Mark two: the rebirth of the Eventide H3000 plug-ins
by Diogo C
1st May 2024
Sponsored by Eventide
Eventide reboots the H3000 Factory and Band Delays plug-ins, gearing them up for the future and keeping alive the Ultra Harmonizer series heritage. Before we dive in to check out what the Mk II versions are all about, it’s worth taking a step back to revisit the history and trajectory behind one of the most iconic effects units of all time.
When effects became Ultra
The 1980s were a prolific period for audio processing: the advent of digital technology in the mid-to-late 1970s blossomed in the decade that followed, with the likes of Lexicon, Yamaha, EMT, Quantec and others pushing the envelope - releasing exciting new products with the latest technical developments. Among these boundary-stretchers was Eventide, and it wouldn’t be far-fetched to say that they were leading the charge with their devices such as the H910 Harmonizer and the SP2016 Reverb.
However, what really cemented their place in history was the release of Model H3000 Ultra Harmonizer, a multi-effect unit first introduced in 1987. It sounded like no other processor - from the H3000 user manual: “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.” It completely surpassed other then-available effects units at that point.
Picture courtesy of Reverb.com
The H3000 would go on to become a studio staple, its distinctive panel becoming a common sight in big facilities, and throughout its decades of honourable service it would gather countless accolades.- “Micro Pitch Shift” immediately comes to mind - as an algorithm, it enjoyed a rare longevity in this category. It was constantly updated with new features and presets, so it stayed fresh and current for much longer than usual. This was also a big boost for the owners of older units who were not locked out of the party and got the most out of these expensive units that retailed for $2495 at the time - roughly $6700 in today’s money!
Given the amount of success it enjoyed, the “Ultra Harmonizer” line would inevitably become Eventide’s top-tier effects processors, with the H3000 being followed by numerous releases throughout the 1990s and 2000s up until the still-current H9000 model, which boasts enormous sound transformation power - and keeps the heritage alive.
The first era of H3000 plug-ins
It should come as no surprise that once plug-ins took over the majority of signal processing duties that the Eventide units would be on top of most people’s list of ‘hardware-to-be-emulated’. After all, the original H3000 was quite an expensive purchase that many could only ever dream of owning, and even those who were fortunate enough to have one also wished for a version that was easier to program - the complexity of which was one of the very few downsides of the originals.
The first H3000 “Factory” plug-in arrived in the DSP-based TDM format for Pro Tools systems in 2005, included in the Anthology Bundle, a collection of Eventide plug-ins that also included the H3000 Band Delays, the Clockworks Legacy Bundle, and two plug-ins (Reverb and Octavox) based on algorithms from the “Orville” edition. Since CPUs of the time were not quite there yet in terms of processing power, it required external PCI cards in order to run and these wouldn’t come cheap - as with the original hardware, users needed to put up a sizable investment to access these algorithms.
The H3000 Factory preserved the essence of what the Ultra Harmonizer series is all about, with eighteen building blocks displayed in an intuitive layout that mimics a modular synth with patch cables. Alongside it we have the Expert tab for accessing the core parameters of a preset and the Function Generator tab for modulation assignments, and all these control panels finally enabled the Ultra Harmonizer to be more easily operated via a graphical user interface that, despite being complex on its own, was still much more approachable than the original rack hardware.
The plug-in presented many of the presets and algorithms that made the H3000 so desirable, and the sound quality was very similar to the hardware. The Band Delays algorithm was split into a separate plug-in - aptly called ‘H3000 Band Delays’, and just like the Factory plug-in it came with a modern GUI that greatly facilitated its use.
Thankfully, in relative terms it didn’t take long until modern computers were able to run a digital audio workstation with multiple plug-ins without the need for expensive accelerator cards, so in 2009 Eventide updated the Anthology Bundle and the H3000 finally arrived for all Mac and Windows computers on all popular native formats: VST, Audio Unit, RTAS, and later AAX. As great as they were, these plug-ins were coded at a time when resources were good enough to host a fully native music production system but still not quite advanced enough to faithfully recreate the magic of the hardware units - coupled with the ageing graphics from the days when 720p was the norm for displays, and the need for full plug-in reconstruction became quite evident. It was time to gear up the native H3000 once again.
The H3000 Factory reborn
The H3000 Factory Mk II brings the classic unit up to current standards, with updated modelling of the original algorithms, a complete makeover for the interface that includes size scaling from 75 to 150%, and an improved preset menu that includes many of the original presets from the 1980s, which are now more accurate than ever before thanks to brand new code running under the hood.
The Mark II version also features something completely new, which is the emulation of the input and output stages of the hardware, including its famed analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters, which many engineers consider to be an essential part of the H3000’s distinctive sound character. The analog circuit on the original units was designed by none other than the legendary Dave Derr, who worked at Eventide at the time and went on to design the iconic Empirical Labs Distressor. Thanks to this new update we can now enjoy the sound of the hardware in its full glory. Speaking of authenticity, the user manual from 1987 states that it “works best when it is "turned all the way up" - in other words when it attenuates least”, so that’s something to keep in mind when using this new software version - run it as close as possible to the clipping point at 0dB - thankfully it provides input/output so this is easily achieved!
The familiar layout of the plug-in remains unchanged, so users of the Mark I version will feel right at home on Mark II. New users will also have a much easier time with their learning curve being greatly facilitated by the reworked GUI, and overall the Mark II provides a much better opportunity for everyone to experience one of the most coveted effects units of all time. Even better, the new Mark II doesn't use any more CPU than the previous version, and the resources it needs are super modest by today’s standards, allowing for multiple instances to be easily loaded - even when working at higher sample rates.
The included algorithms are also the same as the previous version and based on eighteen effects blocks that can be freely patched and ordered in the “Program” tab, with two pitch shifters, two multi-mode resonant filters, two sweepable delay lines and two signal mixers. Modulations are provided by many different sources including two multi-shape LFOs, noise generator, sidechain input, MIDI control, two amplitude modulators and envelope followers that when combined with the Function Generator makes for a true effects sandbox. The huge diversity of effects that this plug-in can achieve is on display with the bundled presets, which includes many options for delays, pitch shifting, modulated filtering, panning, stereo widening, distortion, dynamics, sound design, and much more.
Band Delays Mk II
The Band Delays plug-in also received the “Mark II” treatment, and the improvements made in the H3000 Factory trickled down to it: the meticulous algorithm recreation, reworked interface with size scaling and improved presets are all available here, along with the iconic Eventide sound, which is now more closed matched to the hardware thanks to the included AD/DA conversion and input stage modelling.
Band Delays Mk II provides eight delay bands with individual controls for timings, level, panning, filter type, frequency, and resonance, making it a powerhouse that greatly rewards creativity. It’s not only excellent for music but also highly useful as a sound design tool - a ‘no-brainer’ for modulated sweeps, panned delays with precise frequency filtering and sonic experiments in general - not to mention it’s also perfect as a filter bank for deep tonal shaping with its’ vast stereo capabilities
Algorithms and Presets: know the difference
We have talked a lot about presets and algorithms, so it’s important to describe the difference between the two - here's an excellent excerpt from the H9 user manual: “Each algorithm employs a unique signal processing structure to achieve its effect and each algorithm has a unique set of control parameters associated with it“. Think of the patched blocks on the H3000 Factory or the Band Delays plug-in in itself - those are “algorithms”. As for presets, they are configurations made within the plug-in, so by consequence all presets all have an algorithm within them, and by extent, each algorithm can be present on multiple presets. This handy Eventide H3000 Algorithm and Preset Online Chart presents this perfectly, and it’s a very useful guide for many of the presets included in the Mk II plug-ins.
The new era of the H3000 starts now
The H3000 Factory Mk II and H3000 Band Delays Mk II plug-ins are now available for Mac and Windows computers on the VST, AU and AAX formats. The H3000 Factory Mk II is priced at $199 (USD, MSRP) and the H3000 Band Delays Mk II is priced at $149 (USD, MSRP), with crossgrade options from the previous versions available for $99 and $69 respectively. A 30-day demo is now available at Eventide’s website, make sure to check it out!
For more information and to try/buy, visit www.eventide.com.
Watch our overview and demo video:
Eventide reboots the H3000 Factory and Band Delays plug-ins, gearing them up for the future and keeping alive the Ultra Harmonizer series heritage. Before we dive in to check out what the Mk II versions are all about, it’s worth taking a step back to revisit the history and trajectory behind one of the most iconic effects units of all time.
When effects became Ultra
The 1980s were a prolific period for audio processing: the advent of digital technology in the mid-to-late 1970s blossomed in the decade that followed, with the likes of Lexicon, Yamaha, EMT, Quantec and others pushing the envelope - releasing exciting new products with the latest technical developments. Among these boundary-stretchers was Eventide, and it wouldn’t be far-fetched to say that they were leading the charge with their devices such as the H910 Harmonizer and the SP2016 Reverb.
However, what really cemented their place in history was the release of Model H3000 Ultra Harmonizer, a multi-effect unit first introduced in 1987. It sounded like no other processor - from the H3000 user manual: “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.” It completely surpassed other then-available effects units at that point.
Picture courtesy of Reverb.com
The H3000 would go on to become a studio staple, its distinctive panel becoming a common sight in big facilities, and throughout its decades of honourable service it would gather countless accolades.- “Micro Pitch Shift” immediately comes to mind - as an algorithm, it enjoyed a rare longevity in this category. It was constantly updated with new features and presets, so it stayed fresh and current for much longer than usual. This was also a big boost for the owners of older units who were not locked out of the party and got the most out of these expensive units that retailed for $2495 at the time - roughly $6700 in today’s money!
Given the amount of success it enjoyed, the “Ultra Harmonizer” line would inevitably become Eventide’s top-tier effects processors, with the H3000 being followed by numerous releases throughout the 1990s and 2000s up until the still-current H9000 model, which boasts enormous sound transformation power - and keeps the heritage alive.
The first era of H3000 plug-ins
It should come as no surprise that once plug-ins took over the majority of signal processing duties that the Eventide units would be on top of most people’s list of ‘hardware-to-be-emulated’. After all, the original H3000 was quite an expensive purchase that many could only ever dream of owning, and even those who were fortunate enough to have one also wished for a version that was easier to program - the complexity of which was one of the very few downsides of the originals.
The H3000 Factory preserved the essence of what the Ultra Harmonizer series is all about, with eighteen building blocks displayed in an intuitive layout that mimics a modular synth with patch cables. Alongside it we have the Expert tab for accessing the core parameters of a preset and the Function Generator tab for modulation assignments, and all these control panels finally enabled the Ultra Harmonizer to be more easily operated via a graphical user interface that, despite being complex on its own, was still much more approachable than the original rack hardware.
The plug-in presented many of the presets and algorithms that made the H3000 so desirable, and the sound quality was very similar to the hardware. The Band Delays algorithm was split into a separate plug-in - aptly called ‘H3000 Band Delays’, and just like the Factory plug-in it came with a modern GUI that greatly facilitated its use.
Thankfully, in relative terms it didn’t take long until modern computers were able to run a digital audio workstation with multiple plug-ins without the need for expensive accelerator cards, so in 2009 Eventide updated the Anthology Bundle and the H3000 finally arrived for all Mac and Windows computers on all popular native formats: VST, Audio Unit, RTAS, and later AAX. As great as they were, these plug-ins were coded at a time when resources were good enough to host a fully native music production system but still not quite advanced enough to faithfully recreate the magic of the hardware units - coupled with the ageing graphics from the days when 720p was the norm for displays, and the need for full plug-in reconstruction became quite evident. It was time to gear up the native H3000 once again.
The H3000 Factory reborn
The H3000 Factory Mk II brings the classic unit up to current standards, with updated modelling of the original algorithms, a complete makeover for the interface that includes size scaling from 75 to 150%, and an improved preset menu that includes many of the original presets from the 1980s, which are now more accurate than ever before thanks to brand new code running under the hood.
The Eventide H3000 Factory Mk II plug-in interface
The familiar layout of the plug-in remains unchanged, so users of the Mark I version will feel right at home on Mark II. New users will also have a much easier time with their learning curve being greatly facilitated by the reworked GUI, and overall the Mark II provides a much better opportunity for everyone to experience one of the most coveted effects units of all time. Even better, the new Mark II doesn't use any more CPU than the previous version, and the resources it needs are super modest by today’s standards, allowing for multiple instances to be easily loaded - even when working at higher sample rates.
The “Program” tab on the H3000 Factory MkII
Band Delays Mk II
The Band Delays plug-in also received the “Mark II” treatment, and the improvements made in the H3000 Factory trickled down to it: the meticulous algorithm recreation, reworked interface with size scaling and improved presets are all available here, along with the iconic Eventide sound, which is now more closed matched to the hardware thanks to the included AD/DA conversion and input stage modelling.
The H3000 Band Delays Mk II plug-in interface
Algorithms and Presets: know the difference
We have talked a lot about presets and algorithms, so it’s important to describe the difference between the two - here's an excellent excerpt from the H9 user manual: “Each algorithm employs a unique signal processing structure to achieve its effect and each algorithm has a unique set of control parameters associated with it“. Think of the patched blocks on the H3000 Factory or the Band Delays plug-in in itself - those are “algorithms”. As for presets, they are configurations made within the plug-in, so by consequence all presets all have an algorithm within them, and by extent, each algorithm can be present on multiple presets. This handy Eventide H3000 Algorithm and Preset Online Chart presents this perfectly, and it’s a very useful guide for many of the presets included in the Mk II plug-ins.
The new era of the H3000 starts now
The H3000 Factory Mk II and H3000 Band Delays Mk II plug-ins are now available for Mac and Windows computers on the VST, AU and AAX formats. The H3000 Factory Mk II is priced at $199 (USD, MSRP) and the H3000 Band Delays Mk II is priced at $149 (USD, MSRP), with crossgrade options from the previous versions available for $99 and $69 respectively. A 30-day demo is now available at Eventide’s website, make sure to check it out!
For more information and to try/buy, visit www.eventide.com.
Watch our overview and demo video:
