Buying a secondhand tape delay some general remarks about roland vs korg. Oct 16, 2020 in 1974 roland s re 201, better known as the space echo, elevated the game. However, back in 1974, roland managed to nail both a product number and a cool name with the release of its legendary re 201 space echo. As i drooled over the back covers of late70s and early 80s vinyl, i was drawn in by the name here was an echo that went into space, or at least that was what my inner child was telling me. A bloc diagram can be found page 4 and the detailed circuit page 6. Roland had made other tape delay machines before the re 201, but adding the reverb plate colored the sound in a unique way. For the rest of this posttopic we can refer to the re101 201 service manual available here.
Grabbed a roland re 201 early edition killer preamp and roland dc50. The longer tape loop spooled freely within a chamber, with no reels of any kind. Experience the legendary tape echo sound of the re 201, and get lost in space. Kakehashis breakthrough development came in 1974 with the re101 and re 201 space echo units, which used the standard 14 tape of the openreel variety.
The roland re 201 space echo was the cream of analogue tape echo chambers back in the 197080s. About the roland space echo re 201 the roland space echo re 201 is a reverbequipped tape echo that debuted in 1974. Very clean and chimey at low gain levels and then beyond half way up will overdrive most tube amps very easily. These heads are accessed via the 12 position mode selector knob, which takes pride of place in the centre of the front panel. Experience the legendary tape echo sound of the re 201, and get lost in space with this retromodern marvel. I started specialising in repairing the roland space echo 3 years. Please share any infoexperience you have relating to these units. In 1973, roland created the re 201 space echo a tape delayspring reverb system that created warm, warped, unabashedly analog echo effects. The roland re 201 when it was released in 1974, was an engineering masterpiece. Roland re201 space echo entry reaktor user library. The roland re201 space echo story classic gear roland uk. Quick walkthru and kinda demo of my old space echo, which i might be selling. Provides an overview of key features, functions and operational tips. Click on the links below to download the manual for your roland space echo user manuals re100 re101 re200 re150 re 201 re301 re501 sre555 service manuals re100 coming soon re101 re150 re 201 re301 re501 sre555.
Its actually not even that close in overall character, and is actually a quite bad emulation. Would any one have the service manual for a roland re201. The legacy of the roland re201 space echo soundfly. Roland re201 space echo replacement tape loops gearslutz. Roland re 201 space echo reverb tape echo system v.
Shortly after world war ii, magnetic tape technology became the standard for audio recording. It was part of roland s popular space echo series at that time and is often considered as desirable as the re501 unit. But to me the bottom line is that in a basic setup the space echo and the stage echo can sound more or less the. It remained in production until 1990, even during the production cycle of successive models. Its not a synth, but a tape echo machine for creating true analog echo effects.
Back in the midseventies, the re 201 space echo unleashed a sound that came straight from outer space. The capstan contacts and smoothly moves the tape through the space echo. For no effect, the echo normal changeover switch is set to normal, and the sound passes through unchanged. Audio engineers realised they could also use their reeltoreel tape. Its an analogue echo device employing multiple tape heads and a spring reverb tank to achieve its fat, warm sound, so its no surprise that it took over a year for ua to perfect its idiosyncratic and sometimes chaotic nature. With that said, i also own echoboy, and with that i can match 95% of the exact sound of the space echo echoes not the spring reverb. Stay up to date with roland news, artists, promotions, events, and more. Today, it stands as being perhaps the most fondlyremembered chapter of the space echo legacy. Back in the day, any guitarist worth his salt had a roland re 201 space echo. An excellent example of the mighty space echo, for sale serviced and in great working order. Manufactured from 1973 to 1988, the re201 runs a loop of magnetic tape across several tape heads to create its distinctive analog echo. Jan 15, 2008 arguably, no uad1 plugin was as hotly anticipated as universal audios software implementation of the venerable roland re 201 space echo. Galaxy tape echo uad audio plugins universal audio.
I had a roland re 201 that i got in the early 1990s. It was released at the same time as the re 201 and is essentially its little brother as its a bit more limited but still shares the same sort of quality. Massive saving this ultimate service kit for the roland space echo re 201 and re101 has all the parts you need to carry out a full overhaul service on your space echo. While roland didnt invent the tape echo itself, they took a fragile and often unreliable technology and turned it into something robust and roadworthy and the re 201 immediately became the touring and recording studio standard.
In the early 70s i bought a maestro echoplex ep3 after hearing this used by trumpeters miles davis and don ellis, then somewhere around the end of that decade, i bought a roland re 201 space echo first introduced in 1974, which was a lot quieter than my echoplex and offered more interesting delay patterns but i did miss the soundon. It features 11 different repeat modes as well as a reverbonly mode, wetdry mix for echo and reverb, bass and treble eq knobs, repeat rate and intensity, two mic inputs with volume knobs, one instrument input with volume knob, and dry and effected output jacks. View and download roland re 201 service notes online. No reverb in space echo re 201, and other smaller problems. The re 201 was launched in 1974, replacing roland s earlier models the re100 and re200 and becoming an instant hit with engineers. Jan 17, 2016 uad re 201 doesnt get anywhere close the smear, warmth or three dimensionality that the real space echo provides. The roland re 201, commonly known as the space echo, is an audio effects unit that produces delay and reverb effects. Faithfully reproduces the characteristics of the re201, including the echos distinctive wow and flutterinduced wavering and the compressed sound obtained with magnetic saturation. About the configuration of the tape echo reverb the tape echo section features an erase head, record head, and three playback heads arranged sequentially at equal intervals, such that a sound is played back three times at equal. The re20 uses cosm technology to faithfully simulate the characteristics of the famed roland space echo re201. Evolution of the roland space echo roland australia. Oct 18, 2019 the space echo is a tape delay pedal with a spring reverb plate built into it. It stopped working shortly after i got it and i took it to a repair shop that said they could not fix it so i left it at my friends studio back then in the mid 90s and left it for dead.
Key to its innovation were the multiple play heads that were placed along the path of the tape. Nov 24, 2011 the roland re101 space echo is a real tape delay unit. The space echo makes use of a continuous loop of 14inch magnetic tape housed in a tape chamber at the top of the unit, while a capstan drive motor transports the tape over the recordreplay heads. New listing roland re 201 space echo vintage tape echo machine tested good working. View and download roland re201 service notes online. Introduced in 1974, the roland space echo re 201 was an instant hit among engineers, guitar players, and dub pioneers. It doesnt sound very good either because of its age or i need to do some tweaking. Sounding as good as they get and working very well following a full service by our tape echo specialist with various new parts as required, including new tape. We make the efx2 tape echo, roland space echo parts, echoplex parts, tape loops for re 201 re101 re150 re301 re501 7 sre555, parts for echoplex ep1 ep2 ep3 and ep4. I am a newold member of the re 201 space echo club. This channel provides information of the roland s best quality electronic musical instruments. The roland re201 space echo story classic gear roland. For the now im stuck with the first mic amp in the echo path, the one with 3 transistors. The roland re201 space echo story roland resource centre.
It was produced by the roland corporation from 1974 to 1990. After some research and a spice simulation i have some questions. Roland re201 space echo serviced vintage tape delay for sale. One of the earliest examples is the roland re201 space echo, a combination tape echo and reverb introduced in 1974. The re201 space echo is an outboard effects unit produced by roland. The roland re 201 space echo is truly a vintage 1973 piece of music technology with lots of appeal even today. With the echo normal changeover switch set to echo, the mode selector set to 3, and the repeat rate and intensity left in their default positions, a standard echo is added to the instrument sound.
Jammin with the roland re 201 space echo with a little bit of overdrive. The roland re201 was an engineering masterpiece featuring a sophisticated tapeecho effect and a builtin spring reverb, with different sound variations. For those new to the space echo units, there is a real 14 tape coiled up inside this that runs to give you your effects. Re 201 roland space echo impulse responses 25200 bpm. This is its story over the years, roland has created a significant number of products that have gone on to become legendary. May 28, 2010 roland re 201 space echo replacement tape loops i took out the 201 loop and put in my last original roland loop. Nov 18, 2012 the billy is a space echo preamp on steroids. One of the earliest examples is the roland re 201 space echo, a combination tape echo and reverb introduced in 1974. Echo fix efx2 tape echo, roland space echo and echoplex. Roland re201 service notes pdf download manualslib. The re 201 is a simple system in which a small loop of tape records an incoming signal and immediately plays the recorded sound back over a couple. In 1973, roland created the space echo system that utilized multiple play heads to create warm, highly adjustable echo effects, which added wonderful. Roland and boss have recreated every sonic detail and nuance of the original. The roland re201, commonly known as the space echo, is an audio effects unit that produces delay and reverb effects.
A real analog system providing both tape echo and spring reverb for a rich and organic sound. Despite this, discussions about the roland space echo can be confusing at times. Roland space and chorus echoes are amazing machines if youre only going to have one tape echo, then this is the one imho. The roland re201 space echo is truly a vintage 1973 piece of music technology with lots of appeal even today. Boss re20 roland space echo reverb twin pedal re20. The longer tape loop spooled freely within a chamber, with no reels of any kind, just a capstan drive protected by a plastic cover.
Powerful dsp lets you use delay and modulation simultaneously for all reverbs. Roland re201 space echo serviced vintage tape delay for. The roland re301 chorus echo is an iconic tape delay and chorus effect. The spring reverb unit adds a reverb effect to modes 5 through 11 and reverb only. So much gear, so little time would any one have the service manual for a roland re201. Obviously real tape echo is infamous for being difficult to maintain. One of the most beloved echo effects ever made, the roland re 201 space echo, has been reborn as the boss re20 twin pedal.
Just a year later, roland unveiled replacement models with a key revision. Roland re101 space echo 1974 the roland re101 came next, a lowerpriced alternative to the more successful re 201. Jonny greenwoods re 201 settings how difficult are these actually to keep in shape. Also, i have a few guitar pedal and plugin emulations of tape echo sounds and after plugging in the real unit i cant tell you how insane the difference is. Are people talking about the iconic roland re201 space echo tape echo. There are times where i may not be able to reply within hours but i will reply well before the listing ends.
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