Lush. That’s the word I would use to describe the effects produced by the Eventide H9 harmonizer effects pedal. Eventide, of course, is well known for their high-end rackmount studio effects processors. In the past few years, the company has also gained an ardent following for their incredibly powerful stompboxes, which bring the sophistication of the rackmount effects to guitar pedalboards. Now, the H9 from Eventide brings together 100 of Eventide’s greatest stompbox hits – effects from their Mod Factor, Pitch Factor, Time Factor, and Space pedals – into one flexible, powerful unit. Plus, the H9 is open ended. Using an iPad app, you can not only control the H9 wirelessly via Bluetooth, but you can also purchase and download additional effects algorithms. Quite an amazing package!
The H9 is more compact than the other Eventide pedals. It features one main control knob, two footswitches (bypass and tap tempo), and five buttons. This user interface is surprisingly fast and easy, and it allows you to do what you need from the front panel. For in-depth programming, an iPad makes things easier but is not essential. Connections include stereo in and out, an expression pedal input, MIDI In/Out/Thru, and USB for connection to a computer.
All well and good, but when it comes down to it, what matters is the sound, and the H9 delivers. Here’s where that word “lush” comes into play. The H9 delivers the rich, enveloping, 3D sounds you’d expect from Eventide. Delays, mod effects, pitch effects, reverb…the sounds are incredible, particularly with two amps in stereo.
If you’re looking for the ability to load up any of Eventide’s stompbox effects, the H9 makes great sense. With this one pedal, you can carry Eventide’s greatest hits with you to the gig or studio. And if you need a new sound, it’s as fast and easy as downloading it via iPad.
