Sound Pure's Take

Expand your soundscape possibilities with the powerful MXR M307 Layers! Designed to sustain, stack, and sculpt your notes into rich ambient pads, this advanced digital sustain pedal allows you to freeze chords or individual notes and layer fresh lines over top in real time. Packed with onboard sound-shaping features, it includes sub-octave generation for low-end thickness, modulation options for lush movement, and delay diffusion to smear reflections into ethereal, cavernous atmospheres. Complete with flexible TRS stereo inputs and outputs, buffered bypass, a dedicated expression/tap control jack, and a standard 300mA 9V power requirement, the M307 gives ambient guitarists and experimentalists an intuitive workspace for crafting expansive, multi-textured sonic backdrops.

From MXR Pedals

The Long Story

The MXR Layers Pedal blooms with rich, organic sustain that imbues every strum and pluck with resonance and depth. With a versatile suite of controls, this pedal can be as simple or complex as you need. Whether you want to lengthen single notes or generate multi-layered soundscapes rich with ambience, the MXR Layers Pedal will extend the creative potential of your instrument. Pull off chord voicings you never thought possible, compose transcendent melodies, orchestrate harmonic ensembles, create lively stereo pads, and more—all from a standard MXR housing.

 

HOLD ON TO YOUR TONE

The MXR Layers Pedal will confer its expertly created sustain and natural decay to up to three layers, each with its own mini LED to tell you its active. First, decide if you want to run just a single layer or up to three—engaging the Single switch keeps it to one. Layers can be triggered both with the footswitch and through your playing dynamics. With the footswitch, you just play a note or chord and hold the switch down—releasing the switch will allow the layer to fade according to your Decay knob setting. This is perfect for composing complex solos over droning accompaniments. Alternatively, you can trigger layers automatically in response to your attack, as set by the Trig knob. Combine these two methods for more creatively complex sound stacking: with Single mode disengaged, you can hold a layer with the footswitch and then auto-trigger more layers over top.

 

STACKED WITH OPTIONS

The MXR Layers Pedal offers a straightforward set of controls to tailor your layers to taste. The Mix knob adjusts the wet signal level; in other words, the volume of your layers. As previously stated, the Trig knob sets the sensitivity of the pedal’s auto-trigger function, allowing you to generate new layers according to the intensity of your pick strokes. The Attack knob adjusts the fade-in time of each layer, while the aforementioned Decay knob sets the fade-out time, which mimics the natural vibrations of a physical string by decaying the high frequencies first. For a fat subterranean vibe, engage the Sub Oct switch to take one or more of your layers down an octave.

 

LAYERS DEEP

Delving beyond the core features, the MXR Layers Pedal offers the experimentally inclined even more intricate opportunities to customize not only the sound of your layers but the overall playing experience. Through the pedal’s programming functions, you can adjust additional parameters, including modulation intensity, delay time, diffusion, and more. You can also use your keyboard’s sustain pedal or another off-board switch such as the MXR Split + Tap to trigger your layers, blend setting configurations with the Volume(X)™ 8 Pedal, and run Stereo Input, Stereo Output, and Dry/Wet Split modes.

 

THERE’S LEVELS TO THIS

With its pristine, high-fidelity sustain, the MXR Layers Pedal begs to be the new mainstay of just about any signal chain. Its deep feature set invites you to venture beyond your creative frontiers, where you can build richly detailed soundscapes that elevate musical expression to new heights.

Pedal Type: Sustain Pedal

Effects: Layers, Sub-octave, Modulation, Delay Diffusion

Analog/Digital: Digital

Inputs: 1 x 1/4" TRS (mono/stereo)

Outputs: 1 x 1/4" TRS (mono/stereo)

Other I/O: 1 x 1/4" TRS (Tap/Expression, Audio out)

Bypass Switching: Buffered

Power Source: 9V DC power supply

Power Usage: 300mA

Free 3-Year Warranty

Sound Pure stands behind our products. Free three-year warranty on this item. Coverage exclusions live in Terms & Conditions, Section 27.

Level of support and expertise that simply isn't available at big-box megastores. Read the warranty →

Returns

Try Before You Buy: 48-hour audition. Program details →

Sound Pure Studios Control Room A — Durham, NC

Sound Pure Studios · Durham, NC

Come hear it in our control rooms.

Sound Pure is a working studio in Durham, NC — a 1,000 sq ft live room and two pro control rooms. Book a session to audition gear in a world-class acoustic space before you buy.

$246