“An all-in-one suite for songwriting”: Mooer’s latest pedal is ridiculously light, insanely small… and could be the most portable multi-effects unit out there
The $105 pocket-sized pedal offers 149 effects, amps, and cabs, can handle third-party IRs, and doesn’t even need a plug – meaning you can riff “anytime, anywhere”
(Image credit: Mooer)
Mooer has taken the magic of its pocket-sized Prime Stomp S1 multi-effects pedal, made it even smaller, and shared its feature-packed fun with the bass community.
The firm’s Prime S1 arrived in March this year, and was billed as one of the smallest and cheapest multi-FX pedals on the market, boasting intelligent features that belied its tiny sizing.
Its successor, the all-new Prime M1, is somehow even smaller, and is a forward-thinking device that aims to go toe-to-toe with other impressive micro gizmos like Neural DSP’s newly-released Nano Cortex, for an absolute fraction of the cost.
The Chinese-based firm, beloved by prog extrovert Devin Townsend, has now offered improved usability with the Prime M1, which comes loaded with 149 high-quality effect models across 10 banks containing four patches.
Of the 149 effects, amplifiers, and cabinets, 20 are specifically curated for bass guitar. The additional features – such as the tuner, 80-second looper, 40 synchronizable drum machines, and 10 metronomes – don't hurt, either.
The M1 is powered by a rechargeable lithium battery so you don't have to worry about packing a 9V supply or an army of batteries into your gig bag. It takes a modern USB-C input and offers five hours of playtime on a two-and-a-half-hour charge.
Even smaller than the S1, it has slimmed down from four to two footswitches, therefore “facilitating a more compact and streamlined design”.
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Since it is so small, its screen isn’t much use beyond on-the-fly display purposes, meaning pre-loading the pedal with your preferred presets and tonal wizardry is highly advised.
(Image credit: Mooer)
Each footswitch handles multiple tasks, from browsing preset slots to triggering loop recordings and controlling its modulation effects with tap tempo functionality. Two buttons sit atop its sleek surface and are used for triggering the drum machine and turning the pedal on/off.
A Master Volume dial can be found on the top side of the pedal, alongside input and output jacks, a headphone out, and the USB slot.
Handily, it’s supported by the Mooer Cloud framework for preset saving and sharing, and the Mooer Prime app for more user-friendly tone-sculpting. Devices can easily link to the pedal via Bluetooth, and third-party impulse responses are also welcome up to 512pts.
(Image credit: Mooer)
Pairing its USB-C connectivity with the Prime app can even facilitate on-the-go recording, perfect for when you need to quickly track a riff in the grocery store.
“Weighing up at just 190g and 12cm in length, the Prime M1 facilitates on-the-go guitar practice and performance, for an all-in-one suite for songwriting,” says Mooer.
The Mooer Prime Minimax M1 is available now for $105.
A freelance writer with a penchant for music that gets weird, Phil is a regular contributor to Prog, Guitar World, and Total Guitar magazines and is especially keen on shining a light on unknown artists. Outside of the journalism realm, you can find him writing angular riffs in progressive metal band, Prognosis, in which he slings an 8-string Strandberg Boden Original, churning that low string through a variety of tunings. He's also a published author and is currently penning his debut novel which chucks fantasy, mythology and humanity into a great big melting pot.
