The Electro-Harmonix Riddle: Q Balls is an envelope filter pedal built for guitar, offering auto-wah and "Q" filter sounds. RockBoard's PedalPedia describes it as a powerful envelope filter tailored specifically for guitar, with tight and smooth control across an 80 Hz to 5 kHz frequency range1. It sits in the same family as Electro-Harmonix's other filters, such as the Q-Tron XO Envelope Follower, the Micro Q-Tron and the Doctor Q, and there is a bass-oriented sibling, the Enigma: Q-Balls.
Controls
The Riddle: Q Balls carries seven controls for shaping funky filter sweeps: Start, Stop, Attack, Decay, Q, Sensitivity and Blend1. Start and Stop set the ends of the filter sweep, Attack and Decay shape how the envelope responds to your picking, Q sets the resonance of the filter, Sensitivity adjusts how hard the envelope is driven by your signal, and Blend mixes the filtered sound with the dry signal.
On top of the filter, the pedal includes switch-selectable analog distortion, so a driven edge can be added to the filtered tone without a separate pedal1.
Expression pedal and outputs
An optional expression pedal input allows manual control of the filter sweep, letting you rock the filter by foot where you would otherwise rely on the envelope1. Separate dry and effect outputs add versatility: the untouched signal and the filtered signal can be sent down different paths1.
Power
The pedal runs on 9.6V DC, center negative, and draws 150mA1.
With a 150mA current draw, the Riddle: Q Balls needs a supply output rated for that current. A low-current daisy chain output may not run it.
Videos
gearmanndude
EHX
Gear4music Guitars
Sources (1)
- Riddle: Qballs by Electro-Harmonix, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
