The Wahter is a compact wah pedal from Mooer, a maker known for small-format effects. Total Guitar's review for MusicRadar called it "the diminutive Wahter from Mooer" and suggested it as a destination for players after a wah in a small footprint1. Where a conventional wah uses a rocker pedal sweeping a potentiometer, the Wahter does away with the pot entirely and senses your foot instead.
How it works
MOOER describes the core of the pedal as its "unique pressure sensing switch design", which the maker says "allows easy activation of the pedal at the mere presence of your foot"2. The pedal offers dual activation methods2, and Total Guitar counts three different switching modes in total, including a Sensor mode "which engages the effect as soon as your sole touches the pedal"1. In practice that means the wah comes in the moment you step on it, with no separate stomp to switch the effect in and out.
Because there is no pot mechanism, the reviewer found "it feels slick under your foot"1. The footplate is made of small metal ring plates that are hinged, so they fold in when you pack the pedal away but still give "a decent sized footplate" for playing1.
Sound
What a player hears is a matter for those who have played it. Total Guitar's verdict on the tone: "The Wahter's tone is sort of a smoothed-out version of the vintage wah sound"1. Players who want the full sweep and grit of a traditional rocker wah should hear that description for what it is: a gentler take on the classic voicing rather than a reproduction of it.
"A diminutive pedal that punches above its weight."
For players considering alternatives in the same family, Mooer also makes the Mooer Envelope Analog Auto-Wah, an envelope-driven filter approach to the same territory.
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Questions
How does the Mooer Wahter switch on?
It offers three switching modes. The one reviewers highlight is Sensor mode, which engages the effect as soon as your sole touches the pedal, using MOOER's pressure sensing switch design. The maker says this allows easy activation of the pedal at the mere presence of your foot, so there is no separate stomp needed to bring the wah in.
Does the Mooer Wahter have a traditional wah pot?
No. Total Guitar's review for MusicRadar notes that the Wahter works without a pot mechanism, the moving part inside a conventional wah pedal, and that this makes it feel slick under your foot. The trade-off described in the review is a tone the reviewer called a smoothed-out version of the vintage wah sound.
Sources (2)
- Mooer Wahter review, MusicRadar, 2016-12-23
- The Wahter_MOOER Audio, MOOER Audio
