Strymon Cloudburst Reverb - Effect for Guitars

Product Information

Second, we wanted to provide a whole new variety of sounds never before heard from a reverb pedal with the addition of our new Ensemble effect. This effect’s design ensures a seamless, natural, and artifact-free interaction with the reverb and with your guitar signal. With the Ensemble switch in its mezzo piano (or “moderately soft”) position, it can subtly enhance the character of the reverberated signal, while in its forte setting, it can yield huge string ensemble effects reminiscent of vintage polyphonic string machine synthesizers. Decay: Controls the decay time of the reverberated signal. Lower settings reduce the size of the reverberated space. The company say that their aim with Cloudburst was to create the best-sounding single algorithm reverb possible, providing the sort of effects that are possible with the BigSky’s Cloud machine at high decay settings whilst also being versatile enough to offer more natural reverbs with a much shorter decay time. There was also a focus on simplicity and ease of use, resulting in the pedal being equipped with just five controls with no secondary or hidden functions. Ensemble Eventide’s rich history of effects is on full display here, some old, some new, and playing with two algorithms simultaneously opens up a world of possibilities in sound-mangling.

Think the Blue Sky Reverberator – the shimmer effect is the only game in town? Think again! The Cloudburst is giving it a run for its money with its impressive range of sound options and ease of use. So, why settle for a mere mortal reverb pedal when you can have a superhero like the Cloudburst in your arsenal? Since the Riverside and Sunset all new Strymon pedals come with a JFET input stage which gives you more responsiveness and feel for something that is essentially mostly a digital effect. The touch / feel and dynamics of these pedals are just incredibly and are enabled by that supercomputing power which allows so much detail to be processed and delivered at any given time.We had some very lofty goals in mind with Cloudburst, and foremost on the list was creating the best-sounding single algorithm reverb we possibly could. We knew that we wanted to provide the spacious experiences from BigSky’s Cloud machine at higher decay settings, and we set about tailoring the short end of the decay range to generate a huge variety of natural and studio-quality smaller spaces as well.

Ensemble reacts to your entire guitar signal in an organic and musical way, delivering a richly responsive and uniquely inspiring playing experience. With Cloudburst, we had some very high goals in mind. Foremost was creating the best-sounding single reverb algorithm we possibly could. We knew that at high decay settings, we wanted to provide the spacious experiences that are available from BigSky’s Cloud algorithm, and then we set about tailoring the short end of the decay range to generate a huge variety of natural-sounding, studio-quality smaller spaces. Cloudburst lets you choose electromechanical relay switched true bypass for a 100% untouched, unprocessed signal when the pedal is bypassed (this is the default setting), or you can opt for our premium quality buffered bypass that conditions your signal to preserve its integrity by preventing the high-end roll-off that can happen due to longer cable runs. These American-made pedals are not only built like tanks, but they offer incredible tones too. History of Strymon While this is a single-algorithm pedal rather than the sort with selectable multiple reverb types, Strymon has designed it so cleverly that it can cover a much wider range than might normally be anticipated.

Parameters

The Aurelius takes its cues from a ‘70s Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble and presents Vibrato, Chorus and Rotary Chorus models via a three-way toggle switch. Like its predecessor, the MOHO allows players to radically shape the sound of the pedal using the Mood control, but adds a new Electricity knob. This promises to add an additional layer to guitar tones, spanning “octaves to strange harmonics with ring modulation” for everything from psychedelia to synth-like textures. Featuring unbeatable ease of use and some of the finest reverb sounds we’ve ever created, Cloudburst could easily be the only reverb pedal you need on your pedalboard.

Ultra-low noise, high-performance 24-bit 96kHz A/D and D/A converters for uncompromising audio quality And finally, the pedal might not be a perfect fit for every musician’s setup. This reverb pedal may not be your cup of tea if you’re a primarily acoustic guitarist. This generating of upper harmonics delivers a different effect in its ‘mp’ (mezzo piano, moderately soft) and ‘forte’ (loud) modes. The former could best be described as adding a rich enhancement, but the forte setting sounds like you’ve got a sustained string section, not unlike the sound of a 1970s Solina string synth, lurking behind your guitar.

Ensemble

Before we even plug in, the size is striking – there aren't many digital reverb pedals this small, let alone a Strymon unit. It's a canny move if the Californian company are looking to convince you clear some room on your pedalboards, but we also suspect this could be the start of a new line of products for the brand alongside its familiar dual switch layouts and larger big box pedals. Smart move if so. EXP input: connect TRS expression pedal/MiniSwitch/MultiSwitch Plus, or EXP-MIDI for full MIDI integration: 300 presets, real-time parameter control etc Other user settings include the way the dry signal is treated, which can go via the digital converters or be kept in the analogue domain. There’s also a dry kill mode allowing the Mix knob to be used as an effect level control. The status LED changes colour when setting up to act as a mode indicator.