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Reverb, Revamped: Mako MKII Magic and a Deluge of Discovery





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As Walrus Audio’s Mako series ascends to its MKII moniker, so do the spatial contouring capabilities of the company’s multidimensional hexad of reverbs. Enter the Walrus Audio Mako MKII R1 high-fidelity stereo reverb pedal. With voltaic versatility in spades, this no-punches-pulled powerhouse takes up the mantle of its predecessor, supplying six degrees of sonic sculpting that range from subtle springs and pliable plates to subterranean cinematics, glitched-out gorges and shimmering, ethereal atmospheres. While this pedal may bear a visual resemblance to the first-gen iteration, Sweetwater’s pedal practitioners are delighted to report that the Mako MKII R1 overhauls every aspect of its precursor. Programs, interfacing, MIDI compatibility, and more have been rebuilt from the ground up, with additional features introduced to ensure you can summit the most daring peaks of resounding reverbs and a deluge of digital dynamism.





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Next-gen R1 magic: what’s new with MKII?





Never content to settle, Walrus Audio reflected on the reactions to both the original R1 pedal and the evolving landscape of guitar playing, tone crafting, and home studios. The Mako MKII R1 eschews the mini switches for a vivid display screen, with left- and right-side encoders replacing the limited range of functionality that the switches, and their accompanying control knobs, managed with the first version of the R1. Now, immense depth is available to adjust with greater resolution, including the newly added Size and Diffusion controls, allowing each program to be customized to suit your sonic style. The Swell control has been reimagined as a distinctive dual-function Ducking/Swelling parameter, attenuating the behavior of your selected reverb by creating evocative swelling at higher values. Meanwhile, the lower values enhance a punctuated ducking effect. Presets are divided into three banks, with all 128 user slots accessible directly through the menu screen ? no additional interfacing required! If you’re looking to hybridize your setup, the MIDI I/O replaces the 5-pin MIDI ports with 3.5-millimeter TRS jacks, with a USB-C port in tow, greatly expanding the R1’s interoperative integration. Did we mention this model features a dedicated EQ control for reverb feedback?





Six degrees of near-limitless spatial sculpting





The malleable magic of the Mako MKII R1 is built upon six diverse shades of reverb programs: Hall, Plate, BFR, Refract, and Air. Spring supplies a SoCal-style spring reverb, while Hall channels the immense reflections of your favorite concert halls and arenas. Plate derives from the namesake analog plate reverbs popularized throughout the 1960s. BFR ? short for Big F______ Reverb (as Doom fans will have already predicted) ? and lives up to its name, described by Walrus Audio as “a giant arena reverb … with rich and lush decay in a vast cavern filled with choirs of angels.” We may pride ourselves on our writing here at Sweetwater, but we know we can’t improve upon perfection. Refract is a kaleidoscopic nexus of malleable glitch-like textures, with extensive customization available for the modulation, delay time, diffusion, and size of the delay grains. Finally, Air takes your tone to the outer echelons of the ephemeral and the ethereal, with a slow-building shimmer that seizes the high-octave harmonics and transparent decay that’s made this massive, diffused reverb the go-to choice for the ambient artist of the past several decades. No matter which program you choose, the menu screen displays customizable parameters for each one, attenuated by the left and right encoders, with further sound shaping available via Size and Diffuse options uniquely tailored to each program.





128 presets and malleable MIDI control





With the Walrus Audio Mako MKII R1, the MIDI I/O trades 5-pin connectors for 3.5-millimeter jacks to support expanded control of program parameters, as well as manage and navigate its 128 total preset slots. Unlike the previous generation, the MKII’s menu screen and encoders allow you to access all presets directly rather than solely requiring the use of external MIDI. As a result, presets are divided into three banks. The A-bank houses presets zero through two, while the B-bank covers three through five, and the C bank cycles from six to nine. The remaining presets ? 10 to 128 ? are accessed manually or via MIDI.





Triple bypass modes for triple the reverb fun





The Mako MKII R1 reverb comes with three different bypass modes for how your reverb tails fade away. True bypass switching safeguards your tone from coloration when the pedal isn’t in operation. DSP True Bypass preserves the trails when the effect is disengaged. Finally, you get a DSP Bypass setting for further control. You also get momentary functions in the form of the Sustain/Latch switch. Press and hold the switch for momentary sustain while you play through the same reverb. Click the switch, and you’ll lock the reverb into place for extended improvisation.





Walrus Audio Mako MKII R1 Features:


High-fidelity digital reverb pedal with near-limitless creative potential


6 studio-quality programs, revamped from scratch for MKII magic: Spring, Hall, Plate, BFR, Refract, and Air


Menu screen displays real-time information for program-specific parameters to customize each one via dedicated encoders that adapt to each program’s unique peripheral elements


Size and Diffuse controls for each parameter are uniquely built to expand the artistic range of each program


Dual-function Ducking and Swelling feature provides evocative swells and punctuated ducking within a single parameter


Decay, Pre Delay, and Mix controls oversee your reverb decay, attack, and wet/dry mix


9 onboard presets are readily accessible across 3 banks and seamlessly navigated


Up to 128 presets are accessible via MIDI or directly through the menu screen for complex, pro-level live rigs


Sustain/Latch switch holds onto tails until you let go


3 different bypass modes enable you to specify how your repeats fade


3.5mm TRS MIDI I/O supports extensive interoperative integration with stage and studio setups


Stereo audio I/O ensures full-spectrum, multidimensional spatial contouring for guitars, basses, keys, and more