The Red Witch Ionium is a filtered drive pedal: an ultra dial-able bandpass filter running into an all-FET overdrive, made by Red Witch Pedals. The idea is that the filter shapes which frequencies hit the overdrive, so you can push a chosen part of your spectrum into the drive and leave the rest alone. It was sold as a super limited edition pedal at 599 USD and is now listed as Sold Out1.
What it does
The Ionium lets you select the frequency you wish to boost and then adjust how strongly that EQ boost is blended into your signal. That filtered signal then runs into the overdrive. Red Witch describes the result as offering everything from head cuttingly brutal, crisp attack for the ultimate chunk right through to just the faintest mid range bump, so solos sing or rhythm parts cut through the mix1.
Controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Frequency select | Choose the frequency you wish to boost1 |
| Blend | Determines exactly how much or how little of that EQ boost is affecting the signal1 |
| Overdrive | Sets the overdrive1 |
| Master volume | Sets the overall output level1 |
Where the sound comes from
The pedal's starting point is a specific player's trick. Red Witch explains the inspiration by pointing to Jim Martin of Faith No More: "he used a half-cocked wah pedal into an overdriven Marshall amp." The Ionium puts that filtered-into-overdrive arrangement, usually done by parking a wah pedal halfway, into one box feeding an overdrive circuit1.
Build and bypass
Each Ionium is hand built, numbered and signed by the maker, who states he was only building 49 of these pedals. The super high quality, long life true bypass footswitch is independent from the main PCB, keeping the switching separate from the audio circuitry. The pedal is guaranteed to last a lifetime1.
The Ionium was a limited run of 49 pedals and is listed as Sold Out. Once the run sold out, no more were made1.
Red Witch has built other filter-based pedals, including the Red Witch Euphemia, the Red Witch TANGENTIA and the Red Witch Euphemia Sample Hold Filter, if you are comparing filter pedals across the maker's range1.
Videos
Red Witch Pedals
Questions
How many Red Witch Ionium pedals were made?
The Ionium was built as a limited run of 49 pedals. The maker stated he was only building 49 of them, and once the run sold out no more were made. Each unit is hand built, numbered and signed by the maker, and the pedal carried a list price of 599 USD.
Is the Red Witch Ionium true bypass?
Yes. Red Witch describes the Ionium as having a super high quality, long life true bypass footswitch that is independent from the main PCB, so the switching circuit is separate from the audio board.
What does the blend control do on the Ionium?
The blend control determines how much or how little of the EQ boost is affecting the signal. You first select the frequency you want to boost, then use the blend control to set how strongly that boost is mixed into your sound.
Is the Ionium an analog pedal?
The overdrive section is described by Red Witch as an all FET overdrive, meaning it uses field effect transistors rather than digital processing. The pedal is a filtered drive combining a bandpass filter with that FET overdrive circuit.
Who is the Ionium's wah-into-Marshall sound modeled on?
The pedal's starting point is the half-cocked wah into an overdriven Marshall amp sound associated with Jim Martin of Faith No More. Red Witch built the Ionium around that filtered-into-overdrive approach.
Sources (1)
- IONIUM - Filtered Drive - Red Witch Pedals, Red Witch Pedals
