Blackhole transforms reverb from something that sounds like a physical room into something that sounds like an atmosphere: crank Size to its highest setting, pull Gravity into negative territory, and one chord unfurls into a slow, backwards-blooming swell that keeps expanding long after your hands leave the strings.

Which Eventide reverb is this?

Blackhole is the dedicated, single-algorithm pedal in the .9 series, built around nothing but Eventide's Blackhole reverb, with Gravity, Size, Feedback, and Freeze each getting their own knob. Looking for twelve different reverb types in one unit — halls, rooms, plates, springs, and a version of this very algorithm? The larger Space covers that multi-algorithm territory. Want Blackhole plus 73 additional algorithms with the ability to stack two effects at once? That's the H90 Harmonizer.

Why guitarists choose the Blackhole

• Flip Gravity between positive and negative to let a chord either fade out naturally or swell in reverse — no separate reverse-reverb pedal needed.
• The Size knob ranges from a tiny, almost comedic room to a boundless expanse, so it doubles as both a gentle thickening effect and a full-blown ambient wash.
• Two flavors of endless reverb come standard: Infinite mode keeps stacking fresh sound onto a sustained tail, while Freeze locks the tail in place so you can play over it.
• Because modulation lives inside the reverb algorithm itself instead of being added before or after, extreme settings stay smooth rather than turning harsh.
• Five onboard presets are ready at your feet, with room for 127 more via MIDI — enough to shift between ambient textures during a live set without touching a single dial.
• A true stereo signal path (in and out) plus a Guitar/Line switch makes it equally at home ahead of an amp, inside a stereo setup, or processing a synth or 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 specificationsTypeStereo ambient reverbDimensions10.8 x 10.2 x 4.3 cm (L x W x H)Algorithms and presetsOne Blackhole reverb algorithm; five onboard presets, up to 127 over MIDIAudio I/OInput: 1/4" TRS (mono on tip, stereo on tip and ring). Out 1 and Out 2: 1/4" TS.Control connectionsEXP: 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 impedance10 kOhmWeight480 gInput impedance700 kOhmOutput impedance220 OhmCurrent drawUp to 300 mAPower9V DC center negative, 5.5 mm / 2.1 mm barrel, up to 300 mA; supply includedSignal pathDigitalBypassSelectable; relay (true) bypass availableWarrantyOne year

FAQ

Does Blackhole have tap tempo?
Yes, though not through its own footswitches. You'll need to plug a single aux switch into the EXP jack and set it to Tap Tempo, or use a triple aux switch to handle preset up, down, and load functions with your feet.

Can I run Blackhole in my amp's effects loop?
Yes. Flip the rear switch to Line and select either DSP+FX or Buffered bypass mode, which keeps your reverb tails ringing out even after you disengage the effect.

How does MIDI connect to this pedal?
MIDI comes in through the 1/4" TRS EXP jack via a MIDI-to-TRS cable or converter box, or alternatively through the Mini USB port. Note that there's no traditional 5-pin DIN MIDI socket on this unit.

What sets Infinite mode apart from Freeze?
Infinite mode continuously adds your new playing on top of a held reverb tail, so the soundscape keeps shifting. Freeze, on the other hand, captures the tail exactly as-is and holds it still, letting you play over a fixed backdrop.

Can I power it from a daisy chain?
Not dependably. Since Blackhole pulls up to 300 mA at 9V center-negative, you'll want an isolated power output that can supply at least 300 mA.

Is this a true analog reverb?
No — and Eventide doesn't market it as one. It's a digital reverb engine paired with analog input/output stages, and true relay bypass is available as one of four selectable bypass options.