Function: Guitar Effects Pedal
Price: $699
Overview: The H9 may be small, but packed inside the little white box are some of the most sought-after algorithms ever made in the history of digital effects. Included in the H9 Max package are all 45 algorithms and presets from the TimeFactor, PitchFactor, ModFactor and Space effects pedals plus several H9 exclusive algorithms. Easy to use and incredibly deep, the H9 Max is capable of truly epic sounds.
Features: First of all, let’s talk about the look: a beautiful, clean, white and black chassis with red LED lights reminiscent of a NASA space shuttle (sorry vintage gear nuts, vintage is out and space age is in!) The user interface of the H9 is fairly straightforward: 5 buttons, and a big knob that lets you control different parameters of the effects, but the real power of the H9 is in the iOS app: H9 Control. H9 Control connects directly to your pedal via Bluetooth and lets you edit each preset with incredible precision. Instead of scrolling through menus on the front of the pedal, the app (also available on Mac and PC via USB) lets you choose the parameter you want to edit and change it with a swipe of your finger. H9 Max includes stereo I/O, a built-in tuner, MIDI I/O and expression pedal and aux switch inputs.
Sound: There is perhaps no better way to describe the sound of the H9 other than high definition. We know this is a term thrown around to describe high sample rates, and digital conversion etc, but in the case of the H9, I mean the term quite literally. Each effect we tried was marked by a clean, defined, massive sound from flawless pitch tracking to cavernous delays/reverbs. Standouts included all the pitch effects, which tracked both chords and single notes flawlessly, the reverbs (especially the gigantic soundscaping “Blackhole” preset) and the CrushStation: a bitcrush/overdrive effect that is unlike any effect we’ve ever heard. The H9 gives you effects on par with some of the best DAW plugins on the market today. Truth be told, using the H9 max actually felt more like using a high end DAW plugin than a traditional stompbox, due to the exceptional tracking and clean crisp effects, and especially because of the iOS app integration. The H9 Max is a pedal that gives you what Eventide does best: big, bold, effects that give the user a nearly unlimited palate to create sounds.
