The Walrus Audio Red is a high-gain distortion pedal, built to push an amp into heavy, saturated distortion1. It belongs to the wider family of distortion pedals.
What it does
The Red is a high-gain distortion pedal2. Pedal of the Day described it as designed to mimic and inspired by the classically heavy sounds that came out of the early 90s metal and shoegaze bands2. Its clipping comes from diodes, and the Texture switch gives you two clipping diode configurations to choose from2. In the Up position, the Red produces a lower amount of compression and clipping, making it a good choice for a more overdrive-type of sound2.
Pedal of the Day's verdict was warm:
"the Red is a powerhouse pedal that instantly wakes up your ears and you amp as soon as you plug it in"
Controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Gain | Sets the amount of distortion1 |
| Bass | Bass EQ for the distortion circuit1 |
| Mid | Mid EQ for the distortion circuit1 |
| Treble | Treble EQ for the distortion circuit1 |
| Volume | Sets the overall output of the Red2 |
| Texture | Selects between two clipping diode configurations2 |
gearnews described the box as having Bass, Mid, Treble, Volume and Gain controls to set the overall levels of the RED's distortion circuit1, and Pedal of the Day adds that Volume sets the overall output of the Red2.
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Questions
What is the Texture switch on the Walrus Audio Red?
The Texture switch selects between two clipping diode configurations. In the Up position the Red produces a lower amount of compression and clipping, which Pedal of the Day described as making it a good choice for a more overdrive-type of sound. The other position gives the fuller clipping character of the Red's high-gain distortion.
What was the Walrus Audio Red designed to sound like?
Pedal of the Day described the Red as designed to mimic and inspired by the classically heavy sounds that came out of the early 90s metal and shoegaze bands. gearnews reported the pedal when Walrus Audio began taking orders in January 2017, after showing it at the NAMM Show.
Sources (2)
- Walrus Audio RED Distortion: A new saturated drive for Shoegaze and '90s Metal, gearnews.com, 2017-01-27
- Walrus Audio Red High-Gain Distortion, Pedal of the Day, 2017-02-16
