Strymon launches BigSky MX dual-engine reverb pedal
April 30, 2024 · 5 sources
Strymon announced the BigSky MX on April 30, 2024, a successor to its 2013 BigSky reverb pedal12. MusicRadar called it "its most powerful reverb pedal yet"1.
The pedal runs two reverb engines at once, in series or parallel, and each engine can be panned left or right in stereo operation1. Footswitches can be assigned to each reverb so either can be brought in and out of the mix1. There are 12 reverb engines, selected with a rotary dial and indicated by LEDs1. Seven were engineered from the ground up and the rest were "tidied up and enhanced," according to MusicRadar1. Impulse and Chamber are new; Spring, Plate, Hall, Room and Shimmer are new algorithms, with the original BigSky voicings for each still available13. Guitar Pedal X lists the 12 as Room, Hall, Plate, Spring, Bloom, Cloud, Chorale, Shimmer, Magneto, Nonlinear, Impulse and Chamber, and states that only Cloud, Bloom, Chorale, Magneto and Nonlinear remain much the same as before45.
The impulse response engine allows 10 seconds of stereo IR playback per instance, and the IRs are editable14. Strymon preloads 22 IRs, including its own long captures of classic studio devices and "some oddball vintage units collected by one of our engineers"43. Users can load their own IRs over USB-C4. The pedal uses a tri-core 800 MHz ARM processor, which Guitar World describes as a significant upgrade to the original's 366 MHz processor12. It has discrete Class A JFET input preamps, stereo inputs and outputs, an expression pedal input, MIDI and USB connections, and an OLED display143. Guitar Pedal X gives the specifications as 24-bit, 96 kHz operation, 116 dB typical signal-to-noise ratio, an analog dry path, selectable true or buffered bypass, 300 preset slots, and a 9V DC power requirement of 500 mA or higher from a supply that is not included4. It is designed and made in California1.
Gregg Stock, Strymon's CEO and co-founder, said the pedal was almost four years in the making12.
"The 12 engines in BigSky MX produce the absolute best ambiences we've ever made, and the ability to run two engines at once and the impulse stuff is a major step forward."
MusicRadar and Guitar World give the price as $67912. Gearnews lists $658.005. Guitar Pedal X lists a MAP/RRP of $6794.
Sources (5)
- “The absolute best ambiences we've ever made”: Run two reverbs at once with Strymon's feature-packed BigSky MX | MusicRadar, musicradar.com
- Strymon's BigSky MX: the next generation of reverb pedal? | Guitar World, guitarworld.com
- Strymon BigSky MX Stereo Reverb - Pedal of the Day, pedal-of-the-day.com
- Guitar Pedal X - GPX Blog - 11 years on, Strymon finally reboots its pioneering Flagship Reverb Workstation - now called the BigSky MX with Custom IRs and Dual Stereo Reverb Playback, guitarpedalx.com
- Strymon BigSky MX- New Reverb Algorithms & More, gearnews.com