The Moog MF Chorus is an all-analog chorus pedal from Moog's Minifooger range, built around a bucket-brigade chip of the same kind found in pedals like the Boss CE-21. Announced in March 2015 alongside the MF Flange and shipping immediately at a list price of $2092, it does more than straight chorus: its Time and Feedback controls push it into vibrato, slapback delay and oscillation sounds, and a three-way Mix toggle flips between lighter and deeper settings1.
An analog bucket-brigade chorus with vibrato and delay sounds
The MF Chorus is an all-analog, bucket-brigade chip-based chorus1. Bucket-brigade devices (BBDs) pass your signal along a chain of capacitors a step at a time, and modulating that delay time is what creates chorus; the same chips underpin classic analog chorus and delay pedals. MusicRadar's reviewer noted the MF Chorus packs the same kind of chip found in the likes of Boss's fabled CE-21.
What sets it apart from a basic chorus is the control set. Alongside Rate and Depth there are Time and Feedback controls for extra resonance, and a three-way Mix toggle that flips between lighter and deeper modulation1. Pushing Time and Feedback takes the pedal beyond chorus into delay-like effects:
- Slapback delay and oscillation sounds via the Time and Feedback controls1
- Rotary-esque vibrato at higher Rate settings1
- Lighter or deeper modulation from the three-way Mix toggle1
MusicRadar's reviewer described the sound as warm and lustrous, adjustable from gloopy to pristine1.
Controls and expression pedal input
The Minifooger pedals have an expression pedal/CV input at the rear for extra control, with the facility to plug in an expression pedal for real-time parameter adjustment34.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Rate | Sets modulation speed; at maximum, audio-rate modulation is possible2 |
| Time | Sets the bucket-brigade delay time, adding resonance and delay-like effects1 |
| Feedback | Adds resonance, pushing toward slapback delay and oscillation1 |
| Mix toggle | Three-way switch between lighter and deeper modulation1 |
Like every pedal in the Minifooger range, the MF Chorus has an expression pedal/CV input at the rear for extra control3. On the MF Chorus that input is assigned to the Rate control: you can use it to sweep from slow shifts to chopping musical extremes, and with Rate set to maximum, audio-rate modulation is possible2. MusicRadar's review of the range noted that the MF Drive's expression pedal input allows real-time parameter adjustment, a facility shared across the line4.
Where it sits in the Minifooger range
The MF Chorus and its cousin the MF Flange were the newest additions to the Minifooger line, Moog's compact pedal range5. The MF Chorus was shipping at the time of Premier Guitar's review, priced at $2092.
The range shares a family identity. The whole Minifooger line was cosmetically redesigned, with a stark silver-and-black livery that Premier Guitar's reviewer called streamlined and sharp5. The MF Flange is the other recent arrival, a pedal in the same range5, and the MF Chorus is the range's dedicated chorus voice, with mono and stereo output modes5.
The MF Chorus's larger ancestor is the Moog MF-108M Cluster Flux, a rack-style analog flanger/chorus/vibrato Moogerfooger announced in 2011 at $599, with tap tempo and MIDI control the Minifooger pedal does not have.
What reviewers said
MusicRadar's Michael Astley-Brown reviewed the MF Chorus and found it to be more than a one-trick modulation pedal1:
"Way more than a chorus pedal. Rock solid build. Warm chorus sounds."
His review praised the sound as warm and lustrous, from gloopy to pristine, with rotary-esque vibrato available at higher rates1. Premier Guitar's reviewer, reviewing the closely related MF Flange, characterized the family's analog voice as essentially dark and mysterious, like any really good analog bucket-brigade device, and found the deep, rich analog voice and vast tone-shaping control made it approachable while still capable of real sonic damage5.
Videos
Premier Guitar
Sweetwater
Moog Music
Questions
Is the Moog MF Chorus analog or digital?
It is all-analog, built on a bucket-brigade chip, the same kind of chip found in pedals like the Boss CE-21. That circuit family is the classic analog approach to chorus, and reviewers described the MF Chorus's voice as warm rather than digital-clean1.
Does the Moog MF Chorus have a stereo output?
Yes. Moog announced it with both mono and stereo output modes2, so it works into a single amp or a two-amp setup.
Can you use an expression pedal with the MF Chorus?
Yes. Like all Minifooger pedals it has an expression pedal/CV input at the rear3. On the MF Chorus it is assigned to the Rate control, sweeping from slow shifts to chopping musical extremes, with audio-rate modulation possible at maximum Rate2.
What does the Time control do on the MF Chorus?
Time sets the bucket-brigade delay time, which adds resonance and shifts the pedal into effects such as slapback delay and oscillation1, beyond conventional chorus.
Sources (5)
- Moog MF Chorus review, MusicRadar, 2015-09-06
- Moog announces new Minifooger Chorus and Flange pedals, MusicRadar, 2015-03-27
- Moog Minifooger MF Flange review, MusicRadar, 2016-01-30
- Moog Minifooger Drive review, MusicRadar, 2014-07-07
- Moog MF Flange Harmonic Manipulator Review, Premier Guitar, 2015-04-28
