Look what daddy got! (Eventide H910)

[Jayy]

This probably doesn't interest a lot of people, but if you are a true gear nerd like me and love the odd character of some of the old school stuff this is pretty cool! I bought it not functioning correctly and it turned out to be beyond my ability to repair (of course) so I sent it for repair and just got it back! It sounds awesome!

This bad boy is going into my stereo slave/re-amp rig I'm using with my Bray 4550. I'm pitching the H910 all over to the right side with a mild detune setting and mixing it in with the dry signal on that side. I'm getting my old school, glitching, whining, detune on baby! My name is Jayy, and I DEFINITELY have a GAS problem!!

 

[Dave L]

A friend of mine has two of those in his studio, they are a bit of an acquired taste compared to the H3000 detune but have some heavy mojo!

I think Mike Landau, patron saint of a lot of these tones, at some point ran only one 949 off to the side much like you´re doing here.

 

[Jayy]

A friend of mine has two of those in his studio, they are a bit of an acquired taste compared to the H3000 detune but have some heavy mojo!

I think Mike Landau, patron saint of a lot of these tones, at some point ran only one 949 off to the side much like you´re doing here.

You're absolutely right. I have an Eclipse and a Pitchfactor and am familiar with the H3000 Micropitch algorithm. I use it all the time and also the H910 and H949 algorithm in the Pitchfactor. They are far cleaner and more Hi Fi sounding than the real H910. A lot of the H910 character is from the analog circuitry and AD/DA converters. Just like the warmer sound of the H3000 Eventides vs. the newer stuff, this thing has that old, grungy, funky mojo and its more unstable and grungier than the H3000 series and later stuff. This thing is about as "old school mojo" as it gets! Its common for the pitch setting to squirm just a little and it has a cool sound with no pitch change or delay or feedback at all engaged and just passing a signal straight through it. It sure has character and personality though!

 

[CP5150]

I think it's super cool!

In an early '80s interview Ed Van Halen said he liked that "clock works" sound. I had no idea what he meant. A ticking noise? Then I was in a used music store around '89 and read the front and it all made sense. I stood there for a minute and schemed a way to get it and use it. I had zero outboard gear and didn't even really know what it was. Now I scheme for ways to buy the H9 to get that sound.

 

[Jayy]

I think it's super cool!

In an early '80s interview Ed Van Halen said he liked that "clock works" sound. I had no idea what he meant. A ticking noise? Then I was in a used music store around '89 and read the front and it all made sense. I stood there for a minute and schemed a way to get it and use it. I had zero outboard gear and didn't even really know what it was. Now I scheme for ways to buy the H9 to get that sound.

Yeah he did the dual H910 thing and then somewhere around 1984 to 5150 album went to the dual H949 thing. Steve Winwood did the dual H910 thing on his vocals back in the day. David Bowie, The Cars, AC/DC on the drums, Led Zeppelin, etc. It's glitch,, has a drop out noise or tick that becomes more frequent and obvious the farther you shift pitch, smeary and funky sounding, etc. It's a different kind of sound for sure.

 

[rottingcorpse]

Total old-school score! Those things were the dogs balls when they first showed up in studios.

 

[Jayy]

Total old-school score! Those things were the dogs balls when they first showed up in studios.

LOL. Yeah, it's still the dogs balls. Greasy, grimy, hairy old dog balls. It doesn't even come close to approaching all of the things modern rack gear does, but it sure has it's own distinct personality. I'm jamming on this thing like crazy right now. It's a cool sound.

 

[reverymike]

Had one years ago. Loved it!

Ended up selling it many years ago after deciding it was just too delicate to lug around in my rack. You have the right setting though -- .99!!!

 

[raiken]

I've always wanted one of those, but never could afford them back in the day...

 

[Jayy]

Had one years ago. Loved it!

Ended up selling it many years ago after deciding it was just too delicate to lug around in my rack. You have the right setting though -- .99!!!

LOL. Yeah, and you know what? .99 ain't just .99. There is a high side of .99 (closer to 1.00 unison) and a lower side of .99 closer to .98 and there is a difference in the sound and amount of pitch shift. There is a sweet spot in .99 that is just enough for mild detune, but not too much or too noticeable like .98 is. lol. It also sounds thicker or has more whine or something the harder you drive the signal into the input. I'm enjoying the shit out of this thing! lol. I wish I could post a video. Mos of what is on youtube is people making sound effects and crazy noises, not using it in a musical or detune sort of way. Maybe I should join youtube and use my iPhone to record a video, but I'm sure the sound quality would suck. I ain't that great of a player either. lol

Want to hear something really crazy? I have a second H910 that I am considering repairing and using it too and doing the "dual H910" thing!

 

[paulyc]

I have an MXR Pitch Transposer that does that (almost) same thing, Carlos Cavazo used one back in the day.

 

[mooncobra]

how old is it?

 

[Jayy]

how old is it?

There is no year on it and Eventide can't trace the serial number to year (or at least they said they couldn't). The best I can tell by the rev# on the boards and the transformer and components its about 1977.

 

[Dave L]

Probably one of the later ones, then, I think the H949 was released in 1977.

 

[Jayy]

Probably one of the later ones, then, I think the H949 was released in 1977.

Yeah maybe so. I know they made the H910 up into the early 80's while they were making the H949 too. I read the very first H949s came out in '77 too. I think the very first H910s hit the market in about '76 or so? Hell, this thing is about as old as I am. I was made in '75. It's sure got a neat sound blended with the dry signal though. I can't believe there is nothing on youtube showing one of these (real, not a plugin) doing the mild detune thing. I need to put something out there, but I'm too self-conscious about my playing.

 

[Dave L]

Yeah, they ran the last D versions of the H3000 alongside the DSP4000 for a couple of years too. I think the H910 might actually have been introduced as early as 1974, but maybe it took some time to get it into production and to market

 

[charvelstrat81]

I like ANYTHING eventide!

 

[Dave L]

Me too, I have a H3000 D/SX and two GTR4000s in my rack now. Simply great FX and not just for the pitch shifter stuff.

 

[Jayy]

Me too, I have a H3000 D/SX and two GTR4000s in my rack now. Simply great FX and not just for the pitch shifter stuff.

That's awesome. Between the H3000 and the GTR4000s which do you prefer? Is the AD/DA conversion different between the 3000 series and the 4000 series? Does either sound warmer, murkier, etc? I've had the chance to play around with the H3500, but not anything in the 4000 series.

 

[Dave L]

Well, they do sound slightly different even when doing the exact same FX - say that classic dual detune thing. The GTR is slightly clearer and brighter but still very close. There is still some conversion funkyness going on, for sure, as expected of a unit basically from the early 90s. I prefer the GTRs for most stuff, but the H3000 has those things that only it can do totally right. I never liked my Eclipse half as much as these three, by the way.

From the DSP7000 onward they are a lot more transparent, for lack of a better word... to me the 4000s are right at the crossroads of classic digital mojo and the modular awesomeness, and they´re not overpowered to the point I´d feel bad about using them as, say, a single chorus FX. It´s really something that the only units that have surpassed the 4000 in the last 25 years are the later Eventides.

Here is a pic of my rack, it really gets out of hand fast with all those 2U units eating up space