Mooer GS1000 multi-effects review - A Mooer cloner for cheap!

Presentation and connections (dimensions, screen, I/O, power supply)

Until a few years ago, cloning your hardware was a hobby reserved for Kemper users. Since then, the concept has gained ground, and brands such as Neural DSP, IK Multimedia and HeadRush have developed their own processes, each with the same purpose: a single device that offers the equivalent of a potentially heavy and expensive rig, with sounds that are as close as possible to the original equipment. In this context, it’s difficult for a brand like Mooer to launch a new multieffect by limiting itself to “old-school” modelling.

The GS1000 Intelligent Amp Sampling Processor takes the form of a 240 × 160.5 × 62 mm (9.45 × 6.32 × 2.44 inches) multi-effects unit weighing 1.3 kg (about 2.9 lbs). In other words, its compact size makes it easy to carry around in a backpack. The front panel features a 5-inch color touchscreen, a power button (conveniently placed here rather than in the connector area), a master volume potentiometer, a clickable encoder, and three buttons for HOME, SAVE, and SAMPLING. In addition, there are four footswitches and an LED bar meter. Speaking of LEDs, the underside of the case lights up when the device is switched on: an aesthetic whimsy that the  geekiest among us will appreciate.

All the I/O and other connectivity reside on the top edge including:

• a 6.35mm (1/4-inch)  EXP socket to enable connection of an expression pedal
• a GUITAR IN input and a MIC IN input. The former is a standard guitar jack and the latter a 6.35mm/XLR combo jack that’s equipped with a small gain potentiometer as well as a switch to activate 48 V phantom power.
• a stereo effect loop with 6.35mm SEND and RETURN jacks.
• left and right 6.35 mm outputs
• a headphone jack in mini-jack format
• a MIDI IN/OUT connector in TRS mini-jack format
• a USB-C connector
• a power supply socket for the supplied adapter. If you wish to use a different block, you will need to ensure that you deliver 9 V and no less than 2 A.

The GS1000 is made in China and the assembly quality is just right. In the event of a hard fall, the Achilles’ heel could be the touchscreen —a vulnerability for any device equipped with one. Finally, the retail price at the time of writing is 399 euros ($459).

Firmware version : 1.2.3

Interface, signal flow (14 blocks) and ecosystem (USB-C, MIDI, app, looper)

Modern multi-effects units are often designed to be all-in-one devices that save time, money and are simple to operate. The GS1000's learning curve is right up there with that norm. As always, I took the time to use the device without consulting the manual, in order to get a more objective idea of the intuitiveness of the user interface. Generally speaking, I found it be right up there with its competition.

The touch screen is obviously an asset. While it offers good brightness and satisfactory contrast, its definition seems a little low by today’s standards. For example, its fonts lacking sharpness. What really bothered me was its lack of responsiveness. To be more precise, there’s a slight “lag”, particularly noticeable when scrolling through effects lists or virtually turning a knob. On this point, the competition leaves a better impression.

Pressing the HOME button takes you to two main views, with varying degrees of detail, showing effect blocks (14 in all), the name of the active preset, tempo, input and output levels, and CPU load. In short, the interface is perfectly functional. As already mentioned, 14 blocks are available for the effects of your choice (350 in all, divided into the usual categories). However, you need to bear in mind the CPU limitations: for example, you can load several reverbs, but the software will then restrict the addition of other effects. In practice, I’ve been able to create quite extensive chains without encountering any problems.

These 14 blocks can also be arranged in various ways. Besides the standard series configuration, you can opt for parallel or separate chaining. Don’t forget that the GS1000 has two inputs, the second of which can accommodate a microphone. It’s therefore perfectly possible to design a guitar/vocal preset, with each track benefiting from its own processing. Added to this is the equivalent of snapshots, christened here “Subpatches, " which allow you to modify the state of blocks without changing presets, with a view dedicated to this operation.

Mooer touts the unit’s 350 built-in effects. These include all the must-have types you’d expect to see on this kind of machine, more than enough to cover the most common uses. And you can always use the GS1000’s stereo effect loop to bring in external effects.

Exploring the section dedicated to amplification, we see that Mooer has chosen to split each stage. Specifically, the AMP section is primarily preamps, not complete amps. Then there’s a POWERAMP category for the power section (a real plus, especially for preamp owners who don’t want to limit themselves to speaker simulation), and finally the CAB section. Here again, the most common types are available, enough to satisfy most users. Without doubt, this pedal’s strongest selling point is its ability to clone your equipment. This is a positive point not to be overlooked, because while the technology is now widespread, not all devices on the market are self-contained in profiling and may, for some, require either external hardware or the loading of pre-existing profiles.

Furthermore, the GS1000 incorporates a 480-second looper, a drum machine that seems inspired by the company’s GL100 and a clearly legible tuner. It also features MIDI connectivity (adapter supplied) to control the entire device. The USB-C port also handles MIDI protocol, serves as an audio interface and enables use of the “Mooer Studio for GS1000” software, which reproduces the entire multieffects interface. I found this application pleasant to use and encountered no synchronization problems.

Finally, the GS1000 is equipped with Bluetooth, allowing you to stream music from your smartphone or access the MOOER Cloud app, a community library of presets and hardware profiles. It’s a shame, however, that the mobile app is limited to import/export and doesn’t allow you to modify settings in depth, as with Neural DSP’s Cortex Cloud for its Quad Cortex processor. In rehearsal, it would be handy if you didn’t have to bend down to fine-tune a sound. All in all, this pedal has a complete ecosystem, just like most of its competitors.

Sound results, IR, “IA” EQ and amp capture: strengths and limitations

As mentioned, the unit offers a pretty broad, versatile collection of the must-have amps we love to have under our fingers. Both the clean and saturated channels of the preloaded models are accessed, presented as separate patches. Here are just a few examples obtained with the GS1000:

1 – 65 US DLX UK GOLD EL34 + US DLX 112 +Pure Boost + Plate

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• 1 – 65 US DLX UK GOLD EL34 + US DLX 112 +Pure Boost + Plate00:21
• 2 – US Sonic 6V6 + Sonic 112 + OD Blues Crab + Room00:13
• 3 – US Sonic 6V6 + Sonic 112 + OD Gold Clon + Dly + Hall00:32
• 4 – UK30 CR EL34 + UK 21200:25
• 5 – Mark III DS 6L6 + IR Custom V30SM57 + Flex Boost + Dly Studio + Cathedral00:35
• 6 – Powerbell DS 6L6 + IR Custom V30SM57 + 80800:27
• 7 – EV5050 DS 6L6 + IR Custom V30SM57 + 80800:28
• 8 – Mark III 6L6 + IR Custom V30SM57 + 808 + Dly Digital + Hall00:34
• 9 – Ambient Pad00:24
• 10 – Citrus 50 6L6 + IR Custom V30SM57 + Cry Baby + Octaver + Fuzz + Room00:21

Globally, I often had to adjust for excessive brightness in saturated sounds. Sometimes, it’s the bass that becomes too intrusive. In short, the captures are not quite “plug’n’play, " they need to be reworked, ideally in real-life conditions, to achieve optimal tonal balance. In terms of playability, there’s nothing to complain about. The response is pleasant, and I didn’t notice any perceptible latency. In the end, Mooer does no better or worse than its competitors, and as is often the case, it’s the quality of the profile’s source gear that makes all the difference.

It should also be noted that the speaker simulations cannot be managed dynamically. There’s no choice of microphone or its position. The sound remains fixed: at most, you can adjust a low cut, a high cut and the level of early reflections. Of course, you can also load your own IRs

Expression pedal management is particularly well thought-out, however. You can use one as a volume pedal or assign it to control any parameter, and you can define action thresholds. Here, for example, is a vocal take with a reverb driven by my pedal.

11 – Voix + Comp + Expression Chorus Rev

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The effects are of good quality overall. I particularly liked some of the deeper reverbs, such as the Theater or Chorus Reverb models. What may be lacking, however, is access to more specific settings depending on the pedal simulated: for example, all overdrives are limited to three parameters (gain, tone, volume), whereas the competition often strives to reproduce the full settings of the original models.

Mooer also offers a so-called “artificially intelligent” EQ, capable of scanning the signal for a few seconds before proposing a correction curve adapted to the desired style. After several tests with it placed at the end of the chain, I have mixed feelings: at best, it produces more of a starting point rather than a final, ready-to-use setting. Here are a few examples to illustrate this point :

12 – PLX 100 EL84 + Custom 212 – AI EQ Off

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• 12 – PLX 100 EL84 + Custom 212 – AI EQ Off00:23
• 13 – PLX 100 EL84 + Custom 212 – AI EQ Rock_Drive00:23
• 14 – PLX 100 EL84 + Custom 212 – AI EQ Rock_Drive200:23

I obviously wanted to test the GS1000's sampling system. I did so by connecting it to my trusty Victory V30 MKII with a Victory speaker simulation. The GS1000 makes the process simple: the Sampling menu lets you clone overdrives alone, preamps, amplifiers with speakers, or speakers alone. Connection diagrams are clear and error-proof. Sampling takes just a few minutes, during which the GS1000 sends the amp a series of unpleasant-sounding signals. An interesting peculiarity: an optional second step, called Capture, involves playing a few notes to fine-tune the final rendering so that it matches the instrument.

14 – Victory V30 MKII – Source

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• 14 – Victory V30 MKII – Source00:22
• 15 – Victory V30 MKII – Clone SAMPLE00:23
• 16 – Victory V30 MKII – Clone SAMPLE + CAPTURE00:23

Without retouching, I didn’t find the results particularly faithful: the sampled versions tend to accentuate the highs to the detriment of the original roundness. Of course, you can adjust the EQ before saving the profile. On the other hand, after performing the Capture step, rendering improves slightly, with the lower end of the spectrum reproduced more accurately.

Another useful feature: the GS1000 allows loading a personal profile in an overdrive block, then doing the same in an amplifier block.