RadTone Harmonic Converger

This unit does not perform any magic on your existing patches. The creator of the Harmonic Converger specifically states this, and he's absolutely correct to do so; you have to work with it, preferably creating patches from the ground up. Once you've done this (and not connected the thing backward as I first did - duh! :), you start to get a feel for what it can do. It takes time and effort, like any decent piece of equipment, and will reward your efforts. So, although my rating is lower for this category, please do not take this as a negative.

This is where the HC shines. Although it's not designed to replicate the sound of any particular artist, it enables the Multi-FX user to emulate more closely the sound of modeled tube amps. Yes, it kills fizz, but that's not the only or greatest thing it does. The response of the amp/speaker combination, and the feel of a good tube amp as it starts to work hard are the areas in which the HC comes into its own. How it does it, I do not care - the fact of the matter is that when you've plugged it in and spent some time working with it, you find you've been playing for a long time rather than tweaking the presets. It raised my BOSS GT-8/Tech 21 Power Engine from a good setup to one that even my ultra-picky band-mates called "superb". Sag, dynamics, presence and clarity. Everything you could want.

Built like a brick outhouse - you'd have to run it over with a road-roller to kill it. I'd absolutely use it without a backup.

Hadley is very approachable, professional and courteous. He answers questions quickly and honestly, and obviously has a wealth of knowledge in the field. All this and he's Neil Diamond's guitarist too. Draw your own conclusions from that.

I play everything from hard/progressive rock through to blues. I've been playing for 32 years now, and have made my living from it. I use the GT-8/Power Engine/HC to cover more styles than I could with my old Marshall/Vox/Fender gear (which I still love), and without spending vast sums on more "vintage" amps. I love the fact that the HC does exactly what it's supposed to do, and I'm glad that Hadley has made it available. Yes, it costs a fair amount, but it's been worth every penny. I've had it for 3 1/2 months now, and it proves itself every time I use it.

If it were lost/stolen, I'd get another immediately. I don't care that I don't know what it is or how it works, but then I'm not an idiot. If it works properly, use it. So, to quote Frank Zappa, shut up and play yer guitar.

I am Hadley Hockensmith, designer of the RadTone Harmonic Converger. As clearly stated in the documentation provided to every owner, the HC is designed to become an integral part of your rig - this means that some parameters of your setup will need to be "tweaked" for optimum performance (it's kinda like adding a new preamp or amplifier). That is why it's important that one actually uses an HC for a reasonable amount of time to find the best settings for their personal tonal preferences. This area of Harmony Central is called "User Reviews" after all, and the reviews are much more articulate and accurate when submitted by those who actually own & have had ample time to know the equipment being reviewed. I am aware that some folks are offended by the possibility that their favorite modeler can be improved upon, but it is never right to submit a disingenuous review to promote personal agendas, no? I also understand that some may be upset that they can't take an HC apart with the goal of illegally copying the design, but is that really their prerogative from legal & ethical standards? As for claims of what the HC does sonically, I believe the description provided on the HC website is quite accurate, and the vast majority of reviewers here and elsewhere seem to concur with it.

May you all find the tone of your dreams! ;o)

~Hadley~

Easy to use.

It removes fizz as billed.

Epoxy-sealed, passive unit. More or less indestructible

The manufacturer is a nice guy, but his product claims are "out there".

How does it work? Check out the link below:

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/mar06/articles/line6.htm?print=yes

Ignore all of the other nonsense you've heard about what it supposedly does. It is a passive high shelf eq filter. For $275.

If that is what you want, great. It solves a lot of problems, simply and quickly. It should work forever and survive a nuclear holocaust. But not likely to win any "bang for the buck" awards.

Then again, what's your time worth? If you want immediately useable tones out of a fizzy MFX unit, this'll do it, fast and easy.

There isn't much to this box to make it hard to use. I tried 2 units which belong to friends who swear that this thing is "dah real". One had a toggle switch and RCA (?) jacks and the other one was a black metal box with a knob on top and 1/4" jacks. It also had a wood dowel thing used to adjust some other control through a hole in the side. The RCA model was irritating to use, I mean who in his right mind would design a guitar stompbox with RCA jacks? The black metal box made sense with standard 1/4" jacks. I'm giving an overall "6" because both the RCA jacks and wooden dowel hole in the side thing is just plain idiotic.

These things are supposed to be used with effects pedals and modeling processors like a Pod, Tonelab or Digitech RP. The idea is that those devices create all kind of awful unnatural frequencies that aren't like a real tube amp, and that this RadTone gadget fixes all that up for you while making your tones sound more lifelike. It _sorta_ does what its advertised to do, but I'm told these things cost like $250 each. That's hecka money for a one trick device! I didn't like the fact that when I adjusted it up for my Strat, my Ibanez didn't really benefit so much, and the other way around as well. What are you supposed to do, get out the lame wooden screwdriver thing in the middle of a set? Both my friends have LPs, so maybe its more for that kind of guitar, go figure. I can get similar or better results from my programmable parametric EQ in the rack with my Pod XT Pro, and that thing has 64 memory slots so I can store setups for differnt guitars or songs. It cost only a little more than one of these things, so I think thats a no brainer. Both of the 2 different RadTones sounds pretty different from each other, so I don't know about build quality. Maybe its been improved over time, but I clearly thought the silver one worked better! It gets a "5" because it sounds good, but only a 5 because it too expensive compared to other things that can do the same thing and more for about the same price.

It pretty much feels like you could run over this thing in a tank and it would take it. Even so, the guts are completely packed in there with some kind of hard clay or plastic. Regardless of how well its made, this really stinks. No matter what you think some drunk guy is gonna step on the end of your cable and break the 1/4" or RCA input sooner or later, and there is no way you can open this puppy up and make a quick repair. "8" because its built solid, no more because you can't even make simple repairs on your own.

All I heard about the guy who makes these is that he is really cool as long as you don't ask too many questions. Kinda weird, but whatever.

I play in a cover band and do weddings, parties and stuff like that. I've been playing for about 7 years off and on. I don't think I'm going to buy one because its way overated and far too expensive for what it does. I wish it was programmable, that would help a lot.

This is the easiest device to use. It has an input, and output, and a (recessed) knob.

Plug it in, twist the knob (with the provided tool) till it sounds good, you're done.

It doesn't get easier than that.

It also comes with pretty good instructions for making it work with the GT-8.

It's actually non-trivial to get the loop patch in the right place, so this is something to be aware of: you have to have the HC in the loop effect _after_ sources of distortion but before stereo effects.

However, that's not too hard to achieve, and once you know how you're going to get good at it because you'll be wanting the HC in every distorted patch. You press FX-chain once, "parameter right" 6-8 times (to get past the OD effect), "loop" twice, "exit", "write", "write". That's the routine :)

It also has multiple outputs, which are great. I plug the mono out into my amp for foldback, and run the phones out into the PA, so the sound man has complete control of me in the mix.

So let's be clear: it doesn't utterly reproduce a valve sound.

But is soooo transforms what is already an good sound into a really excellent sound.

It is so good that I simply can't imagine using the GT-8 without it.

I _think_ you might get the same effect if you played with global EQ, trimmed out highs etc. But I haven't achieved that, and how much easier to pay a bucks, have a set-and-forget and not worry with that anymore.

Every now and then I switch the device out, just to remind myself. I switch it back in pronto, I can tell you that.

Build like a tank. Hard to imagine how to damage it!

Rapid friendly email response, made sure I had everything I needed in the package to meet my needs.

I would get another if it got stolen. It's a must-have with the GT-8 for me. Boss should license the darn thing and just include it in the GT-8.

Someone commented, in a forum somewhere, that they think it's just a low-pass filter. I'm an electronic engineer, and I agree that it's hard to imagine that it can be much more. However, someone went to all the trouble of figuring out the _right_ low pass filter, and putting it in a bullet-proof box. That makes it worth the dollars for me. You could spend time fritzing around with a soldering iron or an EQ. Or you could buy this.

It's simple. Like everyone has said. Plug it in, twist the knob till it sounds good.

It's really amazing.

I bought this on a total impulse, having read the other reviews and thinking "well, if I've thrown my money away so be it".

But it just makes an amazing difference.

I can't use my GT-8 without it now!

Rock solid. You'd have to try hard to break this thing.

Very fast friendly email support. Excellent.

Got everything I asked for, questions answered, went the extra mile to make sure I had what I needed for my setup.

I'm really saying the same thing everyone else has said. It's hard to understand why, but this thing makes the difference.

I'm an electronic engineer, so I have a fair idea what can be in this thing. Someone else said "it's _just_ a low pass filter". Maybe it is, maybe it has some reasonance or something else... there's not much it can be. It might be two resistors and a capacitor in that box for all we know.

But you know what: who cares? Who cares if it has a flux capacitor or a cleverly bent piece of wire. It does the job!

This guy found the right low pass filter, or whatever it is, and that's what I'm happy to have paid for.

Every now and then I switch it out, just to remind myself why it's there. I switch it back in promptly, I can tell you that.

Fellow musicians,

I am Hadley Hockensmith, designer of the Harmonic Converger. For all interested, I am happy to annouce that the Official HC website is now online at HarmonicConverger.com

See you there ;o)

~Hadley~

I have the loop version for the GT-8 and i must say its the most simplistic devise I have, you shouldnt even be playing guitar if u can't figure it out lol.

Ibanez RG 1570 > GT-8 > Loop HC > Marshall 150 watt valvestate

I thought my tone was good before my Hc arrived.. but oone the hc is plugged in ready the sound is 100% better, altho minor tweaking is needed of your patches ect. Me pseronally I just tweaked the global EQ on my gt-8 highs and high mids down a couple. and a little more bass turned the hc at bout 40% and all my patches sound alot more realistic and completley illiminated fizz. it doesnt just get rid of that fiz it also adds more "colour" to your tone.

Hadley was really responsive to my emails.. I sent the payment on a friday and i recieved the item the next friday. and i live in australia..

I play most metal 80's rock/metal.. but even though i do love clean and acoustic tones, the hc will not do much effect for non distorted sounds. but i found with the gt-8 the clean tones are great anyway.

I purchased the Mono/Loop model on July 28, 2007. This device really couldn't be any simpler to use than it is: one input, one output, and a drive control. The drive control is basically a recessed screw that can be turned from 0% to 100%, and a tool for turning it was included with purchase. The Harmonic Converger (HC) is also a "set it and forget it" device - once I found the "sweet spot" for my rig by turning the drive control, I was done. And because the drive control is recessed (and quite recessed, at that), it would be virtually impossible for the setting to be changed other than intentionally. Also included with purchase was some documentation on how to get the most out of the device, which was very helpful.

I am using my HC with a Boss GT-8 Guitar Multi Effects Processor and a Mesa/Boogie F-50 Combo Amp, in the 4-Cable Method (4CM) configuration. This configuration allows me to either engage or bypass the F-50's preamp on a patch-by-patch basis in the GT-8. I'm an "analog guy" at heart, and if I had enough money, I would probably go with an all-analog rig. When I upgraded my equipment a couple of years ago, however, I found that all of the multi-effects units were digital modeling devices, and none of the stand-alone effects were programmable (e.g. stomp boxes, etc.). I wanted to be able to get a lot of different sounds and effects with an easy-to-operate rig, and buying a modeler was my only realistic choice. I chose the GT-8 as my modeler, and intended to use the preamp of my F-50 as a "base" for my distortion/overdrive sounds.

Because I'm using the 4CM, I didn't really have a "fizz" problem to speak of, and I was able to get a nice, full sound via the F-50 alone. It needed some added "punch", however, and I began experimenting with the various GT-8 distortions and preamps in order to add it. What I found was that as soon as I added any of the GT-8's distortions or preamps, it resulted in a "dead" sound - kind of lifeless and dull. And when I say "experimented", I'm talking about over 1000 hours of tweaking!

After much angst and frustration, I finally caved and bought my HC. Within 15 minutes of inserting it into my rig, I had already created a tone better than I was able to create in over 1000 hours of tweaking. I AM NOT EXAGGERATING. To my ears, the HC takes a "dead" tone and makes it sound "alive". It's hard to describe in words what it does to the sound, but in my rig, it seems almost as if the HC is doubling the number of frequencies heard - this results in a full, round sound that I was unable to achieve without it. I've seen the HC described in some reviews as a low-pass filter, which I think is ludicrous - once you've heard it, it's clear that it's not only cutting undesirable "fizz", but adding desirable frequencies, as well.

It also changed the "feel" of my guitar and rig, something that can't be experienced by listening to sound clips. My prior rig was all-analog, and with the HC in place, my new rig feels just as natural. My only regret is that I didn't buy it a long, long time ago...

I should also add that the HC did not improve my clean sounds - in fact, in many cases it made them sound worse. This does not affect the HC's rating in this category, however, because I only bought it to improve my saturated sounds - I already loved my clean sounds, and because the GT-8's loop is bypassed in my clean patches, the HC is bypassed, as well. The best of both worlds. I'm sure it could have a positive impact on clean sounds in other rigs, but it didn't in mine.

I honestly can't imagine having a problem with this device. It only has one moving part (the drive control), and my understanding is that the innards are frozen in place by epoxy. All of the external parts appear to be of very high quality.

I asked A LOT of questions, on more than one occasion, before I decided to purchase my HC. All of my questions were answered quickly, well, and completely. I'd say the average response time was around four hours. In addition, there were several times when I was unaware of additional information that was relevant to my purchase decision, and on those occasions, this information was provided along with the answers.

The inventor has a very straightforward communication style, and since this is my preference, it worked great for me. I know that there are others, however, who prefer a few "warm fuzzies" when they are communicating, and adding this element is the only possible thing I can think of that would improve this aspect. But from a "questions asked/questions answered" perspective, it's all good.

I really couldn't be happier with my purchase of the HC - it has filled a need for me in an "exactly the missing piece" kind of way. I can't say that I tried any other similar effects, because I did extensive research and determined that the HC was the only device that did what I needed.

If there's any room for overall improvement on this purchase, it would be the price - at $238.00 US, for a device so small and simple, it was a "psychologically" difficult purchase decision for me, which led to my procrastination in purchasing it. I understand that the creator builds each HC by hand, and doesn't want to compromise on quality, so I'd say it's unlikely that it will ever be offered at a lower price. I don't think this makes it any less than a "10" from a value perspective, however - it has basically transformed my digital rig into an analog rig (for real - the HC is an analog device), and that puts its value in the tens of thousands of dollars. When viewed this way, it's the consummate bargain.

I have the loop version. Even a drummer could figure this out. Plug and play. Patch in and out through the send and receive jacks and program all presets to use the loop. You must be sure that the loop is placed after the preamp, but before any stereo effects.

The device has a recessed rotary pot that controls the degree of effect. It was quite simple for me to find my sweet spot. My HC is connected to a GT-8 and I use a pair of Twins or DeVilles. What it does has been stated endlessly in the reviews before me. Let me simply say that I couldn't imagine playing without it. Sounds I used to think were pretty good seem watery and pale now.

Built like a tank. You probably couldn't break it if you tried.

Hadley is quite responsive to questions. This is especially impressive as he doesn't have a big company with sales reps. He responded to all my inquiries quickly, and with excellent info.

I have been a touring and recording pro since 1975. I have played with many well known artists in very diverse genres of music. I have also been a Roland/Boss effects user, specifically the modeling devices, since the beginning. What the HC does answers a need that I have always had. The convenience and 'one stop shopping' that all-in-one modeling processors afford the user has always been somewhat offset by the problems the HC was designed to address. If I were to caution someone in any regard, it is not related to the HC, but to the reality that you must spend a great deal of time programming your device, and slowly fine-tuning beyond that. That is generally understood by multi-effects users, I think. Hadley has created the final piece of the puzzle in this regard. I am very happy to own an HC. The first night I used it, other musicians in the band noticed the difference without my having said anything about a new device. This was on a huge soundstage. Need I say more?