The Catalinbread CSIDMAN Ghost is a digital delay pedal built around a single strange idea: the sound of a skipping portable CD player. The original CSIDMAN, released in 2016, used Cuts and Latch controls to create those random skips and stutters, and the name is pronounced "Discman"1. The Ghost Edition, announced in 2025, keeps that core design and adds a Ghost knob, a sample rate reducer that layers lo-fi aliasing over the skipping1. It is part of Catalinbread's wider delay line, alongside pedals like the Belle Epoch Deluxe and the Adineko Ghost.
The controls
The CSIDMAN Ghost has four knobs: TIME, FEED, GHOST, and CUTS/LATCH4.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| FEED | Controls the amount of feedback of the delay and thus the intensity of all onboard effects4 |
| TIME | Governs the total available delay time, from slapback-shortness up to about 700ms4 |
| CUTS/LATCH | Combines the two knobs on the original into one4 |
| GHOST | Adds a sample rate reducer to the entire effect, decreasing the fidelity for extreme lo-fi aliasing on top of the random skips and cuts4 |
The Cuts and Latch controls on the original CSIDMAN did separate jobs. As Catalinbread explains, "Cuts" controlled the skipping speed while "Latch" controlled, essentially, the rate at which the skips occurred4. The Ghost Edition merges them into the single Cuts/Latch knob2.
The Ghost knob is the headline addition. Gearnews describes it as "a sample rate reducer for the entire effect," lowering the fidelity of the whole pedal and layering lo-fi aliasing on top of the skipping1. Where the original CSIDMAN only mangled the timing of the repeats, the Ghost Edition can also degrade the sound of everything, dry-adjacent textures included, in the bit-crushed way of a struggling digital device.
Power: 9 to 18V DC
The CSIDMAN Ghost runs on a negative-tip DC supply from 9 to 18 volts2. Catalinbread is direct about the battery question: "The CSIDMAN does not run on batteries"2.
There is no battery option on this pedal. It needs a DC power supply, negative tip, within the 9 to 18V range2.
The supply voltage is also a tone control of sorts. Catalinbread notes that a 9-volt power supply gives a slightly softer sound that saturates more easily, so running the pedal at the lower end of its range changes how it responds2.
From the original CSIDMAN to the Ghost Edition
The original CSIDMAN arrived in 2016. Gearnews, listing the strangest pedals of that year, described it as based on "messed up CD anti-skipping technology"5. Delicious Audio's write-up, later added to its guide to glitch, stutter and granular pedals, sums up the concept: "Cuts and Latch controls that lets you create the sound of a skipping portable CD player"3. The same site confirms the circuit is digital: "Yes, it's digital. Did I stutter?"3.
The Ghost Edition, announced in August 2025, is a newly updated version of that pedal. Gearnews reported that it "maintains this core design while introducing new spectral textures," and confirmed the 100% analog dry path that preserves the player's original tone1. At announcement, the pedal was not yet at dealers but was expected very soon1, with an official listed MSRP of £149.94 plus tax and shipping1.
For players comparing the two, the differences come down to the control set:
- The original CSIDMAN has separate Cuts and Latch knobs; the Ghost combines them into one Cuts/Latch control2.
- The Ghost Edition adds the Ghost knob, a sample rate reducer across the whole effect1.
- The core skipping-delay design carries over from 20161.
The original CSIDMAN remains its own page on this site, and players who want the lo-fi degradation without the skipping can look at Catalinbread's EG1 Lo-Fi Delay instead.
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Questions
Does the Catalinbread CSIDMAN Ghost run on a battery?
No. Catalinbread states plainly on the product page that the CSIDMAN does not run on batteries. It needs a DC power supply, and the maker specifies a negative-tip DC output from 9 to 18 volts. Plan for a dedicated or well-rated supply output, since there is no battery option to fall back on.
What power polarity does the CSIDMAN Ghost use?
The CSIDMAN Ghost uses a negative-tip DC supply, according to Catalinbread's product page. The accepted range is 9 to 18 volts. The maker also notes that running the pedal at 9 volts gives a slightly softer sound that saturates more easily, so the supply voltage becomes a tone choice as well as a power decision.
What is the difference between the CSIDMAN Ghost and the original CSIDMAN?
The Ghost Edition is a 2025 update of the 2016 CSIDMAN. It adds a new Ghost knob, a sample rate reducer for the entire effect that lowers fidelity and layers lo-fi aliasing on top of the skipping, and it combines the original's two skipping controls, Cuts and Latch, into a single Cuts/Latch knob while keeping the core design.
What does the Ghost knob do on the CSIDMAN Ghost?
The Ghost knob adds a sample rate reducer to the entire effect, which decreases the fidelity and produces extreme lo-fi aliasing on top of the pedal's random skips and cuts. Gearnews describes it as a sample rate reducer for the whole effect, lowering the fidelity of the delay.
Is the dry signal analog on the CSIDMAN Ghost Edition?
Yes. According to gearnews, the Ghost Edition has a 100% analog dry path as part of the circuit design, which preserves the original tone of the instrument while the digital side produces the skipping delay effects.
How long can the delay time get on the CSIDMAN Ghost?
The Time knob governs the total available delay time, from slapback-short settings up to about 700ms, according to Catalinbread's product page.
Sources (5)
- Catalinbread CSIDMAN Ghost Edition for 2025, gearnews.com, 2025-08-18
- CSIDMAN Ghost, Catalinbread Effects
- Catalinbread Csidman, Delicious Audio, 2023-01-11
- CSIDMAN Ghost (B-Stock), Catalinbread Effects
- Weird guitar pedals, gearnews.com, 2016-09-13
