Strymon Cloudburst Ambient Reverb Pedal

Prior to discovering the Cloudburst, I really had no particular interest in Strymon pedals. Too large, too expensive, too ethereal, and too impractical for the type of reverb pedal I would actually need and consider placing on a pedalboard. But the Cloudburst offers something entirely different. It would be easy to dismiss it as a just a stripped-down version of a single Big Sky algorithm, but that's not the case at all. The Cloudburst actually offers a handful of different reverb types across its simple control layout, and it does a lot more than just "praise & worship" ambient reverb. BUILD QUALITY & CONTROLS: First off, the Cloudburst is surprisingly compact. In pictures, I always assumed it would be a mid-size pedal - something like a Way Huge pedal. In real life, it has the width of BOSS compact pedal, but is actually shorter from footswitch to jacks. Also, it has top-mounted jacks, which allow for even tighter placement on pedalboards, though I will point out that real estate is tight up there with the I/O jacks, another 1/4" jack for external controls, a 9V jack, a mono/stereo switch, and a USB-C jack! Just keep that in mind if you use angled cables that you'll have to be a little creative to get everything to fit properly. The controls are very simple and similar to other reverb pedals. You have MIX knob that changes the amount of effect, a PRE-DELAY that changes when the reverb effect starts to come in, and controls for decay (length of reverberation), and TONE/MOD (modulation) controls. The footswitch is soft kind that started appearing on boutique pedals in the 2010's, and the knobs have a nice resistance to them. Everything feels great and is easy to access and adjust. The pedal itself has metallic blue enclosure, which I believe is aluminum. It's lighter than you'd imagine, but not so light that it will get kicked around. THE SOUNDS: The Cloudburst is based on the Cloud algorithm from Big Sky, and I'll happily disclose that I have never played a Big Sky and cannot compare. However, the development team indicated that the algorithm was redesigned and tweaked for this pedal, and the efforts show. This is not just one type of reverb. With MIX between 12:00 and 2:00 and the DECAY set low, you actually get an excellent room-style reverb. This gets into "hall" territory as you increase DECAY. The fact that they programmed this to also function as a straight, no-frills reverb that is also capable of ambient soundscapes was a major selling point for me. It transforms the pedal from "expensive one-trick novelty" to "useful musical tool". But the ENSEMBLE switch is clearly the differentiating feature of the Cloudburst, and its Strymon doing what they do best. As many reviewers have noted, Cloudburst really isn't a shimmer pedal, even if it can be used in that way. When you flip the mod switch to mP (mezzo piano) or forte, you get increasing amounts of what I would describe as "orchestral", synth-like accompaniment that trails your signal. The reverberated effect does have overtones with higher octaves, but that isn't the prominent feature like it would be with a shimmer pedal. In fact, if you find shimmer pedals too bright or grating, the Cloudburst might be a nice alternative to try out. The DECAY is capable of very long sustain times - I believe they say it is 50 seconds, but whatever it is, it's enough. You can also hook up an external footswitch that works like a "freeze" or "infinite" button. Play a chord, hit the footswitch after the effect comes in, and it will hold it like a beautiful orchestral drone. You can then play over this, but note that the additional notes will not the reverberated effect (unless supplied from another pedal in front of Cloudburst). The freeze effect works, but for a new user like me, there are some quirks to getting the timing right so that you hold the sound as you are intending. I can also confirm that while Strymon wants you to buy their $50 MiniSwitch to use with it, other momentary switches like the BOSS FS-5 do work. CONCLUSION: It's generally wrong to imply that any single piece of gear is a "game-changer", or that it will fundamentally change the way you play your instrument. Cloudburst is just a reverb pedal, but it's such a unique and beautiful approach to that effect that I do find it particularly inspiring. While I got primarily for electric guitar, it EXCELS with acoustic-electrics, and I'm sure could be used with any number of other instruments with great success. Strymon were smart in making a pedal that could be set to do more traditional and subtle types of reverb, in addition to the Cloud ensemble effect, which is truly incredible.

The Strymon Cloudburst is an absolutely stunning ambient reverb pedal that has redefined my approach to creating lush soundscapes. While the gorgeous reverb tails alone are worth the price of entry, what truly sets it apart is the unique Ensemble engine, which dynamically analyzes your playing and generates organic, synthesizer-like harmonic pads that bloom under your guitar signal. This feature turns simple chords into full, evolving, string-section textures that feel incredibly musical and responsive, making it an inspiring tool for songwriting and creating huge sonic depth.

I hesitated to buy this pedal as I felt the ensemble feature has limited application and would become a bit gimmicking if not used sparingly. This is my first high end reverb pedal and it has really surprised me. What surprised me most is the first setting without the ensemble mode. I thought I wouldn't use it, but its a beautiful reverb and I find I use it a lot. The ensemble is great fun and is good for filling out spacious guitar sounds. I play in a 3 piece bass, guitar, drums, and having the ensemble on subtly, can fill out the sound. I am also using it in a dual mono chain, with the Cloudburst going to one amp. This keeps the dry signal much stronger and avoids the effect being too overwhelming. I'm considering looking into MIDI control of the pedal for things like the Freeze setting, switching between the 3 reverb types and the mix level.

I use mine on stage regularly and it is fantastic. Nothing more to say.

My quest for the perfect reverb continues, but this one comes very close. But for the inclusion of some unwanted shimmer in the longest tail, I would rate it 5 stars. Still the best I’ve used so far. If you like latent shimmer, this pedal is a great one.

This pedal has a vast range to it. You can use it as a reverb, Delay or even odd in between sounds. It will take time messing with it to find your sweet spots, but thats the fun part. This pedal makes the guitar sound like water on shimmering glass.

This is my first Strymon product purchase and it has easily taken the top spot on my pedalboard and any pedal/stompbox I have come across or owned. The Ensemble feature is what sold me and blew my mind upon hearing various YouTube reviews and then playing my guitar with it when I finally purchased one. The Cloudburst will be extremely useful for me when playing at smaller churches where it may only be me providing the music. It fills up so much space and it sounds very natural. I would say this is a must-have for those guitar players on praise & worship teams and bands who rely heavily on that ambient reverb sound. When comparing size, it is about the same to any Boss guitar pedal. And the build quality is excellent using lighter-weight metal for the casing. If you want more info on the technical specs and other features, I would check out Strymon's channel on YouTube. Fantastic pedal and sound that is worth every penny, and then some. It is my number one and favorite pedal on my pedalboard. And I'm predicting this will be one of, if not, the top overall guitar pedal/stompbox of 2024!

In all honesty I was hoping for more with this pedal. I received it and plugged into my pedal board and played with all of the features and settings and was severely disappointed. So I will say if you’re looking for bright orchestral sound then look no further this pedal is for you. It’s just not my flavor but others may think it’s the greatest thing ever so I digress.

Lo uso como reverb con bajo. Puedes obtener unos sonidos súper tétricos y atmosféricos activando el modo de ensamble. Combinado con un shimmer hace cosas bellísimas. Es de las mejores inversiones que he hecho.

Beautiful reverb! Sell your other verb peddles!

Pedale spettacolare! L'ho aggiunto alla mia catena di Srymon.

とても綺麗で奥行きのある音が簡単にでます アンビエント系のエフェクターとして一度じっくりと使って頂きたいエフェクター さすがのストライモンです midiで使うと便利です

It's not cheap, but the Cloudburst is my first Strymon pedal and it totally lives up to the excitement that surrounded its release. It's fantastic quality and it really sounds gorgeous! I used it in rehearsal for the first time today, and the band was blown away by the extra dimension it gives to our sound. It offers everything from a small room echo to almost a string section playing in the Grand Canyon (in Ensemble mode) - so it's a fantastically versatile pedal.