TWO IS BETTER THAN ONE
With their Twin Pedal series the engineers at Mooer have made a concerted effort to add versatility to their long list of attributes. Options like tap tempos, dual gain stages and any number of added extras have long been the forte of names like Boss and Strymon. The latest edition to the double barrel squadron is the Reverie Reverb. One step removed from the everpopular Shimverb, the Reverie adds variety and modulation to the mix. On the right hand side of the pedal you have the choice of five unique reverb types; basic, plate, shimmer, octave and modulate. All of these are built around a kind of darkened, spacious tail that is not unlike what the Holy Grail has to offer. Tonally it’s quite a shallow sweep across the frequency spectrum, essentially only going from dark to darker, but surprisingly enough if you play into this coloration it will yield some really pretty results, especially with the shimmer setting soaring above your head.
The left side is where the wackiness starts to take over. Here you start to bring modulating filters like wah, LFO, flanger, tremolo and the enigmatic ‘water’ setting into the mix and hone in on a reverb sound that is truly your own. From spaghetti western, heavy tremolo verbs to completely alien flanger sounds panning through the stereo outputs, you’ll be forgiven for getting swept away by possibilities for hours at a time.
GREAT REAL ESTATE
Another thing that Mooer has also had in spades is functional usability. You really have to applaud the engineering here as there is so much more room for error with a package this small, which is easily avoided with precision and aplomb. Storing up to five presets is a simplified push of one button only as opposed to ‘hold this, stand on your head and hope for the best’ routine that some other pedals are guilty of. In spite of the reduced footprint, only a touch more real estate than a standard Boss unit takes up. Long story short, Mooer Audio is never going to win prizes for originality. Essentially they take somebody else’s idea and compact it in an attempt to please you, the player at the end of the signal chain. The Reverie Reverb is a particular example of a company that makes playable pedals for players who want everything but don’t necessarily know where to put it all.
For more information, visit musocity.com.au
