NAMM 2024: Red Panda Radius is a new effect pedal that combines musical stereo ring modulation and frequency shifting.
Pedals are beautiful, fun, and addictive sound design boxes. But they are still underrated in how well they harmonize with synthesizers, especially from the pedal maker scene. Many developers must escape the guitar-focused bubble and open up to other instruments.
An event for many new pedals will be NAMM 2024. Red Panda, a company that always has a focus on synths and electronic sounds, also has something new for the NAMM. They just published Radius.
Red Panda Radius
Radius is a new effect pedal that combines stereo ring modulation and frequency shifting with feedback.
According to Red Panda, it’s designed around a novel “eight-quadrant multiplier” algorithm (96khz sampling rate) that smoothly transitions from ring modulation to frequency shifting. This continuous mix idea sounds very interesting to me as it expands the classic approach of ring mod:
“A ring modulator multiplies two signal signals together to create new frequencies that are the sum and difference of the input frequencies. One signal is your instrument, and the other is an internal oscillator.
The Radius can double the sum or difference frequency ratios and adjust their relative levels, unlocking a spectrum of timbres beyond traditional ring modulation.
Another highlight of the pedal is the built-in pitch tracking with a push on the footswitch. It allows you to tune the carrier oscillator of the ring mod to that note you play in.
And it maintains the pitch ratio as you play up and down the scale. Very handy. The carrier oscillator can also be played via MIDI.
Flexible Modulation
Then, it also hosts an advanced, multi-wave LFO (triangle, square, random, intelligent random, X mod +/-), an 8-step sequencer, and an envelope follower.
Plus, there is an envelope-triggered LFO (one-shot ramp, pulse, random, step mod). These give you tons of ways to add movement and flexibility to the generated effects.
All this can be programmed using the front panel interface, hosting various knobs (mix, track, freq…) and buttons. Alternatively, there is a web editor with the ability to download and upload presets. Yes! You can save up to 4 presets on the device or recall 100 via MIDI.
A full MIDI implementation allows you to sync to a MIDI clock, sequence parameter changes, and play the carrier oscillator from a keyboard.
On the backside, you get a USB port, a power supply input and stereo input/output, making it also fully compatible with synthesizers and other electronic instruments.
Red Panda says the pedal can create complex harmonic structures, bell-like tones, metallic textures, frequency shifting, soft tremolo, and bubbly phaser sounds.
A demo/sound demo is not yet available.
First Impression
Radius will certainly not be another bread-and-butter pedal. Ring Mod and frequency shift sounds are very special and esoteric. I can imagine it very well for experimental sounds and deep sound design. I’m looking forward to the first demos, especially with stereo sources.
Red Panda Radius is available now for $349. It will start ship January 23rd, 2023.
More information here: Red Panda
Available for pre-order at my partner
How are we still stuck with mini USB in 2024?
USB and TRS MIDI