Strymon BlueSky

The Strymon blueSky is a digital reverb pedal from Strymon. The current V2 is the second generation blueSky, which Strymon says offers true studio quality reverbs in a compact pedal and adds significant new features¹. Strymon describes its sound as "the most lush, majestic reverbs imaginable," with incredibly long reverb tails, an upgraded spring algorithm and new Shimmer sounds, and says the pedal is equally at home on top of a studio console or in front of a tube amp¹.

The pedal uses high performance 24-bit 96kHz A/D and D/A converters, and Strymon describes it as an ultra low noise design suited for a studio console or in front of a tube amp¹. It is designed and built in the USA, in a strong and lightweight anodized blue aluminum chassis².

What it does: plate, room and spring with modulation and shimmer

blueSky provides three reverb types: plate, room and spring¹. Each type can be paired with the shimmer effect, which adds pitched content to the reverb tail. On the blueSky, plate reverb with shimmer adds an octave up, while the spring and room types add an octave plus a fifth up⁴. Premier Guitar's reviewer noted the same behavior: "When shimmer is selected with either the spring or room type, a harmonized fifth is added to the octave for even more texture"⁵.

The V2's new Spring algorithm, in Strymon's words, "creates extraordinary vintage spring reverb sounds, as well as expanded spring textures and hauntingly unique interactions with an octave-down Shimmer"⁶. V2 also carries re-engineered MOD toggle switches and additional Power Up modes such as True/Buffered Bypass, Line/Inst Level, and Spillover Mode⁶.

Players use it across a wide range of settings. Guitarist Ben Monder told Strymon: "I am using the blueSky primarily for the shimmer effect along with the plate reverb"⁷. In a Voodoo Lab demo video, the pedal was set to Plate with Mod engaged for added shimmer, with the advice to "Crank the Low and High Damping controls for a more forward and dense reverb effect"⁸.

The blueSky gives you three reverb types to choose from, plate, room and spring, and the shimmer effect can be layered onto any of them. The shimmer behaves differently depending on the type: with the spring or room algorithms it adds an octave plus a harmonized fifth above your note, while plate with shimmer adds an octave up⁴. That difference matters if you use shimmer as a texture, since the spring and room settings give you a wider, more stacked harmonic layer than the plate setting does.

The controls and footswitches

The knob set covers the reverb's main parameters. Premier Guitar's review lists Decay (decay time), Mix (dry/wet balance), Pre-Delay (delay time before the reverb), and Low Damp (cuts the reverb's low frequencies)⁵. On V2, the Low and High knobs control the amount of low and high frequencies within the reverb, with damped low end at minimum and no damping at maximum, and a Shimmer knob sets the shimmer level²⁶.

The pedal has two footswitches, Bypass and Favorite⁵. Several knobs and switches take on secondary functions during setup modes:

• Hold the FAV footswitch while powering up to enter EXP/MIDI jack configuration mode; release once both LEDs flash⁹.
• Hold the ON footswitch while powering up to enter bypass mode setup, then turn the MIX knob to choose True Bypass (green LED) or Buffered Bypass (red LED), and press either footswitch to store it¹⁰.
• In MIDI setup, the DECAY knob sets the MIDI channel and the LOW knob selects the MIDI output mode¹¹.

Power and connections: 9V, 300mA, stereo, MIDI and USB-C

V2 requires a maximum of 9 volts DC, center negative, with a minimum of 300mA, and the power supply is not included². Strymon's power supply guide notes that the original blueSky shipped with a 9V DC supply providing 660mA, and that the smaller Strymon pedals require a maximum of 9V DC¹².

Connections on V2 include a high impedance, ultra low-noise, discrete Class A JFET preamp input with a rear panel Input switch for stereo (TRS) or mono (standard TS) input sources, low impedance dual TS output jacks, a multifunction EXP/MIDI jack for expression pedal control or external control of the pedal's features, and a USB-C jack for computer connection, controlling via MIDI and firmware updates². Firmware updates are done with the powered pedal connected to a computer by USB-C cable, detected automatically by Strymon's Strymon Update software¹³.

For mono operation, connect a mono TS instrument cable into the Left Input and Left Output. For mono input with stereo output, connect the Left Input and both Left and Right Outputs¹⁴. The internal jumper does not need adjustment for stereo and should be left in its default position, connecting the left two pins when viewed from below¹⁵¹⁶.

Full MIDI functionality is available by sending MIDI Program Change messages via a 1/4 inch TRS MIDI connection, using a Strymon Conduit or the Strymon MIDI EXP cable⁹. blueSky is set to MIDI channel 1 by default, and its presets are grouped into three MIDI patch banks: Bank 0 holds presets 0 to 127, Bank 1 holds 128 to 255, and Bank 2 holds 256 to 299¹⁷. To save the current state of the pedal, send a MIDI Program Change on blueSky's currently selected MIDI channel; sending Program Change #10, for example, saves the preset to the corresponding memory location, and sending it again recalls it¹⁸. When using Banks 1 and 2, Strymon advises sending a standard MIDI Bank Change message (MIDI CC# 0 with a value equal to the bank number) before each Program Change¹¹. MIDI Program Change #0 selects the Favorite setting, also accessible via a connected MiniSwitch¹¹.

History and versions: the original blueSky and V2

Strymon has updated the blueSky, and the current V2 is the second generation of the pedal¹. The older and newer designs are different, and their parts are not interchangeable¹⁹.

The current V2 is the second generation, offering what Strymon calls true studio quality reverbs in a compact pedal with significant new features, including the new Spring algorithm, re-engineered MOD toggles, the additional Power Up modes, USB-C, and 300 presets over MIDI¹⁶. V2 measures 5 x 5 x 4 in and weighs 2 lbs¹.

Strymon describes the current pedal as its second generation blueSky, and the older blueSky pedals cannot be brought up to it. The electronic and mechanical designs are different and the hardware is not interchangeable, so there is no upgrade path from the original to the V2 features²⁰. What V2 owners can update is the firmware: Strymon's Update software detects the pedal automatically when it is connected to a computer with a USB-C cable and powered on, and brings it to the latest version.

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