Way back in the halcyon pre-pandemic days of January 2020, Walrus Audio launched the D1 Delay, its first entry in the Mako Series. Featuring twin-footswitch operation, multiple algorithms, stereo ins/outs and MIDI functionality, the Mako line was heralded as Walrus’s most ambitious pedal offering yet.
Three more units followed – the R1 Reverb, M1 Modulation and ACS1 Amp + Cab Simulator – but now the company has seen fit to overhaul the whole lot.
The Mako Series MKII builds on four years of player feedback and live use of the originals to improve the lineup in just about every way – as Walrus puts it, “Dialing in these inspiring studio grade tones has never been easier and never sounded better”.
Visually, an OLED menu screen is the most obvious tweak, which makes navigating the pedals’ myriad settings that bit more intuitive, while added secondary controls offer extra versatility.
There have been some sonic tweaks across the range, with programs “rebuilt and fine tuned” based on user feedback. Most notably, the R1’s sounds have been “completely rebuilt from the ground up”, while the D1 now has a new Grain Delay algorithm. The M1’s Chorus algorithm also now has a Flanger setting, which addresses one of the biggest criticisms of the MkI.
The ACS1 MkII has seen the biggest upgrades with the addition of three new high-gain amp models – based on the Peavey 5150, Orange Rockerverb and Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier – plus six new cabinet models designed by Justin York from impulse response specialist York Audio.
Other universal improvements include increased headroom and lowered noise floor, onscreen Total BPM Control and BPM Readout for time-based effects, plus 128 onboard presets. New program controls have also been added, including a size control on the R1, plus a noise gate on the ACS1.
Although the Mako MkIIs look familiar on the outside, Walrus has given their innards a reboot for the better. We wonder whether the tweaks will be enough to tempt existing Mako users, though, particularly given the premium price tag of these stompboxes – and the fact that the D1 Delay already received a V2 incarnation just two years ago.
The R1 MkII, D1 MkII and M1 MkII are available to preorder now for $399, while the ACS1 MkII is $449. Head to Walrus Audio for more info.
