Eventide eclipse in guitar rig?

[jagplayer71]

I'm thinking of getting an Eclipse as I need a rack mounted effects processor for my guitar rig. The eclipse sounds amazing, but is it feasible in a live guitar rig? A couple questions:

1. I see it has 1/4" in and outs. Can I use these to go stereo into the Eclipse from my pedalboard and then stereo out of the eclipse to two amps? Will I have signal level issues? Does the eclipse work well with guitar signal levels?

2. Can I use a foot switch like a Boss FS-5U(momentary) or Boss FS-5L(latching) to remotely control the bypass function on the eclipse?

Any help appreciated.

Thanks

 

[kowalski440]

1. I see it has 1/4" in and outs. Can I use these to go stereo into the Eclipse from my pedalboard and then stereo out of the eclipse to two amps? Will I have signal level issues? Does the eclipse work well with guitar signal levels?

Excellent with guitar signal levels. plus, the levels can be adjusted accordingly w/global controls for input/output, gain, wet/dry, et al. I should note, there is a bit of a noise floor(hiss) when running the analog 1/4" outs. it is feasible in a live rig so long as you don't need to switch effects mid-song. or if you do, you don't mind a bit of latency when switching between algorithms. it is minor but it is noticeable.
the Eclipse split between two amps is a thing of wonder and beauty and its sound quality is superior in every way.

2. Can I use a foot switch like a Boss FS-5U(momentary) or Boss FS-5L(latching) to remotely control the bypass function on the eclipse?

I have not personally tried this. It is set up for multiple external controllers but I have only used midi switching. Mine is used in a studio and manually bypassed when not in use. hopefully one of the other Eclipse users can offer their experience. I'll take a look at the manual and see if I can find anything in reference.

 

[jagplayer71]

Thanks for the reply.

I wouldn't typically be switching patches mid-song so the switching latency should be a non-issue for me. I will primarily use it for some of the big/ambient verb patches Which are amazing. I used to use a Space pedal and love the Eventide verbs so everything else the eclipse has will be gravy/added bonus.

JC-120s are hissy anyways and have a bit of a noise floor themselves, so I shouldn't be too bothered by what you describe.

Again. Thanks for info, my curiosity is intensified.

 

[AnalogKid85]

The Eclipse is one of the best FX processors you could possibly get for guitar--I say go for it!

Also, it wouldn't hurt to think about getting a Rane SM82, or even a smaller mixer of some kind to go with it It will make a world of difference, to be able to mix your pure analog dry sound with just the wet FX from the processor!

I'm about to do the same with my Lexicon PCM80 and I can't wait. The sound is really different when you take the A/D/A out of the equation (I've A/B'd this many times with my Rocktron Xpression, with its pure analog dry path...and it's night and day ).

A mixer will also help "hide" the patch-changing lag, since your dry sound will never drop out (only the FX behind them--and there are LOTS of ways on the Eclipse to make that smoother, get spillover/trails, etc., so everything is seamless...*if* you spend some time programming it).

There's a possibility someone will be loaning me an Eclipse to program in the near future--if it happens, I will be sure to make a thread about it and post my presets here Even though I mostly program the PCM80, I have been studying the Eclipse algorithms for years now (at one point I didn't know which one I would get first, which is why I studied them both as in-depth as I could--Lexicon just wound up being the more affordable option at the time).

 

[AnalogKid85]

Thanks for the reply.

I wouldn't typically be switching patches mid-song so the switching latency should be a non-issue for me. I will primarily use it for some of the big/ambient verb patches Which are amazing. I used to use a Space pedal and love the Eventide verbs so everything else the eclipse has will be gravy/added bonus.

The Eclipse has some nice tricks up its sleeves for that

While it can't run any two ambient verbs at the same time--the "Blackhole" preset, for example, uses both engines, so it can only one run instance at a time--there are plenty of huge, ambient verbs that can be run off of a single engine. Verbs created from algorithms like reverb8, reverb16, rev_taps_verb (a reverse pitch shifter+3-tap delay+reverb8 combo), Ultratap2 (a 32-tap delay w/diffusion), diffchorus (a "building block" for "Blackhole"), and the Plex verbs (like detune4plex, among many others), etc.--any of those will run on one engine, so it will be easy to get smooth transitions and spillover if you want to change between any two while you're playing, or even change from one of these to any other kind of patch (delays, etc.); all you have to do is program it to turn the Send off (located where the 'S' is in this drawing)--or even set it to be controlled with a footswitch or expression pedal--and then the input will cut off for that effect, but allow it to naturally trail out. You can even have the same footswitch or expression pedal turn one reverb's input up and the other down at the same time So totally seamless switching is possible--not in every situation, mind you, but for anything not too demanding, a little extra programming goes a long way here--a lot cheaper than buying two Eclipses!

 

[italo de angelis]

If your JC-120s are those with FX loops I strongly suggest you run Eclipse thru them.
Just use ONE amp preamp send to Eclipse and connect its outputs back to the RETURNS of both JCs, one for each.
Also the use of a mixer will *dramatically* improve any performance aspect of your rig and make things right.
If your JCs don't have fx loops... some kind of mixing device would still help a lot.

For soundclips examples, have an extended listening here:
http://www.italodeangelis.com/it/eventide_and_other_stuff/eventide_eclipse.asp

 

[DieHon]

If your JC-120s are those with FX loops I strongly suggest you run Eclipse thru them.
Just use ONE amp preamp send to Eclipse and connect its outputs back to the RETURNS of both JCs, one for each.
Also the use of a mixer will *dramatically* improve any performance aspect of your rig and make things right.
If your JCs don't have fx loops... some kind of mixing device would still help a lot.

For soundclips examples, have an extended listening here:
http://www.italodeangelis.com/it/eventide_and_other_stuff/eventide_eclipse.asp

Nice to see you here! You should come here more often now that huge racks will disappear!

I just bought an Eclipse and I'm super excited to see what it can give me!