Released in 2001, the Eventide DSP7000 Ultra-Harmonizer was a two-channel programmable, multipurpose, 24-bit/96kHz digital audio signal processor developed as part of Eventide’s DSP7000 series. The DSP7000 series built on the heritage of the Eventide DSP4000 series, with major enhancements and up to four times the processing power of the earlier DSP4000 platform. Eventide described the DSP7000 as its most powerful two-channel effects processor of the period, designed to run larger and more complex effects algorithms while improving both performance and usability.
The Eventide DSP7000 Ultra-Harmonizer was designed for stereo effects processing in studio, live, broadcast and post-production environments. It offered reverb, delay, pitch shifting, UltraShifter, equalisation, phasing, multiband compression, noise gating, tap tempo effects, mastering tools, flanging, diatonic shifting, chorus, dynamic processing and other effects. The unit combined digital and analogue I/O, 24-bit conversion, 96kHz operation, removable memory card support, MIDI control and a user interface based around a large LCD display, Eventide’s front-panel controls, numeric keypad and data wheel.
A major part of the Eventide DSP7000’s design was Eventide’s building block effects architecture. Rather than relying only on a small number of fixed processing algorithms, the Eventide DSP7000 used onboard effects module building blocks to create its factory programs and presets. Each preset could operate as a unique algorithm made from different combinations of modules. This approach allowed reverbs, pitch shifting, delays, filters, EQ and dynamics to be combined in flexible ways, and also allowed users to create their own effects programs.
The Algorithm Construction Kit gave users a way to construct custom effects by selecting and linking effects module building blocks using the unit’s LCD screen or a connected PC for an expanded view. This allowed signal paths to be configured creatively, such as placing a pitch shift module after a reverb, combining multiple effects, or applying EQ only to selected parts of a processing chain. The Eventide DSP7000 therefore functioned not only as a preset effects processor, but also as a programmable digital audio processing platform.
Pitch processing was a central feature of the Eventide DSP7000. The unit included UltraShifter, a vocal pitch-shifting system intended for pitch change, harmony generation, automatic pitch correction and voice transformation. The DSP7000 also included diatonic shifting and pitch shift effects, with factory preset capability of up to 4 voices at 48kHz sampling. These pitch tools were positioned for both musical and production use, including vocal harmonies, corrective pitch work, sound design and altered voice effects.
Reverb was another major part of the Eventide DSP7000. The 7000 series included stereo versions of reverbs associated with Eventide’s Orville multichannel processor, including small spaces, halls, plates, arenas, rooms, chambers and Blackhole. Eventide described the reverbs as separate algorithmic designs rather than variations of the same few core reverbs. The Eventide DSP7000 also drew on the company’s earlier reverb history, including the Stereo Room program from the SP2016.
The Eventide DSP7000 also included extensive program banks for mastering, MIDI-clocked effects, tap tempo effects, filters, modulating delays and multi-effects. Its mastering tools included 16 or 32 band stereo EQs, 3 or 4 band stereo multiband compression, and a Mastering Suite preset bank. The Radio Compress preset was designed to give an indication of how a track would translate when played on radio and consumer playback systems.
For rhythm-based work, the DSP7000 included MIDI clock presets and tap tempo presets. These included sample and hold filters, FM panners, tremolos, choruses and vibratos that could lock to an incoming MIDI clock or be controlled manually using tap tempo. The Filter preset bank provided filtering tools for live and studio remix work, while the Modulating Delays bank provided 31 presets covering chorus, flanging and other delay-based modulation effects.
The Eventide DSP7000 also included multi-effects programs that combined several processes in a single preset. Examples included stereo phaser with reverb, stereo delay with compression and filtering, and the Waterized preset, which combined pitch, chorus and reverb. These multi-effects relied on the unit’s processing power to run more complex combinations than would have been practical on earlier or simpler processors.
Eventide emphasised the practical side of the Eventide DSP7000 as well as its processing power. The front panel used a large LCD display without icon-based navigation, along with dedicated controls for program selection and parameter input. Digital and analogue I/O were included, and removable memory cards allowed preset storage. DSP4000 series memory card presets and program libraries were also supported, with few exceptions.
The Eventide DSP7000 was part of a family that also included the DSP7500. The DSP7500 added full-function sampling and hundreds of additional presets, while the DSP7000 provided the core two-channel processing platform. Both models shared the same broad processing concept, but sampling with time compression and expansion was listed as DSP7500 only.
The Eventide DSP7000 Ultra-Harmonizer used stereo AES/EBU or S/PDIF digital I/O at 44.1kHz to 96kHz, 24-bit analogue conversion, balanced XLR analogue input and output, remote control inputs, relay outputs, MIDI connections and a PCMCIA memory card interface. It offered 96kHz, 88.2kHz, 48kHz, 44.1kHz or external sample rates, dynamic range greater than 105dB, signal-to-noise ratio greater than 105dB A-weighted, and THD+N below 0.0025% at 1kHz and -3dBFS.
Features
- Two-channel Eventide Ultra-Harmonizer effects processor
- Programmable multipurpose 24-bit/96kHz digital audio signal processor
- Built on the heritage of the Eventide DSP4000 series
- Up to four times the processing power of the DSP4000 series
- Building block effects architecture
- Algorithm Construction Kit for creating custom effects programs
- Large LCD display for front-panel operation
- Can use a connected PC for an expanded programming view
- UltraShifter vocal pitch shifting
- Pitch shift and diatonic shift effects
- Stereo reverbs derived from the Orville multichannel processor
- Reverb types include small spaces, big halls, plates, arenas, rooms, chambers and Blackhole
- Delay effects
- Equalisation effects
- Phasing effects
- Flanging effects
- Chorus effects
- Dynamic processing
- Noise gating
- Multiband compression
- Mastering tools including stereo EQ, multiband compression and Mastering Suite presets
- MIDI clock preset bank
- Tap tempo preset bank
- Filter preset bank for live and studio remix processing
- Modulating Delays bank with 31 presets
- Multi-effects preset bank combining effects such as phaser, reverb, delay, compression, filtering, pitch and chorus
- Digital and analogue I/O
- 24-bit conversion
- Preset storage on removable memory cards
- DSP4000 series memory card preset and program library compatibility, with few exceptions
- Remote control inputs and outputs
- MIDI output, thru and input connections
