Red Panda Raster

The Red Panda Raster is a digital delay pedal with a pitch and phase shifter built into the feedback loop, so the shifting happens to each repeat rather than to your whole signal. Instead of echoes that simply fade, the repeats can climb in pitch, detune, reverse, or push into self-oscillation. Red Panda describes it as a pitch shifting delay with modulation, with up to 1600 ms of delay time and modulation in one of seven waveforms¹.

The original Raster launched in 2015 at $249, designed and manufactured in Detroit, Michigan². It was succeeded by the Raster 2, announced in July 2021, which more than doubled the delay time from 750 ms to 1600 ms³⁴⁵. This page covers both, with the emphasis on the original pedal.

A delay with pitch and phase shifting in the feedback loop

The Raster's core idea is where the shifting sits: inside the feedback loop, so each repeat is shifted again on the way through. The pitch shifter operates in three modes, with three types of feedback, for a total of 8 different combinations¹⁰. Tuned pitch shifting covers plus or minus 12 semitones, and micro pitch shifting is also available⁹.

Three delay ranges let you dial in resonant feedback and change delay time instantly for rhythmic shifts¹. Knob responses are tuned for exploring self-oscillation and feedback on the verge of blowing up, but the pedal also works for clean delays up to 750 ms¹⁰.

The controls

The front panel keeps things immediate. The main controls:

The delay ranges are 0 to 400 ms, 0 to 800 ms, 0 to 1600 ms, and 0 to 3200 ms, with the fourth range accessed via MIDI, TouchOSC, or the web editor¹². At the minimum setting with no feedback, there is no delay at all, for pure pitch shifting and amplitude modulation effects¹². Fast knob movements jump smoothly to the new delay time; slow movements change it gradually while minimizing glitches, which enables drag, time stretching and glitchy stutter effects¹².

Holding ALT and adjusting DELAY changes the offset or ratio between the left and right delay times, with ratios of 3:4, 2:3, 1:2, 3:8, 1:3, and 1:4 at higher settings; once a ratio is set, the DELAY knob moves both delay times proportionally¹². An optional expression pedal can control the pitch shift amount, and the shift mode is footswitchable so you can change modes without reaching down⁸.

Shift modes, modulation and presets

The wave switch selects the modulation shape, and the sine wave position is smooth and non-linear, commonly used for chorus or flanging¹⁴. Modulation can be assigned to delay time, pitch shift, or effect level for glitchy pitch jumps, wow and flutter, and broken tape effects¹.

The Raster holds 127 presets in memory, accessible via the web editor or MIDI. Presets 1 to 4 can also be accessed and programmed onboard using the PRESET switch: tap it to advance through presets 1 to 4, and on the fifth tap the pedal returns to live settings¹⁶.

Bypass is configurable through the web editor, TouchOSC, or MIDI, with modes including AUTO (the default), DSP, ANALOG, ANALOG + FX LEVEL, and KILL DRY. Trails are on by default, letting repeats decay naturally after bypass, and can be toggled by holding ALT and pressing ON¹⁵.

Power and connections

The pedal measures 4.35 by 3.25 by 2.5 inches (111 by 83 by 64 mm)¹⁷. I/O is mono in and stereo out by default, configurable through the editor, with a CV/expression input for an expression pedal⁶. The mini USB port supports firmware updates and MIDI, with 1/4 inch MIDI available through third-party adapters⁶.

The original Raster and the Raster 2

The Raster 2, announced in July 2021 at $299, keeps the original's simplicity while adding flexible modulation and extensive stereo functionality¹⁸⁵. It is performance friendly, with 6 knobs and 9 switches, in a smaller enclosure measuring 3 inches wide with all jacks on top¹⁹¹. Delay configurations include reverse, parallel, series and ping pong options¹⁸.

Key differences side by side:

Red Panda engineer Curt Malouin designed the Raster 2¹⁹. Red Panda has also released the RD-1 Pitch Delay, a simplified, knob-driven take on the same idea.

What reviewers said

Premier Guitar's reviewer noted that the Raster in some respects evolves from modulating analog delay units like the Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man, and found that with a Gibson Les Paul into a Soldano Lucky 13 half stack, repeats were clear but with a slightly lo-fi decay in the highs⁸. Of the shifting itself, the reviewer wrote:

Pedal of the Day's Mike B found the pedal intuitive once you sit down and figure out how everything works, both individually and together⁹. Delicious Audio's Ryan Dembinski highlighted the harmonized tone on the repeat, writing that it "adds a powerful and surprising feeling the overall tone"¹¹.

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