EVENTIDE BLACKHOLE

100
GUITARIST DECEMBER 2020
IMAGES TO BE SHOT
F
irst appearing in rackmount
processors, Eventide’s Blackhole
reverb algorithm has been around
for some time. While it’s recently been
available as a plug-in, it was also found
in the Space pedal and is a popular
fixture in the newer H9 unit. Now,
though, we have a dedicated Blackhole
pedal – a reverb stompbox that features
just the one algorithm but with all of its
parameters laid out for knob control on
the front panel, instead of having to dive
into menus.
The Blackhole has various options for
mono and stereo operation. The single
input works with TRS as well as standard
mono jacks, and you can set things for
guitar or for line-level signals. There are
five selectable onboard presets and you
get access to 127 through MIDI or via the
Eventide Device Manager (EDM) editing
software on your computer.
While the unit has six knobs, five of them
(all except the dry/wet Mix knob) have
secondary functions. Unlike some pedals,
however, there’s no messing around to
get to them: the secondary function is
clearly listed in a more subdued lettering
underneath the main parameter for each
knob, and you access it by pressing a small
button that immediately lights up red to let
you know that it’s a secondary parameter
that you’re editing.
SOUNDS
The pedal is capable of creating a range
of reverb spaces with the Size knob,
which will take you from a small room-
like environment through to a massive
cavernous void. The Decay character of the
reverb tail can be adjusted by the Gravity
knob, gradually increasing the duration
and density of a conventional fading
envelope to its right, and offering the same
for a reverse decay to its left for a trippier
vibe. Besides these, you can add up to
two seconds of pre-delay before the main
body of the reverb kicks in, and there’s a
Feedback knob, adding repeats to extend
the effected sound further up to an Infinite
mode where you can continuously layer
new sounds on top of a suspended reverb.
A pair of Lo and Hi filters takes care of
conventional tonal tasks such as reducing
low-end murkiness or taming/enhancing
the high-end, and there’s variable
resonance for these so you can turn a
simple treble boost into an edgy metallic
sheen, for example. It’s also possible to
add modulation via the Rate and Depth
Eventide’s celebrated reverb algorithm gets a dedicated pedal
Words Trevor Curwen Photography Olly Curtis
PEDALBOARD
Blackhole
CONTACT
SOURCE DISTRIBUTION 020 8962 5080 WWW.EVENTIDEAUDIO.COM
MODEL
BLACKHOLE
PRICE
£279
MANUFACTURER
EVENTIDE
EV ENTIDE
GIT466.peds_eventide.indd 100 28/10/2020 18:07