The Red Panda Bitmap 2 is a bitcrusher pedal: a box that deliberately degrades your signal the way old digital gear did, by cutting bit depth and sample rate. Bitcrushing, as Guitar.com's Daniel Seah explained at the pedal's announcement, is "an audio effect that creates distortion by reducing the resolution of digital audio signals"1. Where most distortion pedals clip the signal in the analog domain, the Bitmap 2 converts it and then throws away resolution on purpose, from 24 bits down to one bit, with sample rate reduction from 48 kHz down to 110 Hz2.
Red Panda says the Bitmap 2 is tuned to provide maximum sustain without sputtering on staccato notes, and that less extreme settings give the warmth and grit of 8- and 12-bit samplers3. So it covers both ends: subtle lo-fi texture on a clean tone, or full digital destruction. The pedal works with guitar, bass, synthesizers, drum machines, and other instruments or line-level sources3, and it is designed and assembled in the USA3.
What bitcrushing does to your sound
A bitcrusher lowers two things: bit depth (how many steps the digital signal has) and sample rate (how often it is measured). Drop the bit depth and you get quantization noise and a grainy, stair-stepped character; drop the sample rate and you get aliasing, the harsh folded frequencies that old samplers and consoles produced by accident. The Bitmap 2 gives you control over both, from 24 bits down to one bit and from 48 kHz down to 110 Hz2.
At gentle settings, Red Panda says the pedal delivers the warmth and grit of 8- and 12-bit samplers3. Pushed further, it becomes a source of extreme digital distortion, and the 2.1 firmware and later versions add waveshaping, wavefolding, and a window comparator to that palette54.
Controls and features
The front panel is built around a few core controls, with the rest handled by footswitches, presets, and the control port.
| Control or feature | What it does |
|---|---|
| Drive | Accommodates single or dual coil pickups and line-level signals; enough gain to sound like an overdriven mixer channel5 |
| Mix | Dials in the amount of effect in your signal; maintain bass or add subtle crushing51 |
| Bypass footswitch | Soft touch, momentary or latching, user replaceable3 |
| Aux footswitch | Assignable to tap tempo or preset selection5 |
| Control port | Assignable expression pedal, remote switch, remote tap, or MIDI port5 |
| Presets | 4 on the front panel, 127 via MIDI3 |
The Drive control is worth a note for anyone feeding it more than a guitar: Delicious Audio reports it handles everything from single coil guitars to synthesizers, with a +8 dBu maximum signal level and enough gain to sound like an overdriven mixer channel5. The Mix control lets you keep your low end intact while blending in the crushed signal, or run the effect nearly dry for subtle texture51.
MIDI control extends the pedal further. CC 4 controls the expression pedal function on the CTRL input, and on firmware 2.1 and later, CC 24 controls output level, giving -30 to +6 dB of output gain on the wet signal4.
Power and connections
The Bitmap 2 requires a 9V 250 mA center negative power supply, which is not included with the pedal35. The connector is a standard 2.1mm I.D. x 5.5mm O.D. barrel4.
At 250 mA, the Bitmap 2 draws more current than many analog pedals, and it has no battery option. Plan for an isolated or adequately rated 9V supply rather than a shared daisy chain.
Inputs and outputs are stereo on TRS jacks3, with 1 MΩ input impedance and under 1 kΩ output impedance3, so it plays nicely with both instrument-level and line-level gear. The bypass is analog buffered rather than true bypass4.
How it differs from the original Bitmap
The Bitmap 2 is not just a reissue of the original Bitmap. According to Delicious Audio, the new version features one extra footswitch, an entirely new knob and switch layout, and several new functions, including waveshaping, wavefolding, and a window comparator for extreme digital distortion5. Red Panda's manual puts it another way: the Bitmap 2 combines the features of both earlier bitcrushers, along with an unreleased foldover distortion pedal4.
The pedal was announced at the online Believe in Music event in January 2021523, with Guitar World reporting it available at $299 at launch2; the current list price is $329.003. Firmware has continued to develop since, with the 2.1 update adding features such as the CC 24 output level control54.
Who it is for
Gearnews described the Bitmap 2 at launch as "a compact, made-in-the-USA pedal" aimed at players who want their tone mangled in a good way6. Because it accepts line-level sources up to +8 dBu4, it suits synthesizer and drum machine owners as well as guitarists, and the stereo TRS I/O3 makes it at home in a stereo or studio rig. Design and engineering are by Curt Malouin4.
For support, Red Panda asks owners to email support@redpandalab.com or use the contact form on the website, including the pedal's serial number4. Warranty repairs are done for free, non-warranty repairs at the lowest possible cost, and proof of the original purchase date is required for repair or replacement4.
Videos
Red Panda Lab
Do Noise
Janek Gwizdala
News
Questions
Is the Red Panda Bitmap 2 stereo?
Yes. The Bitmap 2 has stereo input and output on TRS jacks, so it can sit in a stereo rig or process line-level sources on both channels. It also works with mono setups using a single input and output.
Can the Bitmap 2 be used with synthesizers?
Yes. Red Panda states the Bitmap works with guitar, bass, synthesizers, drum machines, and other instruments or line-level sources. The Drive control accommodates single or dual coil pickups and line-level signals, with a maximum input level of +8 dBu.
Does the Bitmap 2 have tap tempo?
Yes. The pedal has tap tempo for syncing your performance with other players, and the aux footswitch can be assigned to tap tempo or preset selection. The control port also accepts a remote tap switch.
Is the Bitmap 2 true bypass?
No. The Bitmap 2 uses an analog buffered bypass rather than true bypass. The bypass footswitch is a soft touch type, user replaceable, and can be set to momentary or latching operation.
How do you factory reset the Red Panda Bitmap 2?
A factory reset erases any advanced configuration and control port settings, but your presets are not affected, so saved sounds survive the reset. The procedure is described in the owner's manual from Red Panda.
Sources (6)
- NAMM 2021: Red Panda announces the Bitmap 2, a bitcrusher for your pedalboard, Guitar.com, 2021-01-22
- Red Panda offers serious bitcrushing power with the Bitmap 2, Guitar World, 2021-01-22
- Bitmap 2, Red Panda
- Bitmap 2 Owners Manual.pdf, Red Panda LLC, 2024-12
- Red Panda Bitmap 2.1 Stereo Bitcrusher, Delicious Audio, 2025-07-15
- NAMM 2021: The new Red Panda Bitmap 2 Bitcrusher will mangle your tone, in a good way, gearnews.com, 2021-01-22