The Bright Onion Pedals Mini Dual AB Looper with Tuner Mute is a dual true bypass looper pedal in an MXR-sized footprint1. In plain terms, it is a switching pedal: it gives you two separate effects loops on a pedalboard, each of which can be brought in or taken out of your signal path with a footswitch, instead of tapping two or three individual pedals on and off. A third switch, the Tuner Mute, kills the signal entirely so you can tune up between songs without the audience hearing it1.
One thing to get straight early: despite the name, this is not a looping pedal in the recording sense. Bright Onion Pedals states it directly12:
"Please note this is not a phrase or sample looper pedal where you can record your guitar and then play over the loops."1
If you are looking for something that records and layers parts, see looping pedals instead. This pedal is about signal routing.
What it does
The pedal is built around two footswitches. The AB Loop switch lets you switch between the two loops, so you can set up two different effect chains, or two versions of the same chain, and jump from one to the other with a single press1. The Tuner Mute switch kills the signal so you can tune up without the audience hearing it1.
Because both loops are true bypass, an effect that is switched out of the path is fully disconnected rather than buffered or loaded down, which is the main reason players use looper pedals at all: long chains of individually bypassed pedals can still dull the clean tone, and a true bypass loop removes them from the circuit completely.
The Mini version is the compact take on the design. Bright Onion also makes a full-size Dual AB Looper with Tuner Mute in the same family, which adds a Bypass switch that cuts out the selected loop and leaves your clean tone3. On that larger pedal, the AB Loop switch works the same way, letting you alternate between the two loops4.
Power and connections
The Mini Dual AB Looper connects through Neutrik plug sockets, a common choice on hand-built switching pedals for reliable jack contact1. Power comes from a 2.1mm center negative 9V DC socket, drawing 30mA1.
The pedal takes no battery. Bright Onion Pedals states its products contain no batteries, so it must be powered from a pedalboard supply1.
At 30mA it is a light draw, well within what a single output on a typical multi-output supply provides. The 110x60x42mm aluminum enclosure1 means it occupies roughly the same board space as a standard compact effects pedal, so it slots into a pedalboard without rearranging everything around it.
Questions
Is the Bright Onion Mini Dual AB Looper a phrase looper?
No. Bright Onion Pedals states plainly that it is not a phrase or sample looper pedal where you can record your guitar and play over the loops. It is a signal switching pedal: it routes your guitar through two separate effects loops and lets you turn each loop on or off with a footswitch.
Does the Tuner Mute switch silence the signal?
Yes. According to Bright Onion Pedals, the Tuner Mute switch kills the signal so you can tune up without the audience hearing it. It is a mute function for silent tuning and quick signal cuts, not a loop selector.
Does the Mini Dual AB Looper take a battery?
No. The maker states its products contain no batteries, so the pedal runs only on external power through its 2.1mm centre negative 9V DC socket. You will need a standard pedalboard power supply to run it.
How much current does the Mini Dual AB Looper draw?
Bright Onion Pedals lists the current draw as 30mA at 9V DC through a 2.1mm centre negative socket. That is a light load, so it shares a typical isolated or daisy-chain supply output easily.
Sources (4)
- True Bypass Looper, Bright Onion Pedals
- [True Bypass Looper, Dual AB Looper v2, Bright Onion
- True Bypass Looper, Bright Onion Pedals
- True Bypass Looper, Bright Onion Pedals
