New Music Gear Monday: Eventide H9000 Effects Processor

Plugin effects processors have come a long way, offering a wide range of features for a surprising little amount of money. That said, there are times when the typical desktop or laptop computer just doesn’t have the horsepower required for sophisticated processing tasks. And then there are those cases where you need a real outboard piece of hardware. That’s where Eventide’s new H9000 processor comes in.

The H9000 is the company’s new network-ready multi-channel rack mount audio effects processing flagship. It features four quad core ARM processors serving as 16 DSP engines, which provide eight channels of pristine analog audio I/O, AES/EBU, ADAT, 16 USB audio channels, and, optionally, connection to standard audio networks like MADI, Dante, and Ravenna. What that means is that you’re able to use the machine to either process multiple tracks at once, or have plenty of channels for surround effects.

The H9000 can run 16 different effects simultaneously in 4 signal paths that Eventide is calling FX Chains, which allows the user to quickly route the effects in series or parallel and in any order. The unit contains all the algorithms of the previous H8000 and H9 effects as well as many newly created effects.

One of the cooler things about the H9000 is that it’s available in two models, the standard model features a full front panel with multicolored display and the full array of controls (priced at $6,999), and a model with a blank front panel with no controls that’s controlled via software ($4,999). The remote control application that works with both models is called emote and makes it possible to use the effects as plugins inside you’re DAW or over an audio network. It’s available as a standalone app for Mac and PC, and as an AU, VST, and Pro Tools plug-in.

Check out more about the H9000 here.