Mooer has added to its arsenal of next-generation effects pedals with the Prime S1 – an affordable new device that is geared towards being “an all-in-one pedalboard for guitar effects and tones”.
The Chinese electronics firm has developed a reputation for its forward-thinking and futuristic approach to gear design, evidenced by its pocket-sized Prime P2 pedal that “redefined the concept of a digital effects device” and SD30i smart practice amp.
In the past, its products have taken the fight to the industry big-guns – such as Positive Grid and Line 6 – and now Mooer has seemingly set its sights on delivering the most portable (and affordable) do-it-all effects pedal on the market.
To do so, the Mooer Prime S1 recruits a four multi-function footswitch design that weighs just 350g and measures in at 240mm (D) x 70.2mm (W) x 31.9mm (H).
That’s small enough to slip into the pocket of any respectable gig bag with plenty of room to spare, but also large enough to accommodate 128 guitar effect and tone presets, and an 80-second onboard looper.
Powered by a rechargeable Lithium battery (meaning mains power isn’t required), the Prime S1 also offers 40 synchronizable drum machines and 10 metronomes that can be used to accompany playing, and further looks the part with an LED digital display.
There are no onboard parameters, so tone tweaking is taken off-pedal: the Prime S1 can be controlled by the Mooer Cloud preset sharing platform, which is in charge of dialing in gains, modulations, delays, reverbs and more.
Judging by the exceptional demo video, amps and cab IRs are also supported through the Mooer Cloud app, making the Prime S1 a one-stop-shop for your entire signal chain.
The pedal itself also boasts stereo outputs, Bluetooth, and USB jacks for charging and audio interface connectivity. All-in-all, it is a seriously tasty-looking bit of kit for its size.
As Mooer explains, the above makes for “a powerfully minimalist user experience”. Here, the emphasis is very much on portability, and the sheer size of the Prime S1 makes it not just Mooer’s most travel friendly unit to date, but one of the market’s smallest all-in-one multi-effects full stop.
It's also one of the cheapest: it’s currently $179 on Amazon.
There are numerous all-in-one multi-effects out there, so here the emphasis on transportability to make the Prime S1 a standout option for travelling guitarists is a savvy move from Mooer.
Purists might still be wary of the “controlling your tone by phone” practice, but it’s becoming the norm in the gear world – just look at the Positive Grid Spark Mini and Boss Katana:Go. With that said, the Prime S1 looks guaranteed to pique players' interests and, yeah, it sounds pretty ace in the demo video.
Head over to Mooer to find out more.
