The Recording Academy™ announced that the honorees for the Technical Grammy® Award for 2018 are Tony Agnello and Richard Factor of Eventide. Eventide products have had an immeasurable effect on the record-making business over the past 40+ years. From humble beginnings in the basement of New York’s Sound Exchange Studio designing an auto-locator for the Ampex MM1000 tape machine in 1971, their initial commercial products consisted of the Instant Phaser® and the 1745 Digital Delay Line, a 2-channel digital delay line, which was one of the first digital products for broadcast and studio use. This was the early ’70s, remember.
Their groundbreaking product was the H910 Harmonizer® (released in 1974), which allowed stepped digital delay (adjustable in push-button increments of only 7.5ms, 15ms, 30ms, and 60ms, crude by today’s standards) and a revolutionary ability to change pitch in real time — thus beginning the option of tuning vocals and electronic double-tracking in real time in the studio. The appeal of the original 910s is still evident today as the vintage units still grace studio racks, and there’s even an H910 plug-in version now. The follow-up H949 Harmonizer (released in 1977) offered even more power and higher fidelity. In the following decades, Eventide introduced increasingly powerful reverb units, such as the H3000 Ultra-Harmonizer, and dynamics processors, such as the Omnipressor, and debuted a range of guitar effects pedals that have kept them at the forefront of spacial processing.
Eventide’s current product offerings are among the finest on the market today, ranging from the H9000 with 16 DSP engines to the incredibly powerful and sonically diverse H9 Max multi-effects pedal.
We asked Sweetwater staffers to share their opinion about Eventide gear and its impact on their record making and live performances throughout their careers.
The H9 is a permanent fixture in my guitar rig. It’s amazing that Eventide has been and continues to be synonymous with incredible sonic innovation. Well deserved!Don Carr
I’ve used Eventide products since the late 1970s, when my local studio bought an H910. Thirty years later, the H9000 changed the way I mix. The first Eventide box I used got it right — and so has every other Eventide box I’ve used — including the H8000. Those guys just continue to get it right!Dave Martin
I’ve been lusting after Eventide gear since the first time I got to play with an H3000 Ultra-Harmonizer. When the H9 first came out, at first I thought it might not have as much control as I wanted. Then I used one at a jam and knew I had to have one. Now I have three and use them on keyboard synthesizers, guitars, vocals, and now with my Eurorack modular system. It’s amazing how much real-time control is available right from the front panel and an expression pedal.
Daniel Fisher
I’ve been a fan of Eventide gear since the early days. From guitarists Steve Vai and Eddie Van Halen to engineer/producers Tony Visconti (Bowie) and Tony Platt (AC/DC), Eventide products are part of our musical history.
Mitch Gallagher
My favorite doubling effect back in the day. With 1.01 in the readout on my 949 — I hardly ever moved it from this setting.
David Stewart
Eventide and I go all the way back to 1979, at the dawn of the digital era. The Harmonizer 910 was the only game in town when it came to fixing up errant flat or sharp notes on singers. Then came the vastly improved 949. Together they changed the way we made records.
Lynn Fuston
To find out more about Eventide studio processors or guitar pedals, call your Sweetwater Sales Engineer at (800) 222-4700.
