What is your favorite and least favorite H9 algo and why?

[Bodde]

Since last week I am reving and checking out most H9 algos again. Some of which I hadn’t played for a while. I was curious what your favorite algos are. Maybe you can name 2 of your favorites and 1 of your least favorite. With a short reason why.

I will start: favorites: PitchFuzz and Quadravox. Really like the combined algos of the H9 especially PitchFuzz. Fuzz sounds great on it’s own and the pitch combined with the delay is great too. Quadravox is really nice for arpeggiated sounds. Only wish it could also do fixed intervals instead of harmony.

Least favorite: ModFilter. I can’t get really good envelope filter sounds out of it. Tried again today but it doesn’t really do it for me. Some of the knobs do very little or have little scope. I prefer the Q-Wah algo for this which is much better I think.

[apalazzolo]

I’m convinced I’ll never know what a ring modulator might possibly do for me. 

I favor ULTRATAP, RESONATOR, SPACETIME, and PITCHFUZZ because I like to make presets that “move” and these offer more options. 

I have attached a PITCHFUZZ example.

Screen one shows a basic sound with some single delay suitable for a clean rhythm.

Screen two shows what happens when I move the expression pedal to toe-down. It’s a clean boost with a Fibonacci dual delay suitable for a clean solo. I also could have added +9 and -9 cents of detune as an option.

Screen three shows what happens when I select the hotswitch. It adds fuzz to either of the two sounds above.

So this preset has clean rhythm, dirty rhythm, clean solo, dirty solo in one preset.

Care to share some of that Quadrovox goodness you have?

 

[brock]

I also lean on the multi-effect algorithms, but dig a little deeper, and every single algo is a ‘multi-effect’.  For example (but not limited to), the HarPeggiator.  Each one brings something unique to the table.

I started out with a PitchFactor, so those algorithms get a lot of use.  My most used ‘sleeper’ would have to be DynaVerb; with or without the ‘verb.  Whereas MangledVerb, I’ve done very little with that one.

I find it very useful to target a neglected algorithm with fresh eyes.  I recently squeezed an amazing amount of variations from the standard Digital Delay.  Simply focusing on the XFADE parameter, and tweaking the rest for flangers, Leslie, micro-looping, etc.  That OG H910 / H949 is another deceptively deep one.

[Bodde]

Thank you both for the contributions.
What do you think of the ModFilter? Did you manage to get some good envelope filter sounds out of it? I have tried many times but I wasn’t happy with what I came up with. Any good examples of nice ModFilter sounds?

[apalazzolo]

ModFilter is not my favorite, but this is my best (still not great) stuff.  Use your treble pickup on the autowah and it is (just barely) bright enough.  I found Q-Wah to be bright, perhaps too bright. 

I don’t know and have never tried it, but I’ve read that all autowahs are awful unless you add a compressor after it.   Does anyone have any thoughts on this point?

[brock]

I’ll chime in on the ModFilter:  The MF filters never felt deep / steep enough to me.  You can get some nice panning sheen with HP.  I feel its strong point is taking advantage of the ‘modulate the modulators’ aspect.  At times I’ve gotten better results with combining SHAPE – ENVELOPE and MOD SOURCE – ENVELOPE.  That’s a balancing act with DEPTH, SENSITIVITY, and MOD DEPTH.

That said, the envelope followers in the early algorithms are a strange breed.  Finicky to set up, easy to freak out, and kind of unpredictably sensitive to slight level changes.  Seems to me that they reach a ‘release’ threshold level, then drop like a rock.  Pass me a Slew Limiter, please.

Which brings up the compressor theory.  Either in front or behind, you’re changing the envelope of the envelope follower.  That might be useful … it’s been a while since I’ve experimented with a dedicated compressor inline.  Given the potential for peaky filter transients, I could see how you might tame those peaks with soft limiting.

Full disclosure:  I’ve been using envelopes over MIDI for the most part.  There are similar options for EXP PED input.  Highly configurable, and your target function can be any parameter.  It’s like graduating from an ‘auto-level’-type pedal compressor to a full blown dbx.  A little daunting at first, figure out the control functions, and then it’s second nature.

[brock]

Swinging back from the mini-rant above, I didn’t add to the preset exchange going on in this thread.  Here’s an older contribution to the envelope filter discussion:

https://www.eventideaudio.com/comment/38037#comment-38037

[apalazzolo]

Dear Eventide,

I participated in this tread last year and can  tell you that several members selflessly posted preset screenshots for the betterment of the community.  However, all of the attached preset screenshots are now gone.  Presumably this happened when you changed the software for this forum (I really don’t know exactly when).   I suspect the same thing happened with other threads as well.

It reminds me of the mystery of the disappearing user-preset-page.  As great as your products are, I wonder why members would continue to contribute to the community if their efforts are seemingly casually wiped out.

I’m not going to tell you how to run your company or your forum.  I am just a guest here.  However, I did want to bring this to your attention in case you weren’t aware of it.

Thanks for making great products.

[Bodde]

apalazzolo wrote:

ModFilter is not my favorite, but this is my best (still not great) stuff.  Use your treble pickup on the autowah and it is (just barely) bright enough.  

Thanks for your Pichfuzz and Modfilter sounds! I tried them. The Pitchfuzz sound is a nice mild overdrive. I agree with what you say about the Modfilter. With the envelope settings in lowpass mode it is all really dark and muddy. You can set the intensity higher or fiddle with the sensitivity but then you loose a nice mwah sound. I tried on bass as well but it is not really sounding great with the envelope settings. Very hard to get a sweet spot. It is useful for wobbly sounds though.

Here are two Quadravox presets. An arpeggiated sound and a solo Brecker type sound. Let me me know what you think.

[apalazzolo]

Bodde wrote:

apalazzolo wrote:

ModFilter is not my favorite, but this is my best (still not great) stuff.  Use your treble pickup on the autowah and it is (just barely) bright enough.  

Thanks for your Pichfuzz and Modfilter sounds! I tried them. The Pitchfuzz sound is a nice mild overdrive. I agree with what you say about the Modfilter. With the envelope settings in lowpass mode it is all really dark and muddy. You can set the intensity higher or fiddle with the sensitivity but then you loose a nice mwah sound. I tried on bass as well but it is not really sounding great with the envelope settings. Very hard to get a sweet spot. It is useful for wobbly sounds though.

Here are two Quadravox presets. An arpeggiated sound and a solo Brecker type sound. Let me me know what you think.

I played crappy bars all over New England USA for quite a few years.  I still think like a barfly blues band balladier and my presets tend to show it.  The concept of Peachfuzz preset I posted was:1. here is a clean rhythm sound and from there one can lean into the exped for a clean solo boost … or 2 one can play crunch rhythm with the hs activated and still lean into the exped for a solo boost.

May I ask how one would use your Quadrovox presets?   Candidly, I don’t know how to use them.  I hear that the harmony is pleasant in the right key, But how does one use in a song?  I’m thinking CMAJ9 might be used to repeat a line over and over  as the H9 spells out the defined arpeggio (in time) and that would create some ambience.  I also hear them as an accent phrase here and there.     

What else?   I’m sure there is more and I’d love to hear your thoughts on these presets.  Thanks!

 

[Bodde]

apalazzolo wrote:

May I ask how one would use your Quadrovox presets?   Candidly, I don’t know how to use them. 

Good question. These arpeggiated sound I use as basis for songs or parts of songs. For inspiration and to get sequences you might not think of otherwise. The four part harmonies I use for fusion type solo sounds a la Michael Breacker’s EWI sax sound for example.

Below is an example of the song “Glimpse of a Proggy Past” I made a few weeks ago. It has some odd time signatures. The Quadravox formed the basis of this song. It’s on bass! Later I dubbed it with a piano. 

https://soundcloud.com/bodde/glimpse-of-a-proggy-past-unmixed-barend-tromp-2021

[apalazzolo]

Bodde wrote:

apalazzolo wrote:

May I ask how one would use your Quadrovox presets?   Candidly, I don’t know how to use them. 

Good question. These arpeggiated sound I use as basis for songs or parts of songs. For inspiration and to get sequences you might not think of otherwise. The four part harmonies I use for fusion type solo sounds a la Michael Breacker’s EWI sax sound for example.

Below is an example of the song “Glimpse of a Proggy Past” I made a few weeks ago. It has some odd time signatures. The Quadravox formed the basis of this song. It’s on bass! Later I dubbed it with a piano. 

https://soundcloud.com/bodde/glimpse-of-a-proggy-past-unmixed-barend-tromp-2021

 

Thanks.  This is great stuff.  No wonder I didn’t know how to use your preset.  This is waaaaaaay beyond me.  :o)  Keep it up!

[Bodde]

apalazzolo wrote:

Bodde wrote:

apalazzolo wrote:

May I ask how one would use your Quadrovox presets?   Candidly, I don’t know how to use them. 

Good question. These arpeggiated sound I use as basis for songs or parts of songs. For inspiration and to get sequences you might not think of otherwise. The four part harmonies I use for fusion type solo sounds a la Michael Breacker’s EWI sax sound for example.

Below is an example of the song “Glimpse of a Proggy Past” I made a few weeks ago. It has some odd time signatures. The Quadravox formed the basis of this song. It’s on bass! Later I dubbed it with a piano. 

https://soundcloud.com/bodde/glimpse-of-a-proggy-past-unmixed-barend-tromp-2021

 

Thanks.  This is great stuff.  No wonder I didn’t know how to use your preset.  This is waaaaaaay beyond me.  :o)  Keep it up!

Thanks! The preset above is not the exact preset as in the song. But something similar. I also like these type of Quadravox presets on bass.

[Author]

Posts