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Quick Review: Moog Minifooger MF Drive Pedal

Postby Rusty Mike » 01 Aug 2017, 16:20

Since buying the Stage 2EX last year, the instrument has opened up new sonic vistas for me. I had owned only Electro's before that (and a fair number of them), but the Stage added some great new stuff to the arsenal, most notably a comprehensive synthesizer. I use it in my fusion band, mostly for leads, some bass line doubling and a rare pad. I believe the synth in the Stage 2/EX is based on the Nord Wave, including using the samples as sound sources, and the variety is great. One thing that seemed to be lacking to me, though, is just getting those nice fat analog lead voices. This is due mostly to the semi-single oscillator architecture. I've gotten close by fiddling with parameters, waveforms, filters, EQ, etc., but could get exactly where I wanted.

I borrowed a few OD pedals from my guitar player, including the popular Ibanez Tube Screamer. None of them really accomplished what I was looking for.

A couple months back, Sweetwater put out a YouTube video comparing different distortion pedals for keyboards. There were something like 7 pedals in the demo, and they played a synth bass patch, electric piano and organ through each of the pedals while twirling the knobs through various settings. While the purpose of the demo was more about the overdrive, they did run through the clean settings using the Tone control prevalent on most of the pedals. The Minifooger really stood out as adding a warm, dark color to the sounds. Plus it has the added benefit if the Moog analog ladder filter built into it. So I ordered one to see if it was the missing link for my synth leads.

Bottom line - it's a keeper! The tone control bring a huge, fat coloration to the sound. My lead patches went from buzzy and thin to downright monstrous. And my bass patches now fill the room. It adds a bold midrange that the Stage synth section simply cannot create. There is an Output control that gives you some boost, which can stay pretty clean as well. The Filter control includes a Peak switch, which seems like a preset resonance level that you can then adjust with the Filter knob. You can connect a CV pedal, and can then sweep the filter, creating a wa-wa type of effect.

The drive is crunchy and warm as well, although I don't overdo it.

As pedals go, this one is not cheap, but it's more affordable than the full size Moogerfooger pedals. To use this pedal, I rerouted the Synth to Output 3 for the select programs, which then runs right into the pedal, then to the mixer. I'm not an effects pedal type of guy, but this was a really good purchase.
Mike from Central NJ, USA
Tools: Ten fingers, two feet, middle-age brain, questionable judgement and taste
Nords: Piano 5 73, Stage 2EX 76 HP, Electro 6D 73
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Quick Review: Moog Minifooger MF Drive Pedal


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