Home > Reviews & Articles > Red Witch Pentavocal Tremolo Pedal Review - Josh Bates

Red Witch Pentavocal Tremolo Pedal Review - Josh Bates

Red Witch Pentavocal Tremolo Pedal Review - Josh Bates
Red Witch Pentavocal Tremolo Pedal Review   I first became a big fan of tremolo back when I owned a Vox AC30.  I loved the effect  so much I found myself trying to use it in every song we wrote.  I think its great how such a subtle effect can add so much to the guitar sound, making the most simple chord progressions sound different and more interesting.   I decided I needed to get a tremolo pedal so I could variate the depth of the tremolo between songs without walking back to my amp.  As well, I  wanted the ability to change speed mid-song (I was listening to a lot of Radiohead at the time).  After trying several out, I decided on the red Witch Pentavocal Tremolo.
 
  The Pentavocal Tremolo is a versatile, smooth tremolo pedal with really big and lush sounds.  It has a few features that set it apart from other tremolos, including the ability to select from 5 different frequency responses, insuring  that frequent tremolo users will not tire of the tremolo sound .  I'll go over this in detail more later, but first, on to the other controls.  The Pentavocal also has knobs controlling the velocity rate, the depth of the tremolo, the overall volume, and a control labeled "bottom".  It features a switch that engages one of two wave forms when the tremolo is in the signal path and the green LED pulses at the rate in which the velocity is set.  This is an analog pedal that features a true bypass signal path which means the original signal path is unaffected when the pedal is disengaged and Red Witch even uses Switchcraft jacks.  To give the pedal more headroom, Red Witch incorporated an internal component to regulate the voltage up to 17 volts, which means a more pristine sound for the user. With that in mind, take note that externally the pedal can still be powered with a 9V battery or a 9V DC power adaptor.   
 
  All of the dials are very easy to use and each one gives the user a broad spectrum of control.  
  • Velocity - The velocity control has a wide range of speeds from which to choose, from very slow pulses by turning the knob clockwise to some of the most rapid I have heard by turning the knob counterclockwise, as well as great moderate speeds in between. 
  • Depth - The depth control allows the user to feed a slight amount of the effected signal through for very subtle tremming by turning the knob counterclockwise or to open it wide and allow a much deeper and effected trem sound by turning the knob clockwise.  There is also no signal degradation when cranking the depth knob, as with some tremolo effects; I get the same great tones when I'm reserving the amount of effected signal or when being generous. 
  • Volume - The volume knob controls the overall output level of the pedal.  I am so glad Red Witch included this feature; it has become a vital part of my tremolo sound.  In my experience, playing with a deeply effected trem sound would usually result in a loss of tone and/or volume.  When using the effect live, I would have trouble being heard over the drums or bass and would usually be lost in the mix. Not so with the Pentavocal; with the volume control, I can bring the signal back to line level or even above it when heavily tremming my guitar sound, ensuring that the effect is not lost in a full band setting. 
  • Bottom - The knob labeled "bottom" serves to tackle another problem common to some tremolo pedals.  I have played through some tremolos that decrease the low end sound of the original signal when engaged or when the depth of the effect is increased.  This knob is sort of a mid range and hi frequency cut, essentially allowing the user to add more low end to the sound, giving it a rounder tone and a unique sound to the effected signal. Fully counterclockwise, it operates more like a normal tremolo; turning it clockwise cuts the mid range and hi frequencies as the volume decreases, sounding as though there is more bass in the signal. 

  The wave form footswitch alternates between a smooth, silky wave form to a harder, choppier, square wave from.  Both are great in their own uses.  The first wave form is very full and lush; better for more subtle tremolo effects.  The square wave form has such a cool, "in your face" pulse and is great for "stuttering" and more percussive tremolo sounds.

  What may be the coolest feature of the Pentavocal Tremolo is its selectable five voicings.  Each mode is big and brilliant sounding, helping the tremolo sound to really "bloom".  The number 5 setting is the warmest and fullest sounding and it seems like settings 4 down to 1 get more and more lo-fi.  Setting 1 has a slight, warbled radio sound and is the least full, which can be cool for a more "grainy" tremolo sound.  My favorite setting is 3, perhaps it is a happy marriage of all of the voicings.
 
  A final cool note about this pedal is the unique "shimmer" that it adds to the overall tone of my guitar.  No matter what setting I'm using, it colors the sound in a really desirable way, adding this slight tonal enhancement to the mix.  So much that I have tried completely reducing the rate of the tremolo, engaging the soft wave form and decreasing the depth and it's like the tremolo has become a tone boost pedal.  The bottom control even becomes more lively here, adding more warmth to the mid range tones.  Not a one-trick tremolo. :) 
 
  This is a great pedal and I highly recommend it to any tremolo fan.

Josh Bates
Humbucker Music