BY J. ARIF VERNER

First things first. The price for this multi-effects processor is $4,995. Obviously, Eventide is focusing on the high-end portion of the market. Not to mention that quality comes at price. And with the DSP4000's modular design, we're looking at a piece of gear that will be viable for years to come. In essence, this box lets you "roll your own." As the manual states, "The DSP4000 is capable of creating effects you've never heard before (and neither has anybody else)." So obsolescence is not an immediate problem.

Features

Out of the box, the DSP4000 is easy to set up and use. You'll need two spaces in your rack for it. The front panel has the standard parameter buttons, level meters and LCD display. Eventide includes a large smooth rotary knob and a numeric keypad. I wish these features were standard with all manufacturers. The large six-line display is easy to read with 240 x 64 pixels. Input and output controls are handled internally. However, I would prefer an external input knob. This would have been handy since the unit clipped with the LED meters barely touching the yellow.

On the back panel are audio, MIDI and digital connectors. The analog I/O has both +4 dBm balanced XLRs and -10 dBm unbalanced 1/4" connectors. The digital I/O supports AES/EBU and SPDif at a full 24-bit resolution. The analog A/D and D/A conversion is 18 bit. Also included are several external foot-control inputs. These can be used as modulation controllers. For example, you might want to have real-time control for pitch change or the LFO speed. This will do it. Controllers also can be routed through MIDI and sent to a sequencer. The Ultra-Harmonizer can handle up to 12 continuous controllers at once. Other specs in this processor include sampling rates up to 48 kHz with a bandwidth of 5 Hz22 kHz. Dynamic range is greater than 97 dB with distortion less than .005%. Eventide also included several unused interface connectors and empty slots for future protocols. This is what upgrades are for! The review unit was equipped with software version 2.104. The 500 presets are easily organized into a series of 22 hanks. Each bank contains related effects such as reverbs. chorus/flangers, delays, pitch shifters.dual and multiple effects. Of interest to post production houses are three banks entitled "Post Suite," "Mixdown Suite" and Mastering Suite." These banks offer an array of dynamic tools like compression, EQ, filters. noise cancelers, time squeezing and bandwidth limiting. There is something here for everyone. But beyond the DSP4000's bread-and-butter effects, there are more esoteric banks like "Curiosities" and "Bizarre."

Here we have things like a multituned pitchshift delay called "Genesis Worlds" or the patch, "UFO in My Church," which plays without any input signal. There also are Brian Eno patches appropriately named.

"Enoesque.' Eventide also includes a bank of distortion effects. However, l found these to be the least convincing of all the effects in the box. Eventide has a new version of the lJltra-Harmonizer called the GTR4000. This version, for guitarists, is said to have better distortion algorithms. Last but not least. patches. samples and setups can be saved to a PCMCIA card on a front-panel slot.

Much of the DSP4000's horsepower is built around the delay algorithms. Maximum delay times clock in at 10.5 seconds in mono (5.25 for stereo) at 48 k. Missing from this box is a tap tempo feature. This allows the user to tap in the delay intervals. Eventide told me that feature is on the drawing board. For reverbs, up to eight delay lines can be specified. Maximum predelay for reverbs is 250 milliseconds with a max delay time out to 1,000 seconds. Also available is a sampling option. For $2,995 you can turbo charge your Ultra-Harmonizer with 180 seconds (half for stereo). Eventide has another feature called TimeSqueeze. This allows yu to time compress your sample without varispeeding the material. For example. you could compress a 65-second spot to 60 seconds without any loss of audio quality.

My initial reaction to the DSP4000 interface was that it was very "computer like." Maybe it's the hour glass that is displayed while screens load. or the menu headings that activate additional pages or possibly the graphs on the bright blue background. Navigation is not a problem. And the real magic is to get inside and do some programming. For the novice user, this can be a daunting experience. However, the good news is that you can go only as deep as necessary. Most people will probably stick with the main parameter pages. Put there is a lot below the surface to keep the power user busy.

At the heart of the DSP4000 are 130 modules. These are accessed through the Patch Editor. Unfortunately, loading these pages is a very slow process. Modules are the building blocks used to create effects. When dealing with modules, you'll be working with names like Unipolar mapping for mod signals; Quadrature transformer; Audio octave divider; Exponentiator function; etc. Eventide organized modules into 15 different groups. These include the likes of Filter Modules, Control Math Modules, Reverb Modules, Oscillator Modules, Mixer Modules, etc. Arrangement of modules then takes place between the Input and Output audio signals. Up to approximately 50 modules can be linked together to create an effect. And to take it a step further, modules can have specific parameters assigned within them. So if you want power, you've got it.

Later this year Eventide will have a computer-based editor/librarian. This should simplify life. Also, many companies are providing videos with their gear. I would encourage them to do the same.

In Use

I tested the Ultra-Harmonizer with synthesizers, voice and acoustic instruments. You can stretch the pitch-shifting capabilities the furthest with synthesizers and the least with the human voice. Pitch shift covers approximately eight octaves +4 above and -4 below. On vocals, an octave above or below provides convincing results. Some of the available parameters for pitch shift include pitch range in cents, delay times in milliseconds, gain levels in decibels and variable pan positions. Depending on your configuration, up to eight delay lines can be specified at once. All of this power came in handy for several acoustic and electronic recording projects.

Another useful test is to adjust different parameters to extreme settings. Many processors just exhibit excessive noise or feedback. The DSP4000 held up very well. In fact, this is where many of the "unworldly" sounds come from; reverbs bent into flanges, delay lines pitch shifted into textural pads and so forth. There is a lot to play with here. Other effects in this box include vocoder, phase shifter, panning delays, ping-pong, tremolo, ring modulators, leslie, ducker, de-esser and many more. By tweaking certain parameters, the distinction between these effects begins to blur. And the results were often interesting.

Summary

While all of the effects in the DSP4000 are top notch, the pitch-shifting capabilities are the raison d'etre. If your studio places an emphasis on vocal tracks, this unit is indispensable. From fine tuning pitch discrepancies, multilayered harmonies and creative pitch effects, this box will do it. But don't expect a free lunch. To get the most out of this unit, you'll need to tackle its "learning curve." Eventide's 200-page manual comes housed in a three-ring binder. While much of it is accessible, other parts are quite technical. Overall, the operation of this unit is straightforward. However, l did encounter several lock-ups. The old adage applies here—save your work and save it often.

So where else can you get patches like 'Gym Shower," "Echospace of God" or "Empty Swimming Pool?" Yes, it's all here. In fact, this processor does a lot more than can be covered in this review. So does the DSP4000 live up to its reputation? Without hesitation, yes. The quality of the effects and the pitch shifting are right on the money. So if you can afford the price of admission, the Ultra-Harmonizer may be your ticket. Check it out.