Bananana Effects TARARIRA

The Bananana Effects TARARIRA is an 8-step pitch-shift sequencer and arpeggiator pedal from Bananana Effects, a Japanese builder the press describes as one that "focuses on designing original effects that spark inspiration"¹. Instead of shifting your pitch by a fixed interval like a typical octave or pitch pedal, it sequences pitch shifts across eight steps, so a single note you hold can be transposed to up to three notes per step, with each step assignable to a different scale or chord¹. Because it is pitch-shift based, it works with any instrument, including microphone input².

The pedal was released in February 2021, with Guitar Pedal X reporting the first batch largely sold out at launch¹, and Delicious Audio reported it was upgraded to V2 in March 2021¹. Pedal of the Day revisited it in March 2026³.

What it does: an 8-step pitch-shift sequencer

The core idea is an arpeggiator built around an 8-step sequencer "with simple operations that you can easily edit the sequence"⁵. You program which pitches play at each of the eight steps, and the pedal cycles through them as you play. A single sustained note can be transposed to up to three notes per step, and each step can be assigned to a different scale or chord, which is what turns a held note into a moving arpeggio¹.

On top of the sequence itself, the pedal offers 9 sequence effects, which RockBoard's PedalPedia describes as useful for tricky performances⁵. A random function toggles between sequential and random playback, and when random is on, the same step will not play twice in a row⁶.

The modes and scales

The MODE knob selects from 8 modes, which the maker says range "from practical to experimental sounds"²⁶.

The scale system is where the musical control lives. The SCALE knob offers 27 different scales plus 3 user-editable scales⁶. The built-in options include the church modes (Ionian, Mixolydian, Dorian, Aeolian, Phrygian, Locrian, Lydian), Major Penta, Minor Penta, and a set of stacked-interval scales such as Major & 5th, Minor & 5th, Oct/4th & 5th, Oct/5th & 6th, Oct/5th & 7th, Oct & 5th, and 4th/5th & 9th⁶. The 3 user scales let you edit the scale as you like, from two octaves down to the 5th of an upper octave⁶. Scales are not used in Glitch or Toy Box mode⁶.

An OPTION VOLUME knob adjusts a different control depending on the mode: Filter in Normal, 5th Mix in Organ, Root Mix in Hold and Square, and Oct Mix in Sine⁶.

The controls: three footswitches, knob and touch key

The pedal has 3 footswitches: the middle one is On/Bypass, the left activates Sequence FX, and the right is Tap-Tempo and Patch/Bank⁴. A mini OLED display is, in Guitar Pedal X's words, "where all the magic is controlled"⁴.

Editing happens through a push-rotate knob (PUSH switches pages, ROTATE changes parameters) and a touch key, along with two small tact switches⁶:

• ENVELOPE tact switch: changes the envelope, chosen from four types⁶
• RANDOM tact switch: turns random progression on and off⁶
• CLOCK button: selects the clock source⁶

The pedal saves up to 9 presets in 3 banks and 3 patches⁶, and a quick-change function lets you switch between presets with just a footswitch while playing, by holding the TAP switch⁶.

MIDI sync and expression control

The CLOCK button selects from five clock sources⁶:

• INTERNAL CLOCK
• MIDI CLOCK SYNC
• MIDI NOTE CONTROL
• EXP.PEDAL CONTROL
• TOUCH KEY CONTROL

MIDI CLOCK SYNC synchronizes the pedal with the clock signal from an external MIDI device such as a DAW; the manual notes the master side should output only the clock signal for accurate synchronization⁶. MIDI NOTE CONTROL goes further: note signals from an external MIDI device control the sequence directly, with MIDI notes C0 to C1 corresponding to pitches 1 to 8⁶.

An expression pedal can be connected to sweep step-by-step through the sequence's pitches, which the maker describes as a sequence-driven pitch shifter under pedal control²⁶. Players using an expression pedal this way get manual access to the same pitches the sequencer cycles through automatically.

Firmware updates

Updates are done over USB from a web browser using WebUSB, which communicates with the hardware directly from the browser⁶. The maker's procedure⁷:

1. Disconnect all cables, unscrew the back of the unit, and remove the back cover.
2. Connect the unit to the computer via Micro-USB.
3. While holding down the RANDOM and ENVELOPE buttons, insert the power cable.
4. Run the update from the browser.

Power

The TARARIRA runs on DC 9V, center negative only, and the manual says to use an adapter with 200mA or more of current capacity⁶. A Micro-USB jack in the center of the base is used for the power cable connection during firmware updates⁷.

What reviewers said

Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson, reporting on the 2021 release, wrote:

He called it a wishlist item of undetermined priority, "kind of 50:50 for him right now"⁴.

Pedal of the Day's reviewer, writing in March 2026 after also checking out the maker's QUIMERA Polyphonic Synthesizer Sampler, found that "while these two are completely different, they share a love of experimentation and sonic wonder," and was convinced by the pedal after playing it overall³.

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