NAMM 2024: Mooer Audio has announced the latest evolutionary step for its GE series of multi-effects pedals for guitar with the GE1000 and its battery-equipped sibling the GE1000Li debuting some new features for the brand, with AI-driven auto-EQ and a “high-quality” 5” touchscreen certainly grabbing our attention.
The two models are nigh-on identical, though the GE1000Li, which is fitted with a lithium-ion battery, has a multi-coloured “Walking Star” design on its treadle. Mooer promises an expanded suite of sounds, with more guitar effects, amp models, preamp models and cab sims to shape your electric guitar tone. These units offer players 255 onboard preset slots for saving down your favourite amp and effects sounds.
And as with all things digital, some of the most interesting features can be found when you hook the GE1000 unit up to the app. The GE Cloud app offers MOOER MNRS sample file support, allowing players to download MNRS files of real guitar amp IRs. Players can also upload and share sounds across the GE Cloud, with the GE1000 units supporting third-party IRs.
Once upon a time a guitar multi-effects was typically just that, all the main food groups to effectively replace the need for an ever expanding pedalboard setup. Nowadays, the functionality – not to mention the user-experience from being able to dial in sounds via a touchscreen – is off the charts.
The GE-1000 is not so much a multi-effects as it is an all-in-one workstation for guitar, with features such as the Groove Station, complete with an onboard drum machine and looper, making it a formidable practice and writing tool. Nothing gets your chops up quicker than playing to a beat, and you can sync your loop with the drum beats on the GE1000 for creating rhythm tracks on the fly.
But are we comfortable with letting AI take control of our sound? Mooer Audio is counting on it with the auto-EQ feature. This sets loose the power of AI to a 5-band equalizer, automatically EQ'ing as you play based on your playing style and genre. But it sounds like it isn’t going to take over entirely; you can still manually customise the parameters.
Speaking of control, you’ve got the touchscreen, six rotary dials, 15 buttons, and as you’d expect there is tap-tempo for the time-based effects. There is also the integrated expression pedal.
We’ve also got programmable MIDI I/O, a USB-C port for preset management, and these units are compatible with Mooer’s wireless footswitch. The GE100 is Bluetooth enabled, and has an array of connections, including an effects loop, a pair of XLR outputs with ground lift, a headphones jack, plus stereo 1/4” outputs for connection to a power amp setup.
There’s no word on the price of these just get but for more pics and spec details head over to Mooer Audio. And if you are physically at NAMM 2024, you can check it out at Hall D, Booth 4636.
