Eventide H8000FW User manual

H8000FW Operating Manual
(for software version 5.2)
Eventide , Harmonizer, UltraShifter, and Eve/Net are trademarks of Eventide Inc. All other trademarks are the
property of their respective owners.
Part No: 141103 Manual Release 1.3 21 December, 2006
©2004-2006 Eventide Inc., One Alsan Way, Little Ferry, NJ, 07643 USA

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TABLE OF CONTENTS ____________________________________________________________________________ 2
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION .........................................................................................................................................1
HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL ..............................................................................................................................................................................1
OVERVIEW AND QUICKSTART_____________________________________________________________________ 3
THE BIG PICTURE ................................................................................................................................................................................................3
KNOBS,KEYS,AND JACKS ..................................................................................................................................................................................5
The Front Panel ............................................................................................................................................................................................5
The Back Panel.............................................................................................................................................................................................9
AES/EBU Digital Audio Input/Output (Professional)......................................................................................... 10
S/P DIF Digital Audio Input/Output (Consumer) ................................................................................................ 11
GETTING AROUND AND ALTERING PARAMETERS.......................................................................................................................................15
Adjusting the Brightness and Contrast of the Display....................................................................................................................................15
The "Areas" of the H8000FW...................................................................................................................................................................15
Understanding the Display and SOFT KEYS.............................................................................................................................................17
Using the Cursor Keys, the SELECT key, the NUMERIC KEYPAD, and the KNOB..........................................................................20
Ganged Parameters......................................................................................................................................................................................21
Entering or Changing Text ..........................................................................................................................................................................21
QUICKSTART OR "NEARLY INSTANT GRATIFICATION"..............................................................................................................................22
Hooking Up and Internal Routing 23
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT ROUTING..............................................................................................................................................................24
Loading Routing Configurations 26
Factory Routing Configurations 28
4 Channel series Routings......................................................................................................................................... 28
8 Channel series Routings......................................................................................................................................... 29
Stereo Dual Machine Routings ................................................................................................................................. 30
4 channel Dual Machine Routings............................................................................................................................ 31
4 Channel parallel routings....................................................................................................................................... 32
8 Channel parallel routings....................................................................................................................................... 33
Complex FireWire Routings..................................................................................................................................... 34
The I/O Identifier .......................................................................................................................................................................................36
Setting Input Levels .....................................................................................................................................................................................38
Effecting Things 39
"Panic" Muting...........................................................................................................................................................................................39
Loading Programs........................................................................................................................................................................................39
Parameters...................................................................................................................................................................................................43
"Tweaking" and Saving "Tweaks" ..............................................................................................................................................................45
Using User Groups to Organize Useful Programs.........................................................................................................................................47
Wrap Up 48
OPERATION _____________________________________________________________________________________ 50
Mounting and Handling ..............................................................................................................................................................................50

Memory Cards.............................................................................................................................................................................................50
THE COMPREHENSIVE INPUT /OUTPUT SCHEME .......................................................................................................................................52
ROUTING CONFIGURATION .............................................................................................................................................................................56
CONNECTING REAL WORLD INPUTS TO THE H8000FW ..............................................................................................................................56
Configuring the MAIN inputs 56
Configuring the DSP input sources 58
Configuring the MAIN Outputs 58
CONNECTING TO THE H8000FW’S OUTPUTS ................................................................................................................................................60
Configuring the outputs 60
FURTHER INPUT AND OUTPUT OPTIONS........................................................................................................................................................64
DIN 1/2 Allows the Selection of Either AES/EBU or S/P DIF for the First Digital Input Pair. ...........................................................65
DIN 11/12 Allows the Choice of Either AES/EBU or S/P DIF for AES11/12. ................................................................................65
OPTO in – controls the function of the optical input connector (H8000FW only)..........................................................................................66
OPTO out – allows use of optical output connector for optical S/P DIF (H8000FW only) ..........................................................................67
Signal Flow Example..................................................................................................................................................................................68
Programs’ Effect on Routing Decisions..........................................................................................................................................................73
Controlling Levels 76
The Level Meters .........................................................................................................................................................................................76
Controlling the Level of the Analog and Digital Inputs .................................................................................................................................77
Input Levels, Wet/Dry Ratios, and Output Levels for Each DSP ...............................................................................................................79
Controlling the Level of the Analog and Digital Outputs...............................................................................................................................80
DIGITAL SETUP ..................................................................................................................................................................................................82
Digital Setup Overview 82
S/P DIF83
Sampling Rates 83
The System Sampling Rate – A Digital Audio Primer.................................................................................................................................84
Using the Internal Clock..............................................................................................................................................................................85
Selecting the Internal Clock’s Rate ............................................................................................................................ 85
The Status of The Digital Inputs When Using the Internal Clock............................................................................. 86
Understanding the "System Sampling Rate and External Sync Indicator" When Using the Internal Clock ............... 87
Using an External Clock ............................................................................................................................................................................88
Selecting the External Clock..................................................................................................................................... 88
The Status of the Digital I/Os When Using the External Clock.............................................................................. 89
Sample Rate Conversion (SRC)................................................................................................................................ 91
Word Clock Termination ......................................................................................................................................... 91
Word Length (Bits) 92
Input Word Length .................................................................................................................................................. 92
Output Word Length ............................................................................................................................................... 93
BYPASSING AND MUTING .................................................................................................................................................................................93
System Bypass .......................................................................................................................................................... 93
Machine Bypass........................................................................................................................................................ 94
EXTERNAL CONTROLLERS ...............................................................................................................................................................................95
Setting Up the External Controllers 95
Foot Pedals 1 and 2.....................................................................................................................................................................................95
MIDI Setup............................................................................................................................................................. 96
External Modulation and Trigger Menu Pages 99
"Manually" Selecting an External Controller for Modulation ................................................................................. 101
"Manually" Selecting the External Controller for Triggers....................................................................................... 103
External Controller Selection.................................................................................................................................. 105
Parameters Common to Both External Modulation and External Trigger Menu Pages. __________________________________ 105
MIDI Running Status ____________________________________________________________________________ 106

Automatically" Selecting a MIDI External Controller ........................................................................................... 106
Scaling the External Controller .............................................................................................................................. 107
The Concept Behind "Redirection" - External Assigns 1-8 and Trigs 1 & 2..............................................................................................109
Remote Controlling the Bypass Functions ................................................................................................................ 112
Remote Controlling Parameters 114
Remote Controlling Triggers.................................................................................................................................... 115
MIDI Groups 115
Configuring the MIDI Group ....................................................................................................................................................................116
PROGRAM LOAD,SAVE,DELETE,ETC. ........................................................................................................................................................118
Categorizing Programs ...............................................................................................................................................................................118
Categorized by Effects Type _________________________________________________________________________ 119
Categorized by Similar Programs (Banks)________________________________________________________________ 120
Categorized by You (User Groups) ____________________________________________________________________ 121
Categorized by Recent Use __________________________________________________________________________ 122
Searching for and Loading Programs ..........................................................................................................................................................123
Loading Programs......................................................................................................................................................................................125
Loading a Program Remotely .....................................................................................................................................................................127
Loading a Program Via a MIDI Program Change Message................................................................................... 127
Triggering the Next or Previous Program to Load ................................................................................................... 130
Saving a Program ......................................................................................................................................................................................131
Copying Programs................................................................................................................................................... 132
The "Size" of a Program and Its Ramifications for Storage .........................................................................................................................132
Updating a Program ..................................................................................................................................................................................133
Renaming a Program.............................................................................................................................................. 133
Deleting a Program....................................................................................................................................................................................135
PARAMETERS ....................................................................................................................................................................................................136
System Tempo............................................................................................................................................................................................137
System Timer.............................................................................................................................................................................................138
Taps 139
Textblocks.................................................................................................................................................................................................139
Graphics and Curves..................................................................................................................................................................................140
STORING AND LOADING SETUPS...................................................................................................................................................................142
MISCELLANEOUS SETUP OPTIONS ................................................................................................................................................................144
APPENDIX A -UTILITIES ________________________________________________________________________ 145
TRANSMITTING AND RECEIVING DATA .......................................................................................................................................................145
Setting Up the Serial Port..........................................................................................................................................................................145
Dumping Data and Receiving Data Dumps...............................................................................................................................................146
Controlling One H8000FW from Another H8000FW ........................................................................................ 147
Sending A Program From One the H8000FW to Another.................................................................................... 148
Sequencing With MIDI.............................................................................................................................................................................149
CONNECTING USER-SUPPLIED CRYSTALS AND EXTERNAL CLOCKS..........................................................................................................151
SERVICE AND START-UP OPTIONS ................................................................................................................................................................152
Fixing Internal Memory Problems .......................................................................................................................... 152
Fixing PCMCIA SRAM Memory Card Problems...................................................................................................................................154
Changing the Internal Battery.....................................................................................................................................................................156
Clear Setup................................................................................................................................................................................................157
Software Version and Accessories...............................................................................................................................................................158
Start-Up Options ......................................................................................................................................................................................159
CONNECTING AES 11 THRU 18 TO THE H8000FW....................................................................................................................................160
APPENDIX B-USING THE H8000FW WITH A COMPUTER ___________________________________________ 161
MAKING CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE H8000FW AND THE COMPUTER..............................................................................................162

SETTING THE SAMPLE RATE AND BUFFER SIZE FOR THE SYSTEM .............................................................................................................162
SYNCHRONIZING CONNECTED AUDIO DEVICES.........................................................................................................................................163
INSTALLING DRIVERS ON YOUR PC _____________________________________________________________ 165
CONFIGURING THE H8000FW FOR PC OUTPUT___________________________________________________ 171
CONFIGURING THE H8000FW FOR THROUGHPUT ....................................................................................................................................172
INSTALLING DRIVERS ON YOUR MACINTOSH ___________________________________________________ 174
CONFIGURING THE H8000FW FOR MACINTOSH OUTPUT _______________________________________ 178
VIEWING THE H8000FW’S CONFIGURATION .............................................................................................................................................178
SETTING UP THE H8000FW FOR DEFAULT AUDIO OUTPUT ...................................................................................................................179
CONFIGURING THE H8000FW FOR OUTPUT WITH LOGIC PRO ...............................................................................................................181
ROUTING AUDIO BETWEEN LOGIC PRO AND THE H8000FW ______________________________________ 183
CREATING AN AGGREGATE AUDIO DEVICE...............................................................................................................................................183
ROUTING AUDIO TO THE H8000FW ...........................................................................................................................................................185
CONFIGURING LOGIC PRO FOR H8000FW INPUT AND OUTPUT.............................................................................................................186
AN EXAMPLE OF USING LOGIC PRO WITH THE H8000FW.......................................................................................................................187
ELECTRICAL SPECIFICATIONS __________________________________________________________________ 191
WARRANTY INFORMATION _____________________________________________________________________ 193
INDEX _________________________________________________________________________________________ 196

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
•Before powering up the unit, check that the voltage selector on the back panel is set
correctly.
•Do not remove any covers or panels from the unit when the power is connected.
•No operator access to the internals of the unit is permitted - servicing must be
performed by qualified personnel only.
•The unit must not be operated with a damaged or ungrounded power cord.
•Suitable ventilation must be provided for the unit at all times. In particular, the rear
and side vents must not be obstructed. It is best if there is an inch or more
clearance between the top of the H8000FW and the bottom of the units above
and below.
How to Use This Manual
This manual applies to the Eventide H8000FW. For convenience, this and other members
of the H8000FW family may be referred to as H8000 except where the H8000 differs
from the H8000FW. Most of the information in this manual also applies to H8000 and
H8000A when running software version 5.2 or later.
The first and second chapters of this manual are the most important ones. The first is the
Overview and Quickstart section. In it you will find essential information regarding the
front panel, the back panel, and the general structure of the H8000FW. After these
preliminaries are out of the way, you’ll start using the H8000FW and learning the basic
methodologies that you will employ whenever you use the H8000FW.
The Overview and Quickstart section is not meant to be complete. It’s meant to get
you up and running fast, circumventing thornier issues in favor of speed. If you would
like to know more about a particular topic discussed in this chapter, look to the abundant
references contained therein. They’ll point you to "chunkier" discussions in the remainder
of the manual.
Ideally, we would have you read through the
Overview and Quickstart section with the
H8000FW in front of you, following the examples. After you finish the Quickstart
section, we’d have you play with the H8000FW for a while. Once the initial "new box
euphoria" wears off a bit, we’d have you sit down and read the
Operation section. A true
appreciation and mastery of the H8000FW cannot be obtained without reading the
manual! We’d have you consult the appendices only when you need specific, technical

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information. Finally, when you need to find information days, weeks, months, and years
down the road, we’d have you use the comprehensive
Table of Contents and Index .
In particular, a good understanding of The Comprehensive Input / Output Scheme on page 52
and Program Load, Save, Delete, Etc. on page 118 and beyond are necessary to get the best
from the H8000FW. In order to use MIDI Program Change messages it is necessary to
understand Loading a Program Via a MIDI Program Change Message as described on page 121.
For information about using the H8000FW with a PC or Mac see Using the H8000FW
with a computer.

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The Big Picture
The Eventide H8000FW is a programmable, multi-channel, multipurpose, 96kHz-capable,
dual or monolithic digital signal processor (DSP), 24 bit digital audio signal processor with
UltraShifter™capability. That’s a lot of adjectives! It is the successor to a long, proud
line of digital signal processors that stretches back to a time when most audio
manufacturers didn’t know digital audio from Morse code.
The H8000FW is loaded with features that put it in a class by itself. It has 12 AES/EBU
digital inputs and outputs, eight ADAT digital inputs and outputs, two S/P DIF digital
inputs and outputs, and four analog inputs and outputs, as well as 16 channels or FireWire
for connection to a PC or Mac and very comprehensive routing capabilities for
controlling them. The H8000FW houses two independent signal processors, each having
eight inputs and eight outputs (imaginatively dubbed "DSP A" and "DSP B"). The two
processors can be run in parallel, in series, or in any mutant variation thereof. In addition,
the H8000FW can run "monolithic programs" that use the processing resources of both
DSP A and B to run just one large program.
The variety and depth of the programs that the H8000FW possesses are truly amazing,
from lush reverbs, to choruses, to flanges, to delays, to pitch shifters, to dynamics, to
EQs, to filters, to distortions, to synthesizers, to samplers, to ring modulators, and
everything in-between. The H8000FW can do it all. And if that’s not enough, DSP A
boasts nearly three minutes of sample time in addition to the 44 seconds of delay time
found on both DSP A and DSP B!
And for the user who is interested in making his or her own programs (if the huge number
of factory programs aren’t enough!), the H8000FW continues the "modular programming
paradigm" that made the DSP4000 and its offspring famous. Programs are composed of
individual building blocks, or "modules," that allow the user to create original programs.
Inspiration and creativity are given no bounds. . .
As you read this manual, it may be easy to "lose sight of the forest for the trees." Always
bear in mind the following:

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•The H8000FW houses two independently running DSPs (digital signal processors).
They are lovingly referred to as "DSP A" and "DSP B." Although they are both
always running, you can only view the parameters for one DSP at a time. Use the
PROCESSOR A/B key to toggle the display between the two DSPs. (Both DSPs
can be combined to run a single, "monolithic" program - see below.)
•Each DSP runs "programs" that are stored in the system. "Programs" are the
algorithms that manipulate your audio. With the exception of "large sampler
programs" and some "long delay" programs, any program can be run on either
DSP. Like two separate effects boxes, the parameters for the program running on
DSP A are totally independent of the parameters for the program running on DSP
B. Like two separate effects boxes, you can connect the outputs of one DSP to
the inputs of the other, or use them completely independently.
•Some processing-intensive programs are designed to run on the resources of both
DSPs. These "monolithic" programs use the input/output routing of DSP A.
While a monolithic program is running, all parameters for DSP B disappear.
•DSP A and DSP B each have eight "virtual" inputs and outputs, which can be
patched to the eight main inputs, each other, or any of their outputs.
See the inserted routing guide for complete routing details.
Never lose sight of the above facts!!! They are the foundation upon which we will build our understanding!!!