Boss RE-202 Space Echo Advanced Delay Pedal Overview
Boss RE-202 Space Echo Advanced Delay Pedal
The legendary tape delay authentically recreated and enhanced in an advanced, feature-packed stompbox.
Return Of A Masterpiece
Few effects units are as renowned and sought-after as the Roland RE-201 Space Echo. The original RE-201 is a truly magical unit that makes anything you run through sound better. Guitar, bass, voice, keyboard or synthesizer - the Space Echo will enhance it with characteristic warmth and lushness. Whilst vintage units can still be found in top recording studios around the world, they’re expensive and require more maintenance than a modern effects unit so aren’t often used live. With the RE-202, BOSS has captured the unique sound and behaviour of the iconic Roland Space Echo and condensed it into a rugged, pedalboard-friendly form factor. Combined with useful upgrades such as preset memories, true stereo I/O and tap tempo, the BOSS RE-202 is the Space Echo for the modern musician.
Authentic Tape Sound
Whilst the BOSS RE-202 doesn’t run on tape like the old-school Roland RE-201, it’s sonically indistinguishable from the vintage model. Groundbreaking innovations, intensive R&D and intimate knowledge of the original unit mean the RE-202 and its compact sibling the RE-2 are the most authentic-sounding and behaving recreations of the Space Echo yet. When it comes to the Space Echo, no-one understands what makes that hallowed unit tick like Roland and BOSS. Several vintage RE-201 units, including a pristine example from the Roland and BOSS archive, and the original schematics were meticulously analysed to bring the RE-201 to life.
Modern Recreation
The RE-202 delay pedal delivers all the colour and character that made the RE-201 special - minus the need to replace the tape and maintain the hardware. The hands-on nature of the original’s control panel and the trademark 12-position mode selector has been retained, allowing you to dial-in spatial effects and ambiences with ease. Thanks to newly developed algorithms, the way the controls behave have been modelled with astounding accuracy. From the gradual pitch shift as you adjust the Repeat Rate knob to the runaway self-oscillation as you dime the Intensity knob - all of it has been faithfully replicated.
New To Vintage
The selectable tape age and variable controls let you gradually shift from a factory-fresh Space Echo to a well-used vintage unit. The engineers at BOSS have calibrated the Saturation control to match the exact behaviour of the RE-201’s magnetic tape and preamp. As you increase the Saturation, you introduce more warmth and compression to the sound. The Wow & Flutter knob imparts the lush and unpredictable natural modulation that’s closely associated with the Space Echo.
Expanded Capabilities
BOSS bring the Space Echo sound into the 21st Century by introducing a host of modern features and enhancements. For a start, the delay time has been doubled and a fourth virtural tape head is available for five more rhythmic combinations. A new Echo Type feature alters the distance between the “heads”, letting you conjure up textures that weren’t attainable on the original. Synth players are catered for with the true stereo inputs and outputs and selectable operation for line-level instruments. You can also choose whether your signal is given some fat tape-colour from the RE-201 preamp or left unprocessed.
Extra Reverb Modes
In addition to the famous Spring Reverb that graced the RE-201, the RE-202 also boasts four additional modes - Ambience, Room, Plate and Hall. All of the RE-202’s reverb modes, including the Spring, run in stereo. Performers will love the Warp and Twist effects that allow you to instantly take off into the cosmos by pressing down on a footswitch.
Effortless Control
Once you’ve dialled in a favourite setting, you can store it in one of the four onboard memories to recall later. 123 extra memories can be accessed using MIDI program change. A dedicated tap tempo switch lets you keep your repeats in sync and an optional delay carryover maintains the repeat rate as you change memories. You can also mute your dry signal if you’re running a parallel effect rig or using the RE-202 as a bus effect in the studio. External footswitches or an expression pedal can be hooked up for real-time, simultaneous tweaking of multiple parameters.
If you’re looking for a one-stop-shop for jaw-dropping ambiences, effects and textures - there’s nothing quite like the BOSS RE-202 Space Echo.
>> Click here to learn more about the BOSS RE Space Echo series <<
- 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
- Sampling Frequency: 48 kHz
- AD Conversion: 24 bits + AF method, AF method (Adaptive Focus method) This is a proprietary method from Roland & BOSS that vastly improves the signal-to-noise (SN) ratio of the AD converter.
- DA Conversion: 32 bits
- Processing: 32-bit floating point
- Modes: 12 modes
- Memory: 127 + Manual
- Nominal Input Level: INPUT A/MONO, INPUT B: -10 dBu
- Maximum Input Level: INPUT A/MONO, INPUT B: +7 dBu
- Input Impedance: INPUT A/MONO, INPUT B: 1 M ohm
- Nominal Output Level: OUTPUT A/MONO, OUTPUT B: -10 dBu
- Maximum Output Level: OUTPUT A/MONO, OUTPUT B: +7 dBu
- Output Impedance: OUTPUT A/MONO, OUTPUT B: 1 k ohm
- Recommended Load Impedance: OUTPUT A/MONO, OUTPUT B: 10 k ohms or greater
- Bypass: Buffered bypass
- Controls: ON/OFF switch, MEMORY switch, TAP switch, SATURATION knob, WOW & FLUTTER knob, MODE SELECTOR knob, BASS knob, TREBLE knob, REVERB VOL knob, REPEAT RATE knob, INTENSITY knob, ECHO VOL knob, MEMORY button, INPUT button, TAPE button
- Power Supply: AC adaptor
- Current Draw: 140 mA
- INPUT A/MONO jack, INTPUT B jack, OUTPUT A/MONO jack, OUTPUT B jack: 1/4-inch phone type
- CTL 1, 2/EXP jack: 1/4-inch TRS phone type
- MIDI (IN, OUT) jacks: Stereo miniature phone type
- DC IN jack
- USB port: USB micro B-type (program update only)
- 192 (W) x 133 (D) x 52 (H) mm / 7-9/16 (W) x 5-15/64 (D) x 2-3/64 (H) inches
- 192 (W) x 133 (D) x 53 (H) mm / 7-9/16 (W) x 5-15/64 (D) x 2-3/32 (H) inches (including rubber foot)
- 860 g, 1 lb 15 oz
- AC adaptor
- Owner's Manual
- Leaflet ("USING THE UNIT SAFELY," "IMPORTANT NOTES," and "Information")
- Rubber foot
- Footswitch: FS-5U
- Dual footswitch: FS-6, FS-7
- Expression pedal: FV-500H, FV-500L, EV-30, Roland EV-5
- MIDI/TRS connecting cable: BMIDI-5-35, BMIDI-1-35, BMIDI-2-35, BCC-1-3535, BCC-2-3535
- * 0 dBu = 0.775 Vrms
