The Red Witch Leviatha is a distortion pedal built around an octave intermodulation circuit: at its core, the maker describes it as a dialable upper octave generator and huge distortion unit in one box1. It sits in the same family as the Red Witch Ivy Distortion and the Red Witch Famulus Overdrive, but its octave and intermodulation content sets it apart from a conventional distortion pedal.
What it does to your sound
Red Witch describes the Leviatha as "A truly leviathan sounding distortion. Gargantuan. Expansive. All devouring."1, and points to a ground-shaking "Walls of Jericho" sound1. The upper octave generator is dialable, so the octave and intermodulation content can be blended in by ear rather than fixed by the circuit1.
Controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| X | Sets the intermodulation and octave amount, from a slight hint of grit to extreme tonalities1 |
| Gain | Distortion drive1 |
| Tone | Voicing1 |
| Master Volume | Output level1 |
On the X control, the maker says "you can add just a smidge for the slightest hint of girthy grit, or turn up the "X" control for truly cataclysmic tonali[ties]"1. Inside the pedal there is also an internal slide switch to access even more sub glory1, a way of pushing the low end further than the external controls allow.
The internal slide switch means the pedal's voicing can be changed by opening it up. Check where it is set before judging the pedal's low end on a board.
Availability
The Leviatha was developed over several months of design and testing by Red Witch1 and was listed at 599 USD1. It is a strictly limited run: "There will only ever be 59 Leviatha produced."1 The pedal is now Sold Out1. Where orders were taken, Red Witch shipped via tracked DHL international express and covered all tariffs and duty1.
Videos
Red Witch Pedals
Questions
What does the X control do on the Red Witch Leviatha?
The X control sets the amount of intermodulation and upper octave signal blended into the distortion. Red Witch describes it as adjustable from a slight hint of grit, what the maker calls a smidge of girthy grit, up to extreme tonalities at full settings. It works alongside the Gain, Tone and Master Volume controls.
Is the Red Witch Leviatha true bypass?
Yes. The Leviatha uses what Red Witch describes as an ultra long life true bypass footswitch, so the pedal is removed from the signal path entirely when it is switched off.
How many Red Witch Leviatha pedals were made?
Red Witch states that there will only ever be 59 Leviatha pedals produced, making it a strictly limited edition run.
What does the internal slide switch do?
The Leviatha has an internal slide switch that Red Witch says is there to access even more sub glory, adding extra low-end content to the pedal's octave and distortion voicing.
Is the Leviatha still for sale?
No. The Leviatha is listed as Sold Out on the Red Witch Pedals product page, and with only 59 units ever produced, no further runs are planned.
Sources (1)
- LEVIATHA, Red Witch Pedals
