Mooer rolls out 3 more smart Dual-Footswitch X2 Units - Cab, Groove Loop and Preamp Model X
These mostly came in at the tale end of last year as a followup to the superb X2 Delay and Reverb Units (actually the Groove Loop was few months earlier!). For those familiar with the fairly similar Flamma pedals these sort of double down on the number of Presets / Programs / Algorithms available or typically 14 vs 7.
The Preamp is particularly impressive with 14 different amp simulations - each with 2 Channels - like most of the amps they represent - so typically cleaner and heavier / Lower Gain and Higher Gain / Overdrive and Distortion. Essentially you’re getting several of those Mooer Micro Preamp Pedals all in that one enclosure.
The Groove Loop is similar to Flamma’s Groove Loop - here with 11 Genres, each with 11 Patterns - more easy to operate because of those two footswitches.
Finally the Cab pedal is slightly different to most of its peers - like say the Walrus Audio ACS-1 as here you only have the Cab selection - for the Amp selection you’re supposed to deploy the Preamp pedal in addition.
I feel these are all pretty strong candidates and will suit certain types of players really well. The Groove Loop is not as interesting as my Boss RC-10R, and the Cab can’t really compete with IR-200 - while the Preamp is actually pretty promising for me. The Mini Preamps were around £99 each while for £129 you get your hands on most of them in that one unit.
Here follow the usual details :
Preamp Model X [X2] - £129 and equivalent
As mentioned in the intro - this is essentially 14 of Mooer's Micro Preamps all in the one enclosure - so you get a lot of bang for your buck - each of the 14 Amp Models has 2 different Channels A and B - again exactly as per the Mini Preamps.
I've always liked those Mini Preamps - they're mostly voiced really well - and the only one I have to-date is the 001 Gas Station / Diezel Hagen variety which funnily enough is not included here - so this would be a really good buy for me - particularly for heavier applications. I really see this as a great heavy section - so the latter half of amps mostly!
Controls - Gain, Level, Treble, Mid, Bass, Save/Select, Channel A Footswitch, Channel B Footswitch
Amps :
- 1 : 65 US TW [Fender 65 Twin Reverb]
- 2 : US SONIC [Fender Super Sonic]
- 3 : UK 30 [Vox AC30]
- 4 : JAZZ 120 [Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus]
- 5 : REGAL TONE [Tone King Falcon]
- 6 : CAROL [Two Rock Coral]
- 7 : MR SMITH [PRS Archon]
- 8 : TAXIDEA TAXUS [Suhr Badger]
- 9 : J 800 [Marshall JCM800]
- 10 : PLX 100 [Marshall PLEXI 100 - Super Lead]
- 11 : US GOLD 100 [Friedman BE-100]
- 12 : EAGLE FB [Engl Firebal]
- 13 : CALI DUAL [MESA/Boogie Dual Rectifier]
- 14 : EV 5050 [EVH 5150]
Key Features :
- Dual-channel digital preamp pedal based on MOOER's unique MNRS sampling technology 2.
- Includes 14 preset slots that can store two different channel settings each
- Supports loading GNR and GIR files via MOOER STUDIO to expand your tonal palette
- Dual-footswitch controls for preset scrolling or A/B channel switching
- 3 global cabinet simulation files with support for loading third-party impulse response files or GIR files
- Comes with specialized editor software for preset management, IR loading, and firmware updates
Groove Loop [X2] - £129 equivalent
Another cool mix of Looper and BeatBox all in one - and in stereo too. For my rig I would ideally need top-mounted jacks - while I'm not sure this is close enough to my Boss RC-10R which mostly works well for me - even though the drum volume in stereo is a touch too weak! This one is certainly worthy of consideration - but currently seems rather unlikely for me - I've learned to never say never though!
For sure a the right solution for many - the Boss RC-10R approach is a little more visual and hands-on - and is my current preferred option - even though that itself isn't entirely perfect for me!
Controls - Loop (Level), Drum (Level), Speed, Genre : 1-11, Pattern : 1-11, Record / Play / Dub Footswitch, Stop / Tap Footswitch.
Genres :
- 1 : POP
- 2 : FUNK
- 3 : BLUES
- 4 : ROCK
- 5 : METAL
- 6 : JAZZ
- 7 : FUSION
- 8 : PUNK
- 9 : LATIN
- 10 : HIP-HOP
- 11 : DISCO
Key Features :
- Stereo loop pedal with 14 save slots
- 10-minute capacity per track
- 121 different drum grooves from 11 unique musical styles
- Justify function to easily sync drum machine and looper
- Time Stretch function allows users to change the speed of playback without affecting the pitch
- Audio playback and drum machine audio can be separated into two different outputs
- Auto-Record function can start recording automatically when input signal is detected
- Supports editor software for exporting / importing audio files
- Dual footswtiches allow you to switch between different recorded tacks seamlessly
Cab [X2] - £129 equivalent
As I mentioned in the intro - this is a rather different Cab Sim than most as it contains no Preamp / Amp models - only the Cabinets / Speakers / Mic Placements / Impulse Responses. We have 8 Guitar Amp Cab Models and 3 Bass Amp Cab Models - all Ampeg.
It's a pretty decent selection of the usual suspects - Fender, Vox, Marshall, Mesa and a nice Metal option with the Diesel. While part of me thinks that you should really have Cab Models for each of the Amp types of the Preamp - that would have made more sense to me!
While the Preamp can be used as a stand-alone pedal - the Cab really needs the Preamp to complete its function. I still feel that the Boss IR-200 is the most capable overall, while the Strymon Iridium is possible a better match for my rig. The Walrus Audio ACS-1 is pretty cool too - but its IR voicings need improving a touch, and its Marshall voicing is relatively weak overall.
The Mooer Cab X2 is therefore a touch limited in its need to run of the Preamp Model X - or possibly one of those Mooer Micro Preamps.
Cabs :
- 1 : 65 DLX 1x12 [Fender 65 Deluxe]
- 2 : A15 1x12 [Vox AC15]
- 3 : TWINVERB.B 2x12 [Fender 67 Twin Reverb]
- 4 : AC30.S2 1x12 [Vox AC30]
- 5 : 59 BASEMAN 4x10 [Fender '59 Bassman]
- 6 : 1960AG 4x12 [Marshall 1960 Greenbacks]
- 7 : RECT.S 4x12 [MESA/Boogie Rectifier Standard]
- 8 : GERMAN.V 4x12 [Diezel V30]
- 9 : B.SVT 1x15 [Aampeg SVT 15E](Bass)
- 10 : B.SVT 4x10 [Ampeg SVT 410HE](Bass)
- 11 : B.SVT 8x10 [Ampeg SVT 810E](Bass)
Key Features :
- High-quality IR loading stereo cabinet simulation pedal
- Includes 14 user preset slots that can store two different cabinet simulation settings each
- 11 factory cabinet simulation files with support for loading third-party impulse response files
- Choose between mono or stereo setups
- Footswitch can be assigned as a tradition on/off switch or to switch between presets
- Dual inputs (stereo) and outputs (stereo) for stereo/mono setup
- Comes with a specialized editor software for preset management and IR loading
Final Thoughts
So two of these are fully stand-alone - while the Cab really needs a Preamp companion - say either the Preamp Model X or one of those Micro Preamps.
For whatever reason I'm not particularly interested in the Groove Loop - it's format is not the best fir for me - and I don't feel it's close enough to replace my RC-10R. I just hope Boss get to fixing the stereo drum output soonish - or perhaps I need to wait for the next model to be released!
That makes the Preamp Model X here a pretty surefire winner for me - I like a lot of those Micro Preamps - but never got around to buying more than the first of them - the 001 Gas Station / Diesel Hagen. Adding the Model X will bring my total to 15 of those 20.
And once I have the Preamp I might just check out the Cab some day too - albeit not on any kind of priority. These are all really well priced at around £129 - the Delay X2 is dropped in price a touch - but all of the others are around the same price - which I feel is pretty great value overall. For the Preamp Model X it's something of a bargain as each of those Micro Preamps are / were around £99.
Any of you tempted by any of these?
12 Degrees of Saturation 2023 Compact Edition
