Strymon BigSky
The Strymon BigSky is a programmable stereo reverb pedal whose twelve algorithms, deep editing, and performance-ready preset system helped define the sound and workflow of modern ambient guitar rigs.
History and Design
- Introduction (2013): Strymon designed BigSky as a studio-class reverb platform for pedalboards, combining familiar room, hall, plate, and spring sounds with more textural algorithms such as Cloud, Bloom, Chorale, Shimmer, Magneto, and Nonlinear.
- Twelve Reverb Machines: Room, Hall, Plate, Spring, Swell, Bloom, Cloud, Chorale, Shimmer, Magneto, Nonlinear, and Reflections each provide parameters tailored to that reverb structure rather than sharing only a generic control set.
- Hands-On Depth: Seven main knobs keep common adjustments accessible, while assignable Param controls and menu options expose modulation, diffusion, tone, size, and other algorithm-specific details.
- Preset and Performance Control: BigSky stores 300 named presets and supports MIDI, expression control, spillover, and reverb-persist behavior. Holding a footswitch can create Infinite Sustain or Freeze effects for sustained textures.
- Expanded Family: The original BigSky established the sound library that later appeared in a software plug-in. BigSky MX extended the concept with dual reverb engines, impulse-response loading, and updated processing.
Popular Settings
- Natural Plate: Select Plate, set Decay around 2 seconds, Pre-Delay low, Mix near 20 percent, and keep modulation subtle. This adds depth without making the source feel distant.
- Ambient Cloud: Choose Cloud, raise Decay and Diffusion, set Mix around 35-45 percent, and use a moderate Pre-Delay so the dry attack remains clear before the reverb blooms.
- Shimmer Pad: Select Shimmer, keep Mix below halfway, use a long Decay, and soften the Tone control. Too much high-frequency content can make the octave voice overpower the original note.
- Infinite Texture: Start with Bloom or Cloud, set a long decay, and hold the assigned footswitch to sustain the current reverb. Play a simpler line over the frozen layer to keep the arrangement intelligible.
- Direct Rig Ambience: Use a short Room or Reflections sound after an amp modeler to replace the sense of space lost when monitoring through headphones, studio monitors, or a direct PA feed.
Notable Players
BigSky became closely associated with ambient, post-rock, worship, film-scoring, and modern session guitar sounds. Its MIDI implementation and reliable preset changes also made it common in touring rigs where several precise reverb spaces must be recalled during a set. Producers use the hardware as an outboard effect on keyboards, vocals, and drums as well as guitar.
Legacy
The Strymon BigSky raised expectations for what a programmable reverb pedal could provide. Its mix of conventional spaces, unmistakable ambient algorithms, and practical stage control made it a reference point for the large-format reverb pedals that followed.