Eventide Phaser Flanger H949 SP2016 or H3000 Repair
Omnipressor, H910, and more. Studio Electronics cares.
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| Start Time |
Thursday, June 26, 2008 |
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Saturday, July 26, 2008 |
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Los Angeles, CA |
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Description
Before launching repair info and prices for Eventide gear, we’d like to present a history, if informal and incomplete, of that landmark company. (If you’re not interested in old technical reminiscences, please scroll down. If you enjoy it and would like to see more, please visit the Eventide page on our website.The first products from Eventide Clockworks were the PS-101 Instant Phaser (analog circuitry) and the relatively rare 1745 and 1745A Digital Delays. The Instant Phaser was the first outboard device to emulate tape flanging, formerly an awkward process that required 2 tape machines. Phasing sounds different than flanging (most would say inferior). Because it is based on phase shift (capacitor based; not time delay based), the peaks and notches are harmonically and acoustically unrelated, and less deep. Still, phasing is an intriguing effect, very similar to flanging. The FL201 Instant Flanger shipped in 1975, the first flanger in a box. With envelope follower, manual flange control, and remote input, and Reticon SAD 1024 bucket brigade chip. True time delay, not just phase delay.In 1975 the Eventide Clockworks H910 Harmonizer was released, the first digital product since the 1745. This was the first dedicated rack mount Harmoniser. There was no deglitch function, but you got dual outputs, each with short, selectable delay times. dbx type II noise reduction cards on the input and outputs allowed 90 db of dynamic range. The Model 2830 Omnipressor, released in '74 or '75, is a favorite unit around our shop, though it's not widely known or well understood. Describes as a "compressor with attitude" by Eventide, it was a compressor, limiter, gate, expander, and more. This cool looking piece had unusual capabilities like infinite compression, which yielded a constant output level regardless of input level changes, and dynamic reversal, which flipped the attack and decay of a sound, and could for example make a voice track sound "backwards". Of course, it could also be used to perform conventional compressing, limiting, and gating tasks. Early units, identified by their 3 lamps above the meter, utilized RMS detectors and VCA modules that were purchased from dbx. The more common later version (with groups of white push buttons) retained the dbx VCA, but used a home grown detector circuit. The unit listed for about $600 in the 70's and is worth about double that now.I believe that the H949 Harmonizer hit the market in 1980. Its many improvements over the H910 included “micro” pitch change mode, two pitch change algorithms (neither sounded perfect, but at least the user had a choice), a basic flange function, up to .393 seconds of delay, and “Reverse” mode, which played a stored sample backwards. Units with serial numbers over 1606 could be fitted with the optional “Lupine” LU618. This was the world’s first degitch circuit for pitch change. (Early pitch change circuits “spliced” the waveform, with more splices at higher pitch change settings. The electronic splicing produced periodic clicks. The algorithm on this card selected splice points which equal voltage levels, greatly reducing pitch change artifacts.) An H949 with a deglitch card will be marked “option: ALG-3” on its serial number plate. As with the H910, dbx type II cards were used to increase dynamic range.Another interesting Harmonizer option was the HK940, a two octave keyboard for external control of the H910 and H949. Few of these units survive -- if you own one, you’re quite fortunate!Five years in development, the SP2016 DIgital Effects Processor was released in the mid 80's -- a groundbreaking product, still widely used and still quite valuable. The model number was derived the unit's 20kHz bandwidth and 16-bit converter resolution. The units open architecture made this one of the "universal" effects boxes. Its EPROM sockets could accommodate 13 program IC's of the owner's choosing and could be updated and changed at will. (See list below.) This was a fantastic sounding effects box though for some reason, they are somewhat rare. We get the feeling that a lot of dead 2016's languish in storage rooms and closets. Send those babies in for repair; they're great!This brings us to the famous H3000 and its successors. The H3000 and later models are true industry standards, seen in all world class studios. It's 21 effects algorithms with 600 standard presets provide a wide variety of effects including true stereo pitch shift, pitch-correcting diatonic pitch shift, linear-predictive vocoder, six voice polyphonic synth, and a 19 waveform LFO function generator with full control, with comprehensive MIDI implementation. The multi-shift algorithm allows six octave pitch shift. Other programs are ultra-tap delay, instant phaser, swept comb filter, and multi-band delay. The LFO offers 19 periodic or triggered waveforms, with pink and white noise assignable to most effects parameters. The D/FX added new algorithms and presets, including the Stevie Vai settings.Here are approximate service costs, and other important info.The PS-101 Instant Phaser, FL201 Instant Flanger, and Model 2830 Omnipressor are usually not very expensive to service. Depending on starting condition, costs are usually in the $275-$400 range. Broken or faulty switch assemblies can add expense. The switches are an unusual type that are no longer available, but we have a good stock of both new and used replacements. We stock all the parts for these units, including the Reticon CCD chips in the Flanger and the dbx modules in the Omnipressor. These are valuable units, well worth the cost of servicing.The H910, H949, and H969 Harmonizers are a mixed bag. We have serviced dozens of them and have an excellent supply of parts, but these units usually have multiple problems and can be very time consuming and expensive to service. Typical problems include faulty dbx boards, power supply issues, bad capacitors, faulty RAM, switch, connector and PC board problems...etc. Repair cost can be $500 or more, approaching or exceeding the value of the unit. If you have a faulty H910 or H949, appearance and condition will often predict the repair costs. I'm sorry to say that these units suffer from marginal build quality; mishandling and hard use usually mean higher repair costs. In many cases the dbx noise reduction cards are completely out of whack. We have all the parts in stock (including refurb'd dbx card sets) and are glad to service these units, but it can get expensive. The later H969's tend to be less problematic.SP2016's are complex units, they come to us in a wide range of conditions and the repair cost varies accordingly. Some units just need power supply work, and relatively simple calibration and check out. Sometimes, units have numerous problems and require many hours of troubleshooting time. Costs can range from $300 to $900 or more. We can install missing or damaged programs. The Princeton Reverb site states "Given the SP2016's ancient electronics the fact that any still function is somewhat astounding." With due respect, we beg to differ! They aren’t really so ancient, and with TLC, can all function for many more years.This brings us to the H3000, H3000 D/SX, H3000 D/SE, H3500, and DSP4000. These newer models feature robust construction than their predecessors are usually not very expensive to service. Typical costs are $275-$475. For the earlier H3000 models, we offer a full program and system update that adds all the features of the H3000-D/SX and H3000-D/SE.Studio Electronics has serviced hundreds of Eventide units over the years. We stock replacements for nearly every part in these units (including the hard to find dbx boards) and have complete documentation for each model.The buyer of this service is responsible for shipping both ways. Shipping costs are not included in the service charge. Labor and materials are guaranteed for 60 days. Our return rate is very low but in the event you have a problem, we’ll get you taken care of as quickly as possible.For more information, please contact us through ebay or just phone our shop at 818-843-7981. Thanks for looking!Our company, Studio Electronics, has served the pro audio industry since 1981. We run one of the best equipped service repair shops in North America, with a vast parts inventory and an extensive library of documentation on all types of audio gear -- from the 1950’s to present day. We are an authorized service center for several manufacturers, and offer expert service on nearly all brands of pro audio gear, both vintage and modern. We’ve installed over 250 studios -- everything from mic cables, to small project studios, to large scale projects for monster studios, networks, and record labels. We’re proud of our reputation in the pro audio community.
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