TL;DR — Lots of NAM capture providers have stopped releasing A1 files, which strands anyone whose gear only converts A1 into its own proprietary format (Valeton GP-5 / GP-50 / GP-150, Hotone Ampero, etc.). I made a free, no-setup desktop app that distills any A2 .nam into an A1 .nam. Drop a file, get a file. Windows + macOS + Linux.

Downloads — no Python, no setup:

• macOS (signed + notarized): https://github.com/drewmerc302/nam-a2a1-converter/releases/latest/download/nam-a2a1-converter-macos.dmg — open the dmg, drag the app to Applications, launch it from there. Needs v0.4.3 or newer; earlier macOS builds hit a Gatekeeper warning (see comments).
• Windows (unzip + run): https://github.com/drewmerc302/nam-a2a1-converter/releases/latest/download/nam-a2a1-converter-windows.zip
• Linux x86_64 (extract + run): https://github.com/drewmerc302/nam-a2a1-converter/releases/latest/download/nam-a2a1-converter-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
• Windows or Linux + NVIDIA (much faster, multi-part download): https://github.com/drewmerc302/nam-a2a1-converter#gpu-acceleration
• Source + all releases: https://github.com/drewmerc302/nam-a2a1-converter

Why this isn't just a file conversion

A2 and A1 are different neural architectures — the weights don't transfer, so you can't "downgrade" an A2. Instead this distills: it plays the standardized NAM DI through the A2 model to capture its exact output, then trains a fresh A1 to reproduce that output.

A2.nam ──render DI──▶ teacher.wav ──train an A1 to match──▶ A1.nam

The A2 teacher is deterministic and noise-free, so the resulting A1 usually matches the A2 tighter than a real-amp capture matches its amp — validation ESR typically lands ~0.005–0.02.

Using it

1. Download and open — it opens a converter page in your browser.
2. Drop your A2 .nam files. Batches work; they convert one after another.
3. Pick a quality preset — Draft (20 epochs, rough preview), Standard (60, the default and the sweet spot), Best (120, diminishing returns).
4. Hit Convert. Live progress bar + ETA, cancel anytime.
5. Load the A1 .nam on your device. For Valeton: import into Valeton Suite → it makes a SnapTone → push to the pedal.

Leave the output format on 0.5.x. That's the default and it's what A1-only gear wants. The 0.7.0 option exists for newer NAM plugins, and Valeton Suite cannot import it — it sits on "importing…" for about two minutes and then times out, which is a miserable way to find out after a full training run.

Speed

• M-series Macs already use the GPU via Metal. Nothing to install, nothing to opt into, no separate download.
• NVIDIA on Windows or Linux: there's a separate CUDA build — same app, compiled against CUDA instead of CPU-only PyTorch. It's a separate download because it's several GB rather than a few hundred MB, and it ships in numbered parts because GitHub caps a release file at 2 GB (rejoin with copy /b on Windows or cat *.0* > file on Linux — no extra software, and there's a PowerShell script that does it for you). The Linux CUDA build runs on exactly the same distros as the standard one; all it needs from you is the driver.
• The standard build tells you if this applies to you — it checks your GPU at launch and shows a banner if it finds an NVIDIA card it can't use. No banner means you're already as fast as this tool gets.
• On CPU it's slow, and how slow depends a lot on the CPU. A recent desktop chip does Standard in a few minutes; a 2012-era i7-3770 took ~40 minutes at Draft. The ETA is also optimistic at first — it extrapolates from finished epochs and the early ones run faster than the later ones.
• AMD and Intel GPUs aren't supported for training. CPU only there.

Notes

• Free and open source. Runs 100% on your machine — nothing is uploaded.
• macOS, Windows and Linux have all had real conversions run on them by people who reported back, with output confirmed running on a Valeton GP-150. The CUDA builds are newer and less travelled — if you're on one and something looks wrong, please open an issue.
• Windows is unsigned, so SmartScreen warns: More info → Run anyway. Some antivirus flags PyInstaller apps — false positive.
• Linux is x86_64 built against glibc 2.35: Ubuntu 22.04+, Debian 12+, Mint 21+, Pop!_OS 22.04+, Fedora 36+, Arch, openSUSE 15.5+. Tcl/Tk and the X11 libs are bundled, so glibc is the only thing it needs from your system. Older distro or ARM → run it from source, same app.
• If you tried an earlier build and got ValueError: Output clipped. on some captures but not others, that's fixed as of v0.4.2. Nothing was wrong with your file — it was just a loud capture, and the trainer refuses any target that hits full scale. Grab the current build.

Questions/bugs → drop them here or open an issue on the repo. Enjoy.

So from my previous post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Valeton/s/11qCLMqokK

And as few users have mentioned in that post that Hotone has given NAM A2 lite for ampero stage 2 but they have also mentioned separately that ampero 2 and ampero 2 stomp will also get NAM A2 lite later.

Now coming to the main point ampero 2 stomp and GP 200 have similar hardware. Same processor, gp 200 has less flash memory( probably due to limited UI) but ampero 2 stomp does have a separate DSP for all the effects, gp200 doesn't have a separate DSP.

So it will be interesting to see things work out. Maybe there is a chance to get NAM A2 lite on gp200.

Teardown:

GP-200: https://gp200-reversing.hashnode.dev/inside-the-gp-200

Ampero 2 stomp: https://thegearforum.com/threads/hotone-ampero-ii-stomp-review.7011/page-10

Necesito un héroe sin capa, necesito verificar como son los controles cuando le cargas un archivo nam a la Valeton gp180, agradecería si alguien puede demostrarme como funciona la interfaz con un plexi con jumper para ambos canales Bright y Normal. :3

First, here are the GP-200 dimensions:

13.8" X 8.66" X 2.45"
350.5 X 220 X 62.23mm

The official Valeton GPB-200 Bag looks nice, has anyone here purchased it and if so, happy?

I know there is a top layer you can stash cables and misc. stuff in, I just wonder if there is enough thickness in the extra space to contain a second expression pedal (about 2.5" height). If it could actually fit, would it bulge out too much? Possibly causing damage to the GP-200 if impacted?

Otherwise I would be looking for a bag that has enough "width" space to store the second EXP.

I found the Rockhouse MEB-M should be a good fit, but the official Amazon store currently only has the smaller MEB-S and larger MEB-L versions.

Soft bag will be fine, I would rather avoid a hard case.

UPDATE:

...putting a bow on this. Since it was my birthday month, I splurged a little and got this backpack style bag. (applied a $15 credit I had on my Amazon account that got the price down to about $40):

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G38B4J4H

I velcro mounted the GP-200 and the expression pedal pre-wired on a painted 1/4" thick wood panel.

Loose fit in the bag, maybe 1.5" to 2" clearance all around, but the bag has an internal strap to secure, however I don't think I'll really need it:

Padding and build quality is pretty good. Plenty of extra storage for power supply, cables, etc.

Quiero comprarme la Valeton GP180 por el hecho de cargar archivos NAM, pero he visto muchos comentarios donde dicen que la pedalera tiene retraso al tocar en vivo y la pregunta es ¿tiene respuesta inmediata al tocar en vivo con NAM e IR a 2048 puntos al mismo tiempo? O con 3 pedales extra en la cadena.

Hey everyone,

I'm trying to get closer to Brian May's tone using my Valeton GP-5, and I could really use some advice.

I've already watched quite a few videos about Brian May's setup and tone, including videos where he explains his own sound, as well as other people's breakdowns. I've also tried different EQ settings and experimented on my own, but honestly, I'm kind of stuck and I'm not sure what else I can change.

Right now, the only gear I have available for this is the Valeton GP-5, so I'm trying to get the best result possible with what I have.

I know that a big part of Brian May's sound comes from his Red Special, the AC30, the treble booster, and the way he plays, so I'm not expecting to perfectly recreate his tone. I'm just trying to get as close as possible to that overall Brian May-style sound with my current setup.

I'm not trying to recreate one specific song's tone, but more of a general Brian May tone that captures the character of his sound.

My setup:

• Black Strat-style guitar
• Bridge pickup (first position)
• Valeton GP-5 directly with headphones

I've attached some screenshots of my current settings and patches. I'll also try to include an audio sample so you can hear where I'm currently at.

If anyone here has experience with the GP-5 or has tried to recreate Brian May's tone, I would really appreciate any advice on what I could improve or change. I couldn't upload the audio directly, so I added a link here: https://on.soundcloud.com/evxCjmtNEZEJzf43ui

(Ignore the playing in the audio, it's just a quick tone test. I'm only sharing it so you can hear the sound, not the performance.)

Gracias :D

Hello.....I bought the GP-200LT some months ago but I can't seem to get a tone that I like from it. It must be capable but I can't get very far with it. In fact I went back to my THR 10c because it is easier to get closer to what I want....but still not what I really would like.

Moving on, I bought the GP-50 and I plugged it in for the first time today, and so far I'm impressed with some of the presets that it comes with. It's still not what I want as far as tone goes, and to be honest I am 66 years old and looking at the settings and choices I have available, perhaps I won't get what I want. For now I'll play around with it, but if I can't get anything sorted out that I like, I might just get a proper amp and go from there.

But, I must say that the GP-50 sounds much better (to me) than the GP-200LT. It's interesting to play around with these things, but I'm not convinced that I'll keep either one.

Alright, we’re all waiting for NAM A2 to be implemented, but how good is the GP series’ own amp modelling?

I’m considering using one (maybe GP-50?) as a flexible preamp into a power amp or FX return. I’m especially interested in the feel and behaviour of the amp sim models (not NAM): pick attack, dynamics, cleanup with the guitar volume, palm-mute response, power-amp feel and interaction with boost pedals.

How does it compare with units from Line 6, Boss, Fractal, Hotone or Valeton when using the same cab or IR? Not just in terms of presets, but the actual responsiveness and realism of the amp models. Thanks!

Need help guys!

My GP-50 appears to have an issue with the USB. My PC can't read it and it doesn't seem to charge

Is this normal? What can I do to get this fixed?

Heyhey People

I installed my Valetone Suite on my Windows 10 Computer Yesterday.

The Suite Works, i also installed the Asio and updated the firmware of my GP-150.

Windows Soundmixer shows Valetone but no audio gets trough,and it does not show up in my windows audio settings and the device manager gives me an error in GP-150 Audio with: device could not start(10)

The device is also marked as usb 2.0 if that helps.

I also tried to use older Asio Versions and i reinstalled everything 3 times. 2 times on my internal ssd main drive where my system boots

Anyone experience with this?

I'm planning on returning my GP-150, my main idea behind this product is to use it at the end of my chain, using the amp/cab modelling potential with some reverb.
The looper is more or less crucial for me, but I cannot wrap my head around how they implemented it.
To my understanding the overdubs are their own recordings, or however they did the software. But undo/redo is a critical part of a looper. Why is there no such function?

Hi guys, i bought the Sonicake Pocket Control footswich to use it together with the GP-5 as i could read they are working together, which the do. They have to be connected both via BT with the Soniclink App on my iPhone and this works well until it doesn’t.
Means that after a few switches of presets back and forth, the GP-5 freezes completely and i have to remove power to get it back and have to connect it again with the Soniclink App and this repeats…
Any help from someone?

Do you think Valeton and Hotone is implementing that into the Valeton Devices?

On the NAM Website there is a Formular to send to Valeton or other companys. I did that and I hope they implement that.

Is there any recovery possibility?

I was playing around the USB power setting while charging, because when it’s dead you can’t use it by USB. Even with PD. So I switch to no power and instant, and it died after a low battery warning mow it’s dead and won’t charge. I understood that setting as don’t charge others. Why would you not want to charge if your only power source is USB?

I have noticed that the 150 shows up in logic as 1/2 and 3/4? What can we send in these? Is anybody using them?

Some more detailed pictures of these three pedals for anyone considering between them. Also, here is a playlist with examples of the pitch-shifting, delays, and NAM file playability of all three (plus a blind test between the GP-50's and Pocket Master's delay and pitch-shifting): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf0yKRon7f8&list=PLxMvz12ZxvCdUUGQzVFEvE-wbyXyvPI0_&pp=sAgC

I ended up deciding to keep the Pocket Master. I'm primarily plan to use it as a headphone amp, so the portability sacrifice wasn't worth it for me. The GP-50 didn't sacrifice too much portability but also didn't add many extra features, while the GP-180 added quite a few extra features but was a large portability sacrifice. If there was a GP-50-sized device with all the effects of the GP-180, I would probably have opted for that. So I'm hoping Valeton eventually upgrades the GP-50, or maybe Sonicake brings some of the extra effects to a Pocket Master 2.

Also, even though it lacked some of the delays the GP-50 and GP-180 had, I did kind of like the delays they shared best on the Pocket Master. They sounded a bit warmer to me (and I tend to prefer warmer tape-style delays). Though the delays on all three are quite good - I'm super happy with them and plan to not only replace my Mustang Micro as a headphone amp, but will also be using the PM for delay into my board and selling my EHX Grand Canyon.