NightSky’s Reverb Generator

For all its knobs and features, the Strymon NightSky is surprisingly fast to dial in and super-fun to experiment with. What follows is a brief overview of the NightSky’s five major reverb sections and some of the more unique controls you’ll find within.

MOD section:

NightSky’s MOD section lets you add advanced modulation control to three selectable targets using six waveforms shapes — traditional to true random.

• Verb target — Modulates delay lines within the reverb core. This adds dimension and depth to your wet signal.
• Pitch target — Modulates pitches contained in the reverb core. At lower depths, it produces subtle pitch movement — that classic seasick modulated reverb sound. At higher Depths, it’s capable of creating some interesting sequencer-like pitch gyrations.
• Filter target — Classic synth-style LFO filter sweeps can be applied to reverbs using this target. Even simple input lines can take on new life by experimenting with various waveforms and depths.

DECAY section:

Here you can choose from three unique reverb architectures and control the length and the size of the space.

• Sparse texture — Presents as discrete echoes with stabs and scratches, but fuses into a smooth, clean wash with sustained notes and chords.
• Dense texture — Fast plate-style reflections. Presents as a dense reverb with a smooth, well-integrated tail.
• Diffuse texture — A dynamically responsive and slow-building wash of sound.

TONE section:

NightSky’s TONE section lets you sculpt the sound of your reverbs without touching your dry signal. A filter button applies the following options to the High Cut knob.

• Regen filter — AKA regenerative damping. The longer the decay length, the more you’ll hear the filter clamp down on the reverb’s high frequencies.
• Low Pass filter — Allows the reverb to regenerate without damping; applies a synthesis-style, 4-pole variable-Q filter to the output.

VOICE section:

The Strymon NightSky is able to shift, highlight, and even generate harmonics at the reverb output. The +/- octave Interval control is great for adding sub-bass or faux 12-string textures to parts. You’ve also got three additional stackable switches.

• Shimmer — Two flavors of shimmer reverb can be found in the Strymon NightSky. Your choice of interval adds bellowing ominosity or soaring angelic sustain to input signals.
• Glimmer — Highlights harmonics through the use of a specially tuned resonant network. High and Low bands adds splashiness or weight to reverb sounds.
• Drive — A soft-clipping, non-linear saturation that can be applied to the input signal and reverb (Pre) or just to the reverb itself (Post).

MIX section:

A global MIX section lets you control the output levels of dry and reverberated signals independently. This is useful for gain staging between multiple pedals, amps, and recording interfaces.

• Reverb level — Controls the amount of reverb (wet signal) added to your dry input.
• Dry level — With the Dry knob set to noon, your signal passes through at unity gain with no change in output to your amp and pedals. At minimum, no dry signal is present and sounds are fully processed — which is great for using NightSky as a send effect. When Dry is set to maximum, a +3dB boost can help drive input stages of additional FX.

NightSky’s Sequencer Section

As if an endless stream of cosmic reverbs weren’t enough, the Strymon NightSky also packs a complete 8-step sequencer into its modest double-wide enclosure. Here you can store up to eight steps of intervals and auto-sequence through them by tapping out a tempo via the Sequence Tap, or alternatively, step through them one at a time using the Sequence Step switch. Here are some of its highlights:

• Adjustable portamento — A variable glide lets you control the pitch bend effect (portamento) of each sequence step, from immediate to three seconds, to create subtler or more jarring movements.
• Infinite switch —When audio is held, you can choose whether it’s processed by the sequence you’ve created or sent through dry.

Structure and Highlights

Rugged aluminum construction

American made and ruggedly built, the Strymon NightSky aluminum construction gives you peace of mind on the road or floating around in your pedal drawers.

Analog JFET front end

NightSky’s low-noise Class A JFET preamp section keeps your instrument signal — be it guitar, bass, or synth — in the analog domain and free from latency or digital artifacts of any kind.

Stereo ins and outs

The Strymon NightSky supports both mono and stereo pedal setups. So whether you run a single-pedal ship or fly a whole fleet of stomps onstage, NightSky has the I/O to suit your setup.

Line/Instrument switch

NightSky is one reverb pedal that keyboardists won’t be able to keep their hands off. And that’s okay: a small, out-of-the-way toggle optimizes the NightSky for line-level or instrument-level sources.

Strymon NightSky Time-warped Reverberator Pedal Features:

• Packed with immersive, atmospheric reverbs
• 3 reverb engines, 6 modulation waveforms, 2-octave harmonics generator, and additional synth-style filter and drive controls
• Switchable line- and instrument-level stereo operation
• Integrated 8-step sequencer with auto-advance
• Powerful SHARC DSP with 32-bit floating-point processing
• Access to 16 user favorites from the front panel, or 300 over MIDI
• Selectable true bypass/analog buffered bypass switching
• Universal 9-volt DC power supply included
• Proudly built in the USA