EarthQuaker Devices Warden V2

The Warden™
Optical Compressor

Hey boss, thanks for taking a visit from The Warden™! The Warden is an optical compressor with a feature set usually reserved for studio grade units. Built with high grade components and internally powered by 18v, The Warden has loads of gain and sustain on tap. With complete control over attack, release, sustain and ratio, The Warden will allow everything from a heavy squash with fast attack and release to “barely there” subtle compression. Optical compression has a reputation for having more character than a VCA or FET based compression and The Warden is no exception.

Controls

Tone- This pedal was designed to slightly color your tone, the coloration can be dialed-in to your taste. Counter clockwise is treble cut, clockwise is treble boost. The tone is nearly flat around 11 O’Clock.

Level- This controls the overall output and is affected by the sustain and ratio settings. There is no specific unity setting, adjust to taste when you find your perfect compression setting.

Sustain- This is the heart of The Warden. It controls how hot the signal is, which changes the dynamics of the compression. The Warden is a feedback style compressor, the hotter the signal, the more active the compression. Very little sustain= very little compression, less active attack and release and a cooler signal, Max sustain= heavy compression, longer sustain, hotter signal and more lively attack and release.

Ratio- This determines how much the gain reduction affects the signal. All the way up is full
compression and the compression is reduced as you turn this counter clockwise which allows more of the boosted, less compressed, signal to come through. There are no defined ratios here.

Attack- This controls how quickly the compressor reacts and starts leveling the signal. All the way counter clockwise is a fast, nearly immediate reaction. Turning the attack clockwise slows the reaction time.
Release- This controls how long it takes the signal to raise back up to the level determined by the sustain & ratio settings. All the way counter clockwise is a fast release and the release time slows as you turn it clockwise.

Measures

4.75″ x 2.50″ x. 2.25″ with knobs

Switching

This device is true bypass and uses electronic relay based switching. Audio will not pass without power.

Power

The Warden can be powered by a standard 9-volt DC power supply with a 2.1mm negative center barrel. We always recommend pedal-specific, transformer-isolated wall-wart power supplies or multiple isolated-output supplies. Pedals will make extra noise if there is ripple or unclean power. Switching-type power supplies, daisy chains and non-pedal specific power supplies do not filter dirty power as well and let through unwanted noise. Do not run at higher voltages!

Current Draw: 45mA
Input impedance: 1M
Output impedance: <1K