About This Item
Description
Blackhole is the reverb that stops sounding like a room and starts sounding like weather: set Size large, push Gravity negative and a single chord blooms into a slow, inverted swell that keeps growing after you stop playing.
Which Eventide reverb is this?
Blackhole is the single-algorithm .9 series pedal built entirely around Eventide's Blackhole reverb, with Gravity, Size, Feedback and Freeze on dedicated controls. If you want twelve reverb families in one box, including halls, rooms, plates, springs and a version of this same Blackhole algorithm, the larger Space is the multi-algorithm reverb pedal in the range. If you want Blackhole alongside 73 other algorithms and two effects running at once, that is the H90 Harmonizer.
Why guitarists choose the Blackhole
- Gravity runs positive or negative, so the same chord can decay naturally or swell backwards into an inverted bloom without reaching for a separate reverse pedal.
- Size sweeps from a cartoonishly small room to a limitless space, which means one knob covers both a subtle thickener and a full ambient bed.
- Two kinds of infinite reverb are built in: Infinite mode keeps layering new sound on a suspended tail, while Freeze holds the tail in stasis so you can solo over it.
- Modulation is built into the reverb structure itself rather than bolted on before or after it, which smooths the harsh edges out of extreme settings.
- Five presets sit at your feet and up to 127 more load over MIDI, so a live set can move between ambient beds without touching a knob.
- True stereo in and out with a Guitar/Line switch means it works equally well in front of an amp, in a stereo rig, or across a synth or a drum bus.
Controls and switches
- MIX Blends the dry signal against the reverb, from a hint of air to fully wet.
- GRAVITY Sets decay direction and length; positive gravity decays normally, negative gravity swells the tail backwards.
- SIZE Scales the virtual space from a tiny room up to a limitless void.
- PREDELAY Delays the onset of the reverb so the dry note stays clear before the ambience arrives.
- FEEDBACK Feeds the reverb back into itself; wound up far enough it crosses into self-oscillating infinite ambience.
- LO / HI / Q Tone controls for the reverb: tame low-end build-up, add air on top and set the resonance of the filter.
- Freeze footswitch Instantly holds the current reverb tail so you can play over a sustained pad.
- Active footswitch Engages the effect; it is dual-action, so it works latching or momentary.
- Guitar/Line switch Rear-panel level matching for guitar, synth, an effects loop or an audio interface.
- Mono/Stereo switch Tells the TRS input whether to read a mono tip signal or a true stereo tip-and-ring pair.
Power and pedalboard compatibility
Runs on a 9V DC center-negative supply through a 5.5 mm / 2.1 mm barrel plug and draws up to 300 mA, so it needs an isolated 300 mA (or higher) output rather than a shared daisy chain. Eventide includes a universal power supply with US, EU, UK, JP and AU adapters. Power comes from the DC jack only; Eventide does not publish battery operation for this pedal. Bypass is selectable between Buffered, Relay, DSP+FX and Kill dry, so you can run relay (true) bypass at the front of a board or keep the buffer and effect tails alive inside an amp loop. A rear Guitar/Line level switch matches the pedal to a guitar, a synth, an effects loop or an audio interface, and a Mono/Stereo switch sets how the TRS input is read.
Technical specifications
| Type | Stereo ambient reverb |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 10.8 x 10.2 x 4.3 cm (L x W x H) |
| Algorithms and presets | One Blackhole reverb algorithm; five onboard presets, up to 127 over MIDI |
| Audio I/O | Input: 1/4" TRS (mono on tip, stereo on tip and ring). Out 1 and Out 2: 1/4" TS. |
| Control connections | EXP: 1/4" TRS for an expression pedal, an aux switch or MIDI I/O. Mini USB for software updates and MIDI. No 5-pin DIN MIDI and no Bluetooth on this model. |
| Maximum input level | +8 dBu (Guitar) / +14 dBu (Line) |
| Recommended load impedance | 10 kOhm |
| Weight | 480 g |
| Input impedance | 700 kOhm |
| Output impedance | 220 Ohm |
| Current draw | Up to 300 mA |
| Power | 9V DC center negative, 5.5 mm / 2.1 mm barrel, up to 300 mA; supply included |
| Signal path | Digital |
| Bypass | Selectable; relay (true) bypass available |
| Warranty | One year |
Reference: the official Eventide Blackhole page and the official manual.
FAQ
Does Blackhole have tap tempo? Yes, but not from its own footswitches. Connect a single aux switch to the EXP jack and assign it to Tap Tempo, or use a triple aux switch to move up, down and load presets at your feet.
Can I use Blackhole in my amp's effects loop? Yes. Set the rear switch to Line, and choose the DSP+FX or Buffered bypass mode so reverb tails continue when you switch the effect out.
How do I get MIDI into it? MIDI runs over the 1/4" TRS EXP jack using a MIDI-to-TRS cable or converter box, or over the Mini USB port. There is no 5-pin DIN socket on this pedal.
What is the difference between Infinite mode and Freeze? Infinite mode keeps layering new playing on top of a suspended reverb, so the bed evolves. Freeze holds the existing tail exactly as it is so you can play cleanly over the top of it.
Will a daisy chain power it? Not reliably. Blackhole draws up to 300 mA at 9V center negative, so give it an isolated output rated 300 mA or more.
Is Blackhole a true analog reverb? No, and Eventide does not claim it is. It is a digital reverb engine with an analog input and output stage, and it offers relay (true) bypass as one of four selectable bypass modes.