Mooer R7 Reverb

The Mooer R7 Reverb is a mini-format digital reverb pedal that packs seven reverb algorithms into a compact enclosure. Mooer announced it in June 2020 as the latest entry in its "7" series of micro pedals, listing at $99¹. It followed the A7 Ambiance in the New Micro Series, but where the A7 leans toward ambient and experimental sounds, the R7 leans toward more traditional reverb effects².

Each of the seven reverbs has its own LED on the side of the pedal, so it is fairly simple to see which effect is engaged³. Delicious Audio described it as "a fully-fledged reverb workstation" that "caters for just about every ambient need" in its tiny enclosure⁴.

Seven reverbs in a mini pedal

The R7 offers seven digital reverb effects: Room, Hall, Church, Cave, Plate, Spring and Mod³. Mooer's own page describes the range as running "from the Church to the Cave"⁶. Each reverb is linked to its own LED on the side of the enclosure, which makes it easy to see what is selected at a glance on a dark stage³.

The pedal sits in Mooer's New Micro Series alongside the A7 Ambiance reverb. Guitar World noted that the R7 "differs from the A7 Ambiance announced earlier this year in that it leans towards more traditional reverb effects"². Where the A7 Ambiance covers ambient and experimental territory, the R7 covers the classic spaces most players reach for first.

The controls

The R7 uses five knobs to control it all, including pre-delay⁴. The core reverb parameters are set by level, decay and pre-delay knobs, with a dedicated high and low-cut EQ for fine-tuning the reverb signal⁵².

The high and low-cut controls are a useful touch on a pedal this size: rather than shaping your whole tone, they EQ only the reverb signal, so you can keep long decays from turning muddy or fizzy without touching your dry sound⁵²¹.

Presets, bypass and power

The R7 saves one preset per reverb effect, seven slots in total. Only one memory space is available per selected reverb effect, so you get one stored setting for each of the seven algorithms rather than a bank of general-purpose presets³. Modes are changed by pressing the save button once, and presets are saved by holding that button down¹.

The pedal uses a buffered bypass rather than true bypass, and it is mono, which is enough for most players who use only one amp when gigging³.

A trail on/off option lets you choose whether the reverb cuts immediately when you bypass the pedal or rings out naturally⁴.

The R7 X2 version

In August 2021 Mooer announced an expanded X2 Series version, the R7 X2. The R7 X2 combines Mooer's digital effects algorithms from the A7 Ambiance and R7 Reverb pedals into a larger enclosure⁸⁷. MusicRadar called it "an omnibus edition of two of Mooer Audio's most-popular reverb pedals of recent years, the R7 Reverb and A7 Ambience"⁷.

Where the mini R7 has seven modes, the X2 multiplies that number by two: 14 modes⁹. The full list spans classic types (Room, Hall, Church, Cave, Plate, Spring, Studio) and modern ambient types (Mod, Reverse, Wrap, Shake, Crush, Shimmer, Dream)⁸. Gearnews described it as "a collection of 14 reverb effects from Mooer's A7 and R7 pedals"¹⁰.

The X2's five-knob layout and preset system are identical to its predecessor's, but with twice as many ins/outs, modes and footswitches⁹. Its parameter knobs are High Cut, Low Cut and Mix for adjusting the EQ, plus Decay and Pre-Delay, and a Save button for storing presets⁸⁷. Simultaneously pressing the TAP and BYPASS switches turns on Preset Rolling Mode, which lets you switch between saved presets easily⁸. Every setting can go fully wet, which makes the X2 usable for ambient swells and soundscapes¹¹.

What reviewers said

Gearnews' take on the original R7 was positive on value: "Having listened to the demo sounds, I think that for under a hundred quid, this diminutive digital reverb has an awful lot to offer, especially given storable user presets"³. The pedal carried a European RRP of EUR 99 at launch³.

For the R7 X2, MusicRadar's verdict was enthusiastic about the sounds: "The reverb sounds are simply fantastic and cover all the bases you could wish for." The review called it "Competitively priced, stacked with 14 high-quality sounds with storable presets from a compact form," and noted that its bigger reverbs position it as "a cheaper and more compact alternative to the Ocean Machine, especially if you have got delay covered elsewhere on your pedalboard"⁷. Guitar World's review praised the solid build and the fully wet option¹¹, while Guitar World's budget reverb roundup gave usability three and a half stars, finding the LED system "clunky and not very intuitive" while still calling the pedal "packed with superb reverbs"¹². Guitar Pedal X called it "a fantastic and really powerful Stereo Reverb Workstation, particularly as this form factor"¹³.

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