but it boils down to live vs. desktop, etc. Nicely done video....
I have a Boss DD-8 and RV-6 behind HX Stomp. It's a great combo, letting the HX Stomp handle other things, the pedals are small, and the sound is awesome and easily tweakable.
The boss Rv-500 is great but at the same time it is missing some mojo. But I still love it anyway for it's flexibility, tweakability and clarity.
People don't realize its capabilities... Same with the DD-500 and MD-500...
I have looked at most of the Big Sky videos on here trying to decide on either Big Sky or Night Sky. Big Sky is 12 years old. The Night sky is 2 and technically more up to day. I want one or the other. I just can't decide which would be best for me. I need reverb and ambient sounds. They both have their strong points. I have the feeling If I get a Big Sky, Strymon will immediately come out with a new Big Sky with up to date electronics and improvements on everyone's wish list.
Strymon seems to be doing a lot of updates lately but the problem is they tack on another hundred dollars or so to the new versions. The old versions are already so expensive.
A great and unique reverb for sure! I am trying it through many of my synths.
Some minor things that I think would like an improvement is the reverb type knob is easy bumped while fiddling with other gear. A notch for every knob setting would be nice. I would like to see numerical read out for the MIX level.
A stereo option for Magneto algorithm...a must for synth users.
The ones that come to mind that compete with the big sky are the empress big box reverb, the eventide space, and the cxm 1978. The 1978 is ridiculously expensive but it's super cool. I really like reverb as an effect though, so I've also been looking at grabbing a big sky for some of the huge wall of reverb sounds to combine with the spring in my amp and the flint reverb.
I also have a wet from neunaber which is super cool, I just love reverb lmao
Big sky and timeline are great together, even in 2021.
I run mine in the loop of the stomp after the amp block (I know you’re not keen on that but hear me out). I found by lowering the channel volume of the amp block so it wasn’t slamming the analogue to digital converters (same as what it would expect in a normal pedal chain) I couldn’t tell the difference with the loop on or off, maybe a touch of background hiss.
Ah ha!!! I'm not alone in doing that... I swear it sounds better using the amps/cabs to sculpt the tone before effects...
Big Sky = total Inspiration machine. I use mine, to emulate keyboard parts - strings, pads, choirs ect . . . It's like an instrument unto-itself. Mine is going to the Grave with me !!!
Hi Michael
Maybe you can help me.
I just bought a Bigsky an I think it is defect. I cant use the AB/BC way to change the bank presets. The only way is by get down on and turning the Valu knob. How can I set this up ?
@@normc8169 It sounds like the Pedal might be defective? If I'm understanding you right, the unit will Not Allow you to Bank-down (typically done by: pressing the B&C Bank simultaneously) - Check your global parameters, perhaps do a complete Factory Reset or just call/contact Strymon (they are great at getting you the proper information). Strymon provides = Phenomenal client service. Good Luck.
@@michael_caz_nyc Hi.
I contacted Strymon and my pedal needed a seting that been done by the salesman at store and everything is absolutely perfect now. Tks
@@normc8169 Apologies . . . I Just saw this. Glad you got it sorted-out.
Surprised there's very few mention of the Empress Reverb. To my ears the reverb on Empress sounds more integrated with the guitar hence it sounds more complete. Once I got used to that I couldn't help but notice how the reverb on the BigSky sounded somewhat 'attached' or slapped on. They're both great for what they do nonetheless. If usability is an issue however, hands down Strymon is the right choice.
Well, I just bought my Big Sky a couple weeks ago, and I haven't been able to spend much time working with it just yet (just doing a lot of research first). But I will be soon, and I'll be sure to follow your channel to hopefully see and hear what you discover. Cheers!
I think Strymon should put " the big 3"...AS IN ..1.Timeline .2.BigSky...3.Mobius into one unit...add built in stereo mixing and independent level controls . Seems like a nice idea.
And would cost a mere 1500 dollars
That’s called the stryfecta
I want a dual delay with sound-on-sound interplay algorythms...
When Strymon began, they were called Damage Control..& they made a Reverb+Delay+Modulation pedal caled Glass Nexus..& it was wonderful..analog dry path, midi-controllable, tube input/output buffers..very much ‘ahead of it’s time’..
I had a Blue Sky and a Big Sky. Awesome pedals! But both too clean for my taste. I ended up with an EHX Oceans 12. Now i’m a happy reverber. 😄
Not all orgies are up to snuff, if ya know what I mean, so don't fret if you have or have had to miss one or two. You'll definitely know the good ones from the ones to avoid as time marches on. Thanks for the video and I will be investing in one of these pedals. I've been through so many cheap reverb units,,,and they all seem to bring nothing to my mix but a lot of hiss and chirp!
It will actually still be a decent choice in 200 years … this pedal just kick balls
The BigSky is my favorite so far, but would like to check and compare it to the Seymour Duncan Dark Sky or the Eventide Space. And just for the discussion: The Valhalla Room and Shimmer are near the BigSky, when it comes to PlugIn-Choice.
Don't get the NightSky! Massive fail. Awful. Considering this now. Great video thanks.
Clicked for the demo but stayed for the beautiful chords.
Other consideration would be ventris, specular tempest, empress reverb. Benn Jordan loves the last two if you want video reviews.
Great playing! Ive wanted the big sky for 5 yrs and bought my first one 2 weeks ago. Late to the party? LOL, Maybe.
But it is an amazing tool. Thx
I use a swell (volume) pedal a lot to adjust reverb time and other parameters. Make it go from subtle ambient to nice wash underneath my playing. I even used the cab sim for a while before I had the HX stomp!
Great tone and nice job capturing it. I would recommend a used axe fx ultra to anyone shopping for effects, yes it's twice the price of this strymon but it has everything you need to play a gig in a 2u rack space. Though why not have both =D The axe fx has an effects loop to run the big sky through. Cheers.
I’ve had my eye on a big sky for a year at least.
Big reverbs make me want to make relaxed music. 😄
Will complement my eventide space well.
BigSky shimmer can produce more intervals than eventide space (which itself allows +5, 7, 12 octave etc)
Remember that other video you had where you "weren't going to buy any more big delay and reverb pedals"
But its crazy to believe the Big Sky is so old now, it still feels way modern.
I do. I had a moment of weakness.
@@johnnathancordy I understand.
Sounded great!
To me the only direct competition is the source audio ventris. I have one on the way and am quite excited to try it out.
Sick. Let me know how you like it?
I love mine, I've never owned a Big Sky but I find it hard to believe anyone would be disappointed in the Ventris in any scenario!
I have a Ventris and the only thing I don’t like about it is the preset switching isn’t ideal in a live setting. It sounds great tho
@@jaydenanderson53 Yea the tiny button and cycling through presets the way it does isn't exactly ideal.
I ended up selling mine in an attempt to shrink my board. It's a great pedal and a total powerhouse, and while they're more annoying to twek the verbs in the stomp do me just fine.
how about the Dark Sun?
I have a good spring reverb in my amp, and I mix the reverb from The Flint and my sound gets huge. Yes I’m limited and there is no midi / programming. I can always experiment with various delays from HX Stomp. I think they sound great as with all Strymon products. It’s my belief any serious musician needs at least one Strymon product on their pedal board.
This is the only one I’ll buy over and over again
I’ve always wondered how a spring reverb and baked beans would work together. Probably a western version of Hank Marvin. At least on paper...
Love my BigSky, would buy it again
It’s definitely a great product and worth it especially if you play live but I do a lot of recording in a daw So are use Valhalla supermassive and the other products by Valhalla
Just ordered a Big Sky, the Timeline, and the Sunset. Can't wait to get to play with them!
A pedal that’ll never be obsolete - one that’ll be with classics 32years old>. 🤘🏼
Thanks for the video. It sure sounds like you made a fantastic choice. The looks of your guitar is almost as mesmerizing as the box sounds. Thanks again have o good night. I'm off to do a bit of internet browsing now. Never heard of any of these incredible boxes I'm very curious and interested now....
For me its the immerse reverb...
can you check out the cathedral pedal that one and canyon id like to hear the comparison and also run together. Love that quality of your videos great job.
Often I’m need “The reverb you don’t think you can hear” - something to give space and body to a mostly clean sound. My Ventris does this pretty well. I can’t hear it until I turn it off !
Then with the Ventris you can have a second, bigger reverb or effect brought in with the second Control Knob. I’m very pleased with the Ventris for this job. It also has some luscious “obvious effect” algorithms.
One thing I will have to do is try to replicate the Big Sky USPs to see if I can avoid buying one !
There is the Source Audio Neuro software to get into deep settings.
Another plus for the Ventris - it uses a simple double momentary footswitch give access to eight double presets. Of course, the bottom line is "does the Ventris sound good?" which I think it does.
p.s. I should mention I’m not really a Stomp person . . . I’ve tried but doesn’t quite connect for me. Great for my bass player though :)
Yeah.its as good as it gets.wise investment.
Beautiful playing and taste. Thanks for posting.
I sold my BigSky a few years ago and bought a Boss RV-500. Recently sold the Boss too but I was very impressed with the higher fidelity of the Boss. The Strymon’s lower fidelity is massively part of it’s sound though and gives it it’s very unique and identifiable wash. As a workhorse for gigs I found the Boss to be a bit better as you can add a delay to any reverb patch which came in handy more often than I thought it would. Would be interesting to hear what you think of those two compared. For me the Strymon was more inspiring but the Boss was more useful (while also being cheaper).
While Strymon stuff does sound great, most every day guitarists don't need their depth of effect. For composition, film score, sound scaping, etc. they are great units, but the average guitarists can just get a used Helix Stomp or HX Effects and get way more mileage out of the spend. I have an HX Effects I use with Tube amps and Helix Native on the PC. Never found anything this setup couldn't do to warrant the price of an external Strymon. You have to have a real need to get this OR you just have plenty of cash to spend and love to noodle knobs.
Nice try with the BS... You must be deaf...
Very nice - you bought one!!! BTW I used to have a ventris, but way prefer this. Just a personal preference thing I guess. Oh and H9s, which are a close second I recon.
Tommorow comes my Big Sky and Diezel Herbert preamp pedal yieeppiiieeee !!!!!
Hell yeah this box is still worth it! I have enough reverb pedals.. trust me but I'm still going to buy it
I've tried so many reverbs and I went back the older BlueSky.
It was simplified in its modes and offerings, which the Mercury 7 and Wet had, but the Ventris lacked (better to utilize 70% vs. 30%, imho). It had expanded pre-delay, which the Ventris had, but the Mercury 7 and Wet lacked. It had control over Lo and Hi frequencies that the Mercury 7 and Ventris had, but the Wet lacked.
I just run a NightSky into ventris into BigSky to cover it all and alot more...
Hard to compare it to others in terms of pure flexibility, but for some reason among the Strymon reverbs I actually prefer the darkness of the simple Flint, especially when using heavy or multiple delays as well and just need a basic reverb rather than all the hifi sheen of clouds and chorales and shimmers that sound a bit obvious and too familiar (at least as defaults). One thing I know people dislike about the BigSky (and TL) is the menu-diving, but using midi and nixie solves that in the studio, anyway.
The plate on the Flint is the best to my ears...
I’ve tried the flint twice now and have returned to the bigsky(cloud magneto ,non linear)
I really can't find a good demo of how to setup and save presets and how to use well the big sky or other big boys timeline and mobius. Hope you can do it one day
You ever the the Source Audio Ventris? That’s what I’m going after.
I’ve been contemplating picking one up for a long time. I’m running an Eventide Space, which is still the biggest competitor in my mind to the Big Sky. What are your thoughts on how those stack up to each other?
To my knowledge, there isn’t a better, more versatile reverb pedal currently.
I have a gfi specular 3, and I'm still going to buy the big sky as well.... Then I'm done buying reverbs.... Lol right you bought this because it's the best or... One of The best reverbs period.... strait up ....
Check out the new Amplitube X- space reverb. I believe it holds up to the Big sky . And yes I own them both.
Went with Specular Tempus, same application. Smaller form factor and cost. Remains to be seen whether it gets me invited to any special parties. Lol.
Definitely one of the ones that will get you into a party
How is the Specular Tempus on more "natural" sounding reverbs? I really need to upgrade my reverb and I absolutely LOVE the ambient tones the Specular Tempus has, but i keep gravitating back to the Big Sky for a good all around, jack of all trades type of reverb.
Mooer ocean machines are quite cheap and are two delay pedals a reverb and a looper in one. You can get them for like 180 quid now.
I say they are all expensive. Probably very worth cost indeed. For now, Valhalla has opened many many doors for me. For free with their Supermassive. The last year I've use it in every video. Its every bit as amazing.
If you're in to plugins.. try the TB reverb and Eventides blackhole reverb. Both are lush and dreamy. Also doesnt have that ummm Metallic sound..
Have you checked out the Valhalla Supermassive plugin - that one is free and awesome!
@@johnnathancordy going to check that out right now. Thank you🤘
Sold and came back to the big sky a few times now. There's no "replacement" for the Cloud algo. End of story.
I have the big sky and eventide space. Both have super bits to them. The eventide can generate weirder sounds and defo is like an instrument in its own right but I like the big sky algorithms they sound wonderful.
the empress reverb and echosystem are more advanced and powerful then the Strymon pedals, however you really can't go wrong with either
Just checking the specs - the Empress reverb conversion rate seems to be lower than the Strymon (if that matters?)
I did borrow the Empress Reverb from a friend, and didn't particularly get on with it, but that's probably my fault!
For anyone on the fence, definitely try a Neunaber Immerse MKII or their new ILLUMINE
Walrus Audio Mako R1! That pedal was made for you John...
To name a few...
Empress Zoia or Effects Reverb
Source Audio Ventris Dual Reverb or Collider Delay+ Reverb
Eventide Space or H9
Price might be an issue with some, but for example Zoia can do it all, way way more stuff then just reverb... if you have the time (there's also patches made by the community).
Isn’t this redundant to all the Line 6 stuff? I sold my Ventris and others when I settled into using the Stomp? Non?
There's a few things it does that the line 6 can't, or at least not without using lots and lots of DSP, I was thinking this plus the Stomp would be Uber useful or the Timeline plus the stomp
Less blocks to use on the stomp. Same reason for me BUT The stomp now with the 3.0/3.1 update has very lush reverbs etc.. They have figured it out (line 6)
I have the hx stomp and big sky. The stomp reverbs still pale in comparison. They claim to have copied bloom and cloud in the stomp, but they're not even close.
No... I run parellel stereo chains in the GT-1000core... These pedals are better quality than the multi-FX...
Just dropped $1,377 @ major retailer for the "Big 3" in Feb 2024. Absolutely no regrets.
Amazing analogy, and sounds
Tones generally don’t sound quite right to me. Especially clean ones - I’m always hearing something else in my head.
This was perfect.
What type of chords are you playing? They sound really open and chorusey
Can you control (scroll thru patches) the Bigsky using HX STOMP’s midi?
Empress Reverb
I bought the Big Sky too though. Wasn't sold on the Empress.
You think the Big Sky is better than the Empress?
@@DelScully I honestly just prefer the sound, not that I've done my own personal side by side comparison, but there are those who have.
Nothing matches the CLOUD engine on the Big Sky. Lots of folks have come up with patches on their favorite reverbs that come close but the Big Sky is still the champ. I'm sorry I sold mine. Will have to buy it again I guess.
I sold my bigsky last year to buy a specular tempus.. Needless to say, I had to purchase the big sky again because it was the only way I could get a good satisfying cloud sound
@@rickyricardo2006 I agree 100%
Bought and sold flint twice only to return to bigsky.
I love your videos , always very informative, if you don’t mind me asking how do you film your videos with what technology . Brilliant as always 👍
My all time fave Reverb pedal. ❤️🔥
So far i have not seen any reverbs that beats the "Reflektor" reverb from Native Instruments. The "Start" knob can create some really interesting sounds, and together with the insane library of different types of reverb, built in EQ, and other features, i have some doubts it is possible to find a comparable hardware alternative.
the video is discussing pedal reverbs, not plug-ins.
@@pault4249 Is there a problem officer?
You have to pick up an SA Ventris and tell us how it compares! Would love that!
MXR M300 Reverb is also a great compact pedal sized reverb.
Great demo, thank you!
Sounds great! Does this mean you'll sell the Walrus Audio Slo you got for Christmas?
Except for that one - not really allowed!!
@johnnathancordy Wise move!
I just wish it had 5 pre programable channels. So you dial everything in and then map it to channel 1/etc.
Don't know if anyone has suggested it yet but you should really have a look at the GFI Systems Specular Tempus. Does both reverb and delay. Has a much smaller footprint, has midi, it's own fx loop, runs on 100ma and costs less than the big sky (New they're $300 I bought mine for $250 used). I have had both the Big Sky and the Timeline and in my opinion the reverb algos are better in this. Might be worth checking out.
Man I’m trying to decide between the big Sky, empress reverb, chase bliss dark worlds, and the GFI! You still think the reverbs on the GFI are better?
@@DelScully I’ve never had the empress or the dark world, but I can tell you the algorithms on the gfi are some of the best I’ve ever heard. It sounds like a more hi-fi big sky.
Can the Specular Tempus do more natural sounding reverbs as well, or is it only those AMAZING, huge, sounding ambient reverbs?
@@orryfishburne5326 Oh yeah, it’s got an amazing plate and spring verb algorithm and we haven’t talked about all the killer delay and delay + reverb combo algos. Seriously check it out.
@@iwasapeddlerman awesome! Thanks for the response. Still debating what i want to get, but ive narrowed it down at least to either the Tempus or the Empress Reverb. Both are amazing, but im leaning more towards the Tempus.
I've got a big sky and I'm looking for an amp/cab sim to put in front of it. Am I a fool for not going helix? I'm looking at the Walrus Mako SCS1 more so than the iridium. I have an analog Simplifier but it's just too harsh for me like nails on a chalkboard. I just want some pretty tones like this. 😀
Dude, the BigSky has the Cab switch in the back... Sounds like you don't know about it...
2021 BigSky First-timer as well. Why did we wait so long?