Which reverb do I choose?! | Strymon Cloudburst Ambient Reverb Demo/Review
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- Опубліковано 4 чер 2024
- Ambient fans are rejoicing with the release of the Strymon Cloudburst, but will it make the cut for my board, and do YOU need one?
The fine folks at Strymon kindly sent over their new Cloudburst, and after putting it through its paces live this weekend, I’m diving deep into the sounds and settings. I wanted to highlight how it fits in the collection of Strymon reverb pedals I have in the studio. And while this isn’t a comparison video, I’ll touch on the contexts and reasons you might choose either the Strymon Cloudburst, Flint or BigSky.
Big thanks to Fender and Gretsch for providing both guitars played in the opening sketch. The sparkle of the Gretsch 5422TG paired so well with the bright ambience of Cloudburst, while the Fender Player Telecaster delivers that classic Tele pop at more subtle reverb settings.
Enjoy the intro sketch where we go on a sonic journey ending in massive guitar melodies, and then check out the exhaustive sound samples section to see all that Cloudburst is capable of.
. . .
CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro Sketch
03:00 Overview
07:15 Sound Samples
12:53 Ensemble for strings/pad textures
15:00 Cloudburst & Volante
17:40 Max decay
19:25 Which do I pick!?
. . .
GEAR
Gretsch 5422TG
Fender Player Telecaster
Fender MIM P-bass
Harmony Silhouette w/ Bigsby (sound samples only)
Benson Germanium Boost
Bondi Del Mar mkII
Strymon Brigadier
Strymon Volante
Strymon Cloudburst
UA Dream 65 Reverb Amp
Origin Effects Cali76 Compact Bass
Ampeg Scrambler Overdrive
Focusrite 18i20
Reaper DAW
Shot on Nikon D5300 & D7500
Captures with Shure SM7B
. . .
Please find me on Instagram at / ambientendeavors - I love chatting gear and music over there!
You can find my ambient instrumental music on Spotify or wherever you stream : open.spotify.com/artist/6K2iI...
![[柴犬ASMR]曼玉Manyu&小白Bai 毛发护理Spa asmr](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/0TsXQ7z2Dh4/mqdefault.jpg)
Thanks for calling out the folks around here for giving their opinions of this pedal before they've even played it themselves. Saw one guy "comparing" it to the Jet Revelation and giving some pretty definitive opinions of the two while not ever having owned the Cloudburst. That's UA-cam at it's worst.
It's a trip. Not trying to pick fights, but man I want to speak about what I *know* and can actually reference by having here in the studio. Thanks for watching Kris - appreciate you.
That’s funny you mention that guy and he also has an affiliate link that is for the jet pedal. I think the video is hilarious
I voice my opinion all up and down the comments
I couldn’t help myself
go back to the video you may laugh a bit. Nothing disrespectful, but hey maybe have both pedals so you can do a comparison Guy really said Don’t pick that one ..pick the jet and also use my affiliate link such a clown anyway, I love this channel
hilarious and by the way, my cloudburst just showed up a few days ago. Life is good.
Also, I just have to add that same guy’s trying to compare a shimmer reverb with strymons ensemble , which are completely different. So anyways, just find that very hilarious. So glad someone mentioned that silly video.
That video popped up on my feed, I didn't even watch it. Now glad I didn't.
I've had the Cloudburst a couple weeks now and the ensemble stuff is Great. I can actually talk to Whales with it. 🐳
I'd recommend getting the Strymon Mini Switch too which is cool for freezing an Ensemble chord and playing over it
yes! gotta get that remote switch set up for the freeze function.
whales yes but i find dolphins not yet responding 😁
It always surprises me how good your videos are!
thanks, that's very kind! appreciate you watching :D
the best review of this new pedal. beautiful style guitarists. Thank you!
Thanks for watching! This pedal is definitely right in my wheelhouse - you'll be seeing more from it here and on Instagram!
dude you gotta release that intro sketch on spotify or something the melody makes me very nostalgic
Definitely my favorite intro track from you! Well done!
Thanks Brian!! So kind.
I just hope you will show your playthrough...its so angelic
That bass line in the intro was dope dude! Killer video as always.
I'm having so much fun playing and writing bass these days - so this is a HUGE complement. Thank you!!
Thanks for your help! Great review and playing.
cheers - thanks for watching!
My Cloudburst came a few days ago....and this is the best pedal I've ever bought... it seems so perfectly suited to the kind of ambient acoustic guitar I play. There's something almost AI like in the way the sound seems to shape itself around what you're trying to create.
At the moment only tried it through my Yamaha steel Silent guitar and a Laney Audiohub 150....which just goes to show you don't have to spend a fortune to get a great sound at home.
The Intro Song is SICK!! This is definitely the best demo i saw for this pedal!
thank you! very kind - glad you dug the video.
Always an amazing job!
thanks for the kind words!
Great demo, beautiful pedal
Thanks for watching!
Beautiful playing!
Thanks! 🙏🏼
Really helpful video - thanks
Just got mine and there’s a LOT you can do with it!
I had recently added a Boss SY200 to my board for pads but it still needed a shimmer verb to give me the textures I wanted. Then this was announced. I returned the SY200 and exchanged it for this. It has the pad sounds I've been looking for as well as the infinite sustain I wanted. Can't wait until it ships so I can add it to my board!
Why not both 😅
Thanks bro! The cloudburst is going to be my next purchase for sure! Great video.
Good choice! Thanks for watching!
@@AmbientEndeavors my pleasure!
Great review!
Thanks! Thanks for watching
I picked up a cloud burst. My first Strymon product. Always wanted a big sky but felt it was just too much $ and such to keep on a road board. The burst delivers as promised. Enough of the big sky type sounds plus the added features the big sky lacks...add to that the ease of use and it was exactly what I wanted and never knew I needed till now. It is a very inspiring pedal and just makes me want to play. It's ha
Everyone that's heard it has said the same thing
.......
"Wow. That sounds beautiful......
That’s the best when a piece of gear makes you wanna play. Glad you’re enjoying it!
Cloudburst would probably be I would use if I had to choose a Strymon reverb pedal. However, I love my boss rv6 and I don't need another reverb. The old blood noise procession is great too. I used one for years.
Literally the best review I’ve seen for the cloudburst man. We’ll done. Would there ever be any need to have both pedals on your pedalboard? (Cloudburst and Bigsky). I’m waiting on the bigsky in the mail and bought the cloudburst day 2 of its release. I like the idea of buying patches/presets to various songs.
Hey thanks for the kind words!
For me personally I think it’d be overkill, just because I don’t need the variety of the BigSky too often - but if you’re someone who uses a bunch of different types of reverbs throughout a set or for various gigs, I could see using the BigSky as your variety platter and the cloudburst as your big ambient / ensemble verb.
What was important to me before I bought one of these was how it works with an expression pedal. It works like a dream, so long as you don't include the decay in the change from heel to toe.
good to know - thanks!
That intro Track was so Awesome!
That was a good video and helped me solve my reverb problem, I’m now going to use my Flint pedal into my Cloudburst pedal! That should be great for a while 😜👊🏼
haha good deal! really hard to beat any of these 3 :D
Would you suggest having the cloudburst after the flint, or before it? I usually keep a more subtle modulated reverb always on, so I was thinking of placing the cloudburst before but interested in what you think. Thanks@@AmbientEndeavors
Great review. I got my Cloudburst a few days ago and one of the first things i did was switch the mix knob from digital to analog. This makes it so it never dials out your dry signal. Cranked all the way to the right would be like having the reverb at the highest amount (50/50). I would have liked it to give a bit extra to the wet signal, so like dry at 100% and the reverb up to 120%, but I'm happy enough with it the way it is and i don't ever have to worry about my volume dropping when clicking on the reverb
Thanks for watching! Oh, interesting - I must have glossed over that in the manual. I'll check that out.
Strymon Nightsky has the best wet/dry mixing of any reverb pedal I've used. Analog gain for separate dry and wet knobs. As the last effect in the pedal chain, it's an awesome feature to boost only the dry. I had never seen a reverb pedal with extra 3db available gain for the dry until it came out. I really like mine. MIDI makes the Nightsky 10 times more useful than the demo reviews reveled. The Morph feature is also a blast to play with, the sequencer?... meh. - no Ensemble trick though similar effects almost.
Phenomenal review, definitely picking up a cloud burst. Do you ever have the flint and cloudburst on your board at the same time? Wondering how those two stacked would sound!
Thanks for watching! I haven't had em both on yet. The Flint tends to get the call for certain and specific applications, but it would be cool to see how they gel! They each seem like verbs that could suffice as your sole verb, so perhaps excessive as a pair? ..but then again, can you have too much verb?! haha
What a fantastic review, thank you.
I really enjoy and appreciate the format you use for your reviews.
Please count me as a new Subscriber.
Aw, thanks for the kind words and thanks for subscribing! Sincerely appreciate the support. Lots more to come!
Superb intro track! 🙂
Thank you. 🙏🏼
I rarely get excited about pedals but Cloudburst with ensemble function is pretty awesome pedal!
ensemble is so cool! the more I play it, the more I'm into it.
Great review and beautiful playing!
Church “gigs” though? 😬
13:26 you are doing a wonderful job and the playing is amazing.I am loving this very much.Thank you." Santa ! put one of these in your sack for humblegeorge "
thanks for watching! hope you're able to check one out :)
Killer intro!
Thanks! Had a lot of fun writing that one :)
Feeling like Count Dooku today. I've been looking forward to this
thanks for watching!
Im not really a pedal guy, just play in my bedroom but i had to get this, hope to have it this week.
exciting man, hope you enjoy it!
I found a great deal on the cloudburst, just want something to enhance my guitar backup sound, I think it’s the best , a lot of ambience pedal have to much high end . I’ve watch a bunch of reviews on it.i judge by what I’ve heard. Subscribed.
Thanks for the sub!
Did you use the bigsky much didnt hear much about it in comparrison nor flint?
I didn't play either in the video, this was meant to be a Cloudburst focused demo - I just wanted to contrast the three and talk about why you might choose one over the other. All 3 sound fantastic.
what a helpful and delightful video . I just got this pedal , are you running this is Dry mode or Ambient mode .
this video was filmed in DIGITAL mode; factory default mode for the Cloudburst. Thanks for watching!
@@AmbientEndeavors thanks +
I got a new Cloudburst but even though it says on the mix the know for 50/50 dry and affected together , mine is pulling in the effect even around 11 , is that normal
I enjoyed your video very much. I love your playing and the ambient sounds. I have a question for you. I play at church through my Quad Cortex. I like it, but I have found the time based effects to be lacking. I recently added an Andy Timmons Halo, which I love and play on Andy's Halo effect. Would it be overkill to have the Cloudburst along with the Halo? Have you ever heard these two together? Thanks and God bless.
Hey thanks for the sub and the kind words! Hm, a good question. It kind of depends how you're using HALO I guess. I haven't played that specific pedal, but if you're using it more as a rhythmic delay you could definitely pair the two. If you're using the delays as more of a smeared/washy effect, it might be overkill to have both. That being said, Cloudburst works nicely as a subtle verb if needed, so you could pair it with a more washy Halo setting for some big ambience.
@@AmbientEndeavors Hey man, Thanks for this very detailed reply! Funny I was just on Amazon and went ahead and bought it! So I will have the pair to play with. Do I need it? No, but I will have them! I am going to be looking at your ambient course you gave me the other day. God bless you and all you love.
@@AmbientEndeavors If I could ask you one more question please. I am planning on running both my Halo and Cloudburst through the Effects Loop on my Quad Cortex. Does it matter which pedal is first on the chain or would you run them separately into Effects 1 and 2? Thanks again.
@@BrianVallotton I usually run delay into verb. Could be cool to run them in parallel if you ran one in each loop!
great video I love the way you say steereo 😂😂
I have the Volante also, bet they go together pretty nicely.
they make a great pair! I love looping with my Volante, and running loops into the Cloudburst can create some beautiful textures
@@AmbientEndeavors I have a Ventris, I dont know if I will keep it, I never use it to its potential and use the editor. I think I am going to get into moddeling, the new Tonex tech sounds unreal. That and a HX Stoomp is looking to be an insane combo.
Without even watching your video! The big sky of course.
Haha then you’ll NEVER believe which one I chose!?
I'm using a Nightsky for my main verb. And a Volante for my main delay and spring. I really do not need that Cloudburst pedal. But it sure sounds magical with the Ensemble engaged. Strymon stuff is amazing. I'm hoping Pete and the guys get around to making an oil can delay pedal, same size as this new box. I bet we see several of these small box Strymon effects before Christmas. Fingers crossed.
I choose all!
Smart!
22:52 going to order the Cloudburst right now!
cheers ! It's certainly a fun one. Report back when you do and tell me how you're liking it!
I have a Volante and a Cloudburst. They are different animals and I wouldn't part with either one of them. Love 'em both.
They sure make a good pair ✌🏼
Real nice intro and completely appreciate the relaxed review rather than all the screaming idiots on here trying to prove something.
I tried to stay away from Strymon because of the prices but there's not much a I like out there.
I keep on seeing the flint on a lot of boards but when I saw it on Bill Frisells I had to look into it.
What I hear in my head and what I want to create is the Strymon sound.
Thanks for the vid.
Subcribed🤙
hey thanks so much for the note and sub! glad you dig the vid and format :D
yeah, the Flint is something special in my mind, and it's why it sticks around here. All 6 sounds are really solid, and there are some great combinations among the mix. While it is a bit of an investment, one could easily cover all their verb and trem bases with just that.
I just got the cloudburst. I've never used the big sky, but if price wasn't an issue, I don't understand why someone would choose the cloudburst over the big sky. Unless pedalboard space is an issue. That being said, the pedal sounds great...but I'm not gonna lie I was a little underwhelmed by it. Probably had too high of expectations, but I was a bit disappointed.
interesting; yeah I think it's truly hard to beat the big box units from Strymon, with a few exceptions. I think pedalboard space and cost are the big drivers, or the lack of need for that variety of sounds. I often find I only need one , maybe two reverb sounds live, so I lean toward the single pedals or Flint style that has a more appropriate amount of options for my needs.
No need to decide. I'm keeping them all lol
Haha right there with ya 😅
Agree
Are you using up front or loop?
Up front!
Is the Cloudburst based on a Plate or Hall reverb?
Cloud I think
Yeah it's patterned after the Cloud algorithm from the BigSky, with the smaller decay settings feeling more like a smaller Room reverb.
@@AmbientEndeavors Thanks...Have you any thoughts on the Empress Reverb?
I like the Strymon Reverb! $300... I think it's well worth it!
Strymon!
O que acha do pedal boss rv-200?
It’s a great option / I like the “standard” sounds a lot, the interface is really user friendly, it’s everything I’d need in a reverb. Doesn’t quite have the big ambient verb appeal that the BigSky or Cloudburst does, but it’s a solid versatile verb.
These are great but I feel like there’s way cooler options these days. Ac Noise, blackskycraft, collision devices, beautiful noise effects, Meris, and whoever else I’m missing.
It's a fair point, and everyone decides "cool" in different ways. I by no means am married solely to Strymon, as my content track record will reflect...BUT I do love each of these 3. All feature stereo in/out and MIDI which put them innately in a slightly different category than any of those (aside from Meris)...but each of those do have their own uniquenesses and charm. We're living in a golden age of effects, that's for sure!
@@AmbientEndeavors yes! I agree with all of that.
I can vouch for the Unusual Eas by Blackskycraft...A glorious athmospheric sounding reverb with bit crushing and wide Modulation options..Also the Reverb mode on the Dreadbox Raindrops is every bit as lush as these Strymons....
@@patrickr6505 yes! I love my unusual eas! I haven’t been able to stop playing it, even on my heavier tones. Idk the other pedal but I’ll check it out
@@wheresallthezombies We are lucky to have the EAS...yes check out the Raindrops, Dreadbox have lots of pedals and they all are great..
ua-cam.com/video/_trAh89jB-c/v-deo.html
Hillsong junkies will want this :)
subbed :)
Thank you!
Do u still like and use this pedal?
on occasion yea, it's great for the big ambient verb sound. It is not my main reverb for various reasons; drawn to a more versatile and universal reverb, but all three of these will stay in my collection.
I'll stick with the BigSky. I see the value of the CloudBurst for some but for me I use multiple patches of the BigSky when I play live at church. From a basic reverb to ambient to organ emulation, the versatility of having to sound like a totally different setup from one song to the next is a must.
Yep, sounds like BigSky is right for you! It’s such a powerful tool, and the interface makes it really convenient and versatile.
Which reverb? ALL OF THEM
Well, I mean you’re not wrong ;)
Steereeo??? 🤔
Stereo via trs jacks , yes. You can select mono or stereo in via a toggle on the back.
It’s always going to be The Flint for me. Such a classic platform. I would’ve love to see Strymon expand on that by maybe ditching the tremolo an increasing the range of the pedal. I personally feel the whole “ ambient reverb” thing is getting staid but that’s just my thing, you do you and the more the merrier. An earthquake just killed like 30,000 people so what ev’s.
Love my Flint, so practical and nails classic reverb and tremolo! Still have gear envy for Cloudburst, ensemble is so cool!
Flint is a fantastic pedal. The spring + trem combo to me is near perfect for certain contexts. I'll enjoy some of the features of Cloudburst, and it's voiced right up my (ambient) alley, but Flint will always have a place in my collection.
Well, call me one of those guys but if it were me, I get all three I just work a little harder and a little longer to pay for them😮
I mean, it’s where I’m at so I can’t fault you for it! Ha
no blue sky?? lol
I wanted to speak to the actual pedals I have here in the studio currently. Blue Sky is a worthy contender, but I'm not interested in making comparisons about gear I'm not actively using.
@@AmbientEndeavors jw. because all 3 of those are in sky blue lol
Dude ...did you go to school in Alabama??? Is your name Brandon??? You look just like a friend of mine I grew up around....that's why I ask....lol....
Different guy, sorry
UAFX Golden Reverberator
are we just naming reverb pedals?
@@AmbientEndeavors Just answering your question -- "which reverb do I choose?" 🙂
@@mlewmisc right on! :) I still haven't played that one, but I need to - what do you like about it?
@@AmbientEndeavors It's a very natural-sounding reverb pedal, even at extreme settings. Lack of midi is a bummer but the sound quality makes up for that. Just my two cents after trying lots of reverbs for ambient music (strymon, meris, jet).
UA-cam encourages GAS so much
Depending on how you listen to the opening song, if you’re on a crappy phone you just hear some constant shimmer effects and simple melodies using basic delay.
Everyone just get a boss Rv-6 or whatever and go make music
Thanks for the commentary. Super in support of the “everyone just go make music” bit at the end 👍🏼
Kinda alll sound the same to me. Worship verb
thanks for watching!
what's YOUR fav verb?
I have The Flint and the Catalina Soft Focus. The reverb on my Princeton amp ad well. In my daw I primarily use Valhalla.
My Music and most artists often gets released on UA-cam anyway . So I don’t think it’s unreasonable to have an opinion on the sound via UA-cam.
i smell biden
Hey thanks for watching and commenting. ✌🏼
The shimmery Strymon take on the Dreadbox Darkness.
Well now that would be an interesting comparison!
are You cold ????????
Yes!