PARTICLE Owner’s Manual www.redpandalab.
PARTICLE Owner’s Manual Version 2.3 (firmware 2.1.1+) April 2021 Red Panda LLC 44712 Helm St Plymouth, MI 48170 USA ©2019-2021 Red Panda LLC www.redpandalab.
Please register your product at redpandalab.com/register Product manuals and firmware updates are available at redpandalab.com/support For technical support, email support@redpandalab.
Contents Introduction Getting Started Controls Bypass Trails Freeze Feedback Lowpass Filter (Tone) Modes Combining Modes Control Input Presets Tap Tempo Web Editor (beta) Advanced Configuration Reset to Factory Defaults Using MIDI Support, Repairs, and Warranty Firmware Updates Specifications Credits 4 5 6 7 9 9 9 10 11 14 15 18 19 21 23 24 25 35 36 37 37
Introduction Thank you for purchasing the Particle 2. I designed the original Particle in 2010 and released the first batch in 2011. I drilled, painted, labeled, soldered, and assembled those first pedals in my garage and a spare bedroom. Thanks to the support of experimentally-minded musicians throughout the world, Red Panda has been able to grow to a small team and continue to work on hard, interesting projects.
Getting Started The Particle™ is a granular delay pedal. It chops your signal into small slices (grains), which are shifted, randomized, and mangled using the techniques of granular synthesis. Results include radical pitch and delay modulation, shimmering repeats, time stretching, stutter, and glitch sounds. The Particle has five delay-based modes and three pitch-based modes. You can combine all of the modes and access additional parameters via MIDI, saving the results in a preset for live use.
Controls Overview 6 7 8 9 10 11 5 12 13 4 14 3 2 15 TM 16 1 1 Tap tempo/freeze 9 Chop/freeze threshold 2 Preset switch 10 Expression pedal 3 Preset indicator 11 Input 41 Feedback 12 Delay time/pitch shif t 5 Wet/dry blend 13 Mode 6 USB MIDI 14 Parameter 7 9V DC 250 mA 15 Bypass indicator 8 Output 16 Bypass/tap division 7
Alternate Controls [DIV] Press and hold the ON/[DIV] footswitch to adjust tap divisions and alternate parameters. Alternate functions are labled [DIV] in the following sections. To access [DIV] settings: 1. Start with the Particle enabled (blue light on) 2. Hold the ON/[DIV] footswitch until the LED changes to yellow (the pedal will briefly go into bypass) 3. While holding the ON/[DIV] footswitch, adjust the knobs and mode switch as desired 4.
[DIV] sets grain density (interonset time) or LFO to a note division, depending on mode. Bypass The right footswitch turns the effect on and off. Tap to toggle between bypass and effect. From bypass, pressing and holding the footswitch will engage the effect momentarily and return to bypass when you release. The Particle remembers its bypass state when power is removed. Hold down the right footswitch while plugging an expression pedal, CV cable, or remote switch into the CTRL port to configure the port.
Delay freeze Delay freeze recycles the delay output to its input, like the Particle v1 worked. When the delay time is changed, the frozen loop is pitch shifted and mangled. REPEATING LAST-PLAYED AUDIO The Particle is always listening to your signal, even in analog bypass mode. This allows you to repeat a phrase that you just played.
Modes Mode Delay/Pitch DELAY DENS Delay time DELAY LFO Delay range DELAY DELAY DELAY PITCH PITCH PITCH REV PITCH RND DTUNE LFO DENS Delay time Delay time Max.
DELAY + RND The DELAY knob sets the maximum delay time. The PARAM knob sets the randomization range. The CHOP knob controls how often the delay time is changed (size of the audio slices). Short delays create a chorusing sound. Use longer delays for random beat slicing effects. With tap tempo, try setting DELAY to a whole note and CHOP to 1/8th or 1/16th note. PITCH + DTUNE The PITCH knob sets +/- 1 octave pitch shift. The PARAM knob controls the amount of random detuning around the set pitch.
PITCH + DENS The PITCH knob sets +/- 1 octave pitch shift. The PARAM knob controls the density of grains, breaking the incoming audio down into blips at lower settings. The CHOP and PARAM knobs interact in this mode, and at higher settings there will be multiple overlapping grains.
Combining Modes In its default configuration, the MODE knob will assign the DELAY/PITCH and PARAM knobs to specific functions and reset the previous mode's parameters. For example, switching from DELAY+DENS to DELAY+LFO will set the grain density so that they perfectly overlap. You can combine modes in several different ways: • In the pitch modes, use tap tempo to set a delay time. • Use MIDI to set parameter values. All of the Particle's parameters are available via MIDI.
Control Input The CTRL (control) input supports different methods of remotely controlling the pedal: • Expression pedal • Control voltage (CV) with 0-3.3V range • Tap Tempo • TRS MIDI in (tip active) • Remote switch To configure a expression pedal or remote switch, hold down the right footswitch while plugging it in. The pedal will detect which device is connected using the steps below. You can also use our web editor to configure the port (see "Web Editor" on page 21).
Control Voltage Control voltage input is configured the same way as an expression pedal. CV Range: 0-3.3V (with over/under-voltage protection) Tip: 0-3.3V input Ring: 3.3V output (with current limiting) Sleeve: ground The expression input has current limiting in case you use a TS cable, but it is preferable to use a 1/4” TRS cable with the ring unconnected. We sell a suitable cable at our web site, and the Expert Sleepers ‘floating ring’ cable is another option.
Remote Modes Mode 1 2 Switch A B C D A B C D Function Preset 1 (hold to save) Preset 2 (hold to save) Preset 3 (hold to save) Preset 4 (hold to save) Left footswitch (tap/freeze) Right footswitch (on) Preset down Preset up LED Indication Blinks green when saved Blinks green when saved Blinks green when saved Blinks green when saved 17
Presets The Particle stores 127 presets. Presets 1-4 are accessible from the front panel, and all are accessible via MIDI program change messages. MIDI program 128 resets the parameters to the current knob settings. (Note that some controllers label MIDI programs 0-127 and some use 1-128.) If preset 1-4 is selected, the Particle will remember the current preset when power is turned off and restore it. That allows it to be gig-ready, without worrying if the knobs have been moved.
Tap Tempo Tap the left footswitch at quarter note intervals to activate tap tempo. The LED will blink yellow to indicate the current tempo. To cancel tap tempo, quickly double tap the left (TAP) footswitch. Turning a knob will cancel tap tempo for that parameter, but other parameters with note divisions set are not affected. You can set independent note divisions for chop (grain length), delay time, density, and LFO rate. The tap divisions are stored in presets, and remembered when power is removed.
Delay, chop, and density note divisions (CHOP, DELAY, PARAM knobs) Off (tap tempo disabled) Whole note Eighth note triplet Half note 16th note Dotted quarter note 16th note triplet Quarter note 32nd note Quarter note triplet 32nd note triplet Dotted eighth note 64th note Eighth note 64th note triplet LFO note divisions (PARAM knob) Off (tap tempo disabled) 20 8 measures Eighth note 4 measures Eighth note triplet 2 measures 16th note Whole note 16th note triplet Half note 32nd note
Web Editor The web-based Particle editor can be used to configure your pedal, access hidden parameters, and fine-tune presets. It is intended for "offline" configuration and editing. For live performance editing, we recommend using dedicated MIDI hardware or software and MIDI control change messages. Connect your pedal to a computer using a USB mini cable and go to the web editor URL using Chrome: https://www.redpandalab.com/content/apps/particle-editor/index.
Config The Config tab allows you to configure the pedal for your setup. Configuration settings are described in "Advanced Configuration" on page 23. If the pedal detects an error condition, a diagnostic code will be displayed on this tab. This tab also displays the installed firmware version and the input power supply (PSU) voltage. Turn on the PSU Voltage toggle to display the realtime voltage reading.
Advanced Configuration The Particle uses MIDI System Exclusive messages to access configuration settings. See "System Exclusive (SysEx) Messages" on page 32 for a complete list of properties. We provide a web-based editor (requires Chrome) and a Touch OSC template (for iOS and Android) to make it easier to access these settings. Setting maximum input level The Particle can handle signals up to +5.2 dBu (4 Vpp) in its default setting.
Reset to Factory Defaults Use the following procedure to reset the Particle’s configuration data to factory default settings. This will erase any advanced configuration and control port settings, but presets will not be affected. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 24 With the pedal unplugged, set the mode switch to the PITCH+DENS position. Hold the ON footswitch while plugging in power. The right LED will be solid white. Rotate the mode switch to the DELAY+DENS position.
Using MIDI Your pedal supports USB MIDI (in/out) and 1/4" TRS MIDI (input only). USB MIDI Your pedal is a class-compliant USB device, which allows you to: • Control all parameters • Access additional hidden parameters The pedal can work with any USB MIDI host, including: • Macintosh and Windows computers. The pedal shows up as a MIDI device and is available to all programs. • Apple iPad, iPod touch, and iPhone using the Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter.
MIDI Timing Clock MIDI timing clock messages are used to synchronize multiple MIDI devices to a single clock transmitter. The clock is typically provided by a DAW in computer-based setups and a sequencer or drum machine in hardware-only setups. Dedicated MIDI clock generators are available for more complicated setups that need tight synchronization, and some devices can convert between MIDI clock, DIN sync, and taps.
MIDI real time messages are high-priority messages that can interrupt other MIDI messages to ensure the best possible syncronization timing. However, the accuracy of the clock depends on the transmitter and any devices it passes through. It is common to have +/-1 milliseconds of jitter, with is irregular timing due to individual clock ticks arriving too early or too late. All equipment that receives MIDI clock needs to smooth out the timing to maintain a stable tempo.
MIDI Continuous Controller Messages 28 CC Num Destination Notes 4 Expression pedal CTRL input 12 Blend 13 Chop Grain size 14 Freeze threshold 0 1-126 127 Off Threshold On 15 Feedback 16 Delay 17 Delay random 18 Pitch 19 Pitch detune 20 Pitch random 21 Density 22 Direction 0 1-126 127 Reverse Probability Forward 25 LFO rate 27 Feedback Lowpass Filter 80 Freeze 0-63 Off 64-127 On 81 Effect on 0-63 Bypass 64-127 Effect 88 Effect on (receive only) 0-63 Bypass 64-12
CC Num Destination Notes 102 Mode 103 Chop/freeze 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0-63 64-127 104 Delay/pitch Pitch/density Pitch/LFO Pitch/detune Delay/random Delay/pitch Delay/reverse Delay/LFO Delay/density Chop Freeze threshold Depends on current mode 105 Param Depends on current mode 106 Delay note division See “Note Divisions” table 107 Density note division See “Note Divisions” table 108 Chop note division See “Note Divisions” table 109 LFO rate note division See “Note Divisions” table 110
Pitch Semitone (CC 18) Mapping MIDI CC Value Transposition 0-4 -1 octave 9 -M7 14 -m7 19 -M6 24 -m6 29 -P5 34 -d5 39 -P4 44 -M3 49 -m3 54 -M2 59 -m2 64 Unison 30 MIDI CC Value 64 69 74 79 84 89 94 99 104 109 114 119 124-127 Transposition Unison m2 M2 m3 M3 P4 d5 P5 m6 M6 m7 M7 octave
Note Division Continuous Controller Values Allowable values for each parameter are limited by the minimum and maximum parameter values. Note that values are grouped by dotted/basic/triplet notes for each division and are not in strictly decreasing order.
System Exclusive (SysEx) Messages The Particle uses MIDI System Exclusive Messages to get and set configuration properties and state. The protocol is very similar to MIDI Capability Inquiry (MIDI-CI) Property Exchange, but the defined properties and semantics for MIDI-CI Property Exchange are not part of the MIDI-CI specification and have not been published as of March 2019.
Byte (hex) F7 Description End of Exclusive (EOX) Properties Firmware Version Get Set ID 1 X 7F ID 2 01 Data Bytes 8 Data Firmware version: 0: Major 1: Minor 2: Patch 3: Release type (ascii) 4-7: Build number Returns the firmware version. Error Code Get Set X ID 1 7F ID 2 0A Data Bytes 10 Data 2 32-bit integers, each encoded in 7-bit bytes Returns a diagnostic error code that can assist Red Panda in troubleshooting problems.
MIDI Channel Get Set ID 1 X X 7F ID 2 12 Data Bytes 1 Data 00: channel 1 (default) 01: channel 2 ... 0F: channel 16 Data Bytes 1 Data Preset location (MIDI program number) Get or set MIDI channel. Save preset Get Set X ID 1 7F ID 2 13 Save a preset to internal memory. Get / Set Parameter Value (high resolution) Get Set ID 1 ID 2 Data Bytes Data X X yy yy 1 U1.23 fixed point value encoded as 4 7-bit digits Uses internal parameter IDs to get and set parameters with high resolution.
Support, Repairs, and Warranty Technical Support Please register your product at redpandalab.com/register within 30 days of purchase. For technical support, send your question via email to support@redpandalab.com or use the contact form on our web site. Be sure to include your serial number. We are a small company with limited resources for technical support, so it might take us a few days to reply. Product manuals and firmware updates are available at redpandalab.
Firmware Updates The Particle’s firmware can be updated via drag and drop using any Mac or PC. No driver or special software is required. To tell which version of firmware your pedal is running: 1. Hold down the left footswitch and connect power. 2. The right LED will blink blue. 3. Continue holding the footswitch for 2 seconds. 4. The LED will turn solid blue. The pedal is now in USB Mass Storage mode. 5. Connect the pedal to the computer using a mini USB cable. 6.
Specifications Maximum input level: Frequency response: Input impedance: Output impedance: Bypass: Power supply: Power connector: Power consumption: Dimensions: Weight: +0.5 dBu (high gain) +5.2 dBu (default) +7.2 dBu (max) 20-20 kHz, +0/-0.5 dB 1 MΩ < 1 kΩ analog buffered 9V DC, center negative 2.1mm I.D. x 5.5mm O.D. barrel connector 250 mA 78 (W) x 124 (D) x 59 (H) mm 3.1 (W) x 4.9 x 2.3 (H) inches 0.
