Strymon or Eventide?

[LPF83]

To add another option to the list, I recently picked up the OTO Bam, which will be my default reverb unit for the Prophet 10 going forward, because it's the best sounding of the options I have at vintage/transparent reverb that retains the original synth tone.

Pros:
    - Amazing sound
    - Simple control, yet a deceptively massive range for tone shaping
    - Doesn't color the original tone
    - OTO attention to detail impressed me immediately, even the power supply has unique branded printing so I don't have to label it

Cons:
    - Not cheap
    - Not stompable - won't replace floor pedals..
    - Limited display.. it's not a hinderance really, it's just different if you're used to the excellent Strymon display. 

[LPF83]

To add another option to the list, I recently picked up the OTO Bam, which will be my default reverb unit for the Prophet 10 going forward, because it's the best sounding of the options I have at vintage/transparent reverb that retains the original synth tone.

Pros:
    - Amazing sound
    - Simple control, yet a deceptively massive range for tone shaping
    - Doesn't color the original tone
    - OTO attention to detail impressed me immediately, even the power supply has unique branded printing so I don't have to label it
    - Latest firmware allows using the internal circutry as a simple delay unit instead of reverb !

Cons:
    - Not cheap
    - Not stompable - won't replace floor pedals..
    - Limited display.. it's not a hinderance really, it's just different if you're used to the excellent Strymon display.

[jg666]

Has anyone tried the Strymon NightSky? I still haven't purchased an affects pedal and have seen some good reviews of this one so I'm undecided between this and the Big Sky at the moment.

[LPF83]

Has anyone tried the Strymon NightSky? I still haven't purchased an affects pedal and have seen some good reviews of this one so I'm undecided between this and the Big Sky at the moment.

I would consider the NightSky and BigSky very different tools for very different jobs.  The NightSky is more for ambient / pitch shifted / shimmery-type FX... which is great if that's what you're looking for, but if you want transparent reverb I think the BigSky would be the better choice of the large Strymon pedals, and even then I'm not sure transparent reverb is the strong suit of the BigSky.

Another reverb pedal I have that I enjoy is the Empress Reverb...  It has a good range of standard + unusual settings, and also a delay+reverb setting which is great.

[jg666]

Has anyone tried the Strymon NightSky? I still haven't purchased an affects pedal and have seen some good reviews of this one so I'm undecided between this and the Big Sky at the moment.

I would consider the NightSky and BigSky very different tools for very different jobs.  The NightSky is more for ambient / pitch shifted / shimmery-type FX... which is great if that's what you're looking for, but if you want transparent reverb I think the BigSky would be the better choice of the large Strymon pedals, and even then I'm not sure transparent reverb is the strong suit of the BigSky.

Another reverb pedal I have that I enjoy is the Empress Reverb...  It has a good range of standard + unusual settings, and also a delay+reverb setting which is great.

Cheers, I'll investigate the Empress Reverb as well.

[Soundquest]

I have both Night Sky and Big Sky.  Please look at LPF83's response above.  I agree exactly with his description on those two units.  For purest reverbs I still like my Lexicon 200.

[jg666]

I have both Night Sky and Big Sky.  Please look at LPF83's response above.  I agree exactly with his description on those two units.  For purest reverbs I still like my Lexicon 200.

Thanks. I will keep investigating and adding candidates to my list

[Sacred Synthesis]

I've been debating the exact same question for a couple months now - BigSky or NightSky?  I came to the conclusion that the BigSky is better for standard high-quality reverb as needed for typical electronic music, whereas the NightSky is more for advanced tuned reverb effects.  It's almost a complimentary synthesizer module.  The former would better serve synthesizer keyboard music, whereas the latter would better allow for esoteric experimentation. 

You might also consider the Source Audio Collider, which struck me as a viable substitute for the BigSky, if you want to save a few bucks.  It's one of the few Source Audio pedals that is presently in supply.  Lastly, the Strymon BlueSky is another high-quality stereo reverb worth considering.

[jg666]

I've been debating the exact same question for a couple months now - BigSky or NightSky?  I came to the conclusion that the BigSky is better for standard high-quality reverb as needed for typical electronic music, whereas the NightSky is more for advanced tuned reverb effects.  It's almost a complimentary synthesizer module.  The former would better serve synthesizer keyboard music, whereas the latter would better allow for esoteric experimentation. 

You might also consider the Source Audio Collider, which struck me as a viable substitute for the BigSky, if you want to save a few bucks.  It's one of the few Source Audio pedals that are presently in supply.  Lastly, the Strymon BlueSky is another stereo reverb worth considering.

Thanks for your reply and advice, much appreciated. I have quite a few options now to investigate and think about The main use initially for me would be with my Moog Sub 37 and also my minilogue. The Sub37 doesn’t have any effects on board and whilst the minilogue does, it’s not the best so that would benefit from an external effects pedal.

[LPF83]

One suggestion I would make to anyone is to research pedals with a specific use case in mind...  meaning, ask yourself, which of your synths do you plan to use it on and what exactly would you like to achieve by running each synth through a particular pedal?  Do you prefer a one size fits all solution, or are needs more specific?

I'll give an example of my current use of reverb pedals (leaving other pedals like EQ, chorus, phaser etc aside)... and this is not necessarily my "forever" config, just where I'm at now in terms of reverb hardware:

I have the Prophet10 going into the OTO Bam because it is the best I have for transparent vintage sounding reverb with an absurd range of tweakability..  the P10 is a premium synth and the Bam is a premium reverb pedal that works well with it.
-Rev2 going into the BigSky, because the BigSky is a good all-rounder but has some special sauce reverbs like cloud algo that I think go really well with the more precise DCO (Juno-esque) sound of the Rev2.  The Rev2 of course has built in FX but only one per layer so I'd free up those for other things and use external reverb.
-Prophet12 going into the Empress reverb because the P12 lacks much in the way of onboard FX..  it does have fantastic delay lines that are amazing when you want to do sound design, but when you're in the music arrangement flow of things and want faster results, it's nice to tap a button with your foot.  The Empress pedal combines delay and reverb in one which is really handy... the number of total possible settings are much greater than it looks on the surface since each algo has multi modes.
Prophet6 going into the TC Hall of Fame2...  this is a spartan and cheap pedal but it sounds great for basic reverbs and punches way above its weight class in bang for buck...  The P6 of course has two onboard FX which really opens up a lot of doors for sound design creativity when you delegate the reverb outside the synth and use them for things like dual chorus or chorus/phaser combos.

So each pedal is paired with a particular synth based on its strengths and how that compliments a particular synth based on how I use that synth... and things will evolve/rotate over time as I get bored with particular combinations and want to try something new.

[Sacred Synthesis]

The advantage of the Collider is that it offers both reverb and delay, and they can be applied at the same time.

[LPF83]

The advantage of the Collider is that it offers both reverb and delay, and they can be applied at the same time.

I've considered getting one of these, both for the reason above and also that they have a desktop editor that appeals to me, paritcularly for preset management.   Similar to the delay+reverb functionality of the empress, it looks potentially like a good choice for a synth with limited built in fx.

Speaking of preset management I really need to get on board with the Strymon preset librarian...  I keep dialing in these amazing settings with the Mobius (one of my favorite pedals), then after all the fine tuning I run out of music making time for the day, then power it all down...  Kind of idiotic I know ..  But for some reason I feel I learn my gear better by doing it this way, at least for some period of time.  Otherwise I just store settings and end up recalling the same ones and never really explore all the various settings.

[jg666]

I don't own any effects pedals at the moment so completely new to this, hence my questions and a little confusion about all the many pedals available !!

I've got a £600 tax rebate heading my way in a couple of days so want to make use of it with a decent pedal

[Elric]

I don't own any effects pedals at the moment so completely new to this, hence my questions and a little confusion about all the many pedals available !!

Maybe buy, or borrow, a super cheap *old* pedal/FXunit just to try one out first.
I have an old MIDIVERB II that I still use!

[LPF83]

I don't own any effects pedals at the moment so completely new to this, hence my questions and a little confusion about all the many pedals available !!

I've got a £600 tax rebate heading my way in a couple of days so want to make use of it with a decent pedal

One pedal option you might consider, at least at some point, is a good EQ pedal;  this is the piece of gear that seems to get the least amount of attention, yet has the greatest impact on the overall sound.  It allows completely changing the sound / tonal profile of a given synth in ways that regular sound sculpting tools like the filter can't.. Harmonically rich synths like the P10 give lots of raw material for input into the EQ so with all the options I never get tired of the sounds coming out of the signal chain.

Yes there are different ways to EQ, from a mixer to DAW controls to even tone control on some synths but for me at least, there is something different about having a multiband EQ pedal.  Part of the reason is that when using outboard gear, it is nice to have the option of inserting the EQ modification at different stages in the signal path, before or after other FX...  If using only DAW fx of course that's much easier, but with HW pedals its harder to do if the EQ only takes place at the mixer or DAW input.  It's also nice to have very precise EQ band control within easy hand-reach of the synth when tweaking sounds and coming up with musical ideas as opposed to EQing in the mixing stage.

I'm using the Boss EQ 200 for this, great faders and an awesome little display.

I also agree with others that picking up pedals used is a great way of figuring out what works for you.

[Sacred Synthesis]

I don't own any effects pedals at the moment so completely new to this, hence my questions and a little confusion about all the many pedals available !!

I've got a £600 tax rebate heading my way in a couple of days so want to make use of it with a decent pedal

My advice would be that you spring for a no-compromise high-quality effect while you can afford it.  Get something really good, and then end the search.  Otherwise, before you know it, you'll be wasting time researching effects all over again, in an effort to upgrade from the less expensive pedal you bought but then outgrew within a year.  I've made this mistake several times. 

If you want a superb but standard reverb unit, I would recommend the BigSky over the NightSky as the most popular pedal among serious synthesists.

[jg666]

I don't own any effects pedals at the moment so completely new to this, hence my questions and a little confusion about all the many pedals available !!

I've got a £600 tax rebate heading my way in a couple of days so want to make use of it with a decent pedal

My advice would be that you spring for a no-compromise high-quality effect while you can afford it.  Get something really good, and then end the search.  Otherwise, before you know it, you'll be wasting time researching effects all over again, in an effort to upgrade from the less expensive pedal you bought but then outgrew within a year.  I've made this mistake several times. 

If you want a superb but standard reverb unit, I would recommend the BigSky over the NightSky as the most popular pedal among serious synthesists.

Yes that was the way my thinking was going. I am the sort of personality that wants the best option.... I remember when I bought the Yamhaha MODX6 because it was a fair bit cheaper than the Montage6 - my head wouldn't stop thinking about the Montage6 so I ended up having to buy it in the end. It's why I bought the Rev2 16 voice and didn't start with the 8 voice

I watched a lot of reviews now and I'm leaning towards the more "standard" option of the Big Sky. I think that will have enough options to keep me happy for some years to come !!

[Sacred Synthesis]

I think [the BigSky] will have enough options to keep me happy for some years to come!!

Problem solved!  Using the fewest pieces of the highest quality is the smartest way to do just about everything.

[strytten]

I've been following and enjoying this thread. I have an Eventide H9 and have no criticism of it, but I also find I tend not to reach for i as often as I could, so I decided to add another reverb. This thread really helped me focus my thinking, and I decided on the OTO Bim and Bam. Thank you all!

[LPF83]

I've been following and enjoying this thread. I have an Eventide H9 and have no criticism of it, but I also find I tend not to reach for i as often as I could, so I decided to add another reverb. This thread really helped me focus my thinking, and I decided on the OTO Bim and Bam. Thank you all!

You won't be disappointed in the Bam.  The Bim looks like fun as well.