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I went for the short answer above that was to the point. It might be useful to flesh out the actual process in an H9. For those examples that you linked, you’re going to want to use FREEZE. An instant of reverb gets sampled and held, and you play ‘dry’ over the top of it. INF is going to keep layering your new input on top of the drone.
After review, maybe half of the reverb algorithms (plus some you wouldn’t expect) dial up to INF & FREEZE positions. FREEZE is not a setting that you’ll want saved into base preset positions. Reason being: It’ll freeze whatever is in the delay buffer, and there’s nothing there when you load a preset. The case could be made for INF as a saved initial position (if you’re ready for continuous recording + layering). Or if you want to occasionally ‘sample’ DECAY reverb, with FREEZE as the default.
FREEZE is a ‘destination-from …’ setting. If you start from a lower DECAY time, your frozen sound cuts out quickly when it’s switched off. A longer DECAY time (5-10-20 Seconds) will give you smoother exits from the FREEZE position. So, your ‘base’ DECAY position might be 10S, and then you switch in & out of the FREEZE position using one of the methods mentioned above.
There are advantages to each approach. AUX switch(es) can now be set up to latching or momentary response. So that covers both ZCAT modes for freezing the signal. A MIDI CC can do much the same when bound to the Performance Switch / Flex / HotSwitch. You need to externally configure how the ‘high’ and ‘low’ values are sent over that selected MIDI CC Number. Either kind of switch can be routed to the Performance Switch, or directly to the parameter [DECAY].
The expression pedal can sweep from your initial DECAY time, all the way to FREEZE. One disadvantage is that the expression pedal isn’t ‘instant’ (plus, it doesn’t do ‘momentary’ very well). You need a fast foot to sweep through to FREEZE. But the advantage is also that the expression pedal isn’t ‘instant’. You have all of the ‘in-between’ DECAY positions at your disposal. Virtually mix your drone on-the-fly by sweeping among DECAY times, INF, and FREEZE. Or park the pedal to a different base DECAY.
I set up an example preset, using the (comparatively) unsexy HALL algo. The HotSwitch is set up to jump instantly from 1/2 note to FREEZE. The expression pedal sweeps the same range of DECAY positions, through all the intermediate values. Use it to compare switch triggering of FREEZE to smoother expression pedal sweeps. Note: It’s pretty easy to nail INF and FREEZE positions with a pedal. They occupy a large chunk of the DECAY real estate (clockwise).
That’s a very simple example. There are *so* many things that you can do with FREEZE / INF in an H9 format. Those who complain about the H9 doing “one effect at a time” just aren’t looking closely enough. Most any algorithm offers some modulation or modifications over a FREEZE position. Even those without FREEZE can be coaxed into a 100% FEEDBACK loop, and out-of-control with 101-110 FEEDBACK. Not reverb-based FREEZE, but a shipload of frozen drone possibilities.
Which all sounds like another sequel into Hold-Reverb III …
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There’s the TremoloVerb algorithm, for example. To start, the RT60 is at 50 seconds. (With unreal DECAY times of 20, 50, 100 seconds, sometimes there’s little need to FREEZE it). A SQUARE LFO tremolo slices up the ‘verb into a rhythm.
Here, the HotSwitch is programmed to switch between 50.0S and FREEZE. The expression pedal drops the SPEED from 10.0 Hz. to 1.0 Hz. It also lowers the HIGH FREQ from 2000 Hz., on down to 300 Hz. The result is a slowdown effect, using both rate and EQ changes. And it will act independently over the FREEZE drone, or the base position (long DECAY time).
Or the Plate algorithm. The preset below is configured for control like the previous HALL algo example. HotSwitch snaps from a 4 BAR DECAY to FREEZE. The expression pedal sweeps the same range. This one is good for illustrating expression pedal mixing over DECAY / INF / FREEZE. Try mixing the input & drone near the top 1/3 of pedal travel (towards the toe). The relatively deep modulation gets overlaid repeatedly into the background drone.
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Using the DualVerb algorithm is one way to ‘split the FREEZE’. Two independent reverb drones; separated into higher and lower EQ focus here. The HotSwitch shifts both A-DECAY and B-DECAY from 4 BAR to FREEZE. The expression pedal ‘bends pitch’ for the lower frequency drone [Reverb B] by changing the SIZE of only one reverb. This ‘pitch bend’ works with either the default DECAY(s), or on the droning FREEZE, while the higher frequencies [Reverb A] pass through (relatively) unaffected.
And then there’s the most mentioned algorithm: ModEchoVerb. It’s capable of many types of effects. But it also offers two choices for infinite hold [DECAY, and ECHO_FDBK], that can be mixed together. This preset starts at an INF default, and can be HotSwitch’ed to 5.00 DECAY time. It’s a reversed approach: one that begins with an infinite drone, and fades out when switched ‘ON’.
The expression pedal takes the single 1.5 second ECHO, and sweeps it to infinite ECHO-FDBK [100]. At the same time, FLANGR MIX sweeps from 0-100 to introduce deep modulation. Blending HotSwitch & expression pedal positions will combine or separate these two independent ‘drone’ types.
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I have more of these infi-freeze presets lurking about than I would’ve ever thought. Let me know when enough is enough.
In a lot of the H9 algorithms, there might be reverb, without a dedicated INFINITE or FREEZE position. But it’ll have depth control; sometimes paired with another reverb control. Most times it’s also alongside DELAY with infinite FEEDBACK capability.
The Resonator algo has it all. Two FREEZE positions over delay FEEDBACK types, a decent REVERB, and a four bands of narrow filters. You can stack NOTE (1-4), split them across the spectrum, emphasize the RESONANCE, stagger them with delay, and regenerate accurately, or while scattering the delay patterns.
For control, the HotSwitch flips from FB1: 97 to its complimentary FREEZE position. It’ll always stay close to, or at a near-frozen condition. You could get some noise buildup in an idle condition here, even without intentional input. So there has to be a way to bail out of high feedback / FREEZE.
The expression pedal sweeps from FB1: 97, nudges past the FB1 / FREEZE HotSwitch range, passes through all of the FB2 positions, and ends up at the 2nd FREEZE setting available (fully clockwise, for FB2). This will allow several moves within one pedal sweep:
- Full Heel will be close to an infinite repeat, but will eventually decay away.
- With a good pedal & sensitive foot, you might be able to nail the FREEZE position (within a few clicks of the Heel default).
- A small move forward pushes it into very low FB2 levels (effectively purging the frozen drone).
- The middle 2/3 of pedal throw give you access to all of the degrading-loop levels of FB2.
- Full Toe puts the FREEZE to the disintegrated pattern at one moment in time.
So its HotSwitch to toggle near-frozen with one FREEZE type, plus EXP PED to ‘erase’ any hold, and span all variations to FREEZE #2.
Deep REVERB (kind of a combination DECAY / SIZE / LEVEL) glues & smoothes everything together with a wash. Shorter LENGTH will fuse the four delays together, up to infinite metallic resonances. Longer LENGTH adds a RHYTHM-ic component to the droning sounds, with dozens of patterns available. Those patterns can be tuned using 4 resonant filters. In this preset, they highlight a wide spread over the available frequency spectrum, with enough RESONANCE to flavor the frozen drone variations.
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The coarser delay-based take on resonant filtering can make for some unusual drones. And that can be most any of the TimeFactor or PitchFactor algorithms. But the Ducked Delay algorithm can be set up as automated switching between new input, and the trailing drones. It’s a unique variation on FREEZE, with footswitch action replaced by your playing technique and dynamics.
The two DELAYs set up parallel ‘drones’ with infinite FEEDBACK (which the inline FILTER will eventually ‘decay’ . This THRESHOLD setting ensures that most any input note will cause the drones to duck down. A quick note release snaps the drone level back, while a legato fade or string decay will gradually bring up the held sound. Longer input notes disguise the discrete echo repeats, and finger vibrato can coax the drones back seamlessly.
No HotSwitch here, but the Performance Switch controls REPEAT (yet another variable locking the frozen sound). At first glance, there’s nothing special with the expression pedal programming. DELAY A goes from 75mS to 25mS, while DELAY B drops from 100 mS to 50 mS. A switch to Tempo mode will quantize your parameter ranges in interesting ways.
But this kind of ‘time modulation’ gives up several effects; depending on how & when you use it. It can change the beating ratio between tubular sounds. It can bend the apparent pitch, or ‘erase’ the drones with micro-delay times. There’s sped-up and slowdown FX. Or rhythmic imprints over the recirculating FEEDBACK. All this can be done in the background (input + ducked delays), or the foreground (no input + delay levels up).
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Need a secret weapon in your sonic arsenal? Get to know the DynaVerb algorithm. I’ve been carving out string ensemble, space FX, gated and envelope shaping presets with it, and there’s still something new to discover each time. And, of course, it happens to also do INFINITE & FREEZE. With two-band EQ, and a complete set of tools in the OmniPressor.
Similar to the Ducked Delay preset, input notes will control the entrance & exit of frozen sound. But the process is over a full-featured reverb, which will make for a smoother drone. The ‘envelope’ of the reverb increases level gradually here, but then drops out fairly quickly when it senses the next input note. With a little tweaking, this preset could become a decent crescendo / orchestral emulation.
The HotSwitch triggers a drastic change. Gradual ‘verb buildup switches to near-instant RELEASE (from 0.250 S to 0.005 S). ATTACK is fine-tuned from 0.075 S to 0.125 S. These settings worked out best for me, at that particular THRESHOLD level, and with the input levels that I’m giving it to work with. Always tweak these 3 controls together to your own taste. OMNI-RATIO is the key to discrete effects, and a change there usually means re-tweaking THRESHOLD, ATTACK, and RELEASE.
The expression pedal adds the DECAY – INFINITE – FREEZE variations, and will default back to a meaty 15 seconds until fadeout. And a quick note: You can always use SIZE as a variable for bending the apparent pitch of these frozen sounds. A little goes a long way here. Limit the range of a SIZE sweep, after selecting your up-or-down direction. Short throws can sound just as omninous. A large, fast SIZE change freaks out the reverb, and comes across as noisy with artifacts.
That is, unless you’re actually looking for noisy artifacts …
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