One Control Minimal Series MIDI Solo Stereo Loop

The One Control Minimal Series MIDI Solo Stereo Loop, or SSL, is a MIDI-controlled stereo effects loop switcher in a compact pedal format. One Control says it "was created to be the smallest stereo 1 loop switcher controlled by MIDI"¹. Instead of stomping a footswitch, you switch the loop in and out from a MIDI controller or switcher, which lets you bring a stereo effect, or a whole group of pedals, into your signal chain remotely and take it completely back out again when it is not needed.

The pedal was designed at the request of guitarist Josh Smith, who asked One Control for "a MIDI controlled stereo loop pedal to help tame his rig"¹. That origin shapes what it is: a single loop, kept as small as possible, for a player running stereo effects who wants MIDI to do the switching.

What it does, and how it is controlled

The SSL gives you one stereo effects loop: your signal enters the INPUT (Stereo) jack, passes through the pedals connected to the loop's send and return, and leaves through the OUTPUT (Stereo) jack¹. When the loop is disengaged, the true bypass design keeps the connected pedals "out of the signal path when not being used"¹, and when it is engaged, One Control says "the relay-based design ensures minimum signal loss"¹. An LED on the pedal lights up whenever the loop is engaged, so you can see its state at a glance¹.

Control comes entirely over MIDI. The MIDI IN jack receives messages from a MIDI controller or switcher, and the loop can be switched by either a Program Change (PC) number or a Control Change (CC) number¹. That covers most MIDI footcontrollers and switchers on the market, since nearly all of them send PC or CC messages.

Setting the MIDI channel is done with an encoder switch on the side of the pedal: "The encoder sets the working midi channel (1~4)"¹. When you connect power, the LED confirms the setting by blinking the channel number, once for channel 1 up to four blinks for channel 4¹.

Mono and stereo use

The stereo input jack "accepts both mono and stereo input"¹, so the pedal works on a mono board as well as a stereo one. The M>S toggle switch is there for exactly this: it lets you set up the input and output cabling for different mono or stereo configurations¹.

This mirrors the approach One Control takes across the Minimal Series. On the non-MIDI Stereo 1Loop Box's sibling, the Minimal Series Stereo 1Loop Box, an M/S switch selects between mono input to stereo send, return and output, or stereo input throughout, and One Control notes that "if the mono input signal is stereoized by the effects connected to the effects loop, it can be output in stereo"². The same idea applies here: a mono signal fed through a stereo effect in the loop can come back out in stereo.

Power

The SSL runs on a standard 9V DC center-negative supply, the same convention as most effects pedals, and One Control states that "any standard 9VDC center-negative power supplies can be used"¹. Current draw is a maximum of 100 mA¹, modest enough for a typical isolated pedalboard supply. There is no battery option in this design.

Solo versus Dual Stereo Loop

The SSL sits alongside the One Control Minimal Series MIDI Dual Stereo Loop (MDSL) in the same series. The differences come down to loop count, MIDI range and routing flexibility:

The Dual Stereo Loop's L1 and L2 switches "choose whether to change mono to stereo signals in loop 1 and loop 2 respectively"³, with each switch offering a top position for stereo input throughout and a bottom position that converts a mono input to stereo sends, returns and output³. It also uses PC or CC mode, with MIDI PC# 80 setting PC mode as the factory default and PC# 81 setting CC mode³. If you only need one loop under MIDI control, the SSL is the smaller and simpler of the two; if you need two independently switchable loops, the MDSL is the one to look at.

The rest of the Minimal Series

The SSL belongs to One Control's Minimal Series, a line of compact switching and utility pedals. Within the series, the MIDI Input Selector is a passive true-bypass box with inputs A and B that selects between signal sources over MIDI, using a DIP switch to choose the channel, with an LED that flashes the channel number on power-up⁴. Because of its passive true-bypass design, One Control notes it "can also function as a stereo A/B box when connected in reverse"⁴. The series also includes non-MIDI loop boxes, an AUX switch for remote switching via a stereo plug's tip and ring⁵⁶, and power distribution units such as the DC Porter with ten 9V center-negative outputs⁵⁶.

As of October 2026, the SSL, the MDSL, the MIDI Input Selector and the other Minimal Series loop boxes are all listed as sold out on One Control's site¹³⁴².

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