Boss has announced two new Space Echo guitar pedals, the RE-2 and the RE-202. We’ll focus on RE-202, since it’s better suited for electronic music applications.While previous Boss products attempted to capture the flavor and characteristics of the original tape-based RE-201 Space Echo, which debuted in 1974, Roland’s subsidiary claims new advancements have allowed the Japanese-concern “to go much deeper than ever before.”
“With the RE-202, our engineers have fully reproduced all the complex, non-linear behaviors that contribute to the RE-201’s immortal character. Everything that influences the sound was carefully examined and recreated with all-new algorithms, including the tape path, record/playback mechanism, motor variations, preamp coloration, tape age, spring reverb character, and more.”
Maybe, or else they wanted some of the Wow & Flutter / LoFi pedal market that is quite popular right now. It’s hard to determine precisely what the RE-202 can achieve, since Roland’s hype video for the product is very one-dimensional. You’ll probably want to give it a real demo – the RE-202 tips the scales at $519.
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Boss RE-202 Space Echo
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It’s hard to get a deep impression of what the RE-202 is about from the Boss website, since they’re more interested in waxing poetic about the original RE-201 than give detailed specifics about the new pedal, but they did provide a feature list – see below.
Boss RE-202 Space Echo Features:
» Recreates the sound and behavior of the legendary Roland RE-201 Space Echo
» Classic multi-head tape echo sound with expanded delay time
» Original three-head configuration plus additional tape head for 12 unique echo combinations
» Independent stereo reverb section with original spring reverb type plus hall, plate, room, and ambience
» Saturation control for adding magnetic tape compression and preamp coloration
» Wow & Flutter control for introducing varying levels of natural tape modulation
» Choose between new and aged tape conditions
» Selectable input modes for optimum performance with instruments and line-level gear
» Warp and Twist effects with footswitch control
» Select between the unprocessed analog dry signal or the modeled sound of the original Space Echo preamp
» Four onboard memories plus the current panel settings
» Save and select 127 memories via external MIDI program change
» Tap tempo and carryover functions
» True stereo input and output
» Expandable control via external footswitches, an expression pedal, or MIDI
The RE-202 claims to deliver the full vintage vibe of the RE-201 without the need for regular tape replacement and hardware maintenance. All the core controls of the original are here, including the iconic 12-position mode selector. Every behavior is replicated, such as the gradual pitch change that occurs when the Repeat Rate knob is tweaked, or the cool runaway feedback that happens when the Intensity knob is maxed.
With selectable tape age and variable controls, the user can dial in everything from a brand-new Space Echo to the worn character and quirks of a well-loved vintage piece. The Saturation control has been carefully calibrated based on the actual magnetic tape and preamp behaviors of the RE-201 – with the sound becoming warmer and more compressed as you turn up the knob. The expressive Wow & Flutter control asserts to provide all the natural modulation characteristics that are essential to the Space Echo sound.
The RE-202 includes many new features, including twice the delay time, a fourth virtual tape head that unlocks five additional sound combinations, and an echo type that changes the distance between the heads. The RE-202 provides true stereo I/O and selectable operation for guitar or line-level devices. For the dry sound, you can choose between the RE-201 preamp tone or a clean signal with zero processing. Also included is a stereo version of the original spring reverb sound from the RE-201, along with hall, plate, room, and ambience types for additional versatility. Expressive Warp and Twist effects are available as well.
