Strymon StarLab Time-Warped Reverberator Effects Module

Expand the sound of your modular rack with incredibly lush, ethereal reverbs. Enhance signals with gorgeous chorus, flanging and modulated delays. Create uniquely expressive synth voices with Karplus-Strong string synthesis. Turn simple mono audio signals into vast stereo soundscapes. Strymon StarLab is a single module that will completely transform your modular rack.

• Three selectable reverb types for a wide variety of ambient textures
• Delay/Karplus section with feedback
• Delay assignable to output for mod/verb and delay/verb effects
• Four-octave Karplus-Strong string synthesis mode with damping control for string/verb full voice capability
• LFO section with various waveforms to modulate delay time, reverb size or tone filters
• Filter section to sculpt the high and low EQ of the reverb and Delay/Karplus section
• Harmonics section to enhance the aural spectrum of the reverb
• Adjustable Shimmer for adding pitch shifting of up to +/- 1 octave to the reverb and Glimmer for dynamic enhancement of harmonics
• Adjustable reverb core size to increase or decrease the space for reflections, allowing for pitch control of the regenerating reverb content
• 4-pole 24dB/octave variable resonance low pass filter
• Infinite toggle freezes the input audio prior to the reverb tank
• Access to four presets from the front panel
• Rear USB jack for firmware updates
• Analog dry path for a zero latency dry signal that is never converted to digital
• Ultra low noise, high performance 24-bit 96kHz A/D and D/A converters provide uncompromising audio quality

Singular modular reverb

From perfectly voiced room ambience to vast, immersive, nearly infinite decays, StarLab offers the pinnacle of premium reverb sounds with unparalleled depth and spaciousness. Add musical intervals to the reverb signal with Shimmer and enhance the harmonic spectrum with Glimmer while enjoying realtime control over the size/pitch of the reverb process.

Modulation and delay effects

StarLab has vastly expanded what reverb pre-delay can do by allowing you to bus the pre-delay signal to the output while making pre-delay time a modulation target, giving you the ability to create rich choruses, sweeping flanger effects and beautiful modulated delays while also processing signal through the reverb.

Karplus-Strong string synthesis

In addition to input signal processing, StarLab is a powerful Karplus-Strong string synthesis voice module that allows freely alternating bowing and plucking as well as dynamic string damping. This results in an astoundingly expressive and lifelike instrument with a unique voice all its own that can be enhanced and expanded by the full range of StarLab's reverb capabilities.

Intuitive creation station

From patch creation to live performance, StarLab's powerful features are easily accessible at the turn of a knob or the touch of a button. With no menus to wade through, StarLab's interface is designed for intuitive hands-on sonic exploration: every function and control works together to respond musically and smoothly.

Inspiration: what is StarLab?

Development for StarLab began with one goal in mind: to provide the highest quality reverb possible for modular systems, perfectly tuned for immersive electronic soundscapes with a high degree of flexibility and creative control. The seemingly simple idea of allowing the pre-delay signal to be fed directly to the module's output led to the development of rich sounding delay, chorus and flanger effects, all of which can be used together with or independent of the reverb. With the addition of Karplus-Strong string synthesis, all this ultimately resulted in the creation of a module that is equal parts reverb, delay/modulation and playable instrument.

Texture: choose your character

StarLab gives you three distinct reverb textures to choose from: Sparse, Dense and Diffuse. Sparse reverb creates reflections that are far enough apart from each other to be audibly distinct. Dense is an immediate-response reverb with a smooth sound field featuring sonic characteristics similar to a plate. Diffuse reverb creates a slow-building atmospheric wash that excels at ambient, swell and even reverse-like textures.

Delay: over and over again

StarLab's Delay section is actually a vastly expanded reverb pre-delay. When used as a reverb pre-delay, delay feedback is still available, allowing for the creation of even longer reverb decays, while the ability to modulate the pre-delay time allows even further creative possibilities. Press the Echo On button and you can create a wide variety of classic delay and delay-reverb effects. Echoes can be synced to external clock with the Delay/Tune knob acting as a clock multiplier/divider for echo repeats.

Modular modulation

StarLab provides a wide range of modulation effects to add fatness and movement to your sound, all available on their own or in addition to StarLab's reverb. The short-delay portion of the Delay/Tune knob is tapered to make it easy to dial in a variety of rich chorus and swirling flanger effects when modulated by StarLab's internal LFO. Use the dedicated Feedback knob to add resonance and musical harmonic sweeps to flanger effects. Make your oscillators sound huge with lush, shimmering organic chorus. Set the dry level to minimum for classic vibrato effects.

LFO: moving targets

StarLab's LFO features triangle, square, ramp, saw, random and envelope waveforms that can be used to modulate your choice of three targets. Send the LFO signal to the delay section for modulated echo effects or for modulated pre-delay signal within the reverb. Send the LFO signal to modulate the Size/Pitch of the reverb core for effects ranging from mild to wild and even on to music-generating. Or send the LFO to the filter for a variety of effects. In Karplus-Strong mode, modulating the High Damp parameter creates lifelike dynamic string damping.

Karplus-Strong: dynamic string synthesis

In Karplus-Strong mode, StarLab becomes a delay-based CV-tunable monophonic string synthesis voice module with a uniquely musical character. This string voice can be processed through StarLab's reverb to create a mesmerizing variety of sounds. It is also possible to feed an input into the Karplus-Strong circuit and vibrate the string with an external drum sound or other audio signal to create tuned resonances and interesting evolving harmonics.

Size/Pitch: expanding universe reverb

StarLab opens up a universe of possibilities by using a variable rate process to expand and contract the reverb core size. This changes the reflection density and response of the reverb while retaining the integrity of the audio within the reverb. The result is a reverberated signal that can be transposed, pitch modulated and creatively tweaked for an endless variety of sonic characters and hypnotic soundscapes.

Shimmer: sonically beautiful reverb repitching

Inspired by the classic shimmer effects pioneered in the '80s using digital reverbs and pitch shifters, StarLab's Shimmer voice is carefully created from the reverberated signal itself to generate maximum radiance and beauty. Call forth deep, low ambient string sections with the octave down setting or spacey ethereal textures with octave up. The Shimmer processing can be applied at the reverb input only or can regenerate within the reverb core for ever-ascending or -descending pitches as the reverb decays.

Glimmer: harmonics in motion

Glimmer creates an enhanced harmonic spectrum using an optimally tuned dynamic resonant network, resulting in mysterious shifting harmonic textures. Press the High Band button to accentuate higher frequency harmonics, creating a washy, dreamy, ambient top end.

Input gain: all gain, no loss

Input Gain controls the gain of the input signal fed to the reverb structure using a soft clipping input stage. This gives you the ability to add pleasing musical harmonic distortion to the signal being processed by the reverb. A post gain signal level LED continuously indicates strength from clean (green) to heavy soft clipping (red).

Filter: harmonic sculpting machine

StarLab's filter section is designed for intuitive, musical sound-sculpting of both the reverb signal and the Karplus-Strong string synthesis voice. Low Damp is a powerful sound shaper for the reverberated signal. High Damp removes high frequency content from the regenerating reverb structure. Press the Low Pass button and the High Damp function changes to a beautifully tuned classic 24dB/octave low pass filter applied at the output of the reverb. The low pass filter has adjustable resonance for dramatic filter sweeps.

Infinite: suspended animation

StarLab's Infinite button freezes the audio at the input to the reverb core, while any new audio can still be processed by the reverb on top of the frozen audio. Not only does this allow you to create a lush ambient bed for your other sounds to play over, it can be repitched to transform StarLab into a CV tunable synth voice quantizable to 15 built-in scales. In Quantize mode, the scale selection quantizes the Size/Pitch knob as well as the LFO (with Pitch as target), while the CV input is quantized to half-steps.

Module controls

• SIZE/PITCH knob: Changes the process rate and size of the reverb structure while maintaining the integrity of the reverb audio.
• DRY knob: Sets the level of unprocessed input signal sent to the output.
• WET knob: Sets the overall reverberated signal level sent to the output.
• INPUT GAIN knob: Controls the gain of the input signal fed to the reverb structure through a soft clipping input stage.
• DECAY knob: Adjusts the amount of time for the reverb to fade out.
• INFINITE (PITCH QUANTIZE) button: Holds the current audio input to the reverb while allowing new audio to continue being processed by the reverb. Press and hold for 2 seconds to enter Pitch Quantize mode.
• FAVORITE (SAVE) button: Recalls the currently selected Favorite preset.
• TEXTURE switch: Selects Sparse, Dense or Diffuse reverb structures.
• SHIMMER knob: Adds pitch shifting to the reverberated signal. Secondary function to select the interval of the pitch shifting effect.
• REGEN button: Selects regenerative shimmer, which applies pitch shifting within the reverb structure, or input shimmer, which applies pitch shifting at the input before the reverb structure.
• GLIMMER knob:/ HIGH BAND knob: Glimmer dynamically enhances aspects of the input signal's harmonic spectrum.
• HIGH BAND button: Selects between the high band or low band harmonics to be enhanced by the glimmer effect.
• FEEDBACK knob: Applies regeneration to the delay, resulting in more repeats with longer delays or more resonance with shorter delays. In KarplusStrong mode, affects string decay and structure resonance.
• ECHO ON button: Busses the delay output to the web output to mix with the reverb signal.
• DELAY/TUNE knob: In delay mode, applies pre-delay from 0 to 1.5 seconds max. When Tap/Trig clock CV input is detected, acts as a clock mult/div.
• TAP/TRIG button: Allows the delay time to be set by tapping in a tempo.
• LOW DAMP knob: Removes low end content both at the output and in the regenerating core portion of the reverb as the knob is turned clockwise. In Karplus-Strong mode, removes low frequency content of the string.
• HIGH DAMP knob: Removes high frequency content from the regenerating reverb structure as the knob is turned clockwise. In Karplus-Strong mode, dampens the high end harmonics as the string decays.
• LOW PASS button: : Changes High Damp function to a 24dB/octave low pass filter applied at the output of the reverb. To adjust the resonance (Q) of the low pass filter, press and hold the Low Pass button and turn the High Damp knob.
• LFO TARGET switch: Selects the parameter that will be modified by the LFO. Delay modulates the delay time; in Karplus-Strong mode, the tuning of the string is modulated. Pitch modulates the Size/Pitch setting of the reverb. Filter modulates the filter cutoff frequency.
• SPEED knob: Controls the period of the LFO waveform from 15 seconds to 1/15th second (15Hz). When Envelope is the selected shape, controls the decay rate of the envelope. When LFO CLK IN CV is detected, acts as a clock divider/multiplier.
• SHAPE knob: Selects from six different waveshapes for the LFO, including triangle, square, ramp, saw, random and envelope, which responds to input dynamics with the input sensitivity set by the Depth knob.
• DEPTH knob: With the exception of the Envelope shape, adjusts the amount of modulation.

Patch points

• LEFT IN / RIGHT IN audio inputs: Left and right audio inputs. Use LEFT IN for mono input.
• LEFT OUT / RIGHT OUT audio outputs: Left and right audio outputs. Use LEFT OUT for mono output.
• INFINITE CV input: Engages the infinite effect to hold the input signal going into the reverb.
• IN GATE CV input: Gates the input to the reverb when CV is high. In Karplus-Strong mode, continuously excites or 'bows' the string in latching or momentary operation.
• FAVORITE CV input: Toggles between the physical knob/switch settings of the module and the selected Favorite preset setting on rising edge.
• SHIMMER CV input: Sets shimmer gain. Knob position acts as an offset.
• INTERVAL CV input: Sets pitch interval for shimmer, quantized to 1/2 steps over ±1 octave range.
• HIGH DAMP CV input: Affects the wet signal high end filtering. Positive voltage opens filter. Knob position acts as an offset.
• GLIMMER CV input: Sets glimmer gain. Knob position acts as offset.
• LFO CLK IN gate input: Sets the LFO speed to sync with phase-alignment to the clock input. SPEED knob acts as clock div/mult.
• SPEED CV input: Sets LFO speed. Knob position acts as offset.
• DEPTH CV input: Sets LFO depth. Knob position acts as offset.
• EXT LFO IN CV input: External LFO input. DEPTH knob acts as attenuverter.
• TAP/TRIG gate input: Sets the delay time with clock CV input. DELAY/TUNE knob acts as clock mult/div. Clock min 25ms, clock max 3s. In Karplus-Strong mode, triggers or 'plucks' the string on rising edge transition.
• ECHO ON CV input: Busses delay output to the WET output to mix with the reverb signal.
• FEEDBACK CV input: Affects delay feedback or Karplus-Strong string decay/resonance. Knob position acts as offset.
• CLEAR gate input: Clears audio data from reverb buffer when rising edge detected.
• DECAY CV input: Affects reverb decay length. Knob position acts as offset.
• WET CV input: Affects wet output signal level. Knob position acts as offset.
• SIZE/PITCH CV input: 1V/octave 0V = no size/pitch change. -2V = 2 octaves down. +2V = 2 octaves up. SIZE/PITCH knob acts as offset. In Karplus-Strong mode, tunes string to a range of 4 octaves over 4V at 1V/octave. DELAY/TUNE knob acts as fine tune control over 1 octave range.

Physical specifications

• Size: 28hp
• Module depth: 41mm
• Power usage: 210mA @ +12V, 210mA @ -12V