Strymon BigSky MX

A New Era Of Reverb

The new pinnacle of what a reverb pedal can be has arrived.

In BigSky MX, raw computational power meets innovative design and consummate sonic craftsmanship to give you positively sublime reverbs with stunning new levels of richness and complexity.

These are sounds to inspire new creative works and endless hours of playing.

One Verb To Rule Them All
BigSky MX packs a remarkable amount of premium features into a single pedal.

• 12 World-Class Reverb Machines
  BigSky MX features seven brand-new algorithms in addition to significant enhancements to the other classics.

• Two Reverbs At Once
  Dual reverbs can be routed in Series, Parallel or Split modes, and individually panned per engine.

• 10s Stereo Impulse Response Capability
  Access full IR editing functionality, as well as custom long captures of classic studio gear.

• Stereo Inputs and Outputs
  Unlock massive width and presence with full stereo I/O featuring our discrete Class A JFET input preamps.

• Dedicated Infinite/Freeze Footswitch
  Create lush pads to play over, or infinitely sustain any notes played for unique atmospheric effects.

• Full MIDI Control And More
  Change presets and control parameters with MIDI via USB-C, TRS, or DIN connections. Adjust controls on the fly via an expression pedal. All this and more in an elegant, easy-to-use pedal.

With Great Power Comes Great Reverberation

800 MHz Tri-Core Arm Processor - 32-Bit Floating Point Processing

BigSky MX features a staggering amount of computing power — it uses a high performance tri-core 800 MHz ARM processor — all dedicated to producing truly breathtaking reverbs. Our new reverb algorithms were meticulously created by hand, and then a state-of-the-art gradient descent optimization algorithm was used to dial out any undesirable ringing or artifacts. 

This type of neural fine-tuning is based upon the same techniques that have enabled the recent AI revolution, and the result is springs that drip and splash, physical spaces you can really feel yourself in, and the sweetest possible musical response to every note you play.

Two Reverbs At Once
BigSky MX allows you to use two reverbs at once, for powerful sound sculpting and expansive reverb sounds that evolve organically over time.

You can switch between reverb engines with a single button press while editing, and easily see the Series, Parallel or Split audio routing state clearly displayed onscreen.

For a more interactive experience, you can dedicate a footswitch to control each reverb’s on/off state if you desire.

Something New At Every Position On The Dial
BigSky MX features seven brand new reverb algorithms built from the ground up, plus new features and enhancements for the classic BigSky algorithms. 

Impulse and Chamber were created specifically for BigSky MX, and Spring, Plate, Hall, Room and Shimmer boast entirely new handcrafted algorithms while still giving you access to the original BigSky voices for each one.

Within every reverb type on BigSky MX, there are new sounds and features ready for you to explore.

Unprecedented Impulse Response Control
BigSky MX gives you powerful editing tools to intuitively manipulate impulse responses in real time.

Set decay envelopes, gate the reverb tail, reverse the entire IR, resample on the fly to shorten or stretch the impulse, and create infinitely sustaining granular pads at the press of the Infinite footswitch.

Any compatible audio file can be loaded, allowing you to use convolution reverbs for everything from hyper-realistic spaces to wacky experimentation. 

BigSky MX comes preloaded with 22 unique stereo impulse responses, including a collection of our very own meticulous captures of legendary analog studio gear that are addictively inspiring.

Reverb Machines

• Impulse
  This convolution reverb utilizes Impulse Response (IR) files to create mathematically perfect recreations of recorded spaces. BigSky MX includes a hand-picked selection of IRs, from in-house captures of classic studio effects, to wacky analog gear, as well as natural spaces sourced from 3rd parties. Importing your custom reverb IRs is also possible using the free Nixie 2 app.

• Cloud
  Cloud is our gorgeously voluminous ambient reverb that draws from techniques developed in the late ‘70s. The Ensemble feature can create lush synthesized string section swells under your guitar playing, or add harmonic enrichment to the reverb when used more subtly. Thanks to the additional processing power available in BigSky MX, Ensemble now features significantly improved dynamic response, further enhancing the organic and musical way it reacts to your playing.

• Shimmer
  The MX Shimmer is an all-new take on a classic effect. This new algorithm is frequency-based, and unlike other pitch shifting effects is optimized to work great even at the end of your signal chain (where your reverb is most likely to be placed). This is a fast and modern Shimmer with finesse that works beautifully in front of a second reverb. For the classic time-based ambient shimmer sound pioneered by Brian Eno, select the Classic shimmer voice. We love both sounds, so experiment and see which one works best for the atmosphere you wish to create.

• Bloom
  Newly added to the Bloom machine in BigSky MX is the Harmonics engine, which lends crystalline polyphonic wind instrument accompaniment to the overall sound. The core Bloom reverb features a slowly building envelope resulting in huge ambient sounds that sit nicely with the dry signal even at high Mix levels. In addition to Harmonics, Bloom features a unique Feedback parameter for additional harmonic movement and a wide variety of ear-catching and inspiring sounds.

• Chorale
  The Chorale machine creates intriguingly lifelike vowel sounds in its reverberations, and new in BigSky MX is the addition of a new Choir engine, which enables you to add a tenor or baritone vocal section for even more powerful vocal pads. In addition, the Mod knob is powerfully effective for adding realism to the chorale effect —- as Mod is turned up, randomization is added to pitch and timbre to create an increasing number of singers that have distinct voices.

• Magneto
  Capable of old-school magnetic drum delay, the Magneto machine sets up a multi-head echo, allowing you to select any number of heads from one to six. The Pre-Delay knob adjusts the feedback of the repeats, while the Diffusion parameter provides ambience by smearing the response of the heads, blurring the line between delay and reverb. Stereo ping-pong instantly creates a huge stereo field that is especially effective when combined with other reverb types in a Dual scenario.

• Nonlinear
  Various physics-defying reverb shapes are available for special effects and unique textures. Choose from three “backward” shapes, add CHOP for tremolo, employ a GATE for abrupt cutoff, and more. A vast array of time-warping possibilities await your exploration.

• Room
  BigSky MX Room algorithms create intimate environments ranging from well-tuned Studio ambience to larger Nightclub acoustics. The Tone knob, Diffusion, and Low End parameters adjust the damping and scattering effects of room materials, furniture, and people for heightened realism.

• Hall
  Diffused reflections and slower-building density are the hallmarks of this versatile reverb, built from the ground up for BigSky MX. The Concert size is well-balanced and warm, while the Arena size is huge, enveloping, and booming. The Mid parameter allows for EQ tailoring of the reverberated sound to make sure that it fits perfectly in the mix. A Swell parameter allows you to swell the reverberated signal behind the dry signal, or swell the dry signal into the reverb. At 100% dry, you can use this to swell your dry signal into a second reverb.

• Chamber
  Chamber is a generous and dense medium-sized room reverberation with excellent focus and clarity. The selectable Color options recreate the result of varying the different speakers, mics and preamps used in the process of capturing the sound of the chamber.

• Plate
  Two plate types are available: Small and Large. The Small Plate is a warm vintage analog plate with included tube preamp modeling, delivering sweet saturation when pushed by a strong input signal. The Large Plate gives you an ideal digital plate, offering instant response and reverberation over the entire frequency range.

• Spring
  With its Mix and Tone Controls, Dwell parameter and selectable number of springs, the Spring machine allows for complete customization from warm and mellow to splashy and dripping. The new MX spring is all about the drip, and is superbly dimensional and realistic. New analog tube modeling was created for the Dwell parameter, to give you everything from super clean to driven tube amp.

Preloaded With Inspiration
BigSky MX comes preloaded with 22 impulse responses, consisting of a number of different types of captures. We included a variety of impulses composed of different natural spaces in the collection, but we also wanted to give you some IR’s that were unique to MX.

We spent days in studios creating our very own long captures of classic analog studio gear, as well as some oddball units owned and restored by one of our analog engineers.

The result is a bunch of super-inspiring sounds, from real analog plate and unobtanium mainframe reverb units to wacky forgotten spring reverb tanks and tape echoes. There is a wealth of creativity waiting in the Impulse bank!

Ready To Play
Our most powerful pedal ever is also our most most flexible onstage, combining intuitive operation with features professional musicians will appreciate.

The bright OLED screen is easy to read even in harsh conditions, and navigation is user-friendly and clear.

You can use the dedicated Infinite/Freeze footswitch to create lush pads to play over, and you can also control each reverb separately in a Dual patch with your feet.

Integrated IR-based cab filters give you mic’d amp tone when running direct to an interface or mixer.

Full MIDI control over every relevant parameter and extensive I/O mean BigSky MX can easily integrate into any rig.

Stereo Panning
To offer the most flexible audio routing possible, we’ve added a pan control to the output of each reverb engine.

Now you can push Magneto off to the right so that you can hear the repeats even more distinctly in a Dual scenario, or push both machines farther to the sides to leave more space in the middle of the stereo field.

It can be a powerful control when used creatively.

Real Spaces, Real Movement
The new MX reverb algorithms feature multi-modulation, which varies the delay times of individual reflections. As a result, turning up the Mod knob results in a natural sense of movement, more like the movement of air in a room than an obvious modulation effect.

And even with zero modulation, reverb tails are smooth, musical, and resolve to silence beautifully — even at the longest decay times.

Nixie 2 Software
Our Nixie 2 software librarian is an integral part of the BigSky MX experience, allowing you to manage uploading and downloading of patches, real time parameter control from the desktop and impulse response loading.

At launch, functionality will be limited to preset organization and impulse response loading/management, but we expect to get full compatibility with all of BigSky MX’s features in the following few months.

SPECIFICATIONS

Ins, Outs, and Switches

• Dedicated INFINITE switch for momentary/latching use of Freeze or Infinite function

• Stereo input & output

• Premium analog front end and output section

• Selectable input level for instrument and line level signals

• Analog dry path for a zero-latency dry signal that is never converted to digital

• True Bypass (electromechanical relay switching) or selectable Buffered Bypass

• EXP input allows the connection of an optional TRS expression pedal, MultiSwitch, MultiSwitch Plus, or TRS MIDI connection

• USB-C jack for performing firmware updates, MIDI I/O, and connection to the Strymon Nixie 2 editor software

Audio Quality

• Input Impedance: 1 Meg Ohm

• Output Impedance: 100 Ohm

• A/D & D/A: 24-bit, 96 kHz 

• Max Input Level: +10 dBu

• Signal/Noise: 116 dB typical 

• High-performance 800MHz tri-core ARM processor

• 32-bit floating point processing

Power Requirements

• Use an adapter with the following rating: 2.1mm, center-negative, 9VDC, 500mA minimum (sold separately)

More

• Strong and lightweight anodized aluminum chassis

• Dimensions: 5” deep x 7” wide x 1.87” tall / 12.7 cm deep x 17.2 cm wide x 4.8 cm tall

• Designed and built in the USA

For more information, click here to visit the manufacturers website.