Walrus Audio Qi Etherealizer

The Walrus Audio Qi Etherealizer (pronounced "chee ethereal-izer") is a stereo multi-effects pedal that combines chorus, delay, granular effects and reverb in one box. It is a collaborative creation with guitarist Yvette Young, her signature pedal with Walrus Audio, and the first product to emerge from the maker's own proprietary digital processing platform, called MDSP¹²³. Walrus Audio describes it as designed to deliver "rich textures, expansive atmospheres, and dynamic layers"⁴.

What sets the Qi apart from a straightforward modulation-plus-echo box is its grain engine: a granular sampler that chops your playing into tiny fragments and scatters them back, either randomly or in rhythm. The three effects blocks can be mixed and matched and run in series or parallel, so you can build anything from a simple chorus-and-reverb sound to layered ambient textures⁵.

What it does: chorus, delay, grain and reverb in one stereo pedal

The Qi Etherealizer runs four effect blocks in a stereo signal path. The chorus covers conventional chorus and vibrato territory; the delay is a clean digital delay with up to two seconds of delay time, feedback control and three subdivision options⁹. The grain effect is the granular engine, and the reverb is controlled by a single Space knob that modifies both the mix and the decay, from smaller room sounds to what Walrus Audio calls a huge, diffused ambient reverb at maximum settings⁵.

The routing is where the pedal gets flexible. The chorus, delay and grain blocks can run in series (chorus into delay into grain), in parallel (all sharing input and output without feeding each other), or as a blend of the two¹¹. A Mix/Dry parameter controls the wet/dry mix in series mode and the dry level in parallel mode⁴.

Guitar World's reviewer, Trevor Curwen, placed the Qi in the lineage of Walrus Audio's "Soundscape Generator" pedals such as the Lore and Fable, but found it also works as a practical everyday board piece³:

The controls and grain modes

The grain effect has two "flavors" of operation, selected by the Grain switch: Grain Cloud and Phrase Sample⁴³.

A useful detail in Phrase Sample mode: turning the X knob to its minimum position syncs the Phrase Sample time to the delay time, so repeated grains land in time with the delay repeats⁵.

Grain playback also has three speed modes⁵:

• x1: Normal playback
• x2: Double-speed and +1 octave
• x.5: Half-speed and -1 octave

The delay side has its own controls: a time knob for the spacing between repeats and a feedback knob for the amount of repeats⁴. The TAP/OSC stomp switch in the bottom right of the pedal sets delay time by tap tempo, and when held down it ramps up the feedback and pushes the delay into oscillation⁵.

The stomp switches carry several extended functions beyond basic on/off¹²:

• Freeze footswitch: momentary effects, including momentary grain freeze and reverb freeze
• TAP/OSC switch: tap tempo, or feedback ramp into delay oscillation when held
• Bypass + Freeze together: pressing both simultaneously bypasses the chorus, delay and grain controls, quickly changing the character of the sound while leaving the reverb path working

Presets and MIDI

The Qi Etherealizer stores three on-board presets, indicated by red, green and blue, plus a live mode shown in white⁵. Over MIDI it expands to 128 presets with control of most parameters³. MIDI connection is by 1/8" TRS jacks, both Type A, one in and one thru, so you can chain MIDI to another pedal from the same cable run⁵.

Power and connections

Power requirements are 9V DC, center negative, with a 300mA minimum draw⁵. That current figure rules out a battery and means the pedal should sit on its own isolated output or a supply rated for it rather than a small daisy chain.

The pedal comes in two finishes: a Terracotta version featuring original artwork by Yvette Young, or a matte black finish with cream ink⁵. Walrus Audio also sells blemished units at a discount when available; the maker states the blemish is cosmetic only, such as scratches or dents in the finish⁵.

History: Yvette Young and the MDSP platform

Walrus Audio announced the Qi Etherealizer on 16 January 2025, ahead of the NAMM Show, with preorders open at $449¹⁰. Bass Magazine reported it as available at walrusaudio.com and authorized dealers worldwide from 17 January 2025⁸.

Inside, the Qi is the debut of Walrus Audio's own proprietary digital processing platform, MDSP⁹. Guitar World's launch coverage described the hardware behind it:

The pedal is Yvette Young's signature collaboration with Walrus Audio¹⁶². Guitar.com's reviewer, Richard Purvis, noted that she was at the NAMM Show in January 2025 when the pedal was introduced, and that the Qi is pronounced "chee"⁷. Guitar.com's review priced it at $449, or £445 in the UK as of September 2025⁷; Guitar World's 2026 review listed it at $449 / £449³. The current US list price on Walrus Audio's own product page is $449.99⁴.

What reviewers said

Guitar World's Trevor Curwen reviewed the Qi and found it a flexible board asset for conventional chorus, vibrato, delay and reverb duties as well as its more unusual composite sounds, with the caveat that it is not a budget pedal³. His review also confirmed the buffered bypass, the three on-board presets, tap tempo and the selectable trails mode³.

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