Eventide H949 Dual Plugin Harmonizer User Guide
- June 5, 2024
- Eventide
Table of Contents
User Guide
H949
Welcome
H949 Single Harmonizer®
H949 Dual Harmonizer®
1.1 About This Product
Thank you for your purchase of the Eventide H949 Harmonizer® plug-in. The
productrecreated in this plug-in was among the first introduced by Eventide,
and among the world’s first commercially available professional recording
products. For over 40 years, innovative products like these have made Eventide
an industry leader, and we are extremely proud that they continue to be in
demand today. This package includes a stunning recreation of the H949
Harmonizer®, as well as a Dual H949 version, which recreates the popular
technique of running two H949 units in parallel to create lush doubling and
other interesting effects.
We’ll get into more depth on the product soon but, before you forget, please take a few minutes to register online. This helps us keep you informed of any important software updates, and any special offers that may only be available to registered users.
H949 Harmonizer®
Production Dates: 1977 – 1984
The Eventide Clockworks H949, which debuted shortly after the H910, was the
world’s first ”de-glitched” Harmonizer® product – and may even have been the
world’s first multi-effect audio product. It not only offered 3 octaves of
pitch change but also featured Micro and Random pitch, Delay only, Flange, and
unique Reverse modes. When used
with a tape recorder, it also made time expansion and compression possible for
the first time ever.
All of the original features and sound are recreated here. Spend some time
with the controls, and you will find a wide range of sound effects can be
created using the few front panel controls. Also, be sure to audition the two
pitch algorithms provided for the variety of sources you may feed into it.
The original H949 hardware unit featured two outputs – the Main Output, which
passed the affected signal, and a Delay Only Output, which passed a delayed
(but otherwise non-affected) signal. These are recreated in the plugin, with
the level of each controlled by the Main Level and Delay Level knobs.
2.1 H949 Single Harmonizer® Controls
Main H949 Panel
Line
When the Line control is IN the unit is actively processing audio; when it is
OUT the unit is bypassed and passes audio directly from input to output.
Input Level
This is used to set the optimum operating level for the system. The knob acts
as a conventional volume control. Five-level indicators provide visual cues as
to the actual level of the incoming signal. In normal operation, the yellow
PRESENT LED indicates that a low-level signal (-60dBfs) is being applied to
the input. The 3 green NORMAL LEDs illuminate in sequence (-12 dBfs, -6dBfs,
-3dBfs) to indicate a minimal driving signal and increasing levels within the
normal range. The red LIMIT LED lights within 0.5 dBfs of clipping. Note that
all of these indicators are peak-responsive and will light on ”peaky” material
even if the average signal level is quite low. The ideal setting will drive
all of the green LEDs, with no flashes of the red LED. Note that the level
indicators are after the feedback, i.e. they measure Input + Main Feedback +
Delay Only Feedback, to indicate any digital clipping at the pitch shifter
input.
Repeat
This locking pushbutton is used to capture and repeat audio segments. Pressing
it captures the last 400 ms of audio and recirculates it until Repeat is
pressed again.
Remember that pressing Repeat captures the signal content of the current
memory buffer.
**** If you are listening to a delayed output, part or all of the segment
heard immediately before pressing Repeat may be lost. To avoid this, monitor
either the input signal or a non-delayed output when attempting to capture
precise segments.
Feedback
The Feedback controls route a portion of the output signal back to the input.
The output of these controls is mixed with the input signal but is independent
of the gain adjustment provided by Input Level. Gains are normalized so that,
with EQ controls approximately centered, the feedback level varies from 0 to
100% (loop gain of unity or ”infinite” sustain) as the Level knobs are
advanced from OFF to MAX.
MAIN LEVEL — adjusts the feedback from the Main Output to the input.
DLY ONLY — adjusts the feedback from the Delay Only Output to the input.
LOW EQ — adjusts the relative level of bass frequencies present in the
feedback mix. When the knob is turned counterclockwise, lows are cut; when
turned clockwise, lows are boosted.
HIGH EQ — adjusts the relative level of high frequencies present in the
feedback mix. When the knob is turned counterclockwise, and boosting them when
the knob is turned clockwise.
When both EQ knobs are centered, the frequency response of the feedback chain
is approximately flat.
Delay Only Output Controls the delay time of the Delay Only Output. This
output only adds delay to the original input signal – the Pitch Control
section has no effect. The locking pushbuttons can be activated in any
combination. Delay times are selected in 6.25 ms increments to a maximum of
393.75 ms (6.25 + 12.5 + 25 + 50 + 100+ 200).
Use caution when adjusting the feedback controls until you are fully familiar
with their interaction.
**** They can easily be set to a point where loop gain exceeds unity at
various frequencies, and create uncontrolled oscillation.
Pitch This block of controls is associated primarily with manual/remote
Control/Readout control of the output pitch ratio vs. the input signal.
PITCH RATIO — indicated on a 4-digit display showing the numerical pitch ratio
between input and output. Note that, just as in the original unit, when the
knob is set between two values, the display will ”jitter” between the two.
This is visual jitter only and does not affect the audio.
MANUAL — adjusts the pitch ratio from 2 octaves down to 1 octave up, and also
determines the rate of delay change in Flange and Random modes.
REMOTE — This switch allows remote control via MIDI. In Manual mode, the
manual knob controls the Pitch Ratio. When MIDI is selected, the pitch ratio
will be determined by receipt of MIDI Note On and Pitch Bend messages. (For
more information, see: “Working with the Harmonizer®”.)
Function Select
The Function Select button and the 4 switches to its right allow you to select
the basic operating modes of the H949. When pressed IN, the 4 switches
function as labeled in red below eachswitch. When the Function button is OUT,
the switches function as labeled in green above the switches. LEDs indicate
which switch is selected and show (by lighting red or green) which function is
active. The functions controlled by these switches fall into two major groups:
Pitch Change effects (activated when the Function button is IN) and
Delay/Reversal effects (activated when the Function button is OUT). The effect
in Reverse and Extend modes is most apparent with large delay times.
PITCH CHANGE FUNCTIONS (Function button IN, red labels apply)
NORM – normal pitch change mode. Adjusting the Manual knob over its full
range gives pitch ratios from 0.250 (2 octaves down) to 2.000 (1 octave up).
EXTEND – permits extension of the length of the audio segment over which
pitch change will be affected, up to the full extent of the H949 memory (400
ms). N.B. Main Output delay is not available in Extend mode – the Main Output
delay switches are instead used to determine the length of the audio segment
used for pitch change.
UPC (Micro Pitch Change) – Sharp and Flat modes operate in a manner
similar to normal Pitch Change, except that the range of pitch ratios is
restricted to about 1:1.07 (Sharp) and 1:0.93 (Flat). In these modes, the
pitch ratio is closest to 1:1 when the Manual knob is fully counterclockwise.
In Sharp, clockwise rotation increases the pitch; in Flat, clockwise rotation
decreases the pitch.
DELAY/REVERSAL FUNCTIONS
DELAY —
In this mode, the Main Output button allows you to add successive amounts of
delay before the main output.
RANDOM —
causes the output delay to vary between the maximum limits of 0-25 ms at a
constant rate of change, though the actual delay limits will typically be
smaller on any given excursion and are chosen pseudo-randomly. This simulates
the random variations of double-tracking, or of multiple musicians or singers
performing simultaneously, without the ”mechanical” sound of a fixed delay.
The desirable effect of having performers slightly out of tune is
automatically achieved due to the fact that the pitch alters slightly as the
delay changes. A manual knob controls the rate at which the delay varies from
the upper to lower limit, thus changing the amount of pitch alteration.
FLANGE –
This switch sets the H949 into automatic flagging mode. Flanging is the effect
created by frequency cancellations when a signal with a varying delay is added
to another constant signal. The lowest frequency affected is roughly
reciprocal of the time delay (0-10 ms), so a 1ms delay causes a cancellation
at 1kHz and multiples thereof. In this mode, Manual controls sweep, the rate
at which the variable delay changes.
REVERSE –
causes short signal segments (up to the 400 memory capacity of the system) to
be played back in time-reversed order. N.B. Main Output delay is not available
in Reverse mode – the Main Output delay switches are instead used to select
the length of the reversed segments.
Algorithm Select –
The H949 allows you to select one of two pitch change algorithms in order to
support optimal pitch change with a variety of source materials. In general,
Algorithm 2 is glitch-free, but will add varying degrees of coloration to the
signal, and is more suitable for extreme pitch ratios. Algorithm 1 may cause
glitches with increasing frequency as the pitch ratio deviates from 1:1, and
is generally more appropriate for smaller pitch ratios. We recommend
experimentation to determine which algorithm is most appropriate for any given
program material and pitch ratio. The two algorithms converge in audible
effect as pitch ratios approach an octave in either direction, and both will
perform identically at these extremes.
Main Output
Controls the delay time of the Main Output. The locking pushbuttons can be
activated in any combination. Delay times are selected in 6.25 ms increments
to a maximum of 393.75 ms (6.25 + 12.5 + 25 + 50 + 100 + 200).
Power
When the Power button is IN the unit is powered up and operational, when it is
OUT the unit is powered off and the plug-in bypasses.
Expansion Panel Controls
Delay Level
This parameter controls the level of the Delay Only Output from the H949 unit.
Mix Level
This parameter sets the overall balance of wet signal to dry signal. This
parameter controls the level of the Main Output (pitch-shifted output) from
the H949 unit.
2.2 H949 Dual Harmonizer® Controls
The H949 Harmonizer® plug-in comes bundled with the H949 Dual Harmonizer®
plugin, which recreates two H949 units running in parallel, an application
that was frequently used in the hardware version to create doubling effects.
Of course, you can also use the H949 Dual to create a wide variety of other
interesting sounds. The H949 Dual includes two Main Panels (as described
above), and an Expansion Panel with several additional controls.
Expansion Panel Controls
Stereo Feedback
The three buttons in this group allow you to control the feedback routing
between the two H949 units. In MONO mode, the output from a single unit only
feeds back into that unit. In STEREO mode, the output from the top unit feeds
back into the bottom unit, and vice versa. In BOTH mode, the output of each
unit feeds back into both itself and the other unit. An interesting
application of these modes is when using feedback combined with pitch-
shifting: based on the Pitch Ratios of the bottom and top units, can cause the
incoming signal to shift up/down continuously, shift up and then down
continuously, or shift away from a Pitch Ratio of 1 in both directions.
Stereo Link
The three buttons in this group allow you to more easily control the plug-in,
by linking corresponding controls in the bottom and top units. In MONO mode,
all controls can be set independently. In LINK mode, changing a control on one
unit will cause the corresponding control on the other unit to follow that
change. REVERSE LINK mode behaves much like LINK mode, but changing the Pitch
Ratio on one unit will cause the other unit’s Pitch Ratio to move in the
opposite direction. This is especially useful for creating stereo detuned and
doubling effects.
N.B. the Power and Line are always linked, regardless of the Stereo Link
setting.
Stereo Width Allows you to control how ”wide” the output of the plug-in
is,from mono to full stereo.
Delay Level This parameter controls the level of the Delay Only Output
from the H949 units.
Mix Level This parameter sets the overall balance of wet signal to dry
signal.
Main Level This parameter controls the level of the Main Output (pitch-
shifted output) from the H949 units.
Working with the Harmonizer®
3.1 Playing the Harmonizers with a MIDI Keyboard
A MIDI keyboard set to send MIDI on the H949’s MIDI Channel can be used to
control the pitch ratio in discrete musical steps. Middle C on the keyboard
will set Unison on the Harmonizers; 1.000 on the display. Playing the E above
Middle C will produce a harmony of a Major 3rd. Playing the E-Flat above
Middle C will produce a Minor 3rd and so on. Refer to the graphic below and
the chart on the following page.
The Harmonizers respond to MIDI Note On and Pitch Bend messages. The bend
range covers two octaves, from 0.500 to 2.000. The MIDI response for all plug-
ins is OMNI, i.e. messages received on any of the 16 channels will be
accepted.
Figure 3.1: Pitch Ratio Readouts for Various Musical Relationships
-3/4 | -1/2 | -1/4 | Note | Relationship | Note | +1/4 | +1/2 | +3/4 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 1. | 1. | 1.000 | 1.000 | 1. | 1. | 1. | |
1. | 1. | .930 | 1. | I +1 | 1.060 | 1. | 1. | 1. |
1. | 1. | 1. | 1. | +2 | 1. | 1. | 1. | 1. |
1. | 1. | 1. | 1. | -3 +3 | 1. | 1. | 1. | 1. |
.760 | 1. | 1. | 1. | -4 +4 | 1.260 | 1. | 1. | 1. |
1. | 1. | 1. | 1. | -5 +5 | 1. | 1. | 1. | 1. |
1. | 1. | 1. | 1. | -6 +6 | 1. | 1. | 1. | 1. |
1. | 1. | 1. | 1. | -7 +7 | 1. | 1.520 | 2. | 2. |
1. | 1. | .620 | .630 | -8 +8 | 2. | 2. | 2. | 2. |
1. | 1. | 1. | 1. | -9 +9 | 2. | 2. | 2. | 2. |
1. | 1. | 1. | 1. | -10 +10 | 2. | 2. | 2. | 2. |
1. | 1. | 1. | .530 | -11 +11 | 2. | 2. | 2. | 2. |
0. | 0. | 0. | .500 | Octave | 2.000 | |||
0. | 0. | 0. | 0. | -13 |
NOTE
The lowest available For use each figure octave is only with the H949. ith the
H910. round to 2 decimal places.
0.| 0.| 0.| 0.| -14
0.| 0.| 0.| .420| -15
380| 0.| 0.| 0.| -16
0.| 0.| 0.| 0.| -17
0.| 0.| 0.| 0.| -18
.320| 0.| 0.| 0.| -19
0.| 0.| .310| 0.| -20
0.| 0.| 0.| 0.| -21
0.| 0.| 0.| 0.| -22
0.| 0.| 0.| 0.| -23
| | | .250| Two Octaves
3.2 Preset Bar
Located at the top of the H949 Harmonizer® Plug-In, the Preset Bar lets you
load and save presets, along with several other features.
When H949 Harmonizer® is installed, a library of settings is placed into the
In many DAWs there is an additional generic preset bar that saves DAW-specific presets to a separate location. We recommend saving your presets using the Eventide preset bar to ensure that your presets will be accessible from any DAW. You can also create sub-folders inside the preset folders if you wish.
Load/Save Use these buttons to load and save your presets in .tide
format.
Compare Click to toggle between two different settings for the plug-in.
This is useful for making A/B comparisons.
Mix Lock Pressing this will enable a global mix value that will be the
same on every preset that is loaded. This is especially useful on an effect
return track where the mix should always be set to 100.
Mix Lock Pressing will enable a global mix value that will be the same on
every preset that is loaded. This is especially useful on an effect return
track where the mix should always be set to 100.
Settings Click this button to edit user interface settings for all
instances of the plugin.
When “Always show slider values” is checked, slider values will not
automatically hide when the mouse is not over them.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoy the H949 Harmonizer® plug-in and put it to good use in all of your mixes. Please be sure to check over Eventide’s other Native Plug-In offerings for more unique and interesting effects.
Copyright 2021, Eventide Inc.
P/N: 141260, Rev 6
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Eventide Inc.
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Little Ferry, NJ 07643
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www.eventide.com
References
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