$99, strymon.net

Reverb plugins are two-a-penny these days, and most DAWs have some decent options built in. So what makes Strymon’s NightSky stand out when compared to staples like the Valhalla VintageVerb?

For starters, Strymon is a guitar pedal manufacturer first and foremost, with a range of over 20 effects including distortions, amp sims, delays, and, of course, reverbs, which are loved by stage performers, instrumentalists, and DAW-less electronic musicians.

• READ MORE: ValhallaDSP FutureVerb review: I can’t believe a $50 reverb can sound this good

In 2022, Strymon began releasing plugin versions of its pedals, and so a collection of these recreations —now up to six— began growing. Naturally, because DAW users have different requirements, Strymon considered the possible workflows in their design approach, as well as adding potential for deeper sound design, all while keeping the user interfaces as appealing and straightforward as the pedals.

The latest addition to this collection is the NightSky Time-Warped Reverberator, which is a creative pitch-based reverb with three texture algorithms, modulation, and tone shaping, as well as shimmer and glimmer effects.

What makes NightSky different from other reverb plugins?

NightSky is the third Strymon reverb pedal that Strymon has transformed into a plugin, and if you’re at all familiar with the line-up, you’ll see that it fits very well between the simpler Cloudburst and more versatile BigSky reverbs. When comparing NightSky to other reverbs, it’s important to consider the intention behind the design, as this will show us when to use it.

Unlike most reverb plugins on the market, NightSky doesn’t mimic the sound of a Lexicon 480L or another classic reverb. So, instead of thinking of it as a record production tool for creating sounds from a particular era, think of NightSky as an expressive enhancement for instruments that will become a part of the sound creation process rather than being used during mixdown.

While some of the standard reverb parameters are present, such as decay time, pre-delay, EQ, and wet/dry signal controls, you can immediately tell that NightSky is a different beast from most reverbs. Rather than giving you a myriad of reverb algorithms, there are three distinctive Texture modes that sit slightly differently in the mix.

These include a clean, scattered Sparse setting, which can produce almost granular echo effects with its reflective character, a plate-style Dense setting, which is the most familiar-sounding of the three, and the drifty Diffuse for gradually swirling soundscapes. Once you understand the basic sonic structure of these Texture modes, it becomes far easier to take your sound in a particular direction.

Your first epiphany should happen the moment you touch the Size/Pitch control during playback. Nightsky has the unique ability to change the pitch of the audio currently in the buffer as the size of the reverb core increases or decreases. However, almost like Auto-Tune’s Retune Speed control, you have three pitch quantisation modes and a range of scales and modes that determine the behaviour of the pitch algorithm.

From this point onwards, it becomes clear that NightSky is less of a set-and-forget reverb and more of an instrument that requires interaction to enhance and accentuate a performance, the way you would with an expression pedal. Different Hold modes allow you to use the audio buffer to sustain the reverb in different ways, while the synth-like glide control, resonant filter, and modulation section give you options for creative and animated soundshaping.

NightSky’s modulation and effects

An effects plugin with other built-in effects? Yes, once you’ve chosen your Texture algorithm and set the basic parameters of your sound, you have four different ways to enhance it even further. Each of these can be individually bypassed, including the modulation section, which gives you a range of LFO shapes, as well as envelope and sidechain input settings, which can modulate the reverb’s delay lines, the Size/Pitch control, or the high-cut filter cutoff.

Next, there is a Shimmer effect that can be detuned or pitched to precise note intervals, affecting either the input to the reverb or the audio currently in the buffer. This can be placed in different parts of the processing chain for creating more direct, or more ambient effects. Then, although the controls of the adjacent Glimmer effect are simple, the way it enhances either the higher or lower frequency harmonics is particularly exciting, especially when combined with the Drive control, which adds saturation and soft clipping with a wide range of tonal colouration.

While using the four effects can seem quite daunting at first, it doesn’t take long to develop an ear for the sonic range of each one, and the fluidity of the well-designed interface allows you to make interesting creative mistakes throughout your journey of discovery. Because the NightSky pedal is more of a performance tool than a traditional reverb, you can adjust your approach accordingly and connect your favourite MIDI controller to make the DAW experience less clinical.

Pedal-specific features like the step sequencer fall away in favour of automating the Size/Pitch control manually in your DAW. However, having a step sequencer as a modulation source would be a powerful creative tool for building evolving loops in electronic music. Perhaps this is something Strymon will add in a future update.

Is NightSky too niche?

Regardless of the music genre, NightSky is more likely to appeal to an artist or producer, rather than a mix engineer. As an effects processor, its non-traditional nature makes NightSky a tool that is more likely to be the creative spark rather than the finishing touch. In fact, using it with the dry signal muted is probably the most compelling method, as this enables you to create spatial movement in parts of your songs that need it from key melodic elements in the mix.

Turning a tactile platform like an effects pedal, especially one as complex as NightSky, into a plugin is no mean feat. However, with its incredible DSP algorithms and clean interface design, Strymon has managed to execute this transformation without losing the magic of the original idea. While the Eventide Temperance Pro modal reverb is probably the closest competitor, it’s nearly double the price at $179 and doesn’t offer quite the same degree of sound-shaping flexibility.

If you’re willing to experiment with NightSky in your sound creation or songwriting process, it can become a tool for giving elements like vocals, synths, or guitars a wow factor that more than justifies the $99 price tag and makes you wonder about adding the NightSky pedal to your setup as well.

Key features

• Plugin recreation of the NightSky experimental reverb effects pedal
• VST3, AU, and AAX
• 3 Reverb Texture modes
• Simultaneous control of reverb pitch and size
• Modulation section with sidechain Input
• Harmonic shaping with Shimmer, Glimmer, and Drive

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