For more gear reviews and videos check out guitarworld.com In this video Guitar World's gear editor Paul Riario demonstrates the features of the Boss RE-20 Roland Space Echo.
what i dont understand is why everyone always feels the need to be so cruel. this man is giving you a quick demonstration of how the pedal works. all of you people who are complaining about how he should play, if you really want to find out what you can do with this pedal, TRY IT. hes playing great and giving you a quick overview, not going over every detail.
I own a Roland RE-201. This is ultimately a little more digital in the loudness of the repeats, but it still sounds accurate. The reverb sounds a lot like how it sounds on my unit, minus the sproing at higher levels of reverb. It's a really good take on the machine.
Thanks for the pedal demo. Sounds like a good alternative for the Big-Sky? Do you know if and how this pedal will work on a 4-string Bass? Thanks again
I just bought this pedal. its amazing and i haven't yet begun to discover its full potential. Ive owned an original 201 which was nice and warm. This is amazingly warm without the over saturation that was sometimes not good in the 201. Seems well built and reliable.
im actually buying a DD-20 but this pedal looks so similar and amazing but this pedal will work like a delay too? in the same way as dd20 ? i dont think so ... so you can help me with that?
The Bass and Treble controls adjust the tone of the repeats as well. You can make it darker then a carbon copy or brighter than a DD-3 - it does not just control the tone of the reverb as said in this, and most videos. I don't touch the reverb on this unit - but use the treble and bass controls all the time to color my delay. I consider this a huge selling point for the pedal.
Anyone have any experience using this with an analogue synth or in general production? I kind of feel like I'd be cheating myself by not getting a real Roland tape echo unit. I've seen RE-101's for not much more than a new one of these. Obviously the 301 and 501 cost more but can the RE-20 do everything they can?
Thanks for the demo, but for a pedal that is designed to provide ambience, don't you think your "dry" sound had a LOT of room noise? In this case, I found it VERY difficult to determine what the reverb portion of the pedal was doing and what part of the reverb was coming from the room.
i bought this pedal about 6 months ago. i love it, it was definitely worth $200 (got it on ebay). i use it in my band, i wouldnt be able to do any of our stuff without this thing. highly recommended
@claybob182 yes it does. You can also set it up where you have a pedal in the loop of the out put and the echos have whatever effect, say phase, but the dry signal doesn't. Like the skreedy.
Twice you said it was an analogue device. It's not, it's a digital emulation of an analogue tape echo, which is a bit of a misleading comment. Some other inaccuracies in the dialogue are that the unit doesn't have an expression pedal "Out" or a 9v DC "Out"... they are both Inputs. Also that "...clean guitar signal" at 3min 47sec already has reverb on it. Is that from the unit in bypass or is that from the microphone in the room that you are recording this? It's really hard to tell anything from this video except your playing ability. Perhaps that was the idea? It would have been nice to have an original RE201 as a side by side comparison.
@VirtualGamer42 If you are referring to just a plain midi controller, no. If it is a keyboard with midi and has audio out, YES Just take the audio out of it and run it into the input of the space echo and into a amp or active speaker or whatever
@TinManSixtySix Thank you very much, but i actually decided to go with a Danelectro Reel Echo. I saw an chance to get a good pedal for a really cheap price, which is really what i needed since i need a whole new setup. But thank you for the input. i may get this as a second echo since Eddie uses three
Very interesting. Any chance of doing a side by side with the original Re-201? I have the original but it's got a wow and flutter problem which I think is going to be too expensive to repair so this remake looks like a good option............ Nice demo, thanks very much!!!
@VirtualGamer42 If you run the output from the computer you are using to this pedal then it's easy. As long as you are running a 1/4 inch output to your speakers. You can fit it in somewhere along the lines. Try it out.
Quick question. I am looking at both the RE20 as well as the blue sky. In your opinion which one is more worth it? I play a lot of classic rock as well as a lot of stuff for church. What do you guys think would be the best option. Blu Sky or Space Echo?
He said there are 2 imputs and 2 outputs so If it works like my DD7 (love the DD7 btw), you plug in your guitar in imput A except you use output B to your amp for long mode.
the distortion sounds really messy. when the echo volume is mid it sounds nice and a little tightened up. I really wish i would've invested this a few years back
I am exactly like you and I have played with it a few times and I like it. Don't have it though because I am looking for something a bit more versatile and less big for my pedalboard.
had this pedal about 2 years, it is awesome, hardly ever solo without it, if you own this pedal do yourself a favor and get the roland ev-5 expression or whatever it is that is compatible with this thing. you can use it to control repeat rate or intensity or echo volume or the thing he did when he held down the tap tempo side, it can get kind of crazy, and loud, this thing will blow speakers
Brook Hoover that is what I’m thinking, except I’m not fortunate enough to own any real tape units. I am glad to add this to my rig for a great and hard to nail sound! I’ll still use digital delays and reverbs for some things, but this is wonderful.
It uses Roland's COSM (the "M" standing for Modeling) technology. It's all done in DSP. Which is fine if it sounds good and delivers what the player wants. I've got 2 other products that use COSM and it can be very effective.
thanks MrDobbelhop, you just proved my point. Due to the components of the hardware in this pedal, my conclusion is thereof correct that this device is analog if not fully digital. The values are interchangable :-)
I have owned two of the original Roland RE-201 Space Echo units. I still have one, but hard to get parts to restore these without spending a fortune. I used them for many years playing my TRUMPET though them. Those old units are crazy good fun. ;-) A quick correction, the RE-201 has 5 tape heads, not 3. Also, as some others have said, this is a digital emulation of the original analog Space Echo / Reverb unit. This unit is not analog anything. ;-)
important technicality: he says it's a "simple analog twin pedal format" - isn't this a DIGITAL model of the original tape echo? I'm pretty sure it's a digital reverb.
Interesting. Check out a "cathedral" before any trigger pullin. Not to many videos show cathedral has great delay / reverbs plus reverse. I will admit my space rockabilly setting(psychobilly) uses a cathedral and echoplex but you can get close with just the cathedral.
i got this for christmas. it sounds amazing, beyond my expectations tbh. i think this guy doesn't hang the notes and lets the pedal work. i just saw with in in awe (using a les paul with 59 classics). 1: get the pedal. 2: listen to the album "flood" by boris for inspiration. 3: get list in echo.
"COSM means Composite Object Sound Modeling which is a Roland (BOSS Parent Company) innovation. COSM is a method of analyzing how a guitar amp responses to different types of playing. It looks at electrical and physical properties of an amp and then renders a digital model that has the same sound as the original." "Boss introduced COSM, Roland's proprietary version of digital modeling technology, into their AC-3 Acoustic Simulator pedal in 2006."
i have some questions: can i use it as just delay, just reverb and a combo of both? and, is this good for ambient/atmospheric/new age stuff?! :) and, yeah, don't talk that much
This is a pretty good pedal. I have it. The COSM thing shouldn't really scare you off. It's just modeling one effect, and not an entire amp or cab sound. This pedal has a very warm and unique echo to it. I think the reverb is largely useless. It's a spring reverb sound that I turn the tone way down on. But regardless, the reverb option is still there, as is the echo. You can dial in a lot of different kinds of echos on this too. With the tap feature, it's a reasonable buy.
Digital signals are non-continuous, they change in individual steps. They consist of pulses or digits with discrete levels or values. The value of each pulse is constant, but there is an abrupt change from one digit to the next. Digital signals have two amplitude levels called nodes. The value of which are specified as one of two possibilities such as 1 or 0, HIGH or LOW, TRUE or FALSE and so on. In reality, the values are anywhere within specific ranges.
One major bit of mis-information here. The two left top controls (marked treble and bass) do NOT affect the reverb sound. They are in the feedback loop of the delay section. This is a very important mistake, as it was this feature that made both the original and this unique
I used to have the original Roland RE-201 Space Echo and this thing sounds just like it. That's pretty cool for you Brian Setzer fans! And this one has more features.
The main problem I have with every guitar pedal review I've ever watched is that people only seem to play boring classic or southern rock chord progressions and riffs. I never get to hear the pedals the way I'd play with them.
One of the keys to playing on a delay pedal is to let notes rest so the delay can be heard. I demoed a Moog delay to a buddy of mine and he pattern solod all over it and totally missed the sounds of the pedal. You are right though.
![BOSS RE-202 & RE-2 Space Echo [Upgrade From RE-20? And Why Use A Space Echo Anyway?]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/QcNEdUoexqo/mqdefault.jpg)
Paul you do the best reviews on the net mate... i'm gonna get this pedal, checked out loads of reviews and yours are the most helpful.. cheers!
what i dont understand is why everyone always feels the need to be so cruel. this man is giving you a quick demonstration of how the pedal works. all of you people who are complaining about how he should play, if you really want to find out what you can do with this pedal, TRY IT. hes playing great and giving you a quick overview, not going over every detail.
I bought a space echo after seeing this video 2 years ago, and i still love it. its my favorite pedal on my board.
I own a Roland RE-201. This is ultimately a little more digital in the loudness of the repeats, but it still sounds accurate. The reverb sounds a lot like how it sounds on my unit, minus the sproing at higher levels of reverb. It's a really good take on the machine.
Terror Van is it possible to turn the delay off & just have the texture of the sound ? I guess pure reverb?
@@mattballantyne1545 yes
I know Im kinda randomly asking but does anybody know a good place to watch new tv shows online ?
@Marlon Xander Flixportal :P
@Allen Joaquin Thanks, signed up and it seems to work =) Appreciate it!
Paul @ Guitar World is such a great reviewer! Love his style!
Skip the crap, the stuff starts at 4:01
Thanks for looking out!
I really appreciate that you saved me that much time and irritation
yea it gets a big sloppy tbh
TheSludger you the real mvp
Not all hero’s wear capes
Helpful demo thanks. Great unit. Seen many big artists using them.
Thanks for the pedal demo. Sounds like a good alternative for the Big-Sky? Do you know if and how this pedal will work on a 4-string Bass? Thanks again
I just bought this pedal. its amazing and i haven't yet begun to discover its full potential. Ive owned an original 201 which was nice and warm. This is amazingly warm without the over saturation that was sometimes not good in the 201. Seems well built and reliable.
What do you mean dual in/out can i use 2 different Keyboards on this at the same time?
Are the duel ins/outs for stereo applications or two different instruments or both? Would be cool to put two synths in this. Thx
WOW! This was amazing. Great review!
What petal do you recommend to get the Hank Marvin Wonderful Land Shadow sound.
im actually buying a DD-20 but this pedal looks so similar and amazing but this pedal will work like a delay too? in the same way as dd20 ? i dont think so
... so you can help me with that?
what you do at 9:30 is that reachable wit a loop pedal because i dont have one yet i really need to know this tnx!!!!!!???????
The Bass and Treble controls adjust the tone of the repeats as well. You can make it darker then a carbon copy or brighter than a DD-3 - it does not just control the tone of the reverb as said in this, and most videos. I don't touch the reverb on this unit - but use the treble and bass controls all the time to color my delay. I consider this a huge selling point for the pedal.
What is the direct on off switch?
is that distortion before or after the space echo?
bought this 14 years ago... and still have it today in 2023 !
could i use an expression pedal to control the repeat rate?
Anyone have any experience using this with an analogue synth or in general production?
I kind of feel like I'd be cheating myself by not getting a real Roland tape echo unit. I've seen RE-101's for not much more than a new one of these. Obviously the 301 and 501 cost more but can the RE-20 do everything they can?
Nice! Some really cool effects
how do you switch from 3 to 6 seconds delay time?
Thanks for the demo, but for a pedal that is designed to provide ambience, don't you think your "dry" sound had a LOT of room noise? In this case, I found it VERY difficult to determine what the reverb portion of the pedal was doing and what part of the reverb was coming from the room.
I thought exactly the same thing!
That was a great review. Thanks.
can this connect to
Akai MPD32 USB/Midi MPC Pad Controller?
So this is a nice combination of reverb and delay. Anyone know where do I get these combination plus reverse effect? :)
can you circuit bend digital circuits?
i need a lecture on what the difference on analog and digital is? and who says COSM can't be analog, do you work for Boss or do you mod pedals?
i bought this pedal about 6 months ago. i love it, it was definitely worth $200 (got it on ebay). i use it in my band, i wouldnt be able to do any of our stuff without this thing. highly recommended
@claybob182 yes it does. You can also set it up where you have a pedal in the loop of the out put and the echos have whatever effect, say phase, but the dry signal doesn't. Like the skreedy.
if i get this, is my dd7 and verbzilla useless?
@r5t6y12 Magnets? How do they work?
Absolute cool! I love this pedal, if I didn't have a delay pedal I'd most def want one.
could i use this pedal with my yamaha keyboard? or would it not work??
thank you very much,nice job.I only wish people could be kinder.
Sorry for this dumb question, I am a total noob at music, but can the Boss RE-20 be used with a MIDI keyboard?
Analogue delay pedal? Pretty sure its a digital pedal that recreates an analogue effect.
+Arboretus yep, came down here to say that
Twice you said it was an analogue device. It's not, it's a digital emulation of an analogue tape echo, which is a bit of a misleading comment. Some other inaccuracies in the dialogue are that the unit doesn't have an expression pedal "Out" or a 9v DC "Out"... they are both Inputs.
Also that "...clean guitar signal" at 3min 47sec already has reverb on it. Is that from the unit in bypass or is that from the microphone in the room that you are recording this? It's really hard to tell anything from this video except your playing ability. Perhaps that was the idea?
It would have been nice to have an original RE201 as a side by side comparison.
could you create shimmer with this pedal?
Remember, this is guitar world, according to them there are no other genres than blues...
what kind of PRS is that?
i just bought this pedal on ebay today :) im so excited to get it
not a bad pedal for it's price would this be suitable for playing Eddie Van Halen stuff? feedback please
How much does this thing cost, is it more expensive then the Digitech's DL-8?
@VirtualGamer42 If you are referring to just a plain midi controller, no.
If it is a keyboard with midi and has audio out, YES
Just take the audio out of it and run it into the input of the space echo and into a amp or active speaker or whatever
@TinManSixtySix Thank you very much, but i actually decided to go with a Danelectro Reel Echo. I saw an chance to get a good pedal for a really cheap price, which is really what i needed since i need a whole new setup. But thank you for the input. i may get this as a second echo since Eddie uses three
Very interesting. Any chance of doing a side by side with the original Re-201? I have the original but it's got a wow and flutter problem which I think is going to be too expensive to repair so this remake looks like a good option............
Nice demo, thanks very much!!!
these are GREAT for ambient post-rock stuff
@VirtualGamer42 If you run the output from the computer you are using to this pedal then it's easy. As long as you are running a 1/4 inch output to your speakers. You can fit it in somewhere along the lines. Try it out.
Oh God I need to get one of these.
@Sean2592 You're welcome. The Danelectro works in a similar fashion to the RE20, so you should be happy.
You're right, they are exactly the same but they just sound totally different and everyone disagrees with your assessment. Does that make it better?
Some people dont even know what analog means.
Quick question. I am looking at both the RE20 as well as the blue sky. In your opinion which one is more worth it? I play a lot of classic rock as well as a lot of stuff for church. What do you guys think would be the best option. Blu Sky or Space Echo?
Blue Sky.
RE-20
He said there are 2 imputs and 2 outputs so If it works like my DD7 (love the DD7 btw), you plug in your guitar in imput A except you use output B to your amp for long mode.
the distortion sounds really messy. when the echo volume is mid it sounds nice and a little tightened up. I really wish i would've invested this a few years back
Lucky to have a RE-201 Tape Echo, this is so hard to get... ;)
Al fin un demo serio sobre este Boss
I am exactly like you and I have played with it a few times and I like it. Don't have it though because I am looking for something a bit more versatile and less big for my pedalboard.
had this pedal about 2 years, it is awesome, hardly ever solo without it, if you own this pedal do yourself a favor and get the roland ev-5 expression or whatever it is that is compatible with this thing. you can use it to control repeat rate or intensity or echo volume or the thing he did when he held down the tap tempo side, it can get kind of crazy, and loud, this thing will blow speakers
god bless you! yes, this guy will totally chime on and on.
I have some Echoplexes that sound great but not I'm very motivated spend the time to maintain them. This thing sounds good enough!
Brook Hoover that is what I’m thinking, except I’m not fortunate enough to own any real tape units. I am glad to add this to my rig for a great and hard to nail sound! I’ll still use digital delays and reverbs for some things, but this is wonderful.
Pretty sure Radiohead (Greenwood) use this unit.
It does sound like tape, with the clear repeats to start, then the darker repeats.
One of all-time favorite pedals.....
PLAY THAT BLOODY THING !!!!!
It uses Roland's COSM (the "M" standing for Modeling) technology. It's all done in DSP. Which is fine if it sounds good and delivers what the player wants. I've got 2 other products that use COSM and it can be very effective.
A nice guitar effect :O
thanks MrDobbelhop, you just proved my point. Due to the components of the hardware in this pedal, my conclusion is thereof correct that this device is analog if not fully digital. The values are interchangable
:-)
I have owned two of the original Roland RE-201 Space Echo units. I still have one, but hard to get parts to restore these without spending a fortune. I used them for many years playing my TRUMPET though them. Those old units are crazy good fun. ;-) A quick correction, the RE-201 has 5 tape heads, not 3. Also, as some others have said, this is a digital emulation of the original analog Space Echo / Reverb unit. This unit is not analog anything. ;-)
important technicality: he says it's a "simple analog twin pedal format" - isn't this a DIGITAL model of the original tape echo? I'm pretty sure it's a digital reverb.
Interesting. Check out a "cathedral" before any trigger pullin. Not to many videos show cathedral has great delay / reverbs plus reverse. I will admit my space rockabilly setting(psychobilly) uses a cathedral and echoplex but you can get close with just the cathedral.
i got this for christmas. it sounds amazing, beyond my expectations tbh. i think this guy doesn't hang the notes and lets the pedal work. i just saw with in in awe (using a les paul with 59 classics). 1: get the pedal. 2: listen to the album "flood" by boris for inspiration. 3: get list in echo.
i love this dude. i like the shape of his head
"COSM means Composite Object Sound Modeling which is a Roland (BOSS Parent Company) innovation. COSM is a method of analyzing how a guitar amp responses to different types of playing. It looks at electrical and physical properties of an amp and then renders a digital model that has the same sound as the original."
"Boss introduced COSM, Roland's proprietary version of digital modeling technology, into their AC-3 Acoustic Simulator pedal in 2006."
@paticochile alot of post hardcore bands use that as a fill in between songs on their album
That thing sounds massive.
yay i love this pedal
it's most definitely one of the best pedal i have.
and it is digital but it sounds very analog, like the original of course.
this is digital right?
i have some questions:
can i use it as just delay, just reverb and a combo of both?
and, is this good for ambient/atmospheric/new age stuff?! :)
and, yeah, don't talk that much
This is a pretty good pedal. I have it. The COSM thing shouldn't really scare you off. It's just modeling one effect, and not an entire amp or cab sound. This pedal has a very warm and unique echo to it. I think the reverb is largely useless. It's a spring reverb sound that I turn the tone way down on. But regardless, the reverb option is still there, as is the echo. You can dial in a lot of different kinds of echos on this too. With the tap feature, it's a reasonable buy.
why do people hate him, he's only making a review about this twinpedal, and I think it's a great review.
(It doesn't matter if it's digital, it sounds fantastic! Try to find it in a store...)
Digital signals are non-continuous, they change in individual steps. They consist of pulses or digits with discrete levels or values. The value of each pulse is constant, but there is an abrupt change from one digit to the next. Digital signals have two amplitude levels called nodes. The value of which are specified as one of two possibilities such as 1 or 0, HIGH or LOW, TRUE or FALSE and so on. In reality, the values are anywhere within specific ranges.
THAT PEDAL HAS A FACE D:
8:00
: )
One major bit of mis-information here. The two left top controls (marked treble and bass) do NOT affect the reverb sound. They are in the feedback loop of the delay section. This is a very important mistake, as it was this feature that made both the original and this unique
thats a pretty cool pedal
cool..i will buy one~
When did Marty McFly start demoing pedals?
I used to have the original Roland RE-201 Space Echo and this thing sounds just like it.
That's pretty cool for you Brian Setzer fans!
And this one has more features.
isnt the echo the same thing as delay ? just asking. someone help
have a look into vanamp solemate or mr springgy (yes, 2 g's in springgy)
I want this pedal so hard!!!!!
is it true bypass??
1:40 dat happy face the roland pedal do on the bottom.
Dude, that is a fantastic guitar and THAT is the tone you get out of it?
The main problem I have with every guitar pedal review I've ever watched is that people only seem to play boring classic or southern rock chord progressions and riffs. I never get to hear the pedals the way I'd play with them.
Paul rules!
One of the keys to playing on a delay pedal is to let notes rest so the delay can be heard. I demoed a Moog delay to a buddy of mine and he pattern solod all over it and totally missed the sounds of the pedal. You are right though.