The Darkglass Electronics Harmonic Booster 2.0 is a clean bass preamp pedal, what Darkglass calls a "clean harmonic-excitation preamp". It is not an overdrive: its job is to shape and lift a clean bass tone. The circuit's origin, though, lies in Darkglass's drive designs. MusicRadar's Jonathan Horsley reported that the company "chanced upon its effect on clean bass tones when they were experimenting on the gain and filter stages of their overdrives"1.
The original Harmonic Booster was Darkglass's first effects pedal, and the 2.0 is a second pass at the idea. Darkglass reengineered it to give bassists more headroom, less noise, and a more comprehensive EQ section, with what MusicRadar describes as another decade's worth of R&D in effects and amp building behind it1. It sits in the maker's Enhancer Series2, alongside the original Harmonic Booster.
Controls
The pedal carries six controls on its enclosure, built around a three-band EQ with a semi-parametric mid-range control1. Darkglass's product page gives the ranges:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Bass | +/-20dB at 80 Hz3 |
| Mid gain | +/-20dB at the frequency selected by the Mid Frequency control3 |
| Mid Frequency | Selects the center frequency for the mid gain knob3 |
| Treble | +/-20dB at 5 kHz3 |
| Boost | Flat, or -20dB to +20dB of cut or boost2 |
The semi-parametric mid is the control that sets this pedal apart from a fixed three-band EQ. Because you choose the frequency the mid gain knob acts on, you can target a specific part of the midrange, whether that is digging out low-mid mud or lifting the upper mids that help a bass cut through a band mix. MusicRadar's verdict was that "for bassists looking to seize full control of their midrange, they could do worse than check out the Harmonic Booster 2.0"1.
Harmonic Booster vs Harmonic Booster 2.0
The 2.0 is a revision of the original Harmonic Booster, not a new circuit category. The changes Darkglass made, as reported at launch, were more headroom, less noise, and a more comprehensive EQ section1. For a player, headroom matters if you run a hot or active bass into it: more headroom means the pedal holds its clean character with a stronger signal at its input.
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Questions
What is the difference between the Harmonic Booster and the Harmonic Booster 2.0?
The 2.0 is a reengineered version of the original Harmonic Booster, which was Darkglass Electronics' first effects pedal. Writing in 2019, MusicRadar's Jonathan Horsley reported that Darkglass rebuilt it to give bassists more headroom, less noise, and a comprehensive EQ section, drawing on another decade's worth of R&D in effects and amp building.
Is the Harmonic Booster 2.0 an overdrive pedal?
No. MusicRadar describes it as a clean bass preamp, what Darkglass calls a clean harmonic-excitation preamp. Its circuit lineage does trace back to Darkglass's overdrive designs: the company chanced upon its effect on clean bass tones while experimenting with the gain and filter stages of one of its overdrives, but the pedal itself is designed to run clean.
What frequencies do the Bass and Treble knobs control?
According to Darkglass, the Bass knob cuts or boosts by up to 20dB centered at 80 Hz, and the Treble knob does the same at 5 kHz. The mid gain knob also offers up to 20dB of cut or boost, but at whatever frequency you select with the Mid Frequency control.
How much does the Harmonic Booster 2.0 cost in the US?
MusicRadar reported a US list price of $235 when the pedal launched in November 2019. The same report gave a UK price of £179 and an approximate European price of €209.
What does the semi-parametric mid control do?
A semi-parametric mid control lets you choose both the amount of cut or boost and the frequency it centers on. On the Harmonic Booster 2.0, the mid gain knob applies up to 20dB of cut or boost at the frequency selected by the Mid Frequency control, so you can target the exact part of the midrange you want to shape.
Sources (3)
- Darkglass Electronics unveils the new and improved Harmonic Booster 2.0, MusicRadar, 2019-11-01
- Harmonic Booster, Darkglass
- Harmonic Booster, Darkglass
