Red Panda pedals with USB receptacles also support 1/4" TRS MIDI input via the CTRL port, with MIDI in on the tip.  Use our web editor to configure the CTRL port for MIDI In (TRS).  Then scroll down and click Save to update your pedal.  The setting will be remembered when power is turned off.  You can set the MIDI receive channel on the editor's Config page.



Connect the MIDI output to the pedal's CTRL port using a TRS or TS patch cable.  Some Disaster Area Designs MIDI controllers require a TS cable, while most controllers use a TRS cable.


This is a non-standard MIDI interface, because there is no optocoupler on the input, but it is used by many guitar pedals.  You will need a converter or a MIDI controller with 1/4" TRS outputs, which are available from Empress Effects, Disaster Area Designs, Morningstar, and others.  Those devices contain an optocoupler to prevent ground loops.  Simple 5-pin DIN to TRS MIDI cables are also available and will work in many cases, but they are susceptible to noise caused by ground loops.  Besides the lack of opto-isolator, our pedals support the MIDI 1.0 standard and were designed for both USB MIDI and TRS MIDI from the start.


The TRS connector wiring is:

  • tip: MIDI input
  • ring: not used
  • sleeve: ground


If you are building a 5-pin DIN to TRS cable, the DIN connector should be wired with pin 2 connected to sleeve, pin 5 connected to tip, and pins 1, 3, 4 not connected.  Leave the ring floating.  To verify the pin numbers, refer to this drawing while looking at the pin side of the plug (male connector).


The TRS wiring matches the MIDI Manufacturers Association Specification for use of TRS Connectors with MIDI devices.  It is sometimes referred to as "Type A" (Korg style).  Since our CTRL port does not have an optocoupler, to fully comply with the MIDI 2.0 standard you should use an adapter or a cable with an inline optocoupler (such as the Strymon MIDI EXP).


If the TRS MIDI output jack polarity is configurable, set the output to tip active (tip = MIDI in on the pedal).


TRS MIDI converters verified to work with Red Panda pedals:

  • Disaster Area Designs MIDI controllers and TRS MIDI converters
  • Empress Midibox2
  • Morningstar Engineering controllers with TRS MIDI out (1/4" or 3.5mm)
    • Use "MIDI Out - Tip Active" and a TRS (stereo) cable
    • MC8 Setup (applies to all Morningstar controllers)
  • Morningstar MIDI Box
    • Ports 1 to 6: use tip active, ring unpowered/floating
    • Ports 7 and 8: use a 3.5mm TRS to 1/4" TRS cable wired tip-to-tip and sleeve-to-sleeve, with ring disconnected on both sides (thanks to Justin Kosler).
  • Step Audio 5-pin MIDI to 1/4" TRS cable | tip active (ring is not connected)
    • If you get noise due to a ground loop, try using the same multi-output power supply for both devices or use the Strymon MIDI EXP cable instead.
  • Strymon Conduit
  • Strymon MIDI EXP cable (standard orientation - see below)
  • Meris MIDI I/O (limited - see below)


The Strymon MIDI EXP cable contains an opto-isolator and is powered by the pedal. It is designed for pedals that provide +5 V on the ring of the TRS jack (which Strymon pedals do).  Our pedals that have Mini USB jacks provide +3.3 V on the ring, but based on our testing the MIDI EXP cable works.  Consider using a self-powered TRS MIDI converter box (Conduit or others listed above) for critical applications.


The Meris MIDI I/O daisy-chains connected pedals and passes MIDI from the output of one pedal to the input of the next.  Our pedals do not transmit MIDI via TRS (only USB), so they will not retransmit MIDI to following pedals.  You can use one of our pedals in the last jack (e.g., #4) with Meris pedals in jacks 1-3, but no MIDI will be sent to the MIDI I/O's MIDI output jack.


Note: your Particle or Tensor may require a firmware update to enable TRS MIDI input.