Walrus Audio Qi Etherealizer

The Walrus Audio Qi Etherealizer (pronounced chee ethereal-izer) is a multi-effects pedal created in collaboration with guitarist and sonic explorer Yvette Young. Combining chorus, delay, granular effects, and reverb, the Qi is built for players who want lush, evolving textures and dreamy, expressive soundscapes. Named after the vital life energy that flows through all living things, the Qi captures Yvette’s artistic vision—inviting musicians to explore color, movement, and magical atmospheres.

“I hope that it will inspire people to be excited to have colors and textures to play with… I want people to think about their melodies and how they can start to sound a little less guitar-y and more…magical!” — YY

The Sound of the Qi

With the ability to mix and match chorus, delay, and granular effects in either series or parallel, the Qi creates an immersive stereo universe of possibilities. Store presets, jump between settings instantly, and choose whether you want gentle modulation, rhythmic textures, or full-on glitchy ambience. Press the Bypass and Freeze switches together for quick effect toggling, making performance transitions seamless.

Built on the New MDSP Platform

The Qi is the first pedal powered by Walrus Audio’s new in-house digital processing system, MDSP. This platform features the ARM Cortex M7 processor, combining microcontroller and DSP in a compact, modular format. MDSP delivers:

• More advanced audio algorithms
• Faster sample rates and increased bit depth
• Greater headroom and exceptional signal-to-noise
• A flexible design adaptable to future pedal formats

This marks a major leap forward for Walrus Audio, offering creators a powerful foundation for innovative sound design.

Global Controls

Space – Adds a charming, lush reverb with adjustable mix and decay. Dial in anything from small room ambience to massive diffused atmospheres.
Tone – Uses a resonant low-pass filter to shape the brightness and character of the effect output.
Series / Parallel – In series, the signal flows Chorus → Delay → Grain → Output. In parallel, the effects run independently, and the top-row knobs act as individual level controls.
Mix/Dry – Controls overall wet/dry in series mode and dry level in parallel mode.

Grain Engine

The Qi’s granular section includes two flavors:

Grain Cloud – Randomly triggers tiny grains from your playing, creating unpredictable, glitchy textures. The X knob sets the grain spacing.
Phrase Sample – Grains are triggered rhythmically from detected peaks in your playing. The X knob sets playback tempo, and at minimum it syncs to the delay time.

Playback modes include:

• x1 (Normal)
• x2 (Double-speed / +1 octave)
• x.5 (Half-speed / –1 octave)
• REV (Reverse)
• RNDM (Randomized combination of all modes)

Delay Section

A clean, digital delay offering up to two seconds of repeats.

• Time sets the delay length
• Feedback sets the number of repeats
• TAP/OSC switch allows tap tempo or oscillation when held

Delay subdivisions:

• Quarter Note
• Dotted Eighth
• Eighth Note

Chorus Section

Two expressive chorus modes:
Tri Chorus – A lush, three-voice modulation for dimensional movement.
Stereo Chorus – Classic chorus with modulation offset 180° between channels for a wide stereo image.

Additional Features

• Three onboard presets (Red, Green, Blue) plus Live Mode (White)
• TRS 1/8" MIDI In & Thru
• USB-C for firmware updates
• Momentary Grain Freeze
• Momentary Grain + Max Reverb Freeze