Eventide has a history of producing incredible digital multi-effects processors in a time well before plugins. Many of their algorithms have naturally found their way into plugin format, including classics from their older hardware and a handful of effects from the modern H9 series. Using the Eventide Blackhole plugin, unlike realistic reverbs, helps you craft supernatural soundscapes — check out our review and breakdown below!
The Eventide Blackhole Plugin Offers Lush Reverb Sounds
Blackhole comes from an algorithm originally found in Eventide’s DSP4000 hardware from the ’90s. For many years, a lot of engineers found their “secret sauce” in the unnatural reverberation, frequently employing it on ambient background guitar and keyboard layers.
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As a plugin, Blackhole shares the same characteristics that made the OG algorithm a go-to effect for so many engineers and producers. Blackhole breaks the rules of nature and lets you twist and tweak your reverb into something entirely surreal.
Surprisingly, however, it’s still a versatile plugin. Of course it does the ambient and droning thing incredibly well, but you can also do quite subtle settings that give an instrument space with a colorful shimmer that’s hard to replicate elsewhere. Blackhole delivers lush washes of never-ending reverberation, in addition to tasteful highlights for mix elements you’d prefer to stand out.
Is Eventide Blackhole Free?
Blackhole is not free (though it is on sale for $29, down from $199, at the time of writing). However, you can download a 30-day demo by providing an email address and an iLok username. There are also a solid handful of sound samples directly from Eventide to give you a taste of how this reverb sounds on a variety of sources.
Eventide Blackhole Plugin Review
What Does It Have to Offer?
If it’s of any interest, Eventide released the Blackhole in pedal format prior to launching the plugin. This was, of course, after it was already an algorithm in a rackmount processor, so each iteration of the effect has undergone appropriate refinements to get to where it’s at today.
The Blackhole plugin has much to offer in the realm of reverb parameters, including mix, predelay, size, filters, modulation, feedback, and resonance. Unique to the plugin is the Gravity control that inverts the reverb’s decay for that otherworldly sound. There’s also a handy killswitch feature that mutes the input signal leaving only the processed signal. You can create some interesting automation effects by putting it to use.
The reverb also contains over 50 presets and is even available in iOS format for mobile music production.
Sound & Tone Quality
Eventide’s Blackhole is on-par with all high-end competitors as far as what a quality plugin should sound like. The effect itself is rich and lush with no noticeable degradation or artifacts. If used to its full extent, Blackhole offers some truly creative possibilities for sound design, ambient sound-scaping, and loads more. It also sounds great even if you only use it for more traditional reverb sounds.
Interface & Ease of Use
The interface and design isn’t the prettiest, but it’s true to the Eventide aesthetic that’s been in play for decades now. Apart from that, the actual layout is very streamlined and ease of use is a 7/10. Despite being capable of such massive and outlandish sounds, the Blackhole plugin is simple to operate with just several key parameters. As always, that’s a major plus in our book.
The Blackhole Plugin Is a Worthy Addition to Eventide’s Impressive Lineup
If you want access to tried and true Eventide quality in your DAW, their plugins deliver it. Blackhole just so happens to be one of those cult classic algorithms Eventide developed back in the day, with enough of a following to garner its own plugin for the modern age. Eventide is sometimes overlooked compared to other software giants, but it’s worth looking into their catalog if you want to acquire some amazing sounding effects for your DAW.