Eventide H90 Announced - An Interesting Pedal.

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Too Many Notes
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Apr 26, 2012
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I'm a big fan of Eventide gear, and have been ever since the early '90s, when I got an H3000 for my studio. It was a more lush and natural sounding box than any other digital processor then on the market, including my Lexicon stuff and my TC M5000, which were also expensive boxes I liked and used. But they didn't sound as warm.

When the H9 came out, I wound up buying two. I still use them both. I got one for my son as well; it's a permanent fixture on his board, too, and he's used it on a few records that went gold, both to process guitar signals and in the studio for other things. So, money well-spent.

Why two? Simple. The H9 could only do one effect at a time (but sounds great doing it), plus my pedalboard has an insert patch bay point so I can insert other processors between the two H9s, or run them into two different amps, or use the 4 cable method at the insert point, etc.

Now there's the H90. It has more knobs and a better screen, so there's a lot less guesswork if you want to adjust things without a bluetooth app (I happen to like the bluetooth app, it means no bending over while strapped into a guitar and headphones, etc, but YMMV on that). The bluetooth app for the H990 isn't ready yet but will be part of an update, and there's also a USB C port to program it with a free computer app now.

The H90 seems to be able to do all that my two H9s will do, with only one pedal, it looks easier to program on the fly without an app, can handle two algorithms at once, and it has some new effects programs.

They've also taken the SHARC processor used in their $8,000 H9000 studio processor, and they use the same programming language for it, which they say makes the thing both easier and more flexible to program (it isn't a user thing on the H90 though, as it is on the $8000 box).

The drawback? Well, it's $900. Maybe they shoulda called it the H900...

BUT my two H9s were not cheap either.

I absolutely love my H9s, and they'll stay around, because...well, why not? Used digital pedals are worth bupkis. Might as well hang onto them. But when the bluetooth app is ready, I'll add the H90. Somewhere. Just like I'll add a couple of the new PRS pedals, somewhere. Thing is, I don't want to get rid of any pedals I've already got.

This brings me to getting a second board, which would have to be another Schmidt Array! Yeah, I know, $$, but I like what I like.

My wife is gonna kill me. :eek:

On the other hand, who's afraid of mere death, when there is tone to be had?
 
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I watched Thorn’s demo. Not convinced that I would be getting “that much” more than what I get with two H9s. If I only had one, then I’d be on board. Eh, maybe it’s just the price……
I do dig Eventide delays a lot, they do have their own thing going on for sure. The only digital delays I ever used without that weird sizle - even on bright settings.

I would take one if I would be more creative. I'm bare bones, though and there's nothing I miss from my Volante and a little HoF so I may hold off.

I'm trying to keep potato and mash approach to my rig, so I need all doing H90 like a need a hole in my head
 
Beat me to it, Les. I read about this the other day and was going to post about it and get your thoughts, but we've been out of town for a couple (went to see the National Comedy Center - second time for me, first for my wife - and their new Johnny Carson experience).

Curious about your pedalboard. Since I bought the two PRS pedals, I've given serious thought to putting a board together. I have my G-System, which I still love (but don't use to anywhere near its full capabilities), but the off-board pedals I use, even beyond distortion, have grown, I need to both neaten them up and make usage more logical. The biggest question at the moment is do use this board with the G-System, or do I build it out to replace the G-System and become a more normal all-in-one board. (I know, you can't say that, and I wasn't really asking, just blathering.) And if it's a replacement, what do I get? Oh, the adventures we have...
 
I’ll give you double the bupkis for your H9s, so dive in! It would be worth buying from a dealer you could return it to if you found it either didn’t surpass your current capabilities, or didn’t live up to the quality of the older unit… always a fear of mine when “new and improved” comes along.

If I ever get around to doing another pedalboard, I’ll have to consult with you guys. It’s been a while since my last “from scratch” attempt.
 
I have one H9Max, never got a second one due to my health misadventures…

H90 is intriguing, but maybe I would be better off looking for a used H9 and using my max out ability for a lot less dough…
 
Curious about your pedalboard. Since I bought the two PRS pedals, I've given serious thought to putting a board together. I have my G-System, which I still love (but don't use to anywhere near its full capabilities), but the off-board pedals I use, even beyond distortion, have grown, I need to both neaten them up and make usage more logical. The biggest question at the moment is do use this board with the G-System, or do I build it out to replace the G-System and become a more normal all-in-one board. (I know, you can't say that, and I wasn't really asking, just blathering.) And if it's a replacement, what do I get? Oh, the adventures we have...
Hmmm...a few random thoughts that may or may not apply in your situation:

I'd do some experimentation by putting together a "test board" even if that only means putting stuff together temporarily on the floor or a table, and seeing how it works together. It'll help determine board size and save aggravation down the road.

I'd weed out the inessential stuff, and keep what sounds best and works well in conjunction with the other stuff. Then I'd plan a build around that, getting a board big enough to accommodate an extra couple of pedals if a 'gotta have' comes along later. One nice thing about the Schmidt Array boards is that you can stow a couple of pedals underneath the top shelf, and switch them in and out with a small, simple bypass switcher (doesn't have to be one of those large Gig Rig style things, and the insert point on your G-system might handle that nicely).

The G-System is large, but it has some great sounding modulation and delay effects, and it also has MIDI, so it can be used to control other MIDI pedals, switchers, even amp channels on a few amps. That's pretty cool. It's also got some nice routing features with the insert points. If you sold it, you'd only get pennies on the dollar for it, and to me, the effects it has might be worth having around in spite of its pedalboard real estate requirements. If after doing your "test board" you find you don't need it on the board, you've saved some board size.

I'm thinking seriously about having a second, smaller board I can run in series with my current board, because for me, a medium sized board plus a smaller board is a more flexible thing than one gigantic, heavy board would be. I learned that the hard way in my rack days - one very large, impressive rack was nearly impossible to move, but several smaller racks worked great. You might use your G system off-board that way, depending on whether you need that insert point and the MIDI on the board or not.
 
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Negative. But, I've got some 2x4s and plywood. I could whip something trailer park up for ya.
Aw yeah! I've had some plywood/duct tape boards! Run the pedals on batteries and your good for at least a gig.

Truth be told I do have a small pedal board made of Army MRE cardboard. That is some tough stuff. I've seen it split a bullet in half.
 
I could replace my H9 that I just use as a delay pedal with this!

And just use it as a delay pedal.
Sergio, the H90 has more knobs and stuff to make operating the unit without a tablet, phone or computer a lot easier than the H9, and it's got a far less cryptic display. That might be of interest to players who don't want to bother with an app.

I say this even though I'm happy tweaking the algorithms on my H9s with an app, it eliminates a lot of bending over with a guitar strapped on.

However...

To only use the H9 as a delay pedal is to miss out on a sh!t ton of cool stuff. There are fifty gazillion things the pedal does well, and it's absolutely worth digging into. I realize there's a learning curve, but it's well worth the effort, because most of the algorithms are brilliant, and it sounds great.

It can also be set up to control MIDI effects other MIDI equipped gear; in my case that would include my rack mount amplifier switcher, and the second H9, however, it'll also switch guitar amps that have MIDI capabilities (don't remember if your Mark V has MIDI) as well as other effects so they can be switched with a single switch during live performance.

I use the second H9 that's at the end of my pedalboard chain with the buffer switched on even when the pedal is off, so that I can do long cable runs to my amps without losing high frequencies. The buffer is absolutely transparent, and it really works.

My feeling is that if you already own an H9, you might as well get the most out of it.
 
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