The Warden

The Warden is an optical compressor in a pedal format, with a feature set more commonly seen in studio units. It runs on a standard 9 V supply and raises this internally to 18 V, giving plenty of gain and sustain. The circuit is a feedback-style design: the hotter the signal driven by the Sustain control, the more active the compression, with livelier attack and release at higher settings.

Six controls shape the response. Tone adds a slight colouring, cutting treble when turned counterclockwise and boosting it clockwise, and sits nearly flat around 11 o'clock. Attack and Release set how quickly the compressor reacts and recovers. Ratio blends between full compression and a less compressed, boosted signal, and has no defined ratio values. Level sets the output and has no fixed unity position. Settings range from heavy squash with fast attack and release to subtle, barely-there compression.

The pedal is true bypass using electronic relay-based switching, so audio does not pass when it is unpowered. It takes a 9 V DC supply through a 2.1 mm negative-centre barrel connector. A limited lifetime warranty applies, and the maker lists the model as no longer in production.