For me, Easter came early this year when I discovered an egg Eventide left us. In particular, a somewhat-bland Undulator factory preset, called Never There, can be paired in series with another preset, causing the latter to auto swell-in/fade-out. True Story: I learned this the day after I thought I invented the very same use of Undulator. Anyway …

The swell-in aspect of Never There is similar to the Slow Gear pedal and is also found in the UltraTap algo. The factory preset UltraSwell, for example, is super! As far as I know, however, UltraTap cannot swell-in and fade-out. So I have made pads by pairing UltraTap with something that will fade-out, like a reverb or a delay.

Since Never There does fade out, however, the second H90 preset slot is available for presets I wouldn’t typically choose (e.g., presets with no reverb or delay).

So all 26 of the (stereo insert mode) programs in this list use Undulator as a swell-in/fade-out utility in preset slot A. Surprisingly, this can sometimes radically change the sound of a paired slot B preset (e.g., synths and Harpegiator presets). As if 66 algorithms weren’t enough, this can expand the H90 tonal palette even further.

Naturally, similar results could be achieved manually with careful use of an expression pedal. Also, playing technique for Never There is limited and somewhat finicky when preset B mix is low. To keep things smooth, you need to release a sustained note/chord and pause before picking the next (or echoes ring out). But that ringing echo thing can (1) be nice sometimes, and (2) cause preset B to do unexpectedly desirable things (especially to a synth preset with mix set to max).

Some boilerplate points to keep in mind:

The H90 will drive headphones with a guitar alone if you turn the P Out Gain hotknob to +12dB. So I always set that as the first/left-most hotknob where it is always within reach.

My signal chain often includes a UAFX (I hate them) amp sim as a stereo insert, and a pair of headphones straight out of my H90. When I use overdrive, it’s often coming the amp sim or an analog stompbox (though the new Aggravate algo is great). Naturally, some programs may sound bad if you use another amp sim or no amp sim at all. Please expect to adjust to taste.

IF YOU HEAR NO SOUND, IT IS PROBABLY BECAUSE YOU DON’T NORMALLY USE A STEREO INSERT AND/OR YOU HAVE NOT WIRED UP AT LEAST ONE INSERT DEVICE. BYPASSING THE INSERT (WITHIN “ROUTING”) WILL LIKELY SOLVE THE PROBLEM.

Most programs were created using the middle toggle position of a Les Paul. But some programs definitely sound better using a different pickup. Please start with the middle toggle position and try others if that sounds like dog.

These programs use the hotswitches, an expression pedal, and aux switches #4, #5, and #6. Aux #4 is always a 5dB boost. Aux #5 and Aux #6 could be anything, but are always described in the developer notes. My expression pedal is globally linked to P Hotknob. So the P Hotknob functionality is intended to be expression pedal functionality.

I’ve learned from and incorporated so much material from innumerable gearheads to build/compile this list. Grateful attribution is provided where possible. Thank you all!

And, many thanks to the geniuses at Eventide. The H90 is an absurdly rich resource and powerful tool.