Mooer has unveiled the Micro Looper II – a mini looper pedal that makes an impressive case for being perhaps one of the most powerful micro loopers on the market.
Whenever a mini looper arrives on the scene, the knee-jerk reaction is to see how it holds up against the TC Electronic Ditto, which has long been considered one of the best mini pedals that money can buy, and the go-to looper for players such as Steve Vai, Steve Morse and Steve Stevens.
As such, it’s this pedal that the Micro Looper II will find itself up against in the eyes of most potential micro looper customers on the lookout for the best looping experience in the smallest package.
With all that in mind, we have to say: first impressions are very positive indeed. The multi-save Micro Looper II is organized into three separate saving banks – accessed via the toggle switch up top – and features a central rotary switch that navigates between the 16 slots available to each bank.
With each individual slot allowing up to 10 minutes looping time, some quick mental math will reveal that means the Micro Looper II has up to 480 minutes of total looping across 48 slots. Moreover, there is the handy option for unlimited layering, and standard Undo and Redo tools for on-the-fly tinkering.
There are also a few additional controls for greater loop control, including Level and Threshold. Level does exactly what you’d expect, while Threshold works in tandem with the Auto Rec mode that starts looping as soon as a signal level is detected.
As for how this compares with the Ditto, TC Electronic’s best-selling stompbox is a one-size-fits-all unit, with one Level control and up to five minutes of looping time for that one slot.
The lack of saving powers and slightly less looping time there will certainly push some people towards the Mooer, but there is one glaring elephant in the room yet to be considered – the TC Electronic Ditto+.
This is where TC Electronic really starts to peel away from the pack, with its next-gen micro looper having the added benefit of a high-res color display and the ability to store and recall drum loops – or even entire tracks – to loop over.
Oh, and there are 99 savable preset slots, a very useful Extended Loop mode for fine-tune looping and an increased 60-minute loop time.
Seemingly to cater to those wanting both a looper and a drum generator, Mooer has also released the Micro Drummer II. Offering 48 grooves across eight different rhythm types and six music genres, the playing companion also offers Fill and Tap Tempo functions for greater rhythmic experimentation, as well as two EQ presets for different situations.
On paper, the Ditto+ serves both purposes in one unit, and as such that added versatility still serves a potent hook for those searching for an all-in-one option.
But for those concerned solely with looping, it might just be a tad too much, and it’s here that we imagine the Micro Looper II could really make a name for itself.
As for price, there’s not much in it between the Ditto and Micro Looper II – the former lists for $99, while the latter can be found available for $101. For all those additional features for just a few extra dollars, it certainly makes for an attractive alternative. Plus, if a drum generator is required, the Micro Drummer II is available for $103.
The Ditto+ is ahead at $159, but that comes as no surprise, owing to the fact it does practically everything a single-footswitch looper should be required to do, and represents slightly better bang-for-your-buck.
Whatever the case, the micro looper market is most definitely hotting up, and with pedalboard real estate becoming an increasingly valuable asset, the more mini looper pedals to choose from the better.
To find out more about the new Micro Looper II and Micro Drummer II, head over to Mooer’s website.
It's not the first time this month that Mooer has sought to disrupt well-established corners of the gear market. Last week, it unveiled the SD30i practice amp to rival the Positive Grid Spark.
