GEAR REVIEW
STRYMON BIGSKY MX | Steve Sattler
It is safe to say that most church-serving guitarists have owned , own or at least are aware of Strymon reverb pedals , with the iconic blueSky and BigSky reverb units having found their way onto countless boards the world over .
Strymon recently released BigSky MX , a truly next generation reverb workstation . Not just an update and almost four years in development , Strymon ’ s BigSky MX is a “ back-to-thedrawing-board ” recreation of virtually every algorithm from the original BigSky . In designing BigSky MX , each reverb algorithm was run through what Strymon calls a gradient descent optimization process , which is a machinelearning procedure that helps to identify and remove any undesirable ringing or artifacts in the reverbs . The sound quality of BigSky MX is a major step up from the original as a result .
The brand-new OLED display shows you a bunch more information than the small screen on the original BigSky , from parameters and visual values to which of the two reverb engines you are currently editing . The brightness is adjustable , and easy to see in all lighting conditions . From the front panel of BigSky MX are seven knobs that give you access to the most used parameters : decay , pre-delay , tone , modulation , two assignable parameters , and your overall dry and wet mix .
BigSky MX is powered by an advanced 800MHz tri-core ARM processor which is , as far as I know , the most powerful processor ever put into a stand-alone reverb pedal and is many times more powerful than the SHARK processors found in the previous generation BigSky and blueSky reverb pedals . The Tri- Core ARM processor also fundamentally provides enhanced dynamic response for the reverb ’ s algorithms . BixSky MX really tracks along with your playing well , allowing you a degree of self-expression and nuances in your playing that is immediately noticeable .
With BigSky MX , you can have two completely independent reverb engines ( or ‘ machines ’ as Strymon calls them ) running simultaneously . You can access both the engines , as well as their individual parameters , simply by clicking on the Type select knob .
There are a couple of ways you can set that up .
42 August 2024 Subscribe for Free ...