RadTone Harmonic Converger

I am using a BOSS GT8. When I decided to order an HC, I followed Hadley's recommendation by purchasing the Loop variation. Very simple to hook up to the GT8's effects loop. 2 1/4" patch cables, 1 in, 1 out. As for ease of use, I would say it is a "plug and play" sort of thing, but with the exception that you will need to spend a few minutes setting up your patches by configuring the LOOP in your FX chain. This is easily and quickly done once you get the hang of it. I placed the HC in the chain where it is after the COSM pre-amp as well as after any overdrive/distortion, compression, wah pedal, etc. Basically, you want to place the HC after any gain staging type effect AND after the amp model's front end. I left the post-EQ and all digital effects after the LOOP. This seems to work well.

Hadley provided excellent instructions with the HC, including a sheet on "interfacing the harmonic converger with your GT8". Just follow his instructions and you should not have any problems.

I want to qualify my remarks here by stating I am a very reluctant "amp modeler" user. I have been playing guitar for well over 30 years and have earned a part-time living playing music for most of that time as well. I play or have played most styles of music including blues, pop, rock, blues, mainstream jazz, contemporary jazz, blues, country, fingerstle acoustic, and...did I mention blues? I am a live player. I have a beautiful collection of vintage Fender amps including a 'near-mint' 1964 Deluxe Reverb (stamped NG) as well as many fine guitars and "boutique" pedals that I love and use. However, playing praise and worship music at church in an age of in-ear monitors and less-than-adequate sound systems has demanded a shift from onstage amplification to a direct-to-FoH arrangement. After searching and listening for quite a while, I settled with the GT8. It served it's purpose well enough and I found the amp sounds to be...acceptable. Not great. Adequate. Could be better, but it will work.

Well, not any more! Here comes the HC!

After hooking up the HC in the effects loop and then properly configuring the loop in the fx chain and adjusting the HC's "drive control" effect level, I fired everything up. I am honestly amazed at the difference the HC makes to the overall sound. It behaves exactly as Hadley advertised. It removed the high-end "fizz", tightened up the low-end and removed the bottom mush, and also sharpened the overall presence. There is more "depth" and 3D to the tone. It sort of reminds me of the effect of a BBE sonic maximizer or some such thing. It brings out more of what you want and gets rid of what you don't want. Clean tones especially have more 3D character and sharpness. Overdrive is very nicely smoothed out. An excellent result in every way.

Here is what I told Hadley about his HC:

"I am extremely pleased with the effect of the HC. It is a dramatic difference in a very good way. The amp sounds are much more realistic. What I had thought sounded pretty good beforehand now sounds like dirt if I take out the HC.

Excellent product! You are a brilliant man. I really appreciate it."

One more thing: I read some criticism claiming the HC adds it's own color. Yes, the HC ABSOLUTELY DOES add it's own color to whatever device you hook it up to. Hadley tells you this. The coloration is exactly as I described above. It is a good thing, unless you like the mush and fizz. If you like mush and fizz and want to keep it in your tone, then don't spend your money on the HC. ; )

The HC is housed in a small, rugged and sturdy box. It looks like it could take some abuse. I have only owned it for one week but I don't expect to have any problems.

Hadley seems like a good guy. He responded to all of my emails very quickly and thoroughly. I suspect that if I have any problems at all he will stand behind his product.

Hadley is a quite excellent guitar player himself. The HC was obviously developed when he set out to improve the sound of amp modelers for his own professional use. I appreciate his efforts to share the results.

I am extremely pleased with this purchase. The HC has helped improve the GT8's performance in a major way and I am now much happier with it. I can't imagine going back to using the GT8 without it.

Unit is about as plug and play at they come. I use it in the external loop of my Boss GT8. The output of the GT8 goes into the effects return of a Marshall DSL50 half stack. Guitar goes into a Morley bad horsie 2, into the input of the GT8. Very simple setup. I run the HC at about 11 o'clock.

All I can say is NO MORE FIZZ!!!! I rely on the most demanding of tests for a product and that is my own ears. Certainly I read reviews to make an informed decision but when I hear the difference the HC makes in my sound, well I'm sold. The preamps and distortions in the GT8 are now not only usable but dynamic and full.

It sits comfortably velcro'd to my pedalboard and is built to last. It has a casing much sturdier than most pedals and will never be stepped on. It's non-moving components are sealed in epoxy. It would have to be physically destroyed to get it to fail.

Hadley answered every one of my questions promptly. He knows music as he is a musician himself and like many of us, has been through his share of MFX's. I trust his knowledge and his product.

I have been playing for over 35 years. I have seen my share of products that fail to deliver what they claim to do. The HC does what it's creator claims---it removes the fizz!! Isn't that what we all want out of our MFX's? My opinions are mine only. I do not comment on others for I only know how I feel about the product. It works.

This is a product that is a "no brainer" to use. I have the stereo model that is used with my Vox Tonelab SE.

Headphones out -> Harmonic Converger -> Samson Stereo Direct Box -> Yamaha AW1600 recorder.

Just plug it in, and turn the "Drive Control" to a sweet spot (about 11-12 o'clock on my unit), and go!

The manual is a couple of pages, absolutely easy-to-follow fool-proof instructions.

I use a Vox Tonelab SE, and I formerly plugged it directly in to the Yamaha AW1600 recorder for my guitar sounds. I thought my guitar tones were great. I was totally satisfied with my Vox Tonelab.

That is, until I got the Harmonic Converger! I now hear on my pre-Harmonic Converger recordings how my tone was not up-to-par. There were fuzzy highs and wreckless lows. The HC fixed all that immediately with the twist of one knob. Honestly, I was getting a decent tone before, but compared to what I get now through the HC, I hate my old sound. I didn't really hear the problems with my tone until I heard the difference the Harmonic Converger made on my tone. Now, my tone sounds more professional,tighter, smoother, better sounding, and the tone is fantastic. This unit has made my tone go from OK to Fantastic! I have been re-recording my old guitar tracks, and the difference is nothing short of amazing.

As a parenthetical note, I also want to say that I have owned and used all the modeling processors out there, and the Vox Tonelab was the very best I have found. This Harmonic Converger greatly improves the Tonelab (which to me, is a better unit than Line 6, Boss, or any other modeling processor on the market).

Vox Tonelab + Radtone Harmonic Converger = Holy Grail of Tone! :-)

The Radtone Harmonic Converger is one black metal box. It is very solidly built.

I have not used it for long, but it seems very solid, sturdy, well built.

During the ordering process, I spoke to the owner of Radtone, Hadley Hockensmith, and he was very accomodating to me. He was very helpful with my questions, even though some of them were probably "dumb" questions. He explained everything very well and in a very friendly manner. He handbuilt my unit and had it in the mail very quickly. A+ in customer service.

I play fusion and rock music. This one unit has improved my tone immeasurably.

I am usually a very critical person in my reviews, but I literally have nothing negative to say about this unit. The only problem I had was that I had a bit of trouble finding out where I could buy one. After about an hour on the internet, I finally found out how to contact Radtone. The Harmonic Converger is not available at the local mega-music center. You have to order it directly from Radtone. The website address is:

http://bossgtcentral.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7574

If it were stolen, I would pray for the person who stole it, and then order a new one.

My parting advice for guitarists is this: If you are using a modeling processor such as Line 6 Pod, Boss GT or GT-Pro, Yamaha DG Stomp, Vox Tonelab or Tonelab SE, you are probably getting good tone. This unit will give you GREAT TONE. Run, don't walk, to your phone, and order one of these. You will not be sorry.

I purchased the hc loop mono version, It has an input and a ouput, can't get much easier than that:) I use mine with the gt-8, in the loop.

It has improved the quality of my tones clean and distortion, i use it with a bbe 362, and i wouldn't use my gt-8 without either now.

This thing is built like a tank, so i see no issue with it not being dependable.

Hadley, was a nice guy through the process, i did end up getting my input and outputs moved to one end, instead of the default version where you have the output on 1 end and the input on the other end.

He was decent about changing that for me and didn't charge me extra for it so i'm pleased.

I play nu-metal and alternative rock, it was a good match for that style. I've been playing for many years now, and for the price, this unit has made my gt-8 worth alot more than it was without the addon.

I bought the LOOP HC. One input. One output. Simple pot to turn to increase/decrease the effect. You can't go wrong in hooking it up or adjusting it. It came with some documentation (couple of pages).

The only problems I had were because I had never really spent time getting to know my Boss GT-8, so I wasn't all that certain about how to get the effects loop to work. Radley (the HC's creator) actually explained that to me ... and once I knew how to move the loop within the effects chain and turn it ON and OFF, I was up and running.

The claims made about the HC are basically that it takes the awful digital "fizz" out of the distortion sounds. Being a bit of an audio newbie, I didn't really know much about this UNTIL someone posted on the web some BEFORE and AFTER examples of using the HC. Once I knew what to listen for, I discovered that this fizz afflicted many of the sounds I was wanting to use. So for me, this was an education process. Pre HC I had problems with my sound/tone, but I wasn't aware of them. Post HC I have problems with my sound/tone, but I am aware of them, and I now have a tool that is going to help me fix it.

I've been using my GT-8 through the effects loop of a Marshall AVT100 combo amp. I've not been happy with the sound. Now that I have the HC deployed, I'm getting a much better sound through the headphones, but not through the amp. So I am planning to ditch the amp now and perhaps try a keyboard amp instead.

Its a black box. One input. One output. I can't imagine it would be easy to break it.

Radley was very helpful. He answered my questions very promptly, built and shipped the HC promptly, then helped me get it working with my rig. Very happy with the service level from my end of things.

I'm not a connoisseur of sounds/tones ... but I know what I like. About 6 months ago, because I am financially constrained, I decided to head down the modeller path because I simply cannot afford to buy $5000 amps and cabs. Having played on a Marshall AVT100 combo amp for several years, combined with a plethora of pedals (comp/sustainer, turbo o/d, phaser, hi-band flanger, chorus and delay), I decided to switch completely to a Boss GT-8.

For the first couple of weeks I was intrigued by the masses of patches, bought myself a midi/usb cable and started loading it up with other people's patches. That kept me happy for a little while. But in the midst of this, I realised that I had lost "my sound", my tone, that almost indefinable something that made me who I was as a muso. I was simply channelling other people's sounds/tones.

How to get back to being me again? I start to feel very negative about the GT-8 and got the impression that I might need to get rid of it and start all over again.

Until this week. I decided, after reading many reviews, to try one of Radley's HCs. Here's the bottom line for me. It does what it says it does. For less than $300.

I don't have enough loot to go spending thousands on tube amps, nor on the "next big thing" modeller, although I don't doubt that this would bring improvements too. But I now have the confidence to invest some more time and energy into the GT-8 to start building my own patches from scratch, with the HC in the loop, because I really do think I'm going to be able to get a tone that I like now. Before getting the HC, I would not have had the confidence in getting a good outcome.

I'll now invest a month or so in getting to know my GT-8 better. I'll probably sell my Marshall AVT100 and get a keyboard amp instead (the tone differences between GT8-->headphones and GT8-->MarshallEffectsLoop are quite substantial). Whether I can recapture "my sound" is an open question, but I'm now more confident that it is possible.

It easily makes so many unusable patches in the ballpark of useability just by running it through the HC. You can further adjust it just turning a knob.

It also includes a manual, for people who still manage to find themselves lost when using the unit (which I honestly think are people who DO NOT EXIST)

I don't try "copying artists" sounds as I like having my own unique sound.

All distortions sound good with it. Clean ELECTRIC sounds are good with it as well. It is not advisable to put it AFTER effects that do not need to be "colored" (e.g. reverb, etc.)

My setup is a Taylor T5, Boss GT-8, SansAmp ParaDriver DI, straight to a FRFR setup.

Oh my god, just by looking at it, you'll know how sturdy this thing is. As far as gigging is concerned - it is one of the studiest things you can ever take with you; you would probably break your other equipment first before the HC gives way.

Honestly, a limited lifetime guarantee can be put in this device - only "limited" to user idiocy (plugging it into a live socket, dipping it in water, etc.)

While communicating, Hadley and I had some disagreements at some point. But that was just because I'm a VERY inquisitive guy (bordering on being Obsessive Compulsive)

While he is a very approachable guy, he tends to be very defensive and impatient when you ask too much questions. Given however that he's SELLING something, we all know the value of customer relations and how the adage that "the customer is always right" would be a fact he would have to deal with on a regular basis.

But overall, if you simply need help with troubleshooting his product, I don't see any reason why the experience wouldn't be a pleasant one :)

The style of music I make is very diverse, and the HC is limited to being useful to electric tones. Which is why for MY purposes, I cannot give it full marks :)

While I didn't give the product full marks, this doesn't mean I've been let down in any way. In fact, I spent a great deal of time and effort creating a full-length review of the product here on my own initiative:

http://www.nargalzius.com/harmonic_converger

That's how much I value the benefits the HC has brought to my tone. I certainly will never use my multi-fx processor without it from here on out.

This is an update to a previous review.

I recently bought a Mesa/Boogie Lonestar Special, and while this is a VERY GOOD amp, when I took it home to A/B it against my normal rig, I was hit with that feeling that every musician hates: I had just wasted my money.

The Lonestar stayed in my rig for a total of 6 days. The cleans were amazing, but when distortion was involved, it could not beat out the Boss GT8 -> Harmonic Converger rig. I returned the Mesa amp a week ago.

On its own, the GT-8 would have lost. With the Harmonic Converger, it was not even a fair contest. I have already reviewed this product very favorably. I felt the need to re-post only because the good that Hadley has done with this product is only underscored by the fact that it was THE crucial component in making my hyrbrid rig totally tool a $1850 all-tube amp.

My rig is Guitar -> Fulltone Fulldrive 2 -> Boss GT-8 -> Radtone Harmonic Converger -> FX Return of a Fender Hot Rod Deville 2x12. The Harmonic Converger is the key to this rig. I cannot reccomend this product enough.

This is the stereo version with the trim pot. Very simple to use. Nice instructions included.

What the HC does for my GT-6 is amazing. It takes away all the digital fizz and tightens everything up. Somehow it even gives the GT "life." Right now I'm running it through a Mesa Boogie 50/50 power amp into a Avatar Stereo 4x12. Awesome. I havn't tried it straight into a PA yet, but I will. Aside from the tonal enhancement, it makes making patches easy, it makes life easy. It even improves the clean settings. By the way I'm using it on Super High Gain Settings. I have also dialed in a couple of mild gain settings and its great.

Tank.

Hadley is awesome. Answers all your e-mails with quick and fun wit. Great guy and an amazing guitar player.

My overall rating is very simple. If I'm using a digital processor then I must have an HC. I know these things are almost $300, but well worth the money.

I am Hadley Hockensmith, designer and builder of the Radtone Harmonic Converger line. The web address for the HC info/review page has changed - the correct address is:
http://bossgtcentral.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7574
Sorry for any confusion!

-Hadley-

The RadTone Harmonic Converger is a simple black brick with 3 1/4" inputs for stereo operation and a blend control on the side that is operated by a tool to achieve the best blend for the effect. It is really simple to use, simply choose the blend setting and start editing the patches. I use mine with a POD XT Live. It plugs into the phones jack and then to the effects loop of my amp head. Couldn't be anymore simple. The one thing to remember is that all of your patches will need some reworking, some more than others since the device operates differently for each amp model

This is got to be the greatest thing ever for amp modelers! It really does take the "fizz" out of the sound and makes the POD sound like $20,000 worth of gear at the touch of a button. I know Radley catches a lot of flak on the discussion boards but this device does exactly what Radley says it does and it is NOT an EQ or a filter. If you have a modeler, you should really consider this device. The best way to explain how the Harmonic Converger works is that it eliminates the "square" distortion wavelength and makes it "rounder", depending on the setting of the blend control. So instead of 4-5 really good models, the Harmonic Converger makes the POD have 30 really good amp models. Considering the model packs are $50 per set, and only 1 or 2 are usable, this device is a bargain.

This device is built about as solid as anything I have ever used. I would throw it around but since its a black metal casing that is stronger than any other chasis I have ever seen, I would say that this device is going to be around for a long time.

Radley is a real classy gentleman. He know what he is talking about and will not try to screw you. Honest and punctual, he always returns emails and answers questions directly. I highly recommend doing business with him.

I play most anything one can think of so the POD was a good match for me. I'm not real heavy on effects and prefer a good amp and maybe a stomp box to get the "tone". I was rather disappointed at first with the POD but since I bought this little device, I am more than pleased. What surprises me though, is that Line 6 or Boss doesn't offer him a lot of money for the licensing of such a product.

To conclude, here are my thoughts.

At $290, its not cheap, but you get what you pay for.
It really does work, and easily so.
Radly is a class act, where as most of his detractors are not.
If you have an amp modeler, you really, really should consider buying the Harmonic Converger.