Old school pitch shifting/detune (Eventide H910 content)

Jayy

Jayy

New member
Is anyone else into these old, dinosaur machines besides me? There are tons of more modern and better pitch shifting out there (I have an Eventide H8000FW, Eclipse, and Pitchfactor myself) but I just LOVE the old original H910 machines. They just have a character to them that none of the more modern rack effects can touch. I've been doing the dual H910 thing lately. This is a pic of my slaved and re-amped stereo rig running a head into my Suhr Reactive Load (another awesome piece of hear) and using a mixer to mix in the effects before going out to the Matrix power amp to re-amp everything in stereo. :rock:

gAVD7ayh.jpg
 
Yeah, I love old boxes like that. There is nothing like an Eventide H910 and that's not the only box like that (PCM42, SDD-3000, 2290, and so many more).

Just my opinion, but it seems like they are a lot closer to analog effects in that most of the circuit is analog. It only hits the converters right before and right after the effects. All the mixing, feedback loops, etc., is done in the analog domain. Most rack units these days hit the converter first thing after the input and only come back out right before the output. Not much attention is paid to the analog signal, and back then, most engineers were used to designing analog circuits. I've noticed in the last few years, a lot of pedals (specifically delay pedals) are going back to this format, where the digital part is only used for the effect, and I think, in general, they sound better.

I'm with LP Freak... let's hear it!!
 
Okay, not great playing or anything (I'm not capable of great playing!) but here is a clip with my project plexi I built chasing the old school VH tones. This is straight into the amp into the stereo rig, no boosts, etc. This also one take, no editing, EQ work, no metronome or click track to help me keep time, or anything. I have a hard time playing in front of anyone and as soon as I hit record I play 10 times worse.

It is a video I recorded back in March. I haven't tried to record anything since then. It does show off the H910 on the right side with the dry on the left. There is a little reverb on both sides. I was roughly shooting for the tone on the title track from 5150.

 
Thanks guys. Yeah, the H910 is all over SO much of the old music that so many of us love. It is on guitars, vocals, drums, everything.
 
ChurchHill":3bj083q7 said:
Yeah, I love old boxes like that. There is nothing like an Eventide H910 and that's not the only box like that (PCM42, SDD-3000, 2290, and so many more).

Just my opinion, but it seems like they are a lot closer to analog effects in that most of the circuit is analog. It only hits the converters right before and right after the effects. All the mixing, feedback loops, etc., is done in the analog domain. Most rack units these days hit the converter first thing after the input and only come back out right before the output. Not much attention is paid to the analog signal, and back then, most engineers were used to designing analog circuits. I've noticed in the last few years, a lot of pedals (specifically delay pedals) are going back to this format, where the digital part is only used for the effect, and I think, in general, they sound better.

I'm with LP Freak... let's hear it!!
Click to expand...

You are correct. In the H910 only the delays are digital. Everything else is analog. The H910 was so early in the digital rack effects age that Eventide had to develop their own inputs and outputs to do the AD/DA conversion. That is where a lot of the character of the H910 and H949 comes from. It is full of analog circuitry. The best I can date them (it is hard to be certain since Eventide has no records now of the serial numbers) my two H910s are from 1976 and 1978 based on the markings on their circuit boards. They are glitchy, warm, low fidelity (compared to todays rack equipment) and full of this warm, vibrant whine and depth. It is hard to describe, but it is a sound all it's own.
 
I think it's almost impossible to describe... until you hear it.

The thing with those old Eventides and Lexicons, they weren't cheap when they were new. They were meant for pro studios and they were made with the best components that were available. Just running something through them, even on bypass, sweetens the signal. (I think a lot of this is in the compander circuits they used for noise reduction, or limiters they used to prevent clipping, but not just those things.) They're organic in a way that I haven't heard digital do, yet. Maybe someone will someday, and certainly newer units, like the H8000, H9000, and Bricasti line, do amazing things that were impossible back then, but, IMHO, there is no replacement, or substitute, for the originals.

Probably helps that I grew up on those sounds, too. ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top