Strymon has unveiled the NightSky, its highly-anticipated new reverb pedal.
The NightSky is a complex, hugely ambitious unit, featuring numerous capabilities that revolve around the variable rate core of its reverb. The functions around the variable rate core include a 4-pole resonant filter, modulation and a Voice section that "enhances the aural spectrum of the reverb."
Featuring an Instrument/Line input level switch, it can be used with a guitar, bass or synth, or linked to a mixer.
As for that reverb, three kinds of it can be found on the NightSky - Dense, Sparse and Diffuse.
Dense is a plate-style reverb with a fast response time, while Sparse is a "granular-sounding reverb" that's more clean with sustaining input, and a bit more off-the-beaten-path with staccato inputs. Diffuse, in the meantime, can get you all the ambient textures and unusual swells your heart desires.
The NightSky's Mod section features selectable waveforms to modulate the reverb or tone filters, while the Shape rotary dial allows users to choose from a variety of modulating waveforms.
The Tone section allows users to edit the reverb's EQ, and features High Cut and Low Cut knobs, plus a Filter switch to select the High Cut's response. Low Pass allows for synth-esque shaping of the reverb's frequencies, while Regen cuts the reverb's higher frequencies.
Users can adjust modulation, meanwhile, with Speed and Depth knobs, and select where the modulation is applied with three target switches. The reverb itself, pitch and High Cut tone position can all be modulated.
With Drive, you can add some saturated overdriven harmonics, while harmonic processing for high- and low-end explorations can be added with Glimmer. Voice also allows for significant changes to the reverb.
Finally, Shimmer allows for pitch shifting of up to +/- 1 octave to the reverb, and features a rotary Interval dial offering +/- 2nd, +/- 4th, +/- 1 and +/- 5th intervals in between.
Because obviously there aren't enough features on the pedal - which can be run via true bypass or a transparent analogue buffer- as is, 16 presets can be saved on the NightSky itself, while an additional 300 can be accessed by its fully-featured MIDI in/out.
The pedal can be hooked up to a computer via USB, while users can connect an external expression pedal, or a Strymon MultiSwitch Plus, for accessing presets or engaging or bypassing the Tone, Voice and Mod sections.
The Strymon NightSky reverb pedal comes with a 9V DC power supply and draws a minimum of 300mA of current, and is available now for preorder for $429.
For more info on the pedal, stop by strymon.net.
