Mooer has further stoked the increasing competition that is currently taking place in the compact looper market by throwing the kitchen sink at its new feature-laden GL100 Looper & Drum Station.
Based loosely around the template of the MVP3 Loop Station, it’s headlined by 300 minutes of total loop time, a new 1.3” circular touchscreen that looks incredibly intuitive, and a memory slot count that reaches triple figures.
A dual-footswitch stereo phrase looper, the GL100 also offers a drum machine that is powered by the firm's AI Band Technology feature, making it very much a compact looper of the future.
The 300 minutes of looping can be saved manually or automatically into 100 different storage slots, which can then be imported or exported via supportive Mooer Studio software for Windows and iOS.
The dual footswitch operation has dominion over the looper’s controls with short presses and long holds to trigger phrase recording, playback, overdubs, and cancellations.
The pedal also has a position-jumping function, which “gives users the flexibility to switch between storage slots with the footswitches while performing”. This allows for more structured and pre-meditated performances as players call up pre-recorded loops to elevate their sessions.
Because too much choice is never a bad thing, there are two different ways to browse through pre-made phrase loop creations: by using the pedal’s menu encoder, or by pressing and holding the footswitches. This, Mooer says “enables dynamic looping control and real-time phrase selection without needing to stop playing the guitar”.
Another key feature is its flexible audio routing functionalities. Sure, the standard stereo input/output options are there, but they can be routed to work with different amplifiers or instruments, “allowing performers to coordinate complex loop phrases and drum patterns together in a coherent and sonically diffused manner.”
That means the pedal isn’t restricted to one instrument or rig. So, one could use the pedal’s drum machine – featuring 11 variations of 20 different drum pattern styles in various time signatures with four stop modes for different loop endings – with a bass line recorded through a dedicated bass rig. Then, players can overdub those textures with electric or acoustic guitar layers, and so on.
The GL100 therefore has mono and dual-channel connections, and also offers the isolation of both drum machine and instrument channels. Time-stretch functionality, tap-tempo support, and quantization for precise looping are on tap, too, as Mooer looks to leave no stone unturned.
Lastly, the GL100 has been designed with multi-functionality in mind. It is said to be primed for the stage and the studio in equal measure, while the aforementioned software compatibility makes for a more intuitive recording management process.
Indeed, the loop pedal market has been heating up rapidly recently. Alongside Zoom's newest build, DigiTech has described its latest looper, the JamMan Solo HD as “the pinnacle of compact looper development,” while Ed Sheeran flipped the loop world on its head with the launch of his own line of products. That adds to existing offerings from big hitters like Boss and TC Electronic.
The GL100 is available now for $137.
Check out Mooer for more details.
