The Morley M2 Passive Stereo Volume is a volume pedal from Morley, introduced as part of the M2 line in 2014. It is a passive stereo volume pedal: it needs no battery and no power supply, so it works anywhere in a signal chain with nothing to plug in beyond your instrument cable1.
What it does
The pedal is a rocker you operate with your foot to raise and lower your instrument's level, for swells and fade-ins or as a level control you adjust while playing. MusicRadar described it as having "a smooth linear taper that can be used for guitar, bass or keyboards"1. A linear taper means the volume changes in proportion to the pedal's position across its whole travel, rather than bunching most of the change into one end of the sweep.
Because it is passive, it draws no power of any kind. As MusicRadar put it, "as it's passive it doesn't need a battery, which is handy"1. That sets it apart from Morley's own active volume designs, which run on power and add buffering and other electronics.
"The M2 Passive Stereo Volume (£79.99/$130) has a smooth linear taper that can be used for guitar, bass or keyboards."
Routing
Beyond basic volume duty, the pedal has "the facility for a single output to route two outputs simultaneously"1. In practice that means one input can feed two destinations at once, for example sending your signal to two amplifiers or to an amp and a separate tuner or recorder, with the pedal controlling the level.
Where it came from
The M2 Passive Stereo Volume was announced in March 2014 alongside the rest of the M2 line, which included the M2 Wah, a vintage-voiced wah with a wah level control, True Tone buffer and LED indication, and the M2 Wah Volume, which offered a choice between Wah or Volume mode1. All the new pedals carried a two-year warranty and were housed in Morley's rolled steel housing1.
Related Morley pedals
The M2 line sat alongside Morley's other volume designs, including the Morley M2VO, a later passive evolution of the classic Morley volume pedals that likewise requires no power2, and the Morley M2 Wah Volume, which combined wah and volume functions in one unit1.
Videos
Guitar Interactive Magazine
Sources (2)
- Morley launches new pedals, MusicRadar, 2014-03-25
- Morley M2VO review, MusicRadar, 2014-10-25
