Is the H-8000 FW underpowered?

[ThreeFingersOfLove]

Hi Italo and all,

I was browsing the EventideHelps archives and I was wondering if anyone of you thinks that the H-8000 FW might be underpowered in some situations. Found some additional information on what some synthesizers have inside DSP-wise and guess what: some that are 1/5 the price of the H-8000FW have 4 Motorola 56303 DSP (Clavia Nord Modular, for instance). What goes? Italo are there any other goodies inside the H-8000FW besides the two DSPs?

Best,
Yannis

[IDeangelis]

Underpowered is a relative concept, Yannis. So far there's practically no brand FX processor capable to provide the vast variety of FX algorithms and the open architecture of these units. Clavia needs tons of power owing to synth stuff. Any company has different code, which may run differently on similar processors. So, the question is another….what YOU need to do with an H8000FW?

best

I 

[ThreeFingersOfLove]

Hi Italo,

thanx for the swift reply. You're probably right about different code running differently on similar DSP, depending of course on lots of factors. In the Clavia modular synth concept, every little module you use when you design a patch eats some DSP processes, some i.e. a two-input mixer eat very little but a vocoder eats a lot (it uses something like 40% of the available DSP resources). So, you can't really do a lot, if you use two vocoders. You might argue "who needs two vocoders" but well… you know… In the Clavia, if you add an expansion card which btw has another four DSPs, you don't really double the DSP power, you just have twice the polyphony. Since the Eventide offers so much more in terms of modules you can easily go wild: some of the stuff in other open ended architectures, like CSound, can be very DSP consuming (physical modelling comes to my mind here as well as granular synthesis). Of course you can always try optimization techniques, this is always very good as it unclutters the patches thus making them run more efficiently, but how far can you go without cutting corners?

Some ages ago I requested a demo CD from Symbolic Sound and they had an amazing effect there… it was a voice that was being recorded in the sample memory, which was limited to maybe a few seconds but that was on purpose. The algorithm granularized in real-time the audio as it was being continously recorded into that memory. It was a dry-wet balance with some of the audio coming directly from the voice whereas the wet signal was the tiny granules sprayed all of the over the audio field. The usual suspects, like panning and reverb were there as well. These granules were like they were floating here and there.. Lol, I may be over-poetic here but it was an awesome effect! I am pretty sure it can be done in the H- 8000 FW, Italo tell me what you think. It will certainly be the first FX I will design in Vsig!

Regards
Yannis

[IDeangelis]

The H8000 is a different beast. You can't do granular stuff…but trying to make a really good verb on Kyma is a nightmare…..

So any unit has its peculiarities; you can do tons of things on the H8000FW.

best

I 

[ix studio]

well i have to comment – i am a ' is it underpowered ' wonderer often with gear . . . i did question that with the H8000Fw until i started building patches using visig . . . to be honest ive had pitchshifters goingto into reverbs into this and into that in Huge chains and still havent maxed out the H8000fw myself . . .. this really is a powerfull machine . . . i was looking for complex multilayered fx patches – 1 sound in and a whole universe out and it does that . . .it feels about 300 times more powerfull than my old Tc fireworx and honestly i have tried every known vst plugin and hardware unit . . . this blows them all away . . . sorry for the flattery and over indulgent mail but this is really about the least underpowered unit i ever used.

[ThreeFingersOfLove]

Nice to hear that. I hear you on the this into that into these concept! Btw, Italo, I have heard word around the internet that the Eventides can do granular stuff. Maybe not granular per se, as I haven't found a specific module about this, but maybe you can concoct something with the available modules. I mean, after all, it's all about slicing and dicing audio, enveloping it, randomizing it… I need to believe it can be done.

Regards,
Yannis

[Colin]

I have a Nord Modular and it is truly a wonderful synth….
However…… The H8000 eats it alive when it comes to sound processing.
There is absolutely no comparison between the two!
The Eventide makes the Nords reverbs and pitch shifters sound like children's toys!
Actually, now that I think about it it blows all of the nords effects away!
I guess I look at the nord as the synth engine and the eventide as the effects monster 🙂

-C

[Author]

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