Eventide H3000 | Can the plug-in replace the holy grail of effects? Let's compare!

I compare the Eventide H3000 and the Eventide H3000 Factory plug-in, side by side.
Can the plug-in replace the mighty hardware? What are the differences?
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The song "Tonight" has it's own video here:
• Video
The "lullaby" song I refer to in the video is not online at the moment. I'm not the artist here so nothing I can do about it.
Check out more videos where I use the Eventide H3000 and some of the other famous algorithms that the plugin cannot do here:
• Roland Juno 2 vs Event...
Get the Eventide Factory plugin here:
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The original program for the swept delay I show at the end of the video was created by Toby Pitman. More info on that here:
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Growing up I listened to so much synth-pop and it's only natural that my own music takes inspiration from many of the acts I loved back then. I still love them and listen to them!
Howard Jones, Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys, New Order, Erasure, Thompson Twins, Tears for Fears, The Human League, Propaganda. FGTH, Ultravox, OMD, Eurythmics, Duran Duran, Giorgio Moroder, Jean Michel Jarre, Jan Hammer, Alphaville, A-ha as well as loads of artists doing what is now called Italo Disco. And many more great acts like Nik Kershaw, Spandau Ballet, Wham, Dire Straits ++

[@ropeyarn]

I was the service tech at Eventide in the 90's. Very few of the H3000 series came back for repair. The only trouble makers were the internal battery for saving settings and a 12V line that acted up at the inputs. When judging the plugin keep in mind that the rack unit was limited to 16 bits and a noise floor down around -72 dB. Distortion without effect was below .1%. These limitations are easily overcome by today's DAW. Thanks to all you producers who made us famous!

[@EspenKraft]

Thanks for sharing your story! :)

[@lousekoya1803]

Wow ! You guys are legends ! Nice to have read your comment ! I have a TC 2290 , another beautiful unit but the delay faded out and never came back and it's at a tech's place since more than a year now and he doesn't know how to get the delay back. Sad

[@asp4637]

Thanks for taking the time to run through setting up a pre-set, really brought this alive for me.

[@EspenKraft]

Thanks! :)

[@amulpatel]

Since it went on sales.. I bought it! thank you for the quick tutorial at the end... was very helpful!

[@EspenKraft]

Great buy, and thanks! :)

[@amulpatel]

Eventide is so legendary.. thanks for the comparison.

[@BadBlitz]

Neil Tennant called and wanted his vocals back! =) Good stuff as always!

[@EspenKraft]

Thanks! :)

[@larsvanbekkum78]

Neil tennant called and wanted a cooperation with Espen for their next album: 'time machine ' with 11 tracks on it. One for each year. 1980 in human league style, 81 in depech mode style, 82 in omd style, 83 in italo style, 84 in Frankie goes to hollywood style, 85 in a ha style, 86 in Madonna style, 87 in petshopboys style, 88 in stock aitken Waterman style, 89 in the style with samples, samples and samples...89 was a bad year...the last track is in do they know it's christmas style/ultravox and ofcoure with all the lead singers of the 10 other tracks on it. (The Stock aitken voice is for Donna summ.....eh no😣, eeeh...eeeh...Rick asltey 😆..no kylie minogue )

[@9dnovix]

Espen, I am always impressed by your content. It's not often we find people in modern society who make authentically 80's music. That's actually how I found your channel. I hope you know what I mean! Keep up the great work!

[@EspenKraft]

Thanks Devin! I appreciate you saying and I work hard to have a consistent quality in my videos, both musically, technically and in the 80s angle I love so much. :)

[@9dnovix]

@@EspenKraft It really shows and I learn a lot about the golden age of production from your videos, so keep up the great work! 👍 All of my projects revolve around production techniques from the late 80's and early 90's and I always a lot of fun creating 😁

[@EspenKraft]

Sweet man, thanks again and just keep on making music that you love! :)

[@hdscoot69]

Thank you so much. I've had the H-3000 plugin for about 4 years, but I pretty much gave up on it when I found that most of the presets fall apart when you mono out your mix. This video has motivated me to dig back in.

[@EspenKraft]

Cheers! :D

[@sound-ur1bq]

So how to fix that ? Where does it come from ? Regards

[@PeacelandMusic]

Much appreciation! Love to have the hardware, but tough to beat the price! Awsum! Peace

[@wrmusic8736]

H3000 is a real must have in an electronic music production. Man it's a true powerhouse and in a modern world of crystal clear sounding plugins it's full of character.

[@DigiMixAudio]

Great comparison Espen! Thanks for the video! The plugin is a great fit for DigiMix.

[@EspenKraft]

Thanks Jake! :)

[@No-Pressure-Only-Results]

Wow thats that futuristic smooth sound!

[@TerenceKearns]

Great review. very informative and a lot of fun :) Cool thumbnail graphic too!

[@EspenKraft]

Thanks! :)

[@johnkeable5304]

That preset on the acoustic guitar sounds amazing

[@shadowsoflife000]

Thanks for the comparison, Espen. When I was studying all this stuff at Full Sail, I always liked the sounds of this box and some of the semi-pro Yamaha SPX boxes (though these two are really not in the same league). Some of us may not get a chance to own a real Eventide, but I have their plug-ins, and it's nice to know this one comes pretty close to its hardware counterpart. And thanks for the tips on how to use the modular features!

[@EspenKraft]

Happy you found it interesting! The plugin sure sounds nice and for those programs I go through, I'm more than happy to use the plugin on multiple tracks. The hardware sounds "better" though and add to that all the other things it can do I feel I have my word intact when I say I need both of them! ;-)

[@sr.warrior]

Great video. I agree about the hardware sounding nicer, I believe the most noticeable difference is the harmonic distortion in the analog in/out path designed to sound good, to add that musical color. I woud try saturating the plugin into a neve preamp to see what appears, I believe it could get closer.

[@isaacinternet]

Very catchy chorus on your song. I didn't expect to like it so much.

[@EspenKraft]

Thanks!

[@Demontage_Montage]

Espen Kraft have always explained best for any hardware device or software on KZbin . 👍👌

[@EspenKraft]

Cheers!

[@Demontage_Montage]

@@EspenKraft 👍

[@boothbuster]

Wow you made my day, I was sure I bought this just for presets, but it looks super easy to patch your own! Some message boards say that Sound Toys can do all the same but even with their rack, I don’t think it would be as quick to create a patch as this... have never dug that deep into the Sound Toys plugs though.

[@EspenKraft]

Well, it\s the SoundToys guys that created the H3000 so... ;-)

[@boothbuster]

That is true... I haven’t played with their rack feature at all so I don’t know if it can do the multi-point connections like you demonstrated with the mixers or the multiple outs from the pitch shifters. Regardless, for some reason it just seems easier in this plugin, it being all upfront on that one page, I suppose.

[@bhamadicharef]

From studying the schematics of the Eventide H3000 unit it is based on Texas Instrument TMS32010 and old logic circuits, so the digital path could be bit-to-bit replicated, now the ADC and DAC plus the analog part are the tricky ones that will make the hardware and plug-in sound slightly different ... nice video !

[@EspenKraft]

Thanks!

[@soabovesobelow5747]

there are times I couldn't really tell the difference between the hardware and the plugin. It's that good, I'm sold to the plugin.

[@markcoren2842]

I got to work over this Evantide when they first came out. I have to say, it spoiled me for quite awhile afterward. I'm getting back into writing/production after a 14 year break now and this was the first piece of gear I checked out on eBay (hoping they were a dime a dozen now). Foolish me! Thank goodness there's a plug-in alternative for the rest of us now! Thanks for a great overview!

[@EspenKraft]

Thanks! Yeah, they're getting very expensive these days, as all gear that's old and great ;-)

[@spreadofsound]

yes , more depth in hardware unit. thx you for this video :)

[@niklassilen4313]

I hope Eventide revisits the plugin and actually properly emulates the AD/DA conversion on the H3000. This would bring it closer to the hardware for sure. And they've done an amazing job on the recent upgrades to the instant phaser and flanger.

[@EspenKraft]

Yes they have. I think they have done great with a lot of the new upgraded plugins.

[@mrnelsonius5631]

You nailed why there’s a noticeable difference between hardware and software here. I’m not usually too big on ABing with hardware. If a plugin sounds good it sounds good. But the hardware just has another level of depth on this one and I suspect it’s the AD/DA converters, which were probably difficult to model

[@leonardocaminati6432]

@@mrnelsonius5631 It's not the AD/DA converter that makes the big difference. There are some analog parts in old units like this, it's not all done by a central CPU like modern computers. They're responsible for most of the differences we hear. The engineer Chuck Zucky which works closely with eventide and many other software companies has a great take on that and he's right.

[@fallprecauxionsmusic]

@@leonardocaminati6432I gotta search you find mister zucky's take on all this... thanks, leonard!!

[@johnsnyder4949]

this is an awesome video great comparison. as was pointed out by some other commentors yes if i had to pick the hardware does sound "better" but im thankfull they made an affordable pluging of this unit cus to get the hardware would be out of my pricerange lol. but i think the plugin sounds great and its true to the hardware

[@EspenKraft]

Cheers!

[@chestiitari9531]

The hardware has a ducking effect on the delay: one channel coming in makes the other fade out. Really nice comparison Espen. Keep it up!

[@EspenKraft]

Thanks! :)

[@drillgirl718]

you can duck it in the plugin, people just dont experiment enough wit all the tools, no one on youtube is doing it

[@the80386]

ducking effect can be done in the plugin too!

[@LFOVCF]

Great video, as per. You sound different on here. Smooth like a late night DJ. ☺

[@EspenKraft]

Thanks! I had a nasty cold going into this video. Or was it coming out of a cold? Can't remember, it's been a while since this.. ;-)

[@razzerraw1108]

Thank you for this video !

[@EspenKraft]

My pleasure! :)

[@dash3dot]

This guitar Lullaby track is absolutely heavenly gorgeous!!!

[@EspenKraft]

It worked out alright ;-)

[@tomaszwaszka3394]

@@EspenKraft great Lullaby... but I can't find a link in the description...

[@EspenKraft]

@@tomaszwaszka3394 Unfortunately, the artist does not have the song online at the moment. I'll edit the description. Thanks for reminding me.

[@tomaszwaszka3394]

@@EspenKraft thanks for the answer :)

[@annother3350]

The hardware does have a touch more magic. I'd like to hear the software through Waves SSL channel that adds a magical width to everything like the desk may be doing

[@niteboatermusic]

I don't hear much difference on this patch! As a former owner of the 3000 D/SE and current owner of the H3000 plugin, Im thrilled to see this. Great job of making this video, much appreciated.

[@EspenKraft]

Cheers! :D

[@keithburnt6073]

Thanks for this awesome video!

[@EspenKraft]

Cheers!

[@teddym2808]

Thank you.. currently very cheap on sale.. this is what I needed to see to decide.. I think for 60 bucks it's worth it even if it's not 100%.

[@EspenKraft]

It's a bargain for what you get!

[@confusedmachine]

This is awesome. Thjanks!

[@EspenKraft]

Thank you! :)

[@WheelieMix]

I feel that the plugin is close enough to approximate it even more. Maybe trying slapping a Mathieu Demange RX950 plugin after the H3000. Setting the filter to max (so minimum filter) and setting the audio bandwidth around 16khz. It'll maybe adds up that vibe the plugin is missing from the hardware (kind of emulating the "bad" A/D of the H3000 + your own A/D). I cannot try it as I only have the hardware, not the plugin :). Interesting video too !

[@WheelieMix]

If you prefer the sound of the outboard yes. If you prefer the cleanest sound of the plugin nope. But when doing synth wave, you will find a lot of artist wanting that 80s sound. So if you can't have the outboard you need to find ways to incorporate those flaws from the analog gear. Matter of taste as usual.

[@owlmuso]

What a great sounding unit wow. The plugin is not half bad but I agree, the hardware unit has just a little more life and depth to it. Thanks for this review, even 5 years after its release :)

[@EspenKraft]

Cheers!

[@LearnReason]

The hardware sounds better and it's easy to hear it. Great video.

[@EspenKraft]

Thanks! :)

[@analogalex3103]

Great Job! Perfect sounds for this comparison. The hardware sounds like part of the sound and the plugin sounds like a sound is being added. They both sound great and are extremely useable. Going to get the plugin today as its on sale for $79. Cant beat that. Def on the lookout for the real deal though. They are very pricey now at around $3k. Whatever inspires you to make cool music I'm all for. If the hardware inspires you then sell your car and get one! Thats what I'm going to do. 🤣

[@EspenKraft]

Cheers!

[@ZabiNeinOhNein]

Hey man thx for the video,love your song and gonna download the plugin . Would love to have the hatdware but to expensive for budget now.

[@EspenKraft]

Cheers!

[@devingademan]

Thank you for the great comparison and explanation, Espen. I love the Eventide. It looks and sounds so good. I have to dive deeper into it though. I have never owned one myself. I was happy to hear “Tonight” starting off the video. It is one of my favourite songs of yours. The Eventide website says it is available for $79,00 and tells the regular price is $349,00. Has the plugin ever been that expensive? Anyway, like I said; I have to dive deeper into this device. I might buy the plugin and have some fun. Greetings and thank you! -Devin

[@EspenKraft]

Then plugin was VERY expensive not so long ago. Cheers

[@Prince.Mykal.Vision]

The real issue isn't weather the hardware is better or not, its the fact that so many of the algorithms (20 algorithms are missing) from the plugin versions of the H3000, which means some of the BEST presets cannot be created with the plugin. Eventide wake up and just model the whole unit!!!

[@buckwilde1511]

This is the exact problem I have with the plugin ... so many missing effects. And people on Ebay selling them are asking an arm and a leg. Oh well.

[@hosoiarchives4858]

Dumb question but why not get an H9000?

[@beyondthegong]

@@hosoiarchives4858 because they’re TEN GRAND??

[@No-Pressure-Only-Results]

@@beyondthegong hahaha

[@conatutube]

@@beyondthegong Ha ha!!! Yeah. That was a pretty dumb question!

[@MCAlvesPortugal]

Great review.😎

[@EspenKraft]

Cheers!

[@brentvalleywhag3477]

Nice video. I loved you in Django unchained!

[@EspenKraft]

Ha-ha.. I get it, thanks! :)

[@braincoral9866]

I did this exact test! I have a 3000DSX. The plugin is convenient, and the band delays version is great, but I still prefer the real one. hot wires :) i'm an eventide junkie..i have a DSP4000 and an eclipse too :)

[@joemarabella2145]

How many FX can you use at once with the 30000?

[@braincoral9866]

@@joemarabella2145 that's a very good question..i don't edit it much, don't need to withthe DS/X upgrade..1000 presets...but you can build from blocks of FX...i know you can have 6 delays in one program. it also has a function gen, same as the plugin too...they're quite similar in terms of editing capability...i think they've added stuff into the plug just because they can

[@carlwahlstrom5438]

well they definitely sound different! Plugin is a lil less chunky (that good eventide chunk). The question is, even if the plugin isn't as amazing, is it still better than every other plugin doing similar things? I vote probably yes... Thanks for this comparison! Super helpful.

[@EspenKraft]

Thanks for commenting, yes I found the plugin doing just as fine a job in the mix as the hardware unit, so I sold the hardware.

[@MorbidManoeuvres]

@@EspenKraft it was a good move, the plugin is so close. and in a whole mix, it will be unnoticeable weather its the unit or not.

[@davidbaker231]

The delay times don't match on the Analog Delays comparison. Oh. If I would have kept listening, I would have realized you mentioned it. This is actually a great demonstration of why perfectly tempo synced delays are usually not as cool as when they're slightly off.

[@izvarzone]

Can u get same effect by automating tempo on plugin?

[@gitarman666]

I don’t know how to hook up my holy grail! All those xlrs Im running a very modest Apollo twin duo interface, help would be greatly appreciated

[@MustafaAlbazy]

The slight loss in the top-end from the HW unit is what making the depth seems better, and there's a big chance that your signal chain (cables, da/ad) is the cause of that. The fact that you can get the plug for less than a $100 during the sale with no recall issues and you can use as many as your CPU can handle that's pretty much worth more than the slight sonic difference.

[@EspenKraft]

I tend to agree with you, at least for the algorithms that are the same on both "units".

[@izvarzone]

Is there A/D, D/A plugins? lol

[@VagendaAdnegav]

I feel like the plugin has a slightly higher presence, but the extra brightness is a tiny bit harsh - and the hardware has more bass response. Perhaps a mild amount of Soothe and a little saturation in the low end could balance it out.

[@erhanmusician]

I agree with you on the presence but I didn't find it harsh, on the contrary sometimes the original sounded dull. I also think it's not a h/w vs s/w deal. It's just preset and eq.

[@frankyr.8514]

Question, i purchased eventide apps and I want to use irig adaptor...to play with my iPad Pro...but my iPad Pro doesn’t have the right extension, cable or plug....?, coz the cable that comes with irig has one size only... (fits on a mini iPad only)... do you have any advice? What we’d fit the iPad Pro if you want to use irig portable kit?!....Thx frank

[@EspenKraft]

I have no idea, I don't use iPADs at all.

[@arpeggioblues5924]

ya think maybe some eq after the plugin you could accentuate the depth?

[@DBStudioA]

Thanks for doing this ! I’ve moved from 2x H3000 and a DSP4000 to 100% ITB and while maybe not identical the plugins are very good. I’m interested to know, did you use the hardware’s digital or analog IO in your test ?

[@EspenKraft]

No digital I/O on the H3000.

[@egguitarsluthier199]

Good video!! They are always to be taken into account. What economic reverb would you recommend to record homemade and to apply to an RX11, DX7? The midiverb 3 are very bad? Thanks for sharing your knowledge. That you keep well!

[@EspenKraft]

Thanks! Get a Lexicon PCM70, my best advice! :)

[@egguitarsluthier199]

Thanks for the advice Espen Kraft! I will continue saving money then :) Greetings!

[@peterldelong]

The plug-in is on sale right now for $79 US until 05/23. Heck of a deal

[@EspenKraft]

A no-brainer!

[@toonertik]

Yes, demoing now thought I'd check some vids as well... I was around when these were as well. My initial thought on A/B ing was the HW is .. well the word I came up with was soft... but creamy is better.. with no instant A/B test, I'd be smitten again>>> ;)

[@HarryVarthakourisOfficial]

ha! that is exactly why I'm searching for reviews... to see if it is worth it!!

[@boothbuster]

Yep and even a bit less if you use your preferred plugin dealer who carries it! Just got mine at plug-in discounts. Was surprised to get the email. This and cubase 10 upgrade and the special on Waves WUP, and now I just saw Studio one updated to 4.5 (we’ll that one’s free, just a lot to take in). Lol! I might be out of steam by the time it’s Native Instruments’ summer sale! Not to mention Revoice Pro is on sale, still debating that one.

[@HarryVarthakourisOfficial]

@@boothbuster I bought Cubase 10, just to have it. And, it's funny, I wrote to SynchroArts about doing a similar deal for ReVoice... I would buy it in a heartbeat. (I actually asked them how can I avoid paying the VAT and when they could not find a solution, I asked them to do a "Steinberg deal")

[@syncropain]

Hey this is a hit!

[@Spineloro]

Nice demo! This plugin sounds good, thxs!!

[@EspenKraft]

Thanks! :)

[@teddym2808]

Oh man.. memories of when Cubendo GUI had beautiful, easy on the eye colours and did not look so busy... If only C/N10 still looked like this...

[@EspenKraft]

I can't stand the looks of it now. This is all the functionality I need as well so no need to upgrade for me.

[@teddym2808]

@@EspenKraft That's so good for you.. Unfortunately I do use the new features a lot especially ARA2 (for example) with revoice pro and melodyne. I am glad someone else agrees with me about the GUI though! Cheers.

[@EspenKraft]

Sure, we must cater for the needs we have. Cheers

[@TerenceKearns]

Main difference is that you can have ten instances of the DSP running in a project at ones whereas the hardware equivalent would require 10 units taking up space, electricity, and substantial investment capital. Purism is for rich people. I'm more then happy with the plugin. Hopefully Eventide releases an iOS version as well since they are releasing a lot of their new stuff on that platform too. This is a big deal. The iPad Pro has more juice than yesteryears desktop PC and the new M1 chips from apple will purportedly run iOS software as well. We shall see. It's all good stuff. You'd have to be a miserable soul to be complaining right now.

[@adam872]

"Purism is for rich people" - yep. I see so many statements made by people about how X isn't like the real vintage thing etc and you know what, I'm not going to part with thousands of dollars for a second hand H3000 when I can have this or an H9 with a lot of the same algorithms for a lot less money.

[@conatutube]

Hello. Can I just ask if you have this thing? Can you use it in, you know, real time? Or can it only be used post-recording to process what has been recorded previously? I would ike to play guitar through it.

[@TerenceKearns]

@@conatutube Yeah you can easily use it in near realtime. I haven't done any tests recently for this plugin specifically, but I'd say it's okay. You can download a lightweight VST host to use instead of a full-size DAW. www.hermannseib.com/english/vsthost.htm I recently had a band do a live show through my audio interface and into front of house speakers. I set it to 125 samples and they were none the wiser. I recorded the multitrack session which didn't skip a beat on my shitty i5 laptop with Studio ONE 5.

[@nichttuntun3364]

Wrong approach imo. Developers of software instruments have to get better and not rely on the same 30 years old and generic dsp code. There is more to a great instrument than maths. Devs leave it be when the character is there. But that's not enough. A plugin shouldn't sound one-dimensional, boxy and it should treats transients with respect. Time for a change...

[@74thstreet]

Awesome video

[@EspenKraft]

Cheers! :D

[@uptownphotography]

Excellent Video and great comparison. I have an H3000 (owned since around 1989) and I need to replace Cap C68 (1uf Cap). The original Cap burnt when turning the unit on after in storage for a while. This cap is according to the schematic used in the +18v Power supply. I am going to solder in a new Tantalum Cap, but concerned whether the cap failed on it's own or some other component may have failed causing the cap to fry. Thanks for doing the video. Gave a SUB.. Phil

[@EspenKraft]

Many thanks! :D

[@uptownphotography]

@@EspenKraft My pleasure....all the best.

[@mickec5245]

Solid!

[@landisix9709]

Does the Plug In have ALL the sounds from the rack mount H3000?.. and if so… is there a way to load all the presets from plug in into a pedal for performing live? What pedal or foot controller would work if so? Thank you love your demo 🙏.

[@EspenKraft]

No, there are a lot of algos missing. No reverbs or anything. It only has a few iconic algos from the H3000.

[@soundadvice854]

Seems to be some latency happening on the hardware unit that isn't heard on the plugin. Wondering if this tiny processing delay in the hardware unit is what makes the difference between the hardware and plugin version?

[@javiceres]

Considering it has to send and convert D/A from the DAW to the Eventide and back, there has to be more than, say 3 milliseconds at best.

[@MrPoppymusik]

Great demo , vst is a no brainier on price compared to the hardware 👌

[@EspenKraft]

With a discount the plugin is very good value.

[@EliPrinsensHVTVocals]

I LOVE this song!

[@maccagrabme]

I am surprised at how accurate the plug is, I wouldnt be able to tell the difference in a mix and side by side there seems little difference, they did an amazing job. Imagine if these emulation effects and synth plugins were available to hobbyists in the 80s for a fraction of the price of the hardware, there would have been some great tracks made and I doubt 80's ears would have been able to tell much difference with either softsynths or effects. We really have it good nowadays when it comes to technology.

[@lownrgy]

if both are indeed "just" algorithms and they used their own code it makes full sense they nailed it

[@javiceres]

lownrgy But they’re not. The physical H3000 has circuitry in the I/O before and after the A/D/A converters like limiting, filtering, compression, emphasis, de-emphasis, expansion and more filtering, all made in the analog domain (and then the ADA converters themselves). That could be modelled as well but wouldn’t be easy I guess. Besides, the H3000 doesn’t work exactly like a CPU running an algorithm, it has several brains that work in a net like fashion

[@lownrgy]

@@javiceres I've never examined H3000 but assumed it's DSP based like every other digital effect. no?

[@javiceres]

lownrgy To be honest I’m not sure, I can’t remember; the H910 is a digital effect and it’s not DSP based for instance.

[@b_markovic]

@@javiceres H3000 was made in '88 and released in '89, when DSPs were mainstream and everywhere. They'd be daft to make it with ASICs or discrete like they did with 9xx serios from the '70s, it would cost significantly more than $3000 (which was the price tag in 1989). In fact, if memory serves me rigth, I've read somewhere that going for off-the-shelf CPUs and DSPs is what made 3000 cheaper than 969

[@ChrisCebelenski]

The plugin is certainly useful, and as you point out there's not much reason not to use it. In a mix it would be very hard to say there's a difference. What I heard is that for delays, the plugin is much crisper and precise than the hardware, which leads to a more forward sound sometimes. I'll use hardware plugins precisely for this reason sometimes, where a pristine plugin might not match the expectations of the vintage hardware. The Eventide units were a box of software, but they lived in their own sampling environment, and the calculations on the DSP chips vs. the CPU in the computer can be different too (not saying they are - just can be), and all that colors the sound in some way. Also there's the usability aspects, where working with one or the other might lead you to do something different depending on the platform. What is very cool, and often gets lost in the noise of comparison videos and forums, is that we can now provide these tools that were once big-studio only, and use them in our home studios. And that is very cool. (And a used Eventide is STILL going to be much more money than the plugin - my DSP 7000 is fun, but is it $2K fun?)

[@EspenKraft]

Good points all the way. For me it's sometimes the combination of all hardware units, the outs coming into my mixer and the sum of all converters, noise, some hiss, etc etc makes it more authentic to me, and that's why I'm going for and the reason I also only used synths, samplers, drum machines of the 80s. To get that "edge" over using only plugins.

[@bigcheeez1878]

Hi, can you tell what brand and model of rack stands you use? Great comparison video. Very pertinent nowdays that we have both routes option of hardware and software emulations. In my opinion, the hardware still brings authentic depth and organics, characterisctics that software is not delivering yet. I would say It is not noticeable in all ecxamples though, specially when the FX applied are really subtle.

[@EspenKraft]

Thanks! Check Gear4music and search for 19" racks. It'll pop up. Cheers

[@nebstaism]

I own one of these h3000 se hardware and I absolutely love it ... I can't do a vocal mix with out it .... My favourite setting is 291 it's like a suttle micro pitch chorus effect that works so good on lead vocals ... I haven't tried the plugin but the h3000 hardware is one of my most valued units in my studio .. I want to buy another one .... 515 magic air is a good setting on vocals as well

[@EspenKraft]

Yeah, the 515 I use quite a lot.

[@nebstaism]

Espen Kraft love your videos bro ... You definitely know your gear !!!!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Very interesting comparison. The plugin does a passable job, costs a fraction of the hardware, doesn't take up space and doesn't need maintenance or repair. So it's great to have it available. Would love the hardware of course, who wouldn't?

[@EspenKraft]

Yeah, the H3000 hardware is on every track I make, but the plugin does many thinks equally well so I tend to use the hardware for those things the plugin cannot. If it was cheaper I'd get another one ;-)

[@AlexBallMusic]

@@EspenKraft Haha, I'd happily have two of many things. :) Reckon most of us would struggle in a blind test or in a mix to tell with confidence as to which is which though. As much as we all like to boast about how we hear a difference. Reality is that we often can't.

[@EspenKraft]

Absolutely and those programs I compare in the video I happily leave for the plugin in my productions as they are close enough, and then some. The plugin is very low on the CPU as well so you can have dozens of them going without spiking, even at low latency.

[@AlexBallMusic]

@@EspenKraft Guess that's the biggest selling point; you can have dozens of virtual versions and only one hardware.

[@1powerequalsgod]

I agree, you are not stressed with hardware cost, maintenance repairs and space requirements versus owning the plug-in.

[@dundeedolphin]

The hardware definitely has more presence. The plugin is decent. It's also a fraction of the price so i wouldn't expect it to be as good.

[@EspenKraft]

The plugin does not have all the algorithms, but the ones it have does a great job.

[@feieralarm]

The hardware still sounds a bit better, but in the mix, the differences are almost negligible. Considering that the hardware costs at least 5 times as much as the plugin, I'd say it's a very good alternative.

[@specialkcitizen6263]

Its the small differences in a mix that accumulate to create a great mix.

[@XChristianNoirX]

I actually preferred the plug-in. There are other ways to get the rest of the sound close or even differe/better (depending on how you look at it) using external gear, with saturation, eq, and a gazillion other methods. If you try to make things sound exact, they're not necessarily going to always sound exact. The thing is, you could start a mix on plug-ins, get something you really like, then try on the analog, and end up not liking it as much too. This is my general idea as far this type of processor.. With preamps and compressors, the analog versions tend to be better at least 95% of the time.

[@teddym2808]

Plus you can use as many plugins as you want.. The difference is probably due to the cabled signal path of the hardware, it really is probably that simple.

[@kdchmln]

This was covered already in a comment a year ago but all those "negligible" differences in a mix cumulatively add up to a worse, more lifeless mix. And honestly I think the difference in quality here is pretty vast. I noticed it immediately. This whole "no one will notice it in the mix" mentality will always lead to lower quality music. If a plug-in is what you can afford at the moment, then go for it, but ultimately these differences are noticeable and you should never assume they don't matter.

[@MultiPanda009]

@@kdchmln i don't think so. if you use the plugin and the hardware will change youte mix not a bit. but shure gift them 10k ;)

[@brettwayne8103]

It’s on sale right now for $79 ... Try inserting the free Tal DAC plugin after it set to EII with the sample rate high.

[@sebjulien3]

Do you have a side by side comparaison for the Harmonizer part ?

[@EspenKraft]

I have only what you see and hear here.

[@dundeedolphin]

Hi Espen.Did you share the link to the lullaby track? I can't see it. Thanks.

[@EspenKraft]

No, I talked to the artist and the track is no longer available online. I thought I had that updated in the video description, but I will look into it.

[@dundeedolphin]

@@EspenKraft Thanks. That's a shame. It was a lovely track. 👍

[@B6composer]

I own a H3000 and a H3500 in my studio for many years, and also I have the plugins. It's not about the algorithm，I believe the differences are how those old chips process the algorithm, and H3000's unique ADDA flavor. same as those Old TC electronic and AMS units.

[@B6composer]

Very nice song btw

[@EspenKraft]

Thanks! :)

[@EspenKraft]

Yes, I believe so too.

[@boothbuster]

Yes it sounded like a bit of excitement perhaps from distortion of the box’s ad/da? But they were so close. Not sure if the box round trip is adding a bit of delay too or however you have it set up accounts for the round trip latency via PDC? I was thinking that bit of delay if it’s 4-6 ms could change the character of the hardware box’s sound too...

[@EspenKraft]

@@boothbuster There's latency compensation on all sounds, each clip. The programs that are the same in the plugin and HW sounds remarkable close and I don't bother firing up the HW for those anymore, but the HW has so much more than the plug so it get a lot of use anyways.

[@icelandknight]

hey there... Maybe I missed something, but where do I find the link to the "Lullaby" you used? (IMO, it sounds fine without lyrics! :-) ) 16:55 Sounds like a "Stylophone".

[@EspenKraft]

Yes, sorry about that. It seems the artist (I was a hired gun on this song) has pulled the release off digital streaming. Nothing I can do about it. :|

[@icelandknight]

@@EspenKraft Ahh, ok, thanks. Its a cool lullaby, just as it is, but it needs some strings. (but that just might be my preference. -- Oh, and ((excellent 80s chord explorartion, on another video. Thank you.))

[@EspenKraft]

My pleasure! :)

[@mintyswirljoy]

It's $79 right now!! Such a deal. :)

[@No-Pressure-Only-Results]

when it will sale?

[@hartleygabolinscy3152]

What a fantastic melody Espen. 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍❤️ You vocal is the icing on the cake of course, lol. 🎧🎹🎧

[@EspenKraft]

Thank you very much! The finished song will be released this Friday coming up. :)

[@burger659]

the plugin will not be able to reproduce what the hardware can do at extreme settings i think. i have a h8000 here...

[@the_JTowny]

On the verse with the slapback, the plugin seems to be hanging around on the right channel more. Almost sounds panned right. The rest of the time the hardware feels like it's got a slight compression to it, gives it a bit more punch. Sometimes modern recreations and plugins can lose a bit of mojo by being too clean with too much dynamic range. Ironically, because that's what every manufacturer was trying to achieve when they made their gear BITD. I'd prefer to own the rack. But the plugin would do the job extremely well.

[@CandyAppleBlue]

It's positively stunning the Eventide. Hardware vrs Software. In my opinion the hardware sounds more lush. ♪♬♫🎹♩❤

[@EspenKraft]

I must say I agree with that... the plug-in is well worth the money though ;-)

[@cph2004]

I listened to teenwolf from the 80s this morning. Magical.

[@izvarzone]

In chorus I actually preferred plugin sound, in second mix I also preferred plugin.

[@EspenKraft]

I thought the difference was so miniscule that I sold the hardware. ;-)

[@DonjayX]

@@EspenKraft Just bought it before the video was over based on this comment alone. :-)

[@taigkyo]

I wish you'd compared the String Modeller preset between the two of them ;-) I needed that preset for a project recently and no, there was no replacement for the original hardware.

[@EspenKraft]

Could not compare them all so I chose the ones I use the most. ;-)

[@lb2696]

Hardware sounds much thicker. Perhaps the plugin return could have processing like eq/saturation applied to get it closer.

[@nerolifong1824]

why the plugin missed out all reverb preset?

[@EspenKraft]

Because it doesn't have the reverb algorithm.

[@timsamsung3736]

Eventide please add more algos from hardware unit and emulate AD/DA, and make it mono compatible. Make MK2 like you did with Flanger

[@jamesmcfadden4936]

I just cant believe that someone hasn't commented on the low mids that the plugin seems to add that the hardware does not. The hardware is better, bottom line, but it is the most noticeable one the H910's program.

[@dundeedolphin]

Catchy AF.

[@slives09]

Where can the plugin presets be found?

[@EspenKraft]

If you buy the plugin you get a load of presets with it.

[@fuzzsound2899]

Isnt the left and right the wrong way round on the hardware?

[@EspenKraft]

Yes, unfortunately the L/R got mixed up in the mastering stage of the hardware. I didn't catch it until the video was uploaded and then it's too late.. the comparison is still valid though it's just the reversed stereo.

[@amonster8mymother]

I was going to say - you are a very good guitar player. 😁

[@EspenKraft]

I do play a little guitar though. ;-)

[@joshdamsma]

Can u link me to the Lulaby song too? I can't seem to find it

[@EspenKraft]

I've commented on this a couple of times in the past as well, the lullaby song was never released on any streaming platform. I talked to the artist and she said it's only available on CD.

[@joshdamsma]

@@EspenKraft okay I see! I friend requested you on Facebook. We have four mutual friends interestingly enough! What country are you in again? Anyway I hope you except , take care and God bless

[@firstnamesurname6550]

After listening to the video a few rounds: ' I ... Don't Know Why ... '

[@djGreenALERT]

If I'd spent years with the hardware, I think I'd be disappointed in the software version, but luckily I don't own the hardware, so the software is good enough.

[@hummarstraful]

lol you comment cracked me up.

[@mariusmitrea5462]

AWESOME TUTORIAL !!!!!

[@EspenKraft]

Thanks! :)

[@boothbuster]

Ha, that delay at 15:34 turned that guitar lick into a Metallica song!

[@EuroDJ]

Thnx

[@edvinpedvin]

@EspenKraft those folders called 'synth' and 'bass '...are there single instruments in there, or layers and layers? It just sounds... Rich Enough. Full 😊

[@EspenKraft]

You mean in the arrangement window? I assemble and catalog each group of sounds this way to keep organized. So when I mute a folder called "synths" I mute perhaps 20 different tracks of synth sounds. It would only clutter the view of the audience here if I didn't do it like that as well.. ;-)

[@f.p.8577]

great video mr kraft ! what about using some cheap analog distortion pedals for the return channel ? basically the only difference are the musical and lush sounding converters, isnt it ? or is it used as an insert ?

[@EspenKraft]

I'm not sure I understand your question. Why would I use distortion pedals?

[@f.p.8577]

@@EspenKraft hey mate. maybe to get the effects a bit more lush sounding ? does it make sense ? did u use it as insert ? looks like u use the sw as insert, but i dont kno cubase .

[@f.p.8577]

when i wrote " basically the only difference are the musical and lush sounding converters, isnt it " i meant the hardware to software comparison

[@EspenKraft]

Well, that's up to each user to decide. We all hear sound differently and want to color our sound in different ways. The use of distortion pedals is a well known "trick".

[@f.p.8577]

@@EspenKraft off course. since you compared both effect units, my intention was obviously to get the plugin sound like the hardware. so if you d used the hw as a returneffectunit, i just thought it might be possible to get that extradirt/moving with an distortionunit on the returnbus.