TENSOR Owner’s Manual Detroit, MI • www.redpandalab.
TENSOR Owner’s Manual Version 1.7 (firmware 1.2.0+) June 2021 Red Panda LLC 44712 Helm St Plymouth, MI 48170 USA ©2018-2021 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 Getting Started Controls Input and Output Presets Drift Control Port Hold Modes Advanced Configuration Reset to Factory Defaults Sample Settings Additional Techniques Control Input Using MIDI Web Editor Support, Repairs, and Warranty Firmware Updates Specifications Credits 4 5 6 8 8 8 8 9 11 12 13 14 15 19 27 29 30 32 33
Getting Started The Tensor performs realtime tape stop/slowdown/reverse, time stretching, and pitch shifting. The hold footswitch can loop and manipulate phrases up to 9.4 seconds (4.7 seconds in stereo). Both footswitches can be set to momentary or latching mode. The Tensor is always listening to what you play, so you can switch from bypass to effect with no gap or delay. Intelligent randomization adapts to the current knob settings to add random glitches, stutters, and pitch changes.
Controls Overview 10 7 8 9 11 12 6 6 5 4 3 2 13 14 15 16 17 1 18 1 Hold switch 10 Time stretch 2 Momentary hold 11 Expression/control port 3 Hold indicator 12 Input 41 Wet/dry blend 13 Pitch shift 5 Hold mode 14 Loop direction 6 Tape speed 15 Randomization 7 USB MIDI 16 Bypass indicator 8 9 VDC 250 mA 17 Momentary effect 9 Output 18 Bypass switch
Stop -100% 100% 1:1 1:2 1:4 2:1 4:1 SPEED: -100% to +100%—Tape speed effect. Smoothly changes the playback speed, from forward (clockwise) to reverse (counter clockwise). In the middle, the sound is stopped. Reverse playback will play short segments of audio backwards, simulating studio tricks where a tape is flipped over to create a reverse guitar solo.
Input and Output The Tensor supports mono or stereo input and output. See “Stereo input/output” on page 11. When used in stereo, the maximum hold time is reduced from 9.4 seconds to 4.7 seconds. Tensors with serial numbers below 67000 support mono input/output and 4.7 seconds hold time. Presets Presets store knob and toggle switch settings, expression pedal assignment, loop decay, and glide parameters. You can change presets without interrupting the sound, allowing you to change settings while playing.
Hold Modes The Tensor has three hold modes for recording and manipulating loops, up to 9.4 seconds in mono or 4.7 seconds in stero. You can switch between modes while playing. The momentary/latch (M/L) switch determines how the hold function responds. You can jump straight from bypass into hold mode. Recording and playback Press the hold button to start recording a loop: M (momentary): press HOLD to start recording, release to stop recording and play back loop.
Hold/Next (NXT) mode NXT mode uses dual buffers, recording into one buffer while playing back the last buffer. Each time the LED blinks red, the buffers are swapped. You can think of it like playing rounds (row, row, row your boat...) or use it like tap tempo. The buffer is recorded in “real time” (as you play), while the previous buffer is played back based on the control settings. The maximum loop length is reduced to 4.8 seconds (2.
Advanced Configuration Stereo input/output The Tensor takes supports multiple input/output configurations. It can be configured fusing MIDI System Exclusive (SysEx) messages or our web editor. In stereo in/out mode, the maximum loop time is reduced by half (4.8 seconds). Mono in / mono out Mono in / stereo out (default) Stereo dry / mono wet Stereo in / stereo out Input and output use 1/4" TS (mono) plugs. Input uses 1/4" TS plug. Output uses 1/4" TRS plug with left signal on tip, right on ring.
Kill Dry is not intended for typical serial effects routing or amp effects loops. The dry signal will be muted at all times. The BLEND knobs acts as an output level control. Analog + FX Level is useful when placing Tensor as a looper at the beginning of your signal chain, if you want to always pass the dry signal through to the rest of your pedals. It can also avoid phase issues in parallel effects chains, since the dry signal has no latency. The BLEND knobs acts as an output level control.
Sample Settings Normal Playback Tape Reverse Rewind Use an expression pedal to morph from forward (heel down) to reverse (toe down). Set SPEED to 12:00 for tape stop effect. The Tensor listens in bypass. Hold down the ON footswitch to instantly rewind what you just played. Glitch Tape Flanger Voice Doubling Moving RAND knob will change the character from stutters and repeats to small slices. Adjust SPEED and PITCH to add random shifts. Carefully adjust SPEED knob until you hear the whoosh sound.
Stutter Additional Techniques Using REC mode with momentary (M) hold footswitch allows you to loop very short pieces of sound. Each time you press the HOLD footswitch it will replace the loop, and pressing the ON footswitch will stop the loop. Playing a legato phrase while rhythmically tapping the HOLD footswitch will create sample-and-hold effects, or you can grab part of a phrase and let it repeat. Setting the loop direction (DIR) to FWD, ALT, or REV each give a different feel to the held fragment.
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 (if supported by the pedal) • 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 27).
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 switch modes Mode 1 2 3 4 Switch A B C D A B C D 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 Right footswitch Preset 1 (hold to save) Preset 2 (hold to save) Record / Overdub Play / Stop Play Once Toggle TIME & PITCH (tap) Toggle SPEED (double tap) Toggle SPEED knob Toggle TIME knob Toggle PITCH knob Toggle RAND knob LED Indication Blinks green when saved Blinks green when saved Blinks green when saved
Loop Sampler (Remote Mode 3) Mode 3 is designed to use the Tensor as a loop sampler with live loop manipulation. Switches A-C control loop record, overdub, play, and retrigger functions. Switch 4 toggles between the current knob settings and the default (normal playback settings). For example, you can set SPEED to reverse and PITCH to -1 octave for instant access to reverse and half-speed effects.
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 Continuous Controller Messages CC Num Destination Notes 4 Expression pedal CTRL input 20 Speed 21 Time 22 Pitch 23 Blend 24 Random 25 Loop decay 28 Hold mode 29 Loop direction 30 Pitch semitones 31 Overrides CC 22 to set pitch to a specific semitone. See table below. Pitch glide rate 0 64 127 0 64 127 0 64 127 0 127 Reverse 100% Stop Forward 100% 1:4 stretch 1:1 4:1 compress -2 octaves Unison +2 octaves 100% dry 100% wet 0 0 dB 1 -0.25 dB ... ...0.25 dB steps 126 -31.
CC Num Destination Notes 81 Effect on footswitch Use gated mode to send 127 on press and 0 on release. Matches footswitch behavior. 0-63 Off (release) 64-127 On (press) 85 Hold momentary/latch 0-63 Momentary 64-127 Latching 86 Effect momentary/latch 0-63 Momentary 64-127 Latching 87 Hold / Sample (Receive only) 88 Bypass (Receive only) 127 96 64 48 24 0 0-63 64-127 90 Drift (Receive only) 0-63 Off 64-127 On Speed (CC 20) Mapping MIDI CC Value 0 8 16 24 32 40 48 56 64 Speed -100% -87.
MIDI CC Value Stretch (Speed) MIDI CC Value 32 36 40 44 48 52 56 60 64 1:2 (50%) 9:16 (56%) 5:8 (63%) 11:16 (69%) 3:4 (75%) 13:16 (81%) 7:8 (88%) 15:16 (94%) 1:1 (100%) 72 76 80 84 88 92 96 100 104 108 112 116 120 124 127 Compression (Speed) 5:4 (125%) 11:8 (138%) 3:2 (150%) 13:8 (163%) 7:4 (175%) 15:8 (188%) 2:1 (200%) 9:4 (225%) 5:2 (250%) 11:4 (275%) 3:1 (300%) 13:4 (325%) 7:2 (350%) 15:4 (375%) 4:1 (400%) MIDI CC Value 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 Transposition Unison
MIDI CC Value 59 60 61 62 63 64 Transposition -P4 -M3 -m3 -M2 -m2 Unison MIDI CC Value 83 84 85 86 87 88 Transposition octave + P5 octave + m6 octave + M6 octave + m7 octave + M7 2 octaves Loop / Sample (MIDI CC 87) You can use MIDI CC 87 to record, overdub, loop, and trigger samples. When loop playback is stopped, no wet (processed) sound will be heard. The blend control is still active, so no sound will be heard when playback is stopped if the blend control is set to 100% wet.
System Exclusive (SysEx) Messages Set maximum input level Byte (hex) Description F0 System Exclusive (SysEx) 00 Red Panda ID byte 1 02 Red Panda ID byte 2 23 Red Panda ID byte 3 08 Tensor ID 10 Set maximum input level xx 01: +7.2 dBu max (5.0 Vpp) 02: +5.2 dBu max (4.0 Vpp) (default) 03: +0.5 dBu max (2.
Byte (hex) xx F7 Description 00: mono in / mono out 01: mono in / stereo out 02: mono wet / stereo dry 03: stereo in / stereo out End of Exclusive (EOX) Set MIDI channel (transmit & receive) Byte (hex) Description F0 System Exclusive (SysEx) 00 Red Panda ID byte 1 02 Red Panda ID byte 2 23 Red Panda ID byte 3 08 Tensor ID 12 Set MIDI channel xx 00: channel 1 (default) 01: channel 2 ...
Save Preset to Internal Memory Byte (hex) Description F0 System Exclusive (SysEx) 00 Red Panda ID byte 1 02 Red Panda ID byte 2 23 Red Panda ID byte 3 08 Tensor ID 13 Save preset to memory xx Preset location (program change number) F7 End of Exclusive (EOX) 26
Web Editor The web 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 cable and go to the web editor URL using Chrome: https://www.redpandalab.com/content/apps/tensor-editor/index.html Note the https in the URL.
This tab also displays the installed firmware version and the input power supply (PSU) voltage. A low PSU voltage may indicate that the power supply is not able to provide enough current to properly power the pedal. Help The Show MIDI Devices button on the Help tab will display all of the MIDI devices accessible by your browser. The web editor requires Tensor firmware version 1.2.0 or higher.
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. You will hear from a person who designed, built, or tested your product.
Firmware Updates The Tensor’s firmware can be updated via drag and drop using any Mac or PC. No driver or special software is required. There are two different firmware packages, due to changes on the Tensor circuit board. To determine which firmware update package you should use: Serial number 067000 and higher: Use the tensor_mm.nn.pp.xxx.zip firmare update file. These pedals were built starting in late 2018 and have a square opening in the enclosure around the USB port. The VERSION.
8. After the firmware update is complete, the right LED will change from blue to green. 9. If an error occurred, the red LED will blink instead. 10. Eject the TENSOR drive from your computer: Mac: click the eject button or drag the TENSOR icon to the trash Windows: right-click on the TENSOR icon in My Computer and select “Eject” 11. Disconnect the USB cable. 12. Turn the pedal’s power off. Update procedure (S/N 0-066999): 1. Hold down both footswitches and connect power. 2. The blue LED will blink. 3.
Specifications Inputs Outputs Maximum input level: Frequency response: Input impedance: Output impedance: Bypass: Power supply: Power connector: Power consumption: Dimensions: Weight: 32 Stereo audio (TRS) Control port (expression, remote, MIDI) Stereo audio (TRS) +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 220 mA 78 (W) x 124 (D) x 59 (H) mm 3.1 (W) x 4.9 x 2.3 (H) inches 0.
Credits Design and engineering Curt Malouin Documentation Curt Malouin Graphics Sylvie Demers Testing Sylvie Demers Eric Iverson Randy Molina Thank You I would like to thank the following people who generously provided inspiration, ideas, and feedback during development of the Tensor.
