Studio & DJ

Strymon Release StarLab, a Singular Modular Reverb for Eurorack

Strymon, a guitar pedal maker, debuted the Magneto delay in the Eurorack world in 2018 and is one of the finest and most versatile modular delay/echo processors available today. They have followed up with the newest member of their Eurorack family, the StarLab Time-Warped Reverberator!

According to Strymon, the goal was to create the greatest quality reverb possible for Eurorack and the Starlab comes with the same DNA as the Magneto, but it focuses on cross-genre reverbs.

The user can select one of three unique reverb textures/flavours. Sparse is built on bouncing individual reflections. With slow attack/legato sounds to produce lush clean textures, whilst staccato notes expose individual echos that are ideal for special effects. Dense is similar to a plate reverb in that it responds quickly, making it suitable for both tiny space ambience or massive cavernous reverbs. The third and last algorithm is Diffuse, which is perhaps the most atmospheric as it creates gradually increasing washes and atmospheric timbres.

While it’s primarily a reverb module, all sorts of extra features appeared during development. Allowing the pre-delay to be routed straight to the output allowed delay, chorus, and flanging effects to appear. Strymon captures the expressive capabilities of Karplus-Strong string synthesis using brief delays, feedback, and filtering, giving it a whole new function as an instrument.

The front panel is divided into parts, with the primary reverb controls located at the top. The Shimmer and Glimmer controls, as well as the time/pitch and feedback controls for the delay and Karplus-Strong instrument, are located in the centre. A low and high pass filter, as well as a multi-shape LFO for internal modulation, are located at the bottom. Everything has an in or out patch point that runs around the module’s perimeter with the design and style similar to the Magento Tape Delay.

We absolutely love reverb in modular, and what we really wanted was for Strymon to do was make the Big Sky pedal into a Eurorack module, which they have done. But it’s more than Big Sky, and it’s capable of a lot more in far more controlled ways.