Strymon BigSky MX vs Strymon BigSky – Does The New Version Sound Better?

►► Get the new BigSky MX here (this affiliate link supports my work at no extra cost to you!):

►► A Beginner's Guide To Ambient Guitar: Free Mini-Course 🎁

The new Strymon BigSky MX has new, more powerful processor, so they remade all the main algorithms from the ground up.

So in this video, I wanted to compare the same modes (Room, Hall, Plate, Spring, Shimmer) with the version so see how much better they sounded.

It is important to note that the Strymon BigSky MX offers both the new ''MX'' algorithms and also the old ''Classic'' algorithms in the same box.

So if you happen to like the old algorithms more, but are tempted by all the new features added to the MX like Dual reverbs, Infinite footswitch, loading your own IRs or Panning features, then you can still get all the same old sounds your loved (and more!) in the new MX box.

Alright, let's do this comparison!

__________

► Full list of the pedals and gear I use to make music (these Sweetwater affiliate links support my work at no extra cost to you. Thank you! 😊)

[AntoineMichaudGuitar]

►► Get the new BigSky MX here (this affiliate link supports my work at no extra cost to you!):

►► A Beginner's Guide To Ambient Guitar: Free Mini-Course 🎁

[michael_caz_nyc]

Loving my Big Sky. I've learned to "Stop Chasing Technology" (you can't win). I was doing that with: Synth's, Drum Machines & Guitar-pedals . . . (stopped) = now I've got a bigger Bank Account.

[DAZ]

There ya go. Now THIS is the video people want. Thanks, Antoine!

[electricwhiterabbit]

I could hear a difference between the two on headphones but couldn't really tell if I like one more than the other. I think the spring on the old one sounds more like a spring reverb than on the MX. In a live situation, nobody will know the difference and probably they won't care lol.

[ramon]

I’m fine with my original big sky. No need to spend 770 bucks

[CloudyNoodling]

not sure why, but for my ears most pleasant sound came from mx in classic mode

[Subtronik]

Very difficult to compare the two, but the MX sounds slightly richer. I’ll be keeping my BigSky though.

[ichibandude]

Thanks for the comparison. At least at this moment, it's not necessary to buy the new model if we already own older model unless you have some specific needs.

[cspmmus]

I think the MX sounds less pumped and more natural, with the reverb no longer enveloping the note, but following it, in my opinion the positive correction. Shimmer is better in the old one with a more organic tone, with the MX the frequencies are too high, but can it be adjusted?

[italoop]

Now.... nowhere in the manual Strymon says that VOICE parameter (MX vs. CLASSIC) provides the previous Big Sky algorithms and tone. It's a different thing and it's about reverb density. The CLASSIC voice has less density which means there are lesser delay lines used in the reverb matrix. That's a common DSP design technique in digital reverberation, depending on the chip(s) power. So... listening closely, carefully and over and over again, I find the usual "issue" I have found in higher density modern algorithms, that is a slightly brighter tone and less energy in the reverb, overall a bit less musical character. The energy loss is something I have noticed alsewhere too and designing reverbs with variable number of delay lines myself, it's a common issue. The input sound energy is a bit lost in the matrix. Overall I find the BigSky V1 more musical in the shared algorithms.
The value of this new product to me is definitely the dual reverbs option, where amazing creativity and colorations are possible. Right there is the really nice thing of this pedal. I have explored these techniques on many high end reverbs (Lexicon PCM91 and M300, Eventide Orville and H8000) and there are many, many creative options there. I'm not impressed by the convolution thing, a technique that came out with a big fanfare in the early 2000s but never delivered anything special.
A big MINUS for Strymon is removing the MIDI SysEx dump of single presets which IS a professional feature in any pro-level machine. One should be able to backup/restore/manage his own presets on any computer, using any generic MIDI SysEx program like MIDIOX (Windows) and SYSEX LIBRARIAN (Mac). I can even use my smart phone with a similar app and manage all my programmed work wherever I am. You shouldn't really need their own application at all, which by the way doesn't seem to support presets sharing. This is a big step back in true professional setups. Hopefully Strymon will restore MIDI dumps as SysEx code is already there for their Nixie2, so why not just offering the capability of selecting a preset or a range of them and dump to a computer. Last but not least... in EU this thing goes for about 750€!!! That's absolutely crazy money for a pedal not able to run true line levels audio on balanced I/Os, let alone the absence of any digital I/O format. Bad choice. For that kind of money one can get a PCM81 or 91... and let me tell you... there's no game there. Lex wins flat out.

[TheDooLees]

Thank you so much for this. Am a little surprised the Mx does sound a fraction richer. Probably great for a studio but the old one still killer on a board.

[Brucewayne-tjkj]

I love my big sky I understand a new buyer would want the new model, I don't think I would replace mine
Merci pour la vidéo

[selectfourteen]

I have the Big Sky and the Mercury X. I'll be good for quite some time. 👌

[markthomas]

Iam so still happy my with my classic original Big sky, it's like when they try remake movies there never better

[josephballew]

The old and new sounds are close. I think the big thing is you can run two effects at the same time. Reverb into delay, Reverb into tremolo, and Reverb into Chorus. It is like the Eventide H90 Two algorithms at the same time. This and the H 90 would be a good pair. Strymon is bad at having preset that have too much mix in them or sounds way over the top. I like the way Eventide did it better. They put all their effects in one box and you can use any two algorithms.

[Doady]

I think with the price of the Big Sky MX versus the Big Sky, I'd be hard pushed to purchase the MX, unless it has some feature that I absolutely needed.
They made the Big Sky so good, that it's nearly unbeatable, even for Strymon.

[empathysgone]

Glad you are back!! Have you tried the meris x? Wondering how they compared

[KyleLaulo]

Thanks for sharing. I hear the differences but I don't think one is better than the other.

[Gibsonuk]

I personally think the best strymon reverb is the nightsky :) bring out a mark 2 version for 500 and I’m there :) not crazy 700 tag

[FatherRabbitt]

I wish the MX would have given us a couple brand new reverb algorithms or something. It’s a great update from the OG, but to me it feels like it’s missing something to make it really exciting and special