Eventide H90 Harmonizer review

Of all the Eventide pedals, the one most likely to be found on pro ’boards is the H9, a twin-footswitch pedal offering the brand’s ‘greatest hits’ of effects, with classy studio-quality reverb, delay, modulation and pitch-shifting. 

While it’s a potent asset for any pedalboard, the H9 only offers one effect at a time. Enter the H90: a triple-footswitch pedal that allows you to use two algorithms at the same time in either series or parallel.

The H90 has pretty comprehensive connectivity allowing various mono and stereo modes of operation, as well as insert points to add other pedals that can be positioned anywhere in the signal chain. 

It comes equipped with 62 effect algorithms: new enhanced versions of all 52 from the H9 Max, plus 10 new ones (Polyphony, Prism Shift, Bouquet Delay, Head Space, WeedWacker, Even-Vibe, Wormhole, Instant Flanger, Instant Phaser and SP2016 Reverb).

The Programs onboard feature two algorithms and there’s loads of tweakability to perfect the sounds you need. Everything can be comfortably edited from the front panel, but you also get a computer-based editor (H90 Control software), which really makes short work of setting up the pedal to your requirements. 

The three footswitches offer a plethora of flexible switching options and there’s also the possibility of adding external footswitches and expression pedals, as well as comprehensive MIDI control.

The sounds here are excellent and the new ones complement the original 52 algorithms perfectly. For example, Instant Phaser take us back to the company’s first early ’70s rackmount units, Polyphony utilises Eventide’s Spectral Instantaneous Frequency Tracking technology and offers solid polyphonic pitch shifting, and WeedWacker delivers authentic Tube Screamer-like drive.

While you can use two algorithms in a Program completely individually, being able to combine them opens up a whole new world of possibilities, clearly illustrated by the onboard factory Programs that cover a wide spectrum – be that conventional drive and delay combinations, modulated pitched harmonies or huge shifting ambiences interlaced with crystalline shimmer.

Specs

• PRICE: $899 / £999
• ORIGIN: China
• TYPE: Multi-effects pedal
• FEATURES: Relay or DSP bypass, 62 effect algorithms, instrument or line-level inputs, tuner, tap tempo, spillover between programs
• CONTROLS: Select, Perform, Program, Routing, Presets, Parameters, 3x soft knobs, Bypass footswitch, footswitch A, footswitch B
• CONNECTIONS: Standard input (1, 2, 3, 4), standard output (1, 2, 3, 4), EXP/CTL (1, 2), USB, MIDI In, MIDI Out/Thru
• POWER: 9-12V DC adaptor (supplied)
• DIMENSIONS: 170 (w) x 135 (d) x 70mm (h) 
• CONTACTS: Eventide Audio