Any plugin effect that can do that Strymon big sky shimmering harmonics type of effect?

[MarkOne]

Question in title really.

I’m after an effect I can use on a DX style ep that creates an ethereal ambience that goes on getting brighter and more shimmery.

Update: ok I’ve spotted that Strymon have a big sky plug in. But it’s $200, which is quite a lot for an effect I might only use once.

[BillB]

Recommended on reputation rather than experience
https://valhalladsp.com/shop/plugins/valhalla-shimmer/

A few folks on here recommend Valhalla reverbs

[The Elf]

Line 6 Helix Native. Just add a pitch shifter ahead of the reverb.

[ore_terra]

Line 6 Helix Native. Just add a pitch shifter ahead of the reverb.

Mmm… isn’t there a shimmer reverb type actually in the HX?

[Zukan]

https://www.eventideaudio.com/plug-ins/shimmerverb/

[The Elf]

Line 6 Helix Native. Just add a pitch shifter ahead of the reverb.

Mmm… isn’t there a shimmer reverb type actually in the HX?

Dunno. I just do it my way.

[MarkOne]

Valhalla and Eventide both look interesting.

@elf. Probably really good. But I refer you to my comment re the price of the Strymon plugin. And the helix is quite a bit more.

[The Elf]

Valhalla and Eventide both look interesting.

@elf. Probably really good. But I refer you to my comment re the price of the Strymon plugin. And the helix is quite a bit more.

Ah, I recall I got mine cheap, because I have the hardware. Sorry!

It's often on a 50% or less offer. Well worth grabbing if it comes around again, as surely it will. It's a complete effects solution. There's a 15 day free trial anyway, even if you're just curious.

[sonics]

Audiority Polaris, Grainspace or XenoVerb. All on sale ATM.
Eventide ShimmerVerb and Blackhole. Both on sale ATM.
Unfiltered Audio SILO or TAILS. Both on sale ATM.
None over $40.

I don't know the Strymon, so I don't know what it does exactly. Lots of great extended reverb styles in those I've listed.
Plenty more out there, including Valhalla, of course.

[Wonks]

But if you've got a pitch shifter and a reverb you like you can try combining them, you don't need Helix to do that.

Or maybe a vibe effect (fully wet chorus).

[Kwackman]

There's also this article on creating it from plug-ins you already may have..

https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques ... rb-effects

[ManFromGlass]

Isn’t there a free Vahalla plug? I have the free and the paid but I don’t recall if the free will get you there, even though there are some cool patches.

[muzines]

Isn’t there a free Vahalla plug? I have the free and the paid but I don’t recall if the free will get you there, even though there are some cool patches.

The free Supermassive doesn't do the shimmer effect, unfortunately.

Personally, I find the shimmer thing, while certainly a unique sound and excellent discovery at the time, nowadays is a bit played out for my tastes, so I generally avoid it. I am a super fan of huge reverb tails though, or frozen ones - we certainly have it good for in the box reverbs these days!

[MarkOne]

Personally, I find the shimmer thing, while certainly a unique sound and excellent discovery at the time, nowadays is a bit played out for my tastes,

This is one reason I didn’t want to throw a lot of money at it, I just think it will suit the quiet start of one song (it’s our cover of Sam Ryder’s Spaceman - please don’t judge )

[The Elf]

But if you've got a pitch shifter and a reverb you like you can try combining them, you don't need Helix to do that.

Of course not, but I'm just offering a one plug-in solution, as requested.

And you could pretty much say that about most effects - a combination of the stock plug-ins we have can likely do 90% of what any specialist plug-in can achieve.

[Wonks]

I don't think there was ever a one plug requirement, just a way to replicate the Strymon shimmer effect.

[MarkOne]

Thanks everybody. You’ve given me several interesting options to go and investigate.

Can I suggest now, in true forum tradition we wander well and truly off topic from here on out

[muzines]

Can I suggest now, in true forum tradition we wander well and truly off topic from here on out

Ah, wandering off down ratholes seems rather less appealing when it's been officially sanctioned by the OP...

[tea for two]

If you would post your Jedi plugins on choice on this ere sticky shure would be a resource to refer to.

https://www.soundonsound.com/forum/view ... hp?t=86705

[Arpangel]

Valhalla SuperMassive, it was free for awhile, does shimmer fine, I prefer it to my Big Sky pedal which is too dull.

[zenguitar]

If you know someone with a Big Sky pedal it might be worth borrowing it and using it to print the effect to a track. It would make sense for a one off like this.

Andy

[muzines]

Valhalla SuperMassive, it was free for awhile, does shimmer fine, I prefer it to my Big Sky pedal which is too dull.

I think you might be misremembering something there...

SuperMassive is still free, and I can't see it has a shimmer algorithm at all - there is zero pitch shifting features at all (which is the core of the shimmer sound). Hence why I said above: "The free Supermassive doesn't do the shimmer effect, unfortunately."

https://valhalladsp.com/shop/reverb/val ... ermassive/

You can see that none of the algorithms listed have an octave-pitchshifter built in.
Valhalla make Shimmerverb (not free) for that sound, they didn't also add it to SuperMassive.

Just for fun, I also asked my good friend ChatGPT. He agreed with me*:

Does the ValhallaDSP plugin SuperMassive do the classic reverb "shimmer" effect?

As of my knowledge cutoff in September 2021, ValhallaDSP's Supermassive plugin does not specifically include a preset or effect labeled as "shimmer." However, Supermassive is a versatile reverb plugin that offers a wide range of creative and ambient reverberation effects. It is possible to achieve shimmer-like sounds by manipulating the various parameters and presets within the plugin.

The Supermassive plugin features different algorithms, modes, and controls that allow users to create unique reverberation textures and atmospheric effects. By experimenting with the decay time, modulation, pitch shifting, and feedback settings, you can potentially create shimmer-like qualities in your reverb soundscapes.

* The only pitch shifting in SuperMassive is subtle modulation/chorusing, which is not suitable to create the "shimmer".

[Drew Stephenson]

I've been using shimmer a bit recently on the current album so I figured I must have a plugin somewhere, turns out it's all been via my NUX Atlantic pedal.
Which I wasn't expecting.

[Arpangel]

I’m sure SM has a shimmer, it’s not a main algorithm but you can taylor it, I have Valhalla Delay that may have been it it’s definitely one or the other. All these shimmers are a pale shade of Eventides, the master shimmer.