After years of use, and much side experimentation, when I am consulted as to the most useful multi-effects pedal I unhesitatingly respond “the Eventide H9”.
From reverbs to delays to modulation and even the much-overlooked distortion, compression, and EQ, the H9 has been the pinnacle of guitar pedal technology and every single algorithm is killer. However, the H9 was a victim of its own success: many of us wanted more than one for the perfect experience.
I am pleased to share that Eventide heard our pleas and developed the H90 Harmonizer® Multi-Fx Effects Pedal.
The H90 is essentially two H9s in one unit, coming in slightly smaller than two H9s side-by-side, and with the addition of new algorithms and many new routing options. The possibilities now are truly endless.
If you have previously owned an H9, the Android and iOS app has been replaced by a desktop editor that is accessible as soon as you register your unit at the Eventide website.
Fear not, while the new editor does not share the same format and graphics as the H9 app, it is extremely intuitive to use and you will easily become proficient.
The best part is you can import presets you’ve previously made for the H9 and in some ways it’s much more tweakable and deeper than the previous app.
The H90 Harmonizer is pre-loaded with 63 effect algorithms plus 10 new effect algorithms: Polyphony, Prism Shift, Bouquet Delay, Head Space, WeedWacker, Even-Vibe, Wormhole, Instant Flanger, Instant Phaser, and SP2016 Reverb.
The ten new effects are all outstanding and welcome additions to the family. The Weed Whacker is a superb, highly usable overdrive pedal in the vein of the classic Tube Screamer and the Even-Vibe is a very sexy addition to the modulation family.
Even the Instant Phaser and Instant Flanger are not just rehashes of other effects and lend themselves to very exciting new sonic explorations.
And you never can have enough reverb, can you? Those of us who are familiar with Eventide’s software plugins were very happy to see the SP2016 reverb included here.
Also of note, the polyphonic pitch shifting has been greatly improved with low-latency responsiveness and their proprietary SIFT (Spectral Instantaneous Frequency Tracking).
The real magic in this device of course is combining effects that were never before possible. Word of warning: You may lose a few hours experimenting with all the combinations but believe me, it will be a ton of fun and you’ll probably create a lot of new songs and parts simply through trial and error.
Another great addition with the H90 is the ability to scroll through presets using the onboard footswitches (3 instead of just 2 as with the H9) and each effect in a dual preset can be separated by simply clicking on the select knob so you can turn each effect on and off individually within the right or middle footswitch. Genius!
Other important features are spillover between effects and parallel or series routing of effects. With four input jacks and four outputs, you can internally route your patches in ways never imaginable with an H9.
The H90 operates on 12v power with the included power supply at around 600ma (500ma after power up) but can also be run at 9v though it draws at least 800ma in 9 volt mode. Both my Strymon Zuma and Cioks DC7 power supplies supported the H90 handily in 12v mode.
Eventide has not only improved an industry-best effect pedal but has taken it to a whole new level. It’s like they were listening to our thoughts! (Or reading gear forums???) Yes, it’s pricey but when you consider what you get it’s a steal.
Since I received mine I’ve literally used it on every session and in fact, due to the advanced routing, it can also be used as a mixing board insert in a pro recording session thanks to either instrument or line-level input operation.
There’s nothing not to like here. It’s like having an entire, fully stocked effects closet in one box. Future hardware and software updates are all handled within the Eventide editor.
I know your gear dollars are precious, but I can recommend the H90 wholeheartedly and without reservation. It will be a device you can rely on for years and years to come.
