Mooer
110
GUITARIST MARCH 2019
Preamp Live
Mooer’s latest packs multiple-preamp power for your ’board
MANUFACTURER
MOOER
MODEL
PREAMP LIVE
CONTACT
01273 440 442 / WWW.MOOERAUDIO.CO.UK
PRICE
£425
PEDALBOARD
PROS
Loads of amp sounds in one box;
instant footswitching between amps;
IR loading facility for sonic flexibility;
easy software editing
CONS
High current requirements
(if you intend to use it with your existing
pedalboard power supply)
Words Trevor Curwen Photography Phil Barker
M
ooer’s Micro preamp pedals
are digital recreations of the
preamp sections of popular
valve amplifiers that are designed to be
used with a power amp, direct into the
effects return of a guitar amp or (with cab
simulation engaged) into a PA or recording
gear. This new pedal rounds up a bunch
of them into one place: 50 preamps are
available via the free editing software to
load into the 12 onboard slots – three banks
of four channels, which are easily accessed
from four footswitches.
Connections include a headphone output
plus XLR and jack outputs, each with an
associated toggle switch offering optional
cabinet simulation. The editing software
lets you choose from a variety of speaker
types with mic’ing options or any Impulse
Responses you wish to load, and there are
also optional modelled power amps to
complement the cabs. A footswitchable
send and return loop can be configured
serially to place external effects in the
signal chain, or as an A/B loop to alternate
between a modelled preamp and your
amp’s own preamp in a four-cable setup.
Volume, bass, mid, treble and gain settings
are controlled via front-panel knobs and
stored with a channel, as are variable
pre and post boosts, which can be toggled
on/off in a live situation. Universal Master
output level, Presence and FX knobs
deliver instant tweaks.
With thinly disguised but good-sounding
and feeling contenders from Marshall,
Vox and Mesa/Boogie, alongside boutique
choices including several metal amps, the
Preamp Live ensures you’re covered for
a wide range of tones. Additionally, you
can store a pretty close approximation of
your own amp by using the Tone Capture
MOOER
ALSO TRY...
The smallest of Atomic’s amp modellers, the Ampli-
Firebox puts amp modelling and IR-based cabs,
plus some effects, into a compact stompbox with
a footprint no bigger than an EHX Little Big Muff.
The smallest and most cost-effective way into the
Helix amp modelling world, not only does the HX
Stomp feature amps, cabs and IR loading, but it
has more effects than you can shake a pick at.
This complex analogue drive pedal has no pre-set
access to instant sounds (you’ll need to adjust the
nuanced controls), but it can recreate the sound
and behaviour of a classic vintage amp.
Ampli-Firebox £279 HX Stomp £558 RevivalDRIVE Custom £559
ATOMIC LINE 6 ORIGIN EFFECTS
facility, where you choose the onboard
amp that’s closest to your own and let the
pedal apply EQ to it based on a ‘listen’ to
your amp.
VERDICT
It may be a relatively inexpensive piece
of kit considering the facilities onboard,
but the Preamp Live has some excellent
simulations to offer, successfully
channelling the sound and feel of the real
thing – and the unit is flexibly set up for
live use. You can choose to have several
different amps loaded, or put variations
of the same amp on different channels,
perhaps with clean, crunch and distorted
sounds to your liking. This is a compact yet
very practical package offering a diverse
range of amp sounds – all of which at a
pretty decent price.
GIT443.peds_mooer.indd 110 24/01/2019 16:14