The Red Witch Pentavocal Analog Tremolo is an analog tremolo pedal from Red Witch Pedals built around five selectable voices, the "penta" in its name. Pedal of the Day's Mike B described it as "a super-versatile and entertaining tremolo pedal, one that has a multitude of sounds and uses to explore"1. It sits in the wider family of tremolo pedals, alongside other Red Witch designs such as the Red Witch Seven Sisters Eve Tremolo.
What it does
The Pentavocal's defining feature is the Voicing knob, which lets you choose from five different voices. As the knob is adjusted, "Low, murky, throbbing trem sounds give way to tight, high, shimmery cleans," in Pedal of the Day's description1. In other words, one control sweeps the pedal's whole tonal range, from dark and slow-feeling modulation to bright, tight shimmer.
The controls
The pedal carries four knobs, a Wave switch and two footswitches1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Velocity | Controls the overall speed of the tremolo, going from super slow to super fast1 |
| Depth | Adds in, or subtracts, the amount of the effect that gets blended into your signal1 |
| Voicing | Chooses from the five voices the pedal produces1 |
| Bottom | Acts as an EQ of sorts, adjusting the mids and boosting either the low or high end of the effect1 |
| Volume | Sets output level so there is no drop in signal when the pedal is on, and can even add a little boost1 |
| Wave switch | Flip-flops between a standard, smooth tremolo sound and an aggressive, hard-nosed choppy sound1 |
The two footswitches make up what the reviewer called "this beastly trem." The Tremulate footswitch is, as he put it, "a cool way to say the On/Off switch," engaging and disengaging the effect1.
What reviewers said
Pedal of the Day reviewed the Pentavocal in December 2014 and came away with a positive view of its range. The reviewer's verdict: "it's a super-versatile and entertaining tremolo pedal, one that has a multitude of sounds and uses to explore"1. The combination of five voices, a two-position Wave switch and a Bottom knob that shapes the low and high ends gives it more tone-shaping than a tremolo with only speed and depth controls, which is where the reviewer found its versatility1.
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Questions
What does the Wave switch do on the Red Witch Pentavocal?
The Wave switch flip-flops between two modulation shapes: a standard, smooth tremolo sound and an aggressive, hard-nosed choppy sound. It sits alongside the Voicing knob, which selects the five voices, so you can pair either wave shape with any of the pedal's five characters.
What is the second footswitch on the Pentavocal for?
The Pentavocal has two footswitches. The one labeled Tremulate is the On/Off switch, engaging and disengaging the tremolo effect. The second footswitch handles the pedal's other switching function, making the two of them the core of what Pedal of the Day called a beastly trem.
Does the Red Witch Pentavocal work on bass?
The Bottom knob acts as an EQ of sorts, adjusting the mids and boosting either the low or high end of the effect, which shapes how the tremolo sits under a bass signal. The pedal is an analog tremolo, and reviewers described its low, murky, throbbing sounds as one end of its range.
Can the Pentavocal boost my volume when it is on?
Yes. The Volume knob sets the output level so there is no drop in signal when the pedal is switched on, and Pedal of the Day noted it can even punch a little add, meaning it can add a small volume boost on top of unity.
Sources (1)
- Red Witch Pedals Pentavocal Analog Tremolo, Pedal of the Day (www.pedal-of-the-day.com), 2014-12-05
