Eventide Eclipse

The Eventide Eclipse is a new effects processor aimed towards guitarists. It's a somewhat slimmed down Eventide compared to the huge monsters we're used to seeing, but it's actually more powerful than some of the older, bigger boxes. It includes nearly every feature you can think of and then some. The famous big scroll wheel is still here and what you'll mainly be using rather than the dial pad. The coolest thing is that it's housed in this 1U rack enclosure.

UTILIZATION

This is probably the biggest downside with all Eventide products. They're very hard to use for first timers. It takes reading the manual a few times, and the manual is as huge as a phone book. You can only have so many effects being used at any given time to boot. To top it off, even with the latest software, there's quite a bit of lag when switching between certain presets. You can get by this with some trickery of x-fading and whatnot, but it takes some understanding this unit to fix these flaws. It's definitely not for somebody who has limited time on his or her hands.

SOUND QUALITY

The sound is where all Eventide products excel. The effects just sound amazing. Those looking for that signature Eventide "coloring" will find it in spades here. The harmonizer tracks wonderfully, the reverbs are huge, choruses are lush and it's guaranteed to enhance your tone. Most of the stock presets suck, so keep that in mind. You'll also need to do a bit of tweaking when it comes to levels. The weakness of this unit, in terms of sound quality, is the amp sims. The whole guitar/amp things don't really sound that great, so I recommend just avoiding them.

OVERALL OPINION

Overall, if you're looking for a do-all effects processor at this point, I think you're better off looking at the Axe-Fx Ultra. It's more versatile than this, has better support, easier to program and is roughly the same price. If you're limited to just using a 1U effects processor, this could be worth looking into, but I have a hard time recommending it to the gigging musician.

This is a digital rack unit. It can't be edited through a computer. This effects unit is a combination of reverb, delay, harmonizer/octavizer, vibrato, chorus, phaser, flanger, and almost any other effect except for distortion. There is no MIDI connection.

UTILIZATION

Getting through these sounds can be a huge pain sometimes, simply because there are about a thousand presets to choose from. Each preset ranges from a basic effect (reverb, phaser, vibrato) to a complex combination of effects and algorithms. The manual does a decent job of explaining how to program and shift through all of these various effects. However, it is a chore for anyone who isn't dedicated to finding buried treasures.

SOUND QUALITY

I have only used this with guitar. Using it with a bass or keyboard would produce some truly freaky sounds, as running the guitar through this thing is enough to bewilder just about anyone. Some of the effects that this thing produces are jaw-dropping. Some settings produce wild harmonizations and polyphonies that repeat in an ambient fashion from just a few randomly plucked notes. Some settings will harmonize, even pitch correct, every note that you play and continually loop sounds and replace them in a manner similar to a Steve Reich piece. Some sounds produce gorgeous, orchestral multioctave washes of sound that are very soothing. Playing two notes on some of these settings will produce an ominous drone that sits in the bottom of your stomach. For all of these wildly innovative effects, there are a ton that are wild and foreign but have no real practical application, which makes it frustrating to find the good ones.

OVERALL OPINION

I love the wide variety of textures that can be easily created using this machine. I hate having to sift through a million lackluster or annoying settings to find the good ones. I think that this is a ridiculously expensive piece of gear, and that anyone willing to shell out the money for it had better realize how frustrating and time-consuming it may be. However, some of these sounds are very difficult to recreate elsewhere, and some of the ambient textures would be very useful for someone who makes ambient or very spacey music. I'm sure there's a niche of customers who would adore this product, I'm just not sure I'm one of them.

See other complete opinion on this point. Although the effective range is very comprehensive, the whole point of this rack is in the pitch shifter, modulations, delays and reverbs.

USE

The manual is very comprehensive and well designed, which is useful initially to learn editing sounds and settings that may not be easy for the novice.


SOUND QUALITY

Modulation effects, delay, pitch shifting, reverb and quality are quite exceptional. Cutbacks and saturations are much less convincing, but in my opinion no interest on this type of equipment. In a chain effect, it is recommended to place the compressor first like wha before attacking a good preamp lamp that will provide a generous saturations, and rack eventide goes into preamp output or the loop effect, to have the modulations, delay and reverb-end chain.

NOTICE GLOBAL

The price of this rack is high but in relation to the quality of sound which is a much higher class of the cheapest kind Tc electronics hardware

For effects there are delays and modulations beautiful reverb that sounds awesome a great harmonizer of noise gate and distortion equalizers efficient all digital. Lacks the home studio for a USB port. For nothing is missing connections all planned. In addition to the Eclipse is one rack unit how they did it for every home?

UTILIZATION

It was on that for a camera of this quality and with the enormous possibilities it offers, you really read the manual to be able to use and effective.
Nothing to do with Boss or all of these kinds of multi effects very easy to use. But if we follow out the instructions (very thick binder explaining quite well) no problems. Only downside I find that the screen is too small.

SOUND QUALITY

Photo is not a must! I played on TC Electronic (G Force) Rocktron (Réplifex Voodovalve), Boss (SE 70) Eclipse is well above the rest. There are so many differences that it is not even comparable! All effects are superb with a dynamic extraordinnaire. It only beautify the sound with a sublime transparency and realism. Too bad he "has not more than 10 per note, I made 20 so it sounds!! Imperative not connect with a preamp and an amp of equal quality. For my part I plug in my SG or my Start through the eclipse (noon with a control pedal Rocktron) then the signal goes to a preamp Randall M4 lamps to finish in the amp VHT.

OVERALL OPINION

Since only one week and I sleep at night (my friend who is happy!) The value for money is excellent and there is no mieux.Ce not that I regret is not having bought tot.Foncez more guys buying it for Life!