Carl Martin Ottawa Vintage Optical Envelope Auto-Wah/Envelope Filter vs Electro-Harmonix Micro Q-Tron

The Carl Martin Ottawa Vintage Optical Envelope Auto-Wah/Envelope Filter and the Electro-Harmonix Micro Q-Tron are both pedals sharing dynamic, analog warmth. The Carl Martin Ottawa Vintage Optical Envelope Auto-Wah/Envelope Filter leans transparent. The Electro-Harmonix Micro Q-Tron leans mid-forward. Current prices: $149.31 vs $80.10.

Similarity
citedBlended from circuit-archetype lineage, dynamic feel, tone-signal overlap and tone-vector distance — the tone vector itself is derived from editorial description text, not a measured acoustic signal, so this reflects how similarly the catalog copy describes the two, not a lab measurement. Shown only within a gear class, and only where there's enough evidence to be meaningful.

62% moderately similar

Shared genres
citedGenres both listings are associated with.
  • Funk
Shared tone character
citedDerived from overlapping tonal signals across both listings.
  • dynamic
  • analog warmth
Citation fame
citedCitation/mention fame — how often this gear is cited across artist rigs and gear discussion.
0%
0%
Price

$149.31via Reverb

$80.10via Reverb

Description

The Carl Martin Ottawa is an analog optical envelope filter pedal delivering vintage auto-wah and filter sweep effects triggered by picking attack. Three selectable filter modes (High Pass, Band Pass, Low Pass) provide distinct frequency response characters. Q control shapes resonance, while Attack and Tone controls adjust filter timing and high-frequency content. Approximately 14mA current draw. Danish boutique analog construction. Produces classic funky envelope filter tones for guitar and bass without a treadle.

The Electro-Harmonix Micro Q-Tron is a compact analog envelope filter, condensing EHX's classic Q-Tron auto-wah circuit into a smaller pedalboard-friendly enclosure. It tracks playing dynamics to automatically sweep a resonant filter, producing funky, vocal-like auto-wah textures without needing an expression pedal, driven purely by how hard the player picks.

Genres
citedGenres this gear is documented as being used in.
  • Soul
Tonal lean
  • transparent
  • mid-forward

Related searches

Carl Martin Ottawa Vintage Optical Envelope Auto-Wah/Envelope Filter vs Electro-Harmonix Micro Q-Tron — Shared Character & Differences — NodeTone