The Red Panda RD-1 Pitch Delay is a compact digital delay pedal that shifts the pitch of its repeats. Instead of echoing your notes back exactly as you played them, it can bend each repeat up or down in pitch, detune it, or run it through frequency shifting, so the echoes drift, shimmer, or cascade away from the original note. Delicious Audio described it as "a pitch-shifting delay stripped down to essentials"1.
What it does to your sound
At its core the RD-1 is a pitch shifter sitting inside a delay. The pitch shifter can operate either inside or outside the feedback loop, which is the difference between continuous shifting on every repeat and a single shifted repeat, enabling evolving, textural echoes4. The shift control pitches repeats downwards to the left and upwards to the right, so when it is pointing straight up the pedal works as a standard digital delay2.
The pedal offers three shift modes, which guitar.com names as frequency shift, detune, and chromatic transpose2:
| Mode | What it does |
|---|---|
| Frequency shift | Shifts all frequencies by a fixed amount, producing strangely metallic repeats that can sound something like church bells run through a ring modulator2 |
| Detune | Fine pitch offsets for chorus-like thickening and warbling repeats |
| Chromatic transpose | Shifts repeats by musical intervals, in semitone steps |
The pedal also switches swiftly between forward and reverse modes4, with reverse delay doubling the available time to 2400 ms for extended, atmospheric effects45.
Controls, connections and power
The rear panel carries a CTRL / Tap Tempo port, a TS input, USB-C, a TS output, and a 9V DC power jack drawing 150mA6. The CTRL port doubles as the connection for an expression pedal, which the RD-1 supports2. On the related Raster, Red Panda lists compatible expression pedals including the Roland EV-5, Moog EP-3, M-Audio EX-P, and Mission Engineering EP-17.
There is also a hidden tap-tempo option, as guitar.com's reviewer Richard Purvis noted2. What you will not find are presets, stereo output, or MIDI: the RD-1 is mono, configured for mono but handling line-level signals24.
The RD-1 draws 150mA at 9V DC6, which is more than a typical 100mA isolated output supplies. Check your power supply's capacity per output before adding it to a board.
Based on the Red Panda Raster
Curt from Red Panda told Sonic State that it utilizes "the same algorithm as the Raster, but without the complexity"4.
The original Raster offered up to 1600 ms of delay time, more than the RD-1's 1200 ms forward time. The Raster 2, its successor, goes further still854.
RD-1 vs Raster 2
guitar.com's review frames the RD-1 as "an alternative to the Red Panda Raster 2 for more compact pedalboards"2. The Raster 2 is a stereo delay with a pitch shifter9, with delay ranges of Short 0 to 400 ms, Medium 0 to 800 ms, and Long 0 to 1600 ms, extendable to 3200 ms forward delay via its editor or MIDI9. It also offers left/right delay ratio settings at 3:4, 2:3, 1:2, 3:8, 1:3, and 1:49.
| RD-1 Pitch Delay | Raster 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Configuration | Mono4 | Stereo9 |
| Max forward delay | 1200 ms45 | 1600 ms, 3200 ms via editor or MIDI9 |
| Presets | None2 | Editor and MIDI control2 |
| Approach | Knobs, no menus5 | Full-featured stereo delay9 |
In short: the Raster 2 is the deep, stereo, preset-capable option; the RD-1 trades that depth for a smaller box and immediate knob control925.
What reviewers said
Richard Purvis, reviewing for guitar.com in August 2026, rated the RD-1 highly despite its omissions, calling it a super-powered soundscaping machine even with no presets and no stereo output2. On the frequency shift mode he wrote:
"strangely metallic repeats that can sound something like church bells run through a ring modulator"2
Richard Purvis, guitar.com2
Pedal of the Day's July 2026 review was similarly positive, writing that "the RD-1 Pitch Delay really opens up new pathways for musical creation and creativity, with a bunch of useful functions and hidden features that make it an all-around amazing unit overall"5. Delicious Audio's review emphasized the knob-driven design, covering the three Shift modes, reverse delay up to 2400 ms, and the absence of MIDI1.
Videos
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Red Panda Lab
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Questions
How long is the maximum delay time on the Red Panda RD-1?
The RD-1 offers up to 1200 ms of forward delay time, which doubles to 2400 ms in reverse mode for longer, more atmospheric repeats. That is shorter than the Raster 2, which reaches 1600 ms forward and 3200 ms via its editor or MIDI.
Does the Red Panda RD-1 have tap tempo?
Yes. The RD-1 has a CTRL / Tap Tempo port on its rear panel, and reviewers describe a hidden tap-tempo option as well. Tap tempo lets you match repeat times to your tempo on the fly rather than dialing them in by ear.
Does the RD-1 Pitch Delay work with an expression pedal?
Yes, the RD-1 has an input for an expression pedal, connected through the CTRL port. On the related Raster, Red Panda lists compatible pedals including the Roland EV-5, Moog EP-3, M-Audio EX-P, and Mission Engineering EP-1.
Is the Red Panda RD-1 stereo?
No. The RD-1 is a mono pedal with a single TS input and a single TS output, and it handles line-level signals. Players who need stereo delay should look at the Raster 2, which is a stereo delay with a pitch shifter.
What is the difference between the RD-1 and the Raster 2?
The RD-1 uses the same algorithm as the Raster but strips away the complexity: no menus, no presets, no MIDI, and no stereo output. The Raster 2 is a stereo pedal with delay ranges up to 1600 ms (3200 ms via editor or MIDI) and left/right delay ratio settings.
Does the RD-1 have presets?
No. The RD-1 has no presets and no stereo output. It is designed for hands-on control with knobs rather than stored settings, which keeps it simple and compact on a pedalboard.
Sources (9)
- Red Panda RD-1 Pitch Delay, Delicious Audio, 2026-06-23
- Red Panda RD-1 Pitch Delay review, guitar.com, 2026-08-17
- RD-1 Pitch Delay, Red Panda Lab
- NAMM 2025: Red Panda RD1 Pitch Delayer, Sonic State, 2025-01-25
- Red Panda RD-1 Pitch Delay, Pedal of the Day, 2026-07-10
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2026-04-02
- raster_instructions.pdf, Red Panda Lab, 2017
- RASTER, Red Panda Lab
- Raster 2 Owners Manual.pdf, Red Panda LLC, 2022-06
