It`s official (the two GM36`s/eventide rig) (updated)

So, it`s officially going to come to be. After some tense negotiations (not really), I will be running two GM36`s in stereo. I`ll have the Eventide H9 between them, handling all the wonderful things Eventide does. The whole rig will by sync`d via midi for simultaneous control over all of it. I`ll be doing a demo video of it as soon as it`s all set up and working the way I need it to. At first I will be running through a custom modified Avatar cab, but a buddy and I are going to build a pair of custom pair of Walnut 2X12 cabs (sealed bottom driver, vented top) and are actually looking into building custom cabs as a business. I`ll definitely let you guys know when it`s up and going and you`ll be the first to see it in action

Interesting news Jeff, congratulations on getting your dream rig into reality.  And good luck with the cabinet business, you can expect some flak from me (and possibly others too) if you start producing boxes which you reckon act as wormhole devices if built to the proportions of the Great Pyramid!  A box is a box is a volume and is either just well built or poorly built.  (Not expecting you to at all, I know your ideas are more sound than that but we have all seen it elsewhere! )

When you say you are using a top vented cabinet I assume you just mean it is open backed?  Or do you mean a true port loaded/bass reflex design?  Whichever, it would be a very cheap idea to consider giving the ability to fit a simple solid blanking plate to convert the vent or port to sealed with the top cab.  It's not difficult and I don't know why more manufactureres don't offer this as a simple flexible way of trimming your sound to suit your preference.

Man, I was appalled when I was looking at buying empty cabinets. A notable name brand is selling EMPTY cabs for almost 800 bucks (sticks up middle finger). We`re not reinventing the wheel (or the square, as it is), just trying to offer a nice, custom cab at a decent price.

I`ll have mine not tube ported, but slot ported. I like the low end to be super tight but the upper mid (and up) to have space to breathe. A fully ported cab would be too woofy too often, and the guitar just doesn`t use the lower frequencies a port tuned cab would support anyway. Sure, I could tune it to whatever frequency I wanted but then those times when it`s a boggy mess at the venue it all goes in the crapper anyway.

Absolutely my friend! Glad you have got your design criteria sorted this early on. I'm with you all the way with that. Ported is the wrong way to go for guitar. I'm sure once you get things up and running you should get some interest from other members, particularly as your designs will be made with the H&Ks in mind and should give a good match soundwise. They are pernickity about speakers as we all know. It's all about choosing the diminisihing returns point on materials for me. There is actually nothing a sealed cabinet can do other than load the driver, and an open cabinet other than support the driver, once you have strong enough materials and bracing to prevent bad cabinet effects. And a guitar cabinet isn't a bloody hifi cab, it's a strong box.

This may be slightly late given my absenteeism. Nonetheless - congratulations!though! I'm looking forward to seeing and hearing more!

Thanks Raf! The amp should be arriving this week. After the initial growing pains of learning how to best route the signal from the H9 are past I`ll do a full demo of the rig, how I set it up, how it sounds, and how it`s all synced to one foot controller. Should be pretty fun, and I`m excited about the sounds!

Knock'um dead with the new business Jeff! Never give up!!!

the new (2nd) GM36 just showed up. Gimme a few days to get it set up and programmed and all that crap and I`ll have a new demo video for it all.

  Is it done yet?     Is it done yet ?     Is it done yet?     Is it done yet ?

^^^^^^ hahahahahaha!

I`m having to make some concessions, as far as signal routing. In order to get the true stereo sound I want I`m going to have to remove the H9 from the effects loop and run it straight into the front of each amp. Otherwise I end up with a clumsy mixed mono signal that won`t mix properly. I`d get dry signal on both sides (mono) and then each side of the wet signal on it`s own channel, but mixed with the mono dry. I`m going to try both ways just to see which sounds better, but on paper it looks like guitar-->H9---> stereo out to each amp will be the way to go. Going the other way also makes me have to use a Y splitter to feed the guitar to both amps. Not in and of itself a horrible thing, I`d just prefer not to.

So I emailed the folks at H&K to get their opinion of how to best route this rig, and their reply was something I didn`t really expect. They suggested going guitar straight into the first GM36, then FX out to the H9, then from each stereo out of the H9 to each FX return, essentially bypassing the preamp of the second amp in the process. Of course it sounds amazing, the only consideration is that I have to program the FX loop to be on at all times for every preset (no global setting for that), and set the H9 to bypass via midi command when it`s not in use vs shutting off the loop. In and of itself nothing drastic, but it does add a few days to the timeline (especially when I am being the devoted father that I am and need to make time for father/son activities). But it`s coming, and I`ve got a vision for the demo video that I think you guys will get a great kick out of.

Yes, that is a bit unexpected isn't it? But when you think about it it's completely practical. It even gives you a backup preamp just in case. Sounds like a plan to me Jeff!

As I've said before, I'm no midi expert, the Valvetronix I use and the GM are my only forays into that world and it's all mostly hidden from you with both. Is there any individuality to the midi programming of each amp or do they share totally common settings? I suppose it's only power soak settings whcih will apply after the effects return. I assume that one amp is able to act in passthrough mode for the other and they both respond to the same channel?

They switch independently of each other, but they are identical pressets. I saved a backup of the original amp`s presets then just hooked up the second one to the control app and loaded the library onto the new amp.

One thing about the amp that I didn`t like before has become a nice feature. As the H9 can only do one algorithm at a time (ie; can`t do harmonizer AND delay), the fact that the built in effects are post FX loop has become really convenient. I can have the lush, stunning Eventide harmonizer sounds and still have full control over the delay on it via the amp. Makes for some inspiring Whammy pedal effects, and coupled with the killswitch on my guitar there`s plenty of Buckethead-isms to be found.

Hi mate,i am interested in buying the h9 (basic model) and i would like your opinion soundweise.Does it alterate the sound of the amp? Quality of the effects (chorus. Delay) in comparison to the amp's

ignantios wrote:Hi mate,i am interested in buying the h9 (basic model) and i would like your opinion soundweise.Does it alterate the sound of the amp? Quality of the effects (chorus. Delay) in comparison to the amp's

It`s Eventide, so it`s sounds are incredible and it truly does not color the tone in a way other than what it`s supposed to. With that said, It`s not a true multi effect. You can`t run (for instance) chorus and delay algorithms simultaneously. Some of them have both, but it`s the achilles heel of the device. *Cue the GM36*. I use the amp`s built in delay when I`m using the H9 for harmonizer sounds, and it`s perfect.

And if you can swing it, do yourself the favor and get the H9 Max. You`ll wish you had anyway, and you`ll end up spending the extra money on more algorithms regardless.

I`m sure the suspense and anticipation have long since dissipated, so I will make no declarations here. Simply an update.

Both amps are working to their fullest (ie; I`m using both preamps). It sounds absolutely glorious. Here`s the news:

Not being entirely happy with the recommended cable routing, which bypassed the second amp`s preamp, I went on a quest. I first made a Y cable to plug the guitar into both amp inputs. While it did work, the sound seemed to have lost its "sparkle". I ended up going with a Radial Engineering ABY box for that. It sits literally against the side of the amps on top of the cab (also more on the cab later), so there`s only two very short patch cables (10 and 14 inches respectively) between it and the amps. The aforementioned sparkle returned immediately. Now on to the H9 and it`s routing.

The Eventide H9 is a divine device. It has stereo in and out, and I can customize its internal routing to be either stereo or a wet/dry mix. Each amp FX loop feeds one side of the H9, so the H9 addresses each amp as its own channel. For delay, reverb, and various modulation effects I route it in stereo (the stereo delay effects are stunning). For harmonizer sounds I route it wet/dry, so one amp gives the original dry tone and the other handles the harmonized tone. Win.

I have the entire thing run by a Behringer FCB1010 midi controller. Behringer has made a reputation for being second rate, but a handful of their products have been stellar. The FCB is one of them. The two amps have literally identical settings thanks to the control app. It all works in a beautiful ballet of synchronicity, and was more or less very simple to orchestrate for a midi un-guru like me. The FCB has two continuous control pedals. One controls amp volume (and has programmable min/max to eliminate the issues many have had), the other controls various things on the H9, mainly pitch control/whammy effects.

I`ve also got an EHX720 looper (also stereo) right after the H9 for the solo guitar stuff I do. It doesn`t seem to have any effect on the tone whatsoever (justification for using good cables).

Yes, I promised a video. Yes, I`ve had time to make it. No, I haven`t done it yet. I do have several other projects to work on and I`m actually waiting on a new mic to arrive on monday so that I can make it as true and real world as possible and demonstrate the rig exactly how I use it. I`ll even show a few "working man`s tricks" to keep track of the cabling when I move the rig from my home studio to a live gig.

So sit tight, it`s coming soon!

No, the excitement hasn't abated, it's just being controlled magnificently since you told me to shut up in the back seat or you'd turn us around and we'd go home again.

HonestJeff! wrote:Yes, I promised a video. Yes, I`ve had time to make it. No, I haven`t done it yet.

Hahahaha!  Yes, I know that one.  You're as bad as I am!  






(So....    Is it done yet?        Is it done yet?        Is it done yet?        Is it done yet?        It was Hwystar!   )

While not a video, here`s a little tidbit to whet the whistle. Just finished remodeling the home studio today, and for it, most of my excuses are expired. I`ve now got the guitar cabs in a different room so I can not aggravate my tinnitus blasting away with the guitar in the same room as my desk. Here`s the amps, and my cool little crystal buddy I picked up at the site of the biggest meteor impact crater in the world (incidentally, it`s my preset for a harmonized +/- octave whammy sound pulled up)