Regardless of the fact that Eventide themselves have since produced better effects boxes than the H3000 in terms of sonic performance and features set, the H3000 continues to be the one everyone wants. From guitar players to studios, the Eventide H3000 is legendary.
The Eventide H3000 Ultra-Harmonizer is a family of products based around a multi-purpose programmable, digital audio signal processor. The products that make up the H3000 family are:
The Eventide H3000-S (Studio), the Eventide H3000-SE (Special Edition). the Eventide H3000-B (Bandcut), the Eventide H3000-3+. the Eventide H3000-B/LT, the Eventide H3000-D/SX, the Eventide H3000-D/SE, the Eventide H3500-db: and the Eventide H3500-dfic/e. The H3500 models are also available in broadcast versions.
We call them Ultra because they do more than our earlier models. To begin with. they have full stereo pitch change. They also are digital reverbs. And they’re a lot more. The Eventide H3000 is capable of creating effects you’ve never heard before. The Eventide H3000 is fully MIDI controllable, with click less, real-time MIDI control. The Eventide H3000 has all these effects, and more, at your fingertips:
- DIATONIC SHIFT – A pitch shifter that stays in key
- DUAL SHIFT – Two separate pitch shifters
- LAYERED SHIFT – Two pitch shifts from one input
- STEREO SHIFT – Mono-compatible stereo pitch shifting (maintains stereo imaging)
- REVERSE SHIFT – Backwards-talking pitch shift
- SWEPT COMBS – Six sweepable delay lines, with stereo panning
- SWEPT REVERE – A dense reverb with smooth sweep capability
- REVERB FACTORY – A full-featured reverb with EQ and flexible gating
- ULTRA-TAP – Twelve delay taps with full control over panning, level, and delay, includes a diffusor to generate dense gated reverb effects.
- DUAL DIGIPLEX – A stereo delay with smooth delay change
- LONG DIGIPLEX – A 1.5 second delay with smooth delay control
- PATCH FACTORY – A “modular” effects program which lets you design your own effect. “Patch” together delay lines, filters and pitch shifting to create never-heard-before effects.
- STUTTER – Get that st..st..stutter sound – effortlessly
- DENSE ROOM – Our densest reverb, with unique front/back position control
- VOCODER – This is our version of the classic vocoding effect
- MULTI-SHIFT – Two six-octave pitch shifters, two delays, panning and patchable feedback paths make this program incredibly useful.
- BAND DELAY – A multi-tap delay line feeding eight resonant bandpass filters make for some sounds like you’ve never heard.
- STRING MODELLER – This program lets the H3000 double as an extra voice in your MIDI rack
- PHASER – A wonderfully thick, smooth, phase-shifting effect that is hard to beat
- MOD FACTORY – The latest algorithms that add effects such as delay ducking, BPM delays and sweeps, compression, manual flanging, smooth auto panning, audio triggered sweeps and much more
- HS322/395
- SAMPLER – Included in the H3500 – dfx, digitally records up to 11.8 seconds stereo or 23.7 seconds mono audio (47.5 seconds of stereo or 95 seconds of mono audio with the H3500 – dfx/e)
Optimum Performance from the Eventide H3000
To obtain the best performance from your new Eventide H3000 certain operating principles should be applied. Use the “hottest” input levels possible without clipping. A digital gain device is used in the input section which allows front panel control of levels. This device works best when it is “turned all the way up” in other words when it attenuates least.
At the factory, we chose pro levels of +4 dBm, and internal jumpers I through 4 should be in the “+4 position” so that the gain control devices will hardly attenuate. If consumer -10dBm levels are used, the jumpers should be moved accordingly, so that your unit can operate at its optimum, high levels.
For best signal to noise ratio, always set the input level control so that the top bar of the level indicators flashes from time to time. If this results in output levels that are too “hot”, reduce the output levels, not the input! If you are using sensitive inputs (-10dB) you may want to pad the H3000 outputs so that you can operate the output level control near the top of its range and retain its full variation. Suitable attenuator pads are available from stores, or may be constructed with an XLR connector, two resistors, and an appropriate connector.
In order to reduce line noise through cable pickup, an instrumentation amp is used at the input to cancel noise. This is called a “differential input,” and enables the user to mount the H3000 remotely without fear of signal degradation. If you don’t use differential inputs, proper termination of the cable is desirable. For instance, if you only use pin 3 hot of the input XLR connector for signal (the standard), pin 2 should be tied to ground.
The output is differential also and “in-phase” with the input when “dry signal” is selected. If a single ended output is use, leave the unused pin unconnected. The output amp is capable of driving 600-ohm lines up to +21 dBm with negligible distortion.
Normally the H3000 will be rack mounted in a standard 19-inch rack. It is advisable to keep the rack well-ventilated and in a dry environment so heat and moisture won’t cause degradation of performance, Since the EVENTIDE ULTRA HARMONIZER has almost no internal connectors, it should hold up well under “road conditions”.
