THE NEXT GENERATION OF SPACE ECHO

A Stroke Of Genius

Prized for their richness and complexity of tone, spring reverb and tape delay have been coveted by music makers for decades. Perhaps none more so than the exquisite sounds of the Roland RE-201 Space Echo. Combining both, this highly portable and flexible unit was a stroke of genius that allowed musicians, producers and engineers to explore an infinite scope of possibilities.

How Does Space Echo Work?

The magical sound of tape echo was already resonating with the Roland Corporation during its formation in 1972, and the first Space Echo units — the RE-100 delay and RE-200 reverb/delay — were released the following year. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the Roland engineers were working tirelessly on something very special indeed.

Space Echo’s Meteoric
Rise To Popularity

The Roland RE-201 Space Echo was light years ahead of the competition and its timeless design remains just as relevant now. Representing the perfect balance of form and function it was built to withstand the rigors of the road, appealing to stage performers and studio engineers alike.

Wow And Flutter

Sporting three separate channels consisting of two Mic inputs and one Instrument input — each endowed with its own Volume control — the Roland RE-201 Space Echo was able to handle multiple sources with ease. This distinctive-sounding preamp is praised for its ability to fatten up the incoming signal while adding harmonic richness and distortion.

This was further complimented by the use of magnetic tape which also allowed for some tasteful saturation and natural compression. Simultaneously, as the tape slowly aged with repeated use, its distinctive wow and flutter produced slight changes in pitch that furnished the signal with a subtle chorusing effect.

Perfect Imperfections

While such imperfections may have been deemed incorrect on paper, it appears the RE-201 Space Echo could do no wrong. In fact, these apparent flaws merely served to enhance its appeal and ultimately proved to be some of its greatest strengths.

Such was its demand, the RE-201 Space Echo remained in production throughout the ’70s and ’80s, despite the development of other more technically advanced musical equipment.

Space Echo In Music —
how Did It Inspire And Influence?

Microphones, drum machines, synthesizers and guitars — the RE-201 Space Echo was built to handle it all and could even be hooked up to a mixing desk via its dedicated From PA input. Such a broad range of applications encouraged a plethora of uses by countless artists who fell in love with its ethereal charms.

Iconic Space Echo Sounds

Some of the most iconic RE-201 Space Echo sounds can be heard in the productions of dub pioneers King Tubby and Lee “Scratch” Perry, who made great use of the unit’s outstanding saturation and distortion qualities. Having worked and toured with various reggae bands, Portishead engineer Dave McDonald in turn introduced Geoff Barrow to the joys of Space Echo. Subsequently, the RE-201 became a major feature of Portishead recordings, notably on drum and vocal tracks.

Paired with guitar, the RE-201 Space Echo really shows off its full breadth of capabilities, ranging from the kind of detailed dreamy ambience heard on Vini Reilly’s Durutti Column records to mangled, feedback-induced loops à la Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood.

Form Meets Function
(And Reliability)

While the Roland RE-201 Space Echo has been on its own journey since 1974, in more recent years the BOSS engineers have also been on theirs. Leaping forward in tandem with modern advancements in DSP technology, the team has gone deeper than ever before to bring Space Echo into a new era.

The result is the most authentic modern recreations of the Roland RE-201 Space Echo ever made: the flagship BOSS RE-202 Space Echo unit and the BOSS RE-2 Space Echo compact pedal. Much like its progenitor, the RE-202 is equally at home in the studio, while the RE-2 has been adapted for a more pedalboard-oriented approach.

Vintage Analogue

Reworked in extraordinary detail, these BOSS Space Echo models are based on in depth analysis of numerous original Roland RE-201 Space Echo units. Replicating the unique behavior of vintage analogue devices has yielded unprecedented levels of realism — right down to the complex interactions between mechanical and electronic components within the tape mechanism and preamp.