February 2023 marks a significant evolution in the Strymon reverb pedal range with the release of the new Cloudburst Ambient Reverb. Featuring an enormous scope of new reverb possibilities, spanning from small room reverb all the way up to infinite soundscapes along endless horizons of ensemble synth soundtrack bliss! Cloudburst comes housed within a small format reverb pedal design that also fits perfectly on busy pedalboards where real estate space comes at a premium – now is the time to make room for your reverb upgrade because the Strymon Cloudburst is the new reverb pedal that you need!
Instant Ambient Bliss
Coupled with the powerful ambience processing is a brand-new Ensemble engine, capable of creating pads and soundscapes that follow your playing organically - so if you change pickups or play in a different place on the neck you get different results. It’s unlike anything you’ve ever heard or played before, all wrapped in a smaller form factor
that still manages to house full stereo I/O, TRS MIDI and USB-C connectors on the back panel. Prepare to be inspired!
Celestial String Ensemble
Cloudburst’s Ensemble switch reveals a new world of captivating sounds never heard before from a reverb pedal. Use Ensemble subtly to add harmonically rich otherworldly dimensions to your ambient reverb soundscape, or use it liberally to hear a lush, synthesized string section swell under your guitar playing. Ensemble reacts to your entire guitar signal smoothly, organically, and musically for a richly responsive and inspiring playing experience.
From Amp-In-A-Closet to Infinite Space
Cloudburst is several distinct reverbs in one, with beautifully tuned, natural sounding small spaces at one end of the Decay knob, and vast, expansive atmospheres at the other. As you turn the Decay control, numerous internal parameters are automatically adjusted, allowing this ambient reverb pedal to produce outstanding studio quality rooms of any size at the turn of a single knob.
Compact With No Compromises
All the premium components, sound quality, and road worthiness you expect from a Strymon reverb pedal are in Cloudburst’s new compact format. It’s got our discrete JFET analog front end, ultra-quiet 116dB signal to noise performance, a powerful ARM Superscalar processor, stereo input/output, and full MIDI control. Featuring unbeatable ease of use and producing some of the finest reverb sounds we’ve ever created; Cloudburst could easily be the only reverb pedal you need on your pedalboard.
Sound Design
Design Concept
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.
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.
Finally, we wanted to create a pedal that was the most simple and intuitive to use of any product we’d ever designed. So, with Cloudburst, there are no secondary or “hidden” functions. The pedal is controlled by just a few knobs and a switch exactly as they are labeled, so you can instantly dial up the perfect sound with no learning curve required.
Decay
The Decay knob on Cloudburst does some seriously heavy lifting. Not only does it control the duration of the reverb tail, but it also dramatically transforms the character of the reverb via numerous continuous under-the-hood adjustments, allowing you to discover countless new musical and inspiring sounds at different points all along the dial. Even tiny adjustments of this knob can yield noticeable changes to the character of the reverb.
Ensemble
Cloudburst’s Ensemble effect works by continuously analyzing 48 different frequency bands from your input signal, and generating upper harmonic partials of what it finds in each frequency band as you play. Rather than generating a static, synthetic signal based on pitch detection, Ensemble is a dynamic, organic effect that generates harmonics based on your playing and that varies its sonic character depending on real time factors like where you pick, which pickup you use, and the volume envelope of what you play. The result is a gorgeous string ensemble-like expansion of your reverberated signal that creates a unique and unforgettable playing and listening experience.
Mix
Controls the reverb mix from full dry at minimum to full wet at maximum. A 50/50 mix occurs at approximately 3 o’clock on the knob. Additional power-up options allow for kill-dry (for use in effects loops) as well as an analog dry path option. Use moderate mix settings and darker tone settings combined with short decay times to create a variety of realistic small spaces or soar through huge ambient cloudscapes with liberal mix settings and high decay times.
Pre-delay
Pre-delay lets you add space between your dry signal and reverb — a handy tool for maintaining clarity when using higher Mix and Decay settings. Also useful for creating swells or blooms after notes or chords. With short decay times, Cloudburst’s pre-delay can be used to create reverberant slap-back echoes.
Tone
Controls the number of high frequencies within the reverb, with a damped high end at minimum to no damping at maximum. Set the Decay knob to tailor the sound of your reverb or control it with an expression pedal to create dramatic effects in combination with long Decay times and Ensemble.
Modulation
There is a certain magic to the lush effects that can be created by modulating the lengths of the individual delay lines responsible for the reflections in a reverb tank. Cloudburst’s MOD control can take this a few steps further, especially when used together with Ensemble, where high MOD settings can create a fast, synth-like vintage science fiction pitch modulation.
Features
MIDI
Cloudburst features full MIDI implementation, allowing you to control pedal parameters remotely by sending MIDI commands from your controller or DAW via Cloudburst’s EXP/MIDI jack or USB-C connection. 300 MIDI preset locations are available for loading and saving your favorite settings. Remotely bypass or engage the pedal, automate decay time or other knob adjustments in your DAW, recall unique presets for each song on your setlist — the possibilities with MIDI are limitless.
True & Buffered Bypass
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.
JFET Input
Uncompromised dynamics and feel. Exceptional touch sensitivity and responsiveness. Cloudburst feels just as good as it sounds, thanks to a high impedance ultra-low noise discrete Class A JFET preamp input.
Stereo In & Out
No need to make compromises when it comes to signal routing or pedal placement — Cloudburst is a stereo reverb pedal with full stereo in/out capabilities.
A single TRS input jack allows Cloudburst to keep its compact form factor while giving you the option to use a stereo input signal. A dedicated rear panel Input switch allows you to easily set Cloudburst for operation with a stereo (TRS) or mono (standard TS) input source. A single low impedance TRS output jack lets you use Cloudburst as a stereo effect with a TRS cable, or mono with a TS cable.
Powerful ARM Processor
Significant developments in mobile phones and computers have led to an evolution in technology that now allows our pedals to perform more simultaneous processes with less power draw than ever before. That means more processing power for every sonic nuance with less power consumption on your pedal board.
Controls & Routing
DECAY
Controls the duration of the reverberated signal’s decay. Lower settings reduce the size of the reverberated space.
ENSEMBLE
Sets the amount of ensemble harmonics added to the reverb input:
Off – no ensemble effect
mp – A medium amount of ensemble for a subtle enhancement
forte – Maximum ensemble effect creating a lush and orchestral soundscape.
MIX
Controls the reverb mix from full dry at minimum to full wet at maximum. A 50/50 mix occurs at approximately 3 o’clock on the knob. Additional power-up options allow for kill-dry (for use in effects loops) as well as an analog dry path option.
PRE-DELAY
Sets the amount of time before the reverberated signal appears. For most natural results, use lower MIX settings when using higher PRE-DELAY.
TONE
Adjusts the high-end content of the reverb. Lower settings create darker, warmer reverberation. Higher settings are bright and crisp. NOTE: Also affects the presence of the ENSEMBLE effect.
MOD
Controls the modulation of the reverb delay lines to create a variety of lush effects. Turning the knob clockwise from minimum increases modulation depth for the first half of the knob’s range. Continuing to turn the knob past its halfway point increases the speed of the modulation.
FOOTSWITCH
Engages and bypasses effect. RED LED indicates the effect is engaged.
I/O MODE SELECTOR
mono: mono input, mono output
mono stereo: mono input, stereo output
stereo: stereo input, stereo output
Note: Stereo operation requires a TRS adapter or cable.
IN
High impedance, ultra-low noise, discrete Class A JFET preamp input. TRS adapter cable required for stereo input signal.
OUTPUTS
Low impedance stereo TRS output. Use TS for mono output or TRS for stereo output.
EXP / MIDI
Multifunction communication jack for external control of Cloudburst’s features and functions. Use a standard TRS expression pedal for continuous control over the knobs of the pedal (default setting).
Can be set to operate in one of five modes: Expression Pedal, Favorite, Freeze, Infinite, or MIDI Mode. See User Manual for details. See complete User Manual for details about configuring for MIDI communication or accessories such as Strymon Conduit, MultiSwitch Plus, and MiniSwitch.
USB-C
Computer connection for controlling via MIDI and for performing firmware updates.
9VDC
Use the included power supply or an adapter with the following rating: 9VDC, center negative, 250mA minimum.
Specs
Ins, Outs, and Switches
- High impedance ultra-low noise discrete Class A JFET TRS stereo input.
- Low impedance TRS stereo output.
- Expression pedal input allows the connection of a TRS expression pedal, MiniSwitch, MultiSwitch Plus, or TRS MIDI connection.
- USB jack for controlling via MIDI from a computer or for performing firmware updates.
Audio Quality
- Premium JFET analog front end
- Ultra-low noise, high performance 24-bit 96kHz A/D and D/A converters provide uncompromising audio quality.
- 520MHz ARM Superscalar processor
- 32-bit floating point processing
- 20Hz to 20kHz frequency response
- Typical signal to noise ratio: 116dB
- Audio Input Impedance: 1M Ohm
- Audio Output Impedance: 100 Ohm
