Eventide H9 Harmonizer Multi-Effects Pedal

More than a simple “stompbox,” the H9 is a “breakthrough” guitar production device on stage as well as in the studio, offers PAR’s Software Editor.

Breaking new ground is never easy, but that’s exactly what Eventide has done with its H9 Harmonizer Multi-Effects Pedal. Incorporating the latest in blue tooth technology, iOS app control and sheer simplicity, this small but powerful floor unit can reproduce the sounds of all of Eventide’s stomp boxes and then some. In this article, I’ll take a look at just what makes this tool of the stage and studio so cool.

H9 Harmonizer Multi-Effects

Features

Knowing that too many knobs and buttons overwhelm most of us, Eventide kept it simple with its H9. The top panel features a six- character LED display, five small buttons, a large rotary Encoder/Switch and a pair of foot switches. For fluidity, the buttons control what the knob does. To load a preset, for example, users may press the Preset button and scroll with the rotary encoder. The preset will automatically load and the title will scroll across the screen.

Knowing that too many knobs and buttons overwhelm most of us, Eventide kept it simple with its H9

The rear panel has nothing but stereo Hi-Z unbalanced inputs and outputs (two each), an expression pedal jack, a jack (12 VDC/4.5 W) for the included power cable, and a mini-USB port. The H9 automatically detects how many outputs are plugged in for mono or stereo operation, and the USB jack plugs into a CPU for full control and software updates. The presets are preprogrammed with expression pedal mappings; it’s nothing but plug and play. There’s also MIDI I/O on the side for MIDI program changes or MIDI clock slaving.

The H9 features comprehensive

Bluetooth capabilities, allowing for full control via iOS device such as an iPad or iPhone. I downloaded the Control Software App, signed up for my Eventide account, paired my H9 and was soon dialing in presets and programs from my iPad. Soon after, the App automatically appeared on my iPhone and I worked from there as well. It was great to be able to quickly tap through presets on my iPhone to audition them, then tweak the settings. Amazing!

You can also download the H9 Control software for Windows or Mac, allowing for desktop pedal integration. Plugging in the mini USB jack, I was able to tweak each preset on GUIs that look like the original pedals themselves. It’s a great way to work.

With so few features on the front panel, you might think it’s hard to dig in. Not at all, actually. The H9 features a variety of ways to access parameters by pressing and holding various combinations of but-tons and switches or by using the X, Y and Z pre-programmed “hot keys.” For example, users can add up to +18 dB of input gain by pressing and holding the left foot switch until “IN+O” appears, then scroll up the gain values. Or, to access the tuner, press and hold both foot switches at the same time, etc.

While the H9 comes with 99 presets from Eventide’s collection of pedals, users can audition and buy new algorithms with a complete set of factory presets for $19.99 each. These are downloaded in seconds and stored in a user’s own H9 account. I purchased some extra Digital Delay sounds from the Time Factor pedal and the payment was processed instantly through Amazon.com Payments. These will be perfect to use on gigs with the H9 in my pedal board.

This review is the first time I’ve learned a piece of gear entirely by watching videos. Eventide’s Adrienne Humblet did a series of 30 short clips (which I watched via YouTube) where she demonstrated the ins and outs of the H9. I literally sat there with the H9 on my desktop (hooked into my Pro Tools rig) and watched all 30 videos in a row. They are quick, easy and very informative. As she demonstrated each feature, I would run through them myself on the unit, sometimes multiple times to drill them into my thick head. Within an hour or so, I had almost a full understanding of how to use the H9.

In Use

As a guitar player, I love this unit. Best described as rich and deep, it delivers superior delay, pitch, modulation and reverb sounds in a small package. As a TV composer and sound designer, I love this box even more. Plugging in anything my Tele, Les Paul, Strat, baritone, cigar box guitar, etc. it delivers pure inspiration with a specialty in ambience. In fact, it was actually hard to do this review because I would immediately compose with whatever presets were dialed in.

The award-winning H9 delivers Eventide's acclaimed sound and can run all of Eventide's stomp box effects

Summary

The H9 is a breakthrough device. With top quality sounds, full wireless Bluetooth and USB desktop control and an expandable palette of sounds, it’s a world-class music-making tool. Its design is intelligent, easy to use, and highly functional. Actually, this box is so deep I wish I had more word count to talk about it. Yes, $499 is not cheap for a pedal. But for what it offers, it’s worth far more.