modalconfusion Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Hi this is my first post and to be honest I'm not sure I am in the correct place, so please be kind. As a band we are trying out various effects. For vocals we are thinking of purchasing a Roland RE 20 I believe which is a modern version of their Space Echo that was around in the seventies. Does anyone know how effective or suitable this unit will be for vocals, as most of the things I am reading refer to instruments being connected into it. You may say a microphone is the vocalist's instrument but I need to be sure without letting go of the money. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkPAman Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 It's not designed to have a mic plugged directly into it, but can be used as an effects unit plugged into a mixing desk (see page 11 of the manual). I used to own a space echo (I loaned it to a friend who then died, and I've no idea what happened to it), which I used for big and obvious effects on vocals with a couple of the bands I worked with. I tended to find it was not as good as other units for the subtle stuff. I've not used an RE 20 as such, so can't comment on that, though the one built into the M400 & M380 is good & I use it from time to time in much the same way as I used the Space Echo :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinE Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 It will sound great on vocals, for that 1950's rock n roll vocal (eg Gene Vincent Be Bopa Lula, Big Bopper Chantilly lace) or something psychedelic from the 60's. I'd use it on a send-return off the main desk. I assume you're familiar with the distinctive sound of tape echo (or its modern simulation!) compared to a reverb unit; if in doubt, try one first. I think it's badged under the Boss name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter F Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 As a band we are trying out various effects. If you are just playing around at seeing what you can do with effects then a multi effects processor might be a more suitable purchase. A cheap and cheerful suggestion would be a Behringer FEX800. At under 40 quid it should give you the chance to try out some different effects without breaking the bank. Edit: Just noticed that this much nicer rack mounted Behringer unit can be found for just under 80 quid. I've used one of these and they are reasonably well built. Bit fiddly to find your way around but there's actually some quite decent effects in there, especially when you consider the price. The disadvantage of the more expensive unit is that it doesn't have a footswitch option. Whether you need this option depend very much on where and how you intend to use your effects unit. Cheers, Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimmyP1955 Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 The TC M300 is a very nice, affordable unit. Dunno about the new one, but the original Space Echo was a dreadful piece of kit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbuckley Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Dunno about the new one, but the original Space Echo was a dreadful piece of kit.Hell yeah. Fun, but not what you would call a "solid performer". Thank your chosen deity for digital effects units. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benweblight Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 If you want good Space Echo type sounds for vocals then the Roland SDE-330 (the rackmount version) will give you this; however these are rare and sell for £200-300+ so you are probably better off with a more versatile multi-fx unit such as those mentioned above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackerr Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 The TC M300 is a very nice, affordable unit. Dunno about the new one, but the original Space Echo was a dreadful piece of kit. Compared to what is available today, or even what was available 10 years ago, yes the RE-201 was dreadful. However, in its day it was a fairly advanced FX box. I created all the sound effects for the original NY production of ALW's "Cats". I used a Roland RE-301 for echo and reverb on Ken Page's voice at the end of the show where Grizabella is on the lift. When I saw the show 11 years later and heard that same cue being used I cringed, but it was still there when the show finally closed. Had I had one, I could have used a Lexicon 224, but today even that would not have been up to snuff. If you have one with a working tape loop it would be fun to experiment with, but there will be better audio quality available somewhere else. To reload the tape cartridge you should use 1/4" lubricated tape, like that used in NAB carts and 8 track carts. Mac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbuckley Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 ... the RE-201 ... in its day it was a fairly advanced FX box. It was, but in the UK in the day we had the HH multi-echo, and although it didn't have reverb, it did better and more interesting echos. Random picture from net of a machine that has lived some life, and had the footswitch socket replaced by a toggle switch... http://ekadek.com/wp-content/images/hh_may.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackerr Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 ... the RE-201 ... in its day it was a fairly advanced FX box. It was, but in the UK in the day we had the HH multi-echo, and although it didn't have reverb, it did better and more interesting echos. Random picture from net of a machine that has lived some life, and had the footswitch socket replaced by a toggle switch... http://ekadek.com/wp-content/images/hh_may.jpg Since HH had a pretty good reputation for electronics I expect the electronics in the HH Multi Echo were better than the Roland. How were the echos more interesting? It appears in the photo to have a pretty similar setup of playback heads, which appear fixed as they were in the Roland. The Echoplex had 1 movable head. The different echo effects were created by a selector switch that chose which, and how many heads were being used at any one time. The spring reverb was crap, and didn't sound anywhere near as good as a Shure VocalMaster, which had a reasonable spring. Actual good springs were an order of magnitude more expensive. Mac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinE Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Given the derogatory comments so far made about tape echo, it's worth noting that the OP is talking about a modern solid-state version of the Space Echo. http://www.bosscorp.co.jp/products/com/RE-20/images/top_L.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbuckley Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 It's a thread swerve, brought about by the insightful comment "but the original Space Echo was a dreadful piece of kit" :) Knowing Roland, and the care they've gone to duplicate the lovely Dimension-D in more modern products, the RE20 is probably a great immitation of the original, in which case if theres a particular space echo sound you just have to have then its the thing to get, 'cos you really dont want the real thing. But frankly I'd rather have just about anything else that has rack ears! Mac: The HH had independent selector buttons for each of the four playback heads for both the echo out, and the regeneration path, which could be used on any combination, and by having different buttons selected for output and regen you got many interesting variations of echos. Best thing around, in its day, I reckon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lightsource Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 It's a thread swerve. Actually it isn't. The OP never discussed the intended purpose for the Space Echo. As a band we are trying out various effects. [/Quote] So, what other effects are you 'trying out', and what effects are you actually trying to create? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimmyP1955 Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 My compliant about the original Space Echo is about 25% that the quality was poor owing to the tape system, and about 75% that it didn't do anything that I liked. A pristine version of those same wholly uninteresting effects....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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