Red Panda Particle 2 Review (pedal in-hand)

The Red Panda Particle 2 does a lot for such a small pedal. There's a total of five delay modes and three pitch-shifting modes, creating a spatialization that is hard to describe without audio (we have that below). Many of the sounds seem random with an electronic and digitized quality, so this is certainly not your traditional delay pedal.

It's very modern and versatile, emphasizing pitch-shifting and spatialization/oscillation more than the delay.

The sounds I got out of this pedal were incredibly unique.

This is my full Red Panda Particle 2 review.

Compare to other pedals

While the Particle 2 is in a class by itself, and very hard to categorize, we've added some similar pedals to this compare table so you can see the Particle next to some other options. Note that the comparison bar includes basic specs and live pricing.

Red Panda Particle 2 Price Guide

The Particle 2 is not particularly cheap. None of the Red Panda pedals really are. Since the application of the Particle 2 is more limited than a traditional delay pedal, we'd like to see it retail lower, maybe around a 15 percent drop.

Keep in mind, pricing can change quickly, which might make my comment above obsolete. Check the live price comparison table here for updated numbers from multiple retailers.

Pricing updated Wed, June 07th, 2023.

Live Pricing from Sweetwater

Price Alert Tool

Price History

IDEAL FOR: Modern styles, electronic fills, non-traditional delay sounds, ambience, recording.

Tone and sound of the Particle 2

My demo below was recorded with the usual suspects, my 2005 PRS CE 24 and Boss Katana 50 running through a Focusrite audio interface. 

You can get some electronic sparkle, if you push the octave up, and pulsating repeating patterns that sound like old video game effects. Spinning windy patterns and deep fluttering are also quick to dial in.

In the early part of the demo, you'll notice a lot of the video game sounds.

I don't even know if that's the best way to describe them.

There are more guitar-like sounds on the second half of the demo, which is nice to balance out the first few modes. Many of them sound like there is no guitar involved at all.

With the blend knob, it can be all beeping, randomness, and swirling, or those elements mixed with guitar.

There's a good example of this around the 4:00 mark of the video.

Overall, tone quality is excellent. Perhaps it helps that I don't really have much to compare some of these sounds to, but everything, from the most hyper electronic tones to the musical delays and ambience, sounded vibrant and crystal clear.

Controls and usability

The knobs have a rubber-like material which makes them really easy to move, which is helpful right off the bat. I liked the softness of this material, which I haven't seen in many other pedal knobs, if any.

Most of my time was spent adjusting the Chop/Freeze control and the Pitch/Delay knob.

Depending on the effect, the Param and Feedback controls seemed less consequential.

Obviously the Blend knob played an important role when I needed to balance the clean and wet signals.

In a lot of cases, the sounds were so intriguing that I didn't really need to make many adjustments (see below for more notes on that). Once you do, you'll get an even wider range of sounds within each mode. 

Learning Curve

You might notice some difficulty figuring out what everything does. Knob functionality differs depending on the mode you select, especially when going from delays to pitch-shifting, but there's always plenty to do. You might just need some time to learn the controls.

For example, pitch and delay rhythms can be hard to get right.

If you don't want random or a pitch/timing that sounds off, you'll need to do some tinkering.

Pricing and Value

This is certainly an advanced and technologically complex pedal, but it has a smaller window of application than something like the Line 6 DL4 MK2, yet it's similarly priced.

I'd like to see the Particle 2 cheaper, as I mentioned, but it's still not a bad value if you want the type of sounds it provides.

Not everybody wants a delay pedal to do what the Particle does.

If you do, the value is there.

Buy accordingly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Red Panda Particle 2 Review Conclusion

The Red Panda Particle 2 will have a place in certain situations and styles. It's not for everybody, and not what I would consider a one-size-fits-all delay pedal. It's more pitch-shifting than delay, at least in my experience.

But given the right scenario, it can expand your sound and capabilities a lot. Buy it for the unique effects and advanced soundscapes.

You could also just buy it because it's a lot of fun to tinker with.

If you have questions, hit me up in the comments section below.

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