This thing sounds great! Love the Space Echoes. The RE-301 is my favourite. My Roland Space Echo story: Years ago there was a Cash Convertors on my way to work. I always used to pop in to keep an eye on the music stuff they had. I was in a rush one day and decided to skip a visit. It was very nearly a terrible decision. As I rushed past I couldn't help myself at least glance in the window. Something caught my eye. No, it couldn't be could it? I stopped dead in my tracks. There in the window was the unmistakable vinyl covered cabinet and black and green fascia of a Roland Space Echo. "Amazing! What a find." I thought. It was a 301, the one with built in chorus. "How much?" I wondered. "Cheap as chips, I hope." The price tag was partially hidden by some HiFi equipment. I wasn't holding my breath. The guys were quite savvy in this particular shop and the Internet was common enough even then (early 2000s) that there was a good chance they might have Googled its value; £500-£600 at the time. I peered at the price tag. I could see the word Roland, I assumed the next ones would be Space Echo, but no they weren't. Hallelujah! They've no idea what it is. The label read "Roland Video Editing Machine." How much indeed, you wonder. Well, it was in perfect condition cosmetically and whilst the lights came on and the tape span, it was pretty much DOA. They had nothing to test it with in the shop so I just took the chance. I left it with my tech anyway assuming I hadn't been as lucky as I thought. I get a call a few hours later. "It's ready. Just needed servicing. Strange unit, very early serial number. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a pre-production model, for reviews and the like." £75 that beauty cost me, incuding the service. Where is it now? Long gone sadly. We were musicians knocking about on the dole or jumping between odd jobs. One month it had to go. Where else was I going to get my rent from? Eviction or Roland Space Echo is a tough call. Still not sure I made the right decision even to this day! ;-)
I was just about to angry type "WHAT? ROLANDS SPACE ECHO? FORGOTTEN?!" Note to myself: Watch the Video before writing comments. Bummer, I'm now just about one Minute into the video ... I'll never learn!
@@AlexBallMusic Sure you did. Still I was blown away into being 9yo watching "Space 1999" by the sound of a RE-201 in positive feedback ;) Sorry, which delay you're talking about? Was a bit distracted!
@@AlexBallMusic You might be interested to hear to what you inspire your audience. Your "Cop Theme"-Video made me think about that scene where Inspector Keller and Lt. Stone were waiting for the vaillans in the dark in front of that old warehouse ... ;) soundcloud.com/fhellmuth/stevekeller Funny thing, that texture sound in the background is Symphobia Pandora, could be a Moog or Arp from the 70ties. ;) PS.: Sorry, it's from Sonuscores' Elysion!
One last ... What about a Steve Lipson Roland JX8P-Video? I mean ... Frankie goes to Hollywood?! Here's my try: soundcloud.com/fhellmuth/pg8x-demo-frankie-goes-to-hollywood
When I was younger, my dad sold his Space-Echo to buy me a camera. I love that camera, but I really miss that weird tape-fed delay sound. Years later, he got me the rerelease one pedal for my birthday. Still sounds amazing!
I think one of the things that makes people prefer analog equipment is that they generally have large knobs. Look how tiny the knob are on this thing. Giving me finger cramps just watching it.
0:00 Intro 0:45 The RE-5 Digital Space Echo 1:50 Space Echo 1 Demo 2:36 Space Echo 2 Demo 3:22 Space Echo 3 Demo 4:17 Rev Echo 1 Demo 5:03 Rev Echo 2 Demo 5:40 Self Oscillation 6:56 Digital Glitching with drums 7:40 Things get curious... 9:05 Outro Jam The track at the end can be downloaded here: alexball.bandcamp.com/track/space-echo-jam One note - the tape wow and flutter is actually from the RE-5 and isn't an effect I added. It seems digital tape emulation was a thing even in 1988.
Your jam at the end was stellar, such a good feel. Having great gear is awesome, but it take some magic to make these machines sing like this. Have you ever done any composition work Alex? would love to hear you soundtrack something long form.
Love the content on this channel. Alex you are always an inspiration for us musicians. I was wondering if it was possible for you to upload the midi stems from any of your covers for the community to further study, especially since I'm a new composer. This would really help. Thanks.
When it comes to this kind of equipment, Alex Ball’s ‘educated guess’ can be regarded as a very well informed, PhD-educated, highly plausible guess. But that’s just me... great video as always!
Back in the 80s i was with a local band for a while; they played a sort of latin/funk/rock kind of music and consisted of a Fender Rhodes played by the leader/composer, drums, bass, electric guitar, sax, flute, and me on the mixer. One day on a gig the leader told me to go all out crazy on the RE-201 on one particular number, so i would "jam" with the speed and depth control on the RE, as well as the pan and fader on the mixer. Boy that was fun!
Thank you. Yes, I'm very lucky with what I'm loaned for videos because I've never heard of a lot of it myself. Makes it kind of a joint exploration with the viewers.
That is indeed an SH-1000. It's been on a long term loan and will return to its owner sometime after the current lockdown. Enjoyed having it around for a year or so.
@@AlexBallMusic I sincerely hope you and your familly are OK ! Thank you for all of your videos, your music, and all the positive energy ! they are priceless at the moment
@@LouisSerieusement Thank you. Yes, we're keeping OK. Groundhog Day but really we've nothing to complain about compared to some. I've used some of the time to get the ARP documentary finished so that'll be hitting very soon. :) Hope you're safe and well?
@@AlexBallMusic Cool ! Can't wait the Arp documentary :p I watch lot's of music related doc, but yours always nailed it, probably because you are a fantastic musician and awesome engineer ^^ ..Thanks for the great content :p I'm lucky I have basic income that almost pays the rent so it's fine :) and I still teach music to people around the earth (via whatsapp and teamviewer) so my life is not that different and I can't complain at all ; my familly is safe (even my little sister who works at the hospital in Mulhouse..for now she is strong and calm and I call here everyday) Plus Studio environement is a lot safer than any place (most of the time) :) Cheers and good luck ! See you later in the Arp documentary comment section :p
Thanks. Hopefully everyone will have time to watch a two hour synth documentary given the situation. Glad you're doing OK. The work situation is tricky for sure, so good to hear you've got some safety net to soften the blow. Stay safe and see you on the next one. 🙂
5:47 "Alan Carter presses his hands on his ears with his face distorted from the pain, while the Psychons send the telepathic message 'Kill Comander Koenig!' Can Helena save the day?" I miss the seventies! ;)
@@AlexBallMusic I swear, for a fraction of a second I looked like this vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/aliens/images/2/24/KrenoAnimal.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20160402025158 when you set the RE-201 in self-oscillating mode.
Ah. Puts a SPRING in my step on this gray day trapped indoors DAMPING my spirits. Since I missed commenting on the last video, thought I'd give into the IMPULSE to write one without DELAY. I see there is plenty of ROOM SIZE for more comments to ECHO the general sentiments of another fine video production. Upon REFLECTION, I think your Karaoke analysis is spot-on right out of the GATE. It's definitely not all WET, as we used to say in the U.S.
Being locked down leaves me with all the time in the world to watch your kickass videos! The RE5 is an oddity for sure. Sound is pretty ehhhh. Thanks for sharing it with us!
listening to this thing on studio monitors gave me the chills! Alex I have a question. The jams you compose usually to demo gear, are they mixed/mastered by yourself? Sounds so crisp
Thanks. I usually mix / master these little jams myself but my proper performance tracks have been mostly mixed by Jakob at Sonic Peak for about 9 months or so now. Another of those will be up next week.
Hello, I have one of these units and it is in need of repair, I've been searching high and low for a service manual, but to no avail. You wouldn't happen to have the schematics would you?
Dave stewart really amazing considering the sweet dreams album was made at home on 8 track with not a lot more than a great british spring reverb , a juno , a movement drums , prophet , simmons and lot of vocal talent
Very nice video, glad to see the RE-5 finally given some time in the spotlight! :) I've had one of these for a couple years and its a weird and rare bird indeed, very clean and at times sterile sound but the EQ can warm things up sufficiently and it definitely has a character to it. My unit has no English labelling with everything in japanese which is a fun stand-out quirk. Like your guesses I am pretty positive given this units I/O and japanese market exclusivity it was ment for karaoke bars at the time which is very popular there.
A-ha, you have the other one! ;) Can't be many of these knocking around. Interesting to know there's a Japanese only version. Makes sense given the intended market. Is your digital display in Japanese too?
Alex Ball Indeed I do :) The display is the same as in your video, the parameter labels however are lined up in the flip-out hatch like this, apologies for a bit of dust, this surface has proven difficult to keep speck-free! i.imgur.com/y7dybNT.jpg
I used to find tons of these in stores where I live. As I had a real space Echo, I just didn’t want to listen to it but it actually sounds pretty good.
@@AlexBallMusic I looked it up, and apparently they used an AMS DMX 15-80S digital delay on Karma Police. They also did use a 201, on Subterranean Homesick Alien, specifically. Pretty cool
My experience with the RE-201 was that the thing was very temperamental regarding the tape loop. The motor was good, the spindle maybe needed replacing (rubber parts dry rot). I also kept a spool of tape handy for replacing the loop, which was fairly often. The sound (when working) is VERY lush, but tapey sounding. While it looks very retro/cool, I'll take a digital delay any day.
That sounds absolutely great! I was expecting it to be terrible, but I have one of the original tape/reverb units and this sounds almost the same. Seriously. Would you be able to tell if you didn’t see it that this was digital?
Alex Ball it is! It has a special cartridge that takes a lot more tape than the 201 loop. My 200 sounds different than my 301, but it could be mostly from the tape.
Oddly I was looking for info on the RE-5 just a few days before this video popped up - are you spying on my RUclips searches? :) Weird. Anyway this popped up as one of the few pieces of info on this. I own an RE-3 (Digital Space Echo) which seems to be the same engine in a more pro 1U package, an RE-501 Chorus Echo (tape) and a DC-50 Digital Chorus (not digital), so a bit of an odd mix to be sure. I like the glitchy noises you can get out of the RE-3 due to the control stepping (not enough bits for smoothing back then) and the wobbly Warmth control is proper wonky. The DC-50 has a nice chorus but also a weird hall setting that can go dub-wild with no input present, just wind up the Intensity knob, presumably the internal noise of the unit feeding back. The RE-501 is just sublime.
Very interesting. I just looked up the DC-50 and read that it's actually analogue as you say. I guess digital was the future so they were trying to boast that equipment was digital, even if that was tenuous. The Promars is analogue and has very primitive memory on it and so they slapped "Compuphonic" in massive letters on it. Even my ARP Odyssey documentation states in large letters that it had a digital ring modulator. All that actually means is that some of the components are digital, but the whole synth is analogue. Funny hey. Very interested to try the RE-3 and the 501 too if I ever find one. There's quite a few other quirky Roland and Boss units that would make for interesting videos.
Yeah I reckon so. Can't think of any other application that would warrant this combination of inputs and outputs. Would love to know for sure! I borrowed it, I'd never heard of it before.
edit: found out the RE-3 which preceded this was $750 or 600 pounds and only mono instead of stereo input....so the RE-5 must have been even more expensive like $900-1000 🙀 and these don't have a big feature set like the then available DEP5, so it makes sense there was no market...just got a like new one from Japan but oddly the english script and chart for the little buttons is completely missing...the inside back panel is completely black which I've seen in other youtube vids. April 6th edit: I tried the AUX inputs and they didn't work from my Juno-6, but then it was on the VD1 input (how do you change inputs?). Interestingly I noticed you plugged in your SH-1 into mic 1 input, since it's a mono synth. However, I've found that plugging in the stereo output from my Juno-6 into mic1 and mic2 acts like a stereo input and works really well. 🙂 This is a very nice natural warm sounding reverb and echo, with more depth than my Strymon Brig, El Capistan and Cloudburst (which all sound nice but not the same level).
For a long time I was buying up tons of late 80s and early 90s reverbs and delays that I remember from my early studio days. The problem I've found is that when they die, fixing them gets very expensive. :(
Nice. I looked at the RE-3 to see if the RE-5 is related and they're totally different. The RE-3 seems much more common. Probably because it isn't a weird karaoke system! Hopefully try one at some point.
Love this jam!! Sounds lovely. Definitely produced for karaoke applications. Hence the BGM input and look. Sold my Space Echo 201 because i have the Korg Stage Echo and it sounds better. #unpopularopinion I don’t keep gear because it’s famous and looks good, i’m a creator not a collector.
@@AlexBallMusic I liked the one I owned. A simple solid state echo, on a par with the units that came out under many brand names such as Melos. I sold the DC-30 during a bout of student induced poverty, but don't really miss it. Wish I could say the same for the Roland RE-501 Chorus Echo (the top of the line space echo) that I owned back then. Bought second hand for £100 from Andertons in Guildford when they were just a small backstreet shop, circa 1992.
@@AlexBallMusic Sounds a bit dull and the quality fades as the delay goes on, standard analogue bucket brigade business though, I kind of like it though for the qualities listed. It's also got a chorus in it too only it's never worked on mine, probably why it was binned, should be easy to fix though when I ever get round to it!
Cooool Find!! and very Interesting. However, That thing needs a good cleaning. Especially the VFD tube and the plastic window in front of it. Both sides. ;-)
Thanks for this! I got a few ideas to try out. And the digital glitching by itself can be used as a sort of effect in films/videos when the scene demands... Or at least that's what I think. I might just use your glitching demo here to experiment with, if that's okay?
I'd love to know for certain what the video input / output are for but it seems like it's for lyric read outs for karaoke and it runs through the RE-5 for sync reasons.
That jam at the end gives me quite vaporwareish feel. So, is there a difference between the sound the synths produce today and 30 years ago? Old ones feel more... Warm?
Vintage synths and FX sound like classic records because that's what they were used to make, yes. There's plenty of vintage turkeys, but the best sounding synths I've ever heard are all from the 70s or early 80s.
wooow! sounds amazing on drums, a bit like Marie Davidson - Work It (Soulwax remix). Are there any plug-ins that would produce a similar effect on drums?
No week goes by without me seeing one of these in YT-videos, so to me it seems hardly forgotten. some have usses with the tape, though. So it needs some more maintenance.
@@AlexBallMusic I admit/confess, I didn't watch it yet, but the title wasn't too inviting to me because of this. I rather often see people claiming things to be forgotten (a.o. Stewart Copeland of the Police) because they don't know them. Apologies for being premature.
Thanks Frits. The title and thumbnail are designed to seem curious and actually the answer is in the thumbnail itself, it's just not what it seems. I did make sure to answer that within the first minute of the film though, but can understand some confusion if someone hasn't watched it.
@@AlexBallMusic Thx for the explanation. I start my day with scanning what youtube offers. I watch one or two easy digestible vlogs, and mark those that need/deserve more attention for later. Yours was one of the latter. When needed, IMO, I sometimes add a comment, based on face value. In a way risky business ;-)
Alex, just gotta say...this channel is phenomenal. Such an excellent source of content and produced so well. Great work!
Thank you!
Alex, you’re too talented for YT, you need to get on TT :)
This thing sounds great! Love the Space Echoes. The RE-301 is my favourite. My Roland Space Echo story: Years ago there was a Cash Convertors on my way to work. I always used to pop in to keep an eye on the music stuff they had. I was in a rush one day and decided to skip a visit. It was very nearly a terrible decision. As I rushed past I couldn't help myself at least glance in the window. Something caught my eye. No, it couldn't be could it? I stopped dead in my tracks. There in the window was the unmistakable vinyl covered cabinet and black and green fascia of a Roland Space Echo. "Amazing! What a find." I thought. It was a 301, the one with built in chorus. "How much?" I wondered. "Cheap as chips, I hope." The price tag was partially hidden by some HiFi equipment. I wasn't holding my breath. The guys were quite savvy in this particular shop and the Internet was common enough even then (early 2000s) that there was a good chance they might have Googled its value; £500-£600 at the time. I peered at the price tag. I could see the word Roland, I assumed the next ones would be Space Echo, but no they weren't. Hallelujah! They've no idea what it is. The label read "Roland Video Editing Machine." How much indeed, you wonder. Well, it was in perfect condition cosmetically and whilst the lights came on and the tape span, it was pretty much DOA. They had nothing to test it with in the shop so I just took the chance. I left it with my tech anyway assuming I hadn't been as lucky as I thought. I get a call a few hours later. "It's ready. Just needed servicing. Strange unit, very early serial number. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a pre-production model, for reviews and the like." £75 that beauty cost me, incuding the service. Where is it now? Long gone sadly. We were musicians knocking about on the dole or jumping between odd jobs. One month it had to go. Where else was I going to get my rent from? Eviction or Roland Space Echo is a tough call. Still not sure I made the right decision even to this day! ;-)
great story haha
The horror!! At least you had fun with it :)
Oh well, least you had a few dirty weekends with it!
Forgotten? I never knew it existed!
we have so DEEPLY forgot it that we even don't have any souvenirs of it 😂
There's no device that Alex can't get some good sounds out of. Even a digital karaoke echo unit.
That's the secret of the channel. Musical genius goes a long way to hide the shortcomings of a piece of gear.
The RE-5 might be a reskinned DEP-5 with fewer options.
actually its an updated RE-3 with more options 😌
I was just about to angry type "WHAT? ROLANDS SPACE ECHO? FORGOTTEN?!" Note to myself: Watch the Video before writing comments. Bummer, I'm now just about one Minute into the video ... I'll never learn!
Haha. Well, the video title is designed to provoke that thought but I at least delivered with a genuinely forgotten Space Echo.
@@AlexBallMusic Sure you did. Still I was blown away into being 9yo watching "Space 1999" by the sound of a RE-201 in positive feedback ;) Sorry, which delay you're talking about? Was a bit distracted!
About to do the same....
@@AlexBallMusic You might be interested to hear to what you inspire your audience. Your "Cop Theme"-Video made me think about that scene where Inspector Keller and Lt. Stone were waiting for the vaillans in the dark in front of that old warehouse ... ;) soundcloud.com/fhellmuth/stevekeller Funny thing, that texture sound in the background is Symphobia Pandora, could be a Moog or Arp from the 70ties. ;) PS.: Sorry, it's from Sonuscores' Elysion!
One last ... What about a Steve Lipson Roland JX8P-Video? I mean ... Frankie goes to Hollywood?! Here's my try: soundcloud.com/fhellmuth/pg8x-demo-frankie-goes-to-hollywood
When I was younger, my dad sold his Space-Echo to buy me a camera. I love that camera, but I really miss that weird tape-fed delay sound.
Years later, he got me the rerelease one pedal for my birthday. Still sounds amazing!
Yes, something beautiful about those fluttery tape delays.
I just love all these old school f/x units that are digital. Adds some character to the sounds. Nice video as usual :)
I think one of the things that makes people prefer analog equipment is that they generally have large knobs.
Look how tiny the knob are on this thing. Giving me finger cramps just watching it.
digital love I prefer large knobs too.
Yep absolutely. Bigger gear feels more like an instrument and allows for more precision.
Large knobs are more fun to polish.
basically the same as the re 20 digital dual pedal
@@AlexBallMusic Very true! I have in fact just made a separate comment about "jamming out" with an RE-201.
0:00 Intro
0:45 The RE-5 Digital Space Echo
1:50 Space Echo 1 Demo
2:36 Space Echo 2 Demo
3:22 Space Echo 3 Demo
4:17 Rev Echo 1 Demo
5:03 Rev Echo 2 Demo
5:40 Self Oscillation
6:56 Digital Glitching with drums
7:40 Things get curious...
9:05 Outro Jam
The track at the end can be downloaded here: alexball.bandcamp.com/track/space-echo-jam
One note - the tape wow and flutter is actually from the RE-5 and isn't an effect I added. It seems digital tape emulation was a thing even in 1988.
:)
Your jam at the end was stellar, such a good feel. Having great gear is awesome, but it take some magic to make these machines sing like this. Have you ever done any composition work Alex? would love to hear you soundtrack something long form.
That's the best use of a TB-303 I've heard in a long while! Great vid, thanks :)
Thanks. TB-303 hooked up into the System 100m for triple oscillator fun.
@@AlexBallMusic Great idea!
Love the content on this channel. Alex you are always an inspiration for us musicians. I was wondering if it was possible for you to upload the midi stems from any of your covers for the community to further study, especially since I'm a new composer. This would really help. Thanks.
The upper harmonics really pop with that reverb, love it!
Que vídeo incrível. Esse aparelho RE-5 é basicamente um reverb para karaoke. Vc transformou ele num monstro sonoro !! Muito bom mesmo !!
I remember this from my voyages through space.
Were you passing Jupiter or are you more Promars?
@@AlexBallMusic Haha, I saw a Fantom on Juno and was scared so returned to Cubase.
Dude this is the best channel you have turned me onto so much cool gear thank brosef
I really like the sound of this unit
Yes, it's pretty cool. If I can figure out how to sample convolutions I'll try and make impulses of it.
Awesome as always! There’s something inherently cool about those fluorescent 80s screens, yeah and it actually sounds pretty dope as well 😅
Yes, reminds me of the digital display on the Roland JX-8P. Also love the digital signal lights too, so satisfying to look at.
Always happy to see a new vid from you. Great stuff!
Thanks Jamie
Only the best niche and nerdy gems on this channel, you really know your stuff
Thanks! I get a lot of help, but it's great to be able to indulge esoteric interests.
Thank you for making this video!
When it comes to this kind of equipment, Alex Ball’s ‘educated guess’ can be regarded as a very well informed, PhD-educated, highly plausible guess. But that’s just me... great video as always!
It'll probably turn out that I'm wrong 😆
The more you know the less you think you know ^^
That display reminded me the 1st vhs cassette player i watched cartoons on. Nostalgia hits so hard, daaang
Another great video there Alex.. loving the channel
I had an RE-201 Space Echo, and my friend modified it to have "sound on sound," a precursor to looping.
Back in the 80s i was with a local band for a while; they played a sort of latin/funk/rock kind of music and consisted of a Fender Rhodes played by the leader/composer, drums, bass, electric guitar, sax, flute, and me on the mixer. One day on a gig the leader told me to go all out crazy on the RE-201 on one particular number, so i would "jam" with the speed and depth control on the RE, as well as the pan and fader on the mixer. Boy that was fun!
This was an excellent vid... Informative and a lovely close-out Jam....
Merci pour toutes tes vidéos Alex ;) Paix
Good stuff man! I much enjoy these dives into (obscure) pieces of kit. They are always inspiring. Despite not having access to the hardware myself.
Thank you. Yes, I'm very lucky with what I'm loaned for videos because I've never heard of a lot of it myself. Makes it kind of a joint exploration with the viewers.
Apex twin and boards of canada .....
They probably didn't have this unit but damn close in sound on a few tracks
A fine and dandy video...as always interesting and joyful to watch
Looks like an SH-1000 in your collection there... Just love the jam at the end, what a lovely fusion of tech.
That is indeed an SH-1000. It's been on a long term loan and will return to its owner sometime after the current lockdown. Enjoyed having it around for a year or so.
@@AlexBallMusic Crikey, it's a marvellous sounding machine.
Yet another amazing video!!! Thanks!
All hail the Space Echo and it's prophets the Echoplex, the Copicat, and the Binson Echorec!
Thank you so much for sharing your findings ! That was a very fun video and the jam at the end put a smile on my face :p
take care, cheers :) :) :)
Thanks. :)
@@AlexBallMusic I sincerely hope you and your familly are OK ! Thank you for all of your videos, your music, and all the positive energy ! they are priceless at the moment
@@LouisSerieusement Thank you. Yes, we're keeping OK. Groundhog Day but really we've nothing to complain about compared to some.
I've used some of the time to get the ARP documentary finished so that'll be hitting very soon. :)
Hope you're safe and well?
@@AlexBallMusic Cool ! Can't wait the Arp documentary :p
I watch lot's of music related doc, but yours always nailed it, probably because you are a fantastic musician and awesome engineer ^^ ..Thanks for the great content :p
I'm lucky I have basic income that almost pays the rent so it's fine :) and I still teach music to people around the earth (via whatsapp and teamviewer) so my life is not that different and I can't complain at all ; my familly is safe (even my little sister who works at the hospital in Mulhouse..for now she is strong and calm and I call here everyday)
Plus Studio environement is a lot safer than any place (most of the time) :)
Cheers and good luck !
See you later in the Arp documentary comment section :p
Thanks. Hopefully everyone will have time to watch a two hour synth documentary given the situation.
Glad you're doing OK. The work situation is tricky for sure, so good to hear you've got some safety net to soften the blow.
Stay safe and see you on the next one. 🙂
7:11 very bill nelson sound, immediately thought drums when I heard that oscillation
@@manfromdelmonty303 me too. Funkadelic would get echos to do stuff similar to this with tiki Fulwoods drums but not as quick delay times back then.
The bass line on that ending song!!! Man I love it!!
Thanks. The serendipity of jamming with that weird 303 sequencer, you get bass lines like that. :)
5:47 "Alan Carter presses his hands on his ears with his face distorted from the pain, while the Psychons send the telepathic message 'Kill Comander Koenig!' Can Helena save the day?"
I miss the seventies! ;)
F. Herumusu WOW! You must be my age! I actually got the reference. And I agree.
Exactly that!
@@AlexBallMusic I swear, for a fraction of a second I looked like this vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/aliens/images/2/24/KrenoAnimal.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20160402025158
when you set the RE-201 in self-oscillating mode.
@@wingflanagan 52 now. High-risk group, as they call us now. :D
Excellent as ever, and love the track at the end. 👌🏻
Ah. Puts a SPRING in my step on this gray day trapped indoors DAMPING my spirits. Since I missed commenting on the last video, thought I'd give into the IMPULSE to write one without DELAY. I see there is plenty of ROOM SIZE for more comments to ECHO the general sentiments of another fine video production. Upon REFLECTION, I think your Karaoke analysis is spot-on right out of the GATE. It's definitely not all WET, as we used to say in the U.S.
Cracking outro tune as always!
I added MIDI IN to my JUNO-6. It's a Godsend! Cool vid!
Being locked down leaves me with all the time in the world to watch your kickass videos! The RE5 is an oddity for sure. Sound is pretty ehhhh. Thanks for sharing it with us!
Thanks for watching! Yes, the RE-5 was something I was pretty confident nobody would have heard of. An oddity as you say.
listening to this thing on studio monitors gave me the chills! Alex I have a question. The jams you compose usually to demo gear, are they mixed/mastered by yourself? Sounds so crisp
Thanks. I usually mix / master these little jams myself but my proper performance tracks have been mostly mixed by Jakob at Sonic Peak for about 9 months or so now. Another of those will be up next week.
Great episode! Never heard of that...
Next up on bad gear...
@@AlexBallMusic After the Corona lockdown for sure ;)
@@AudioPilz Can the Corona Virus itself be used as "Bad Gear"?
@@AlexBallMusic Why, cough, not, chough...
Does it do metal mate?
Better off with h9 or something similar . Most metal dosent need the space that that gives.👍
but do it djent?
Hello, I have one of these units and it is in need of repair, I've been searching high and low for a service manual, but to no avail. You wouldn't happen to have the schematics would you?
For me the early Human League and Dave Stewart Eurythmics. Again another excellent video Alex thank you.
Dave stewart really amazing considering the sweet dreams album was made at home on 8 track with not a lot more than a great british spring reverb , a juno , a movement drums , prophet , simmons and lot of vocal talent
Sounds pretty good! It's warm yet brassy.
Really love you Videos such attention to detail ❤️
What synth are you playing in the first half of the video? The one with the keyboard. Sounds amazing, loved that sequenced bit!
I’m getting a lot of Tangerine Dream vibes with this one! 🍊
Man, you final jam is so good!
Thanks!
Very nice video, glad to see the RE-5 finally given some time in the spotlight! :) I've had one of these for a couple years and its a weird and rare bird indeed, very clean and at times sterile sound but the EQ can warm things up sufficiently and it definitely has a character to it. My unit has no English labelling with everything in japanese which is a fun stand-out quirk. Like your guesses I am pretty positive given this units I/O and japanese market exclusivity it was ment for karaoke bars at the time which is very popular there.
A-ha, you have the other one! ;)
Can't be many of these knocking around. Interesting to know there's a Japanese only version. Makes sense given the intended market.
Is your digital display in Japanese too?
Alex Ball Indeed I do :) The display is the same as in your video, the parameter labels however are lined up in the flip-out hatch like this, apologies for a bit of dust, this surface has proven difficult to keep speck-free! i.imgur.com/y7dybNT.jpg
Why does this remind me of 'Look Around You'? Especially at 5:04.
I've done a freeze frame on his "screwface", it's priceless! LOL!!!
Love the track at the end
Awesome video, the track at the end!! Bloody love it, can this be a release??
Thanks very much. Yes I stuck that little jam up on my Bandcamp: alexball.bandcamp.com/track/space-echo-jam
I used to find tons of these in stores where I live. As I had a real space Echo, I just didn’t want to listen to it but it actually sounds pretty good.
I'm here early. Really enjoyed the jam at the end. Also, was the RE-201 self-oscillating the same effect used at the end of Karma Police? Thanks
Yes that's self oscillation. Could be any analogue delay that's doing it, but might be a 201.
@@AlexBallMusic I looked it up, and apparently they used an AMS DMX 15-80S digital delay on Karma Police. They also did use a 201, on Subterranean Homesick Alien, specifically. Pretty cool
dang that drums demo sounded super massive attack.
My experience with the RE-201 was that the thing was very temperamental regarding the tape loop. The motor was good, the spindle maybe needed replacing (rubber parts dry rot). I also kept a spool of tape handy for replacing the loop, which was fairly often. The sound (when working) is VERY lush, but tapey sounding. While it looks very retro/cool, I'll take a digital delay any day.
Yeah, TB-303 through an RE-201. Instant soundage.
That sounds absolutely great! I was expecting it to be terrible, but I have one of the original tape/reverb units and this sounds almost the same. Seriously. Would you be able to tell if you didn’t see it that this was digital?
It does sound good. The delay on the first preset is a bit too static and digital but the others sound surprisingly organic.
Tune at the end was sweet
dope sounds...grooving in the pod
That sounded killer!! And I have an RE-200 (black and silver) and RE-301. Gotta get myself a synth.
The 200 is the precursor, right? That must be fairly rare!
Alex Ball it is! It has a special cartridge that takes a lot more tape than the 201 loop. My 200 sounds different than my 301, but it could be mostly from the tape.
Love those multi taps!
Oddly I was looking for info on the RE-5 just a few days before this video popped up - are you spying on my RUclips searches? :) Weird. Anyway this popped up as one of the few pieces of info on this. I own an RE-3 (Digital Space Echo) which seems to be the same engine in a more pro 1U package, an RE-501 Chorus Echo (tape) and a DC-50 Digital Chorus (not digital), so a bit of an odd mix to be sure.
I like the glitchy noises you can get out of the RE-3 due to the control stepping (not enough bits for smoothing back then) and the wobbly Warmth control is proper wonky. The DC-50 has a nice chorus but also a weird hall setting that can go dub-wild with no input present, just wind up the Intensity knob, presumably the internal noise of the unit feeding back. The RE-501 is just sublime.
Very interesting. I just looked up the DC-50 and read that it's actually analogue as you say. I guess digital was the future so they were trying to boast that equipment was digital, even if that was tenuous. The Promars is analogue and has very primitive memory on it and so they slapped "Compuphonic" in massive letters on it.
Even my ARP Odyssey documentation states in large letters that it had a digital ring modulator. All that actually means is that some of the components are digital, but the whole synth is analogue. Funny hey.
Very interested to try the RE-3 and the 501 too if I ever find one. There's quite a few other quirky Roland and Boss units that would make for interesting videos.
Your karaoke theory is almost certainly correct. Where did you find this thing?
Yeah I reckon so. Can't think of any other application that would warrant this combination of inputs and outputs. Would love to know for sure!
I borrowed it, I'd never heard of it before.
Excellent 👍. I love it :) Take care, Sam.
Thanks Sam! Hope you're well!
edit: found out the RE-3 which preceded this was $750 or 600 pounds and only mono instead of stereo input....so the RE-5 must have been even more expensive like $900-1000 🙀 and these don't have a big feature set like the then available DEP5, so it makes sense there was no market...just got a like new one from Japan but oddly the english script and chart for the little buttons is completely missing...the inside back panel is completely black which I've seen in other youtube vids. April 6th edit: I tried the AUX inputs and they didn't work from my Juno-6, but then it was on the VD1 input (how do you change inputs?). Interestingly I noticed you plugged in your SH-1 into mic 1 input, since it's a mono synth. However, I've found that plugging in the stereo output from my Juno-6 into mic1 and mic2 acts like a stereo input and works really well. 🙂 This is a very nice natural warm sounding reverb and echo, with more depth than my Strymon Brig, El Capistan and Cloudburst (which all sound nice but not the same level).
thanks Alex always great❤ take care
Thanks Nik, and you.
Bad ass track brother!
Great video!
For a long time I was buying up tons of late 80s and early 90s reverbs and delays that I remember from my early studio days. The problem I've found is that when they die, fixing them gets very expensive. :(
For the ART stuf they even havent got any schematics
and this is why I went to UAD in the end. Their space echo is Roland badged, it's just like the real thing nearly. Also have AMS and Lexicon 480L
4:18 damn that plantasia timbre lit
This could be a B-side off Simian Mobile Disco - Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release.
i am happy to have the RV 500 who have the RE 201 Space Echo in it !!!
Melos Tape and solid-state delays? anything on those anywhere?
I have the Roland SRV-2000. This kinda reminds me of it. The reverb parts anyway
RE-3 right here in the studio. Forgot about that? Bigger knobs 🤩
Nice. I looked at the RE-3 to see if the RE-5 is related and they're totally different. The RE-3 seems much more common. Probably because it isn't a weird karaoke system!
Hopefully try one at some point.
Never heard of it but looks like they used tweaked delay algorythms that came from their dep 5 and sde3000, sounds very similar
Love this jam!! Sounds lovely. Definitely produced for karaoke applications. Hence the BGM input and look. Sold my Space Echo 201 because i have the Korg Stage Echo and it sounds better. #unpopularopinion I don’t keep gear because it’s famous and looks good, i’m a creator not a collector.
Ah man I used to have an MXR Flanger that turned my 606 into a mutant, how I miss that pedal.
Self-oscillate? Sounds more like a controlled feedback-loop. Fun when made manually with the 1/4" tape recorder.
fantastic organic sound
The 201 or the 5?
I have the Space Echo's pound shop equivalent, the Roland DC-30, found it in a skip in the 90s!
Great analog effect!
Is it any good? See those crop up from time to time.
@@AlexBallMusic I liked the one I owned. A simple solid state echo, on a par with the units that came out under many brand names such as Melos. I sold the DC-30 during a bout of student induced poverty, but don't really miss it. Wish I could say the same for the Roland RE-501 Chorus Echo (the top of the line space echo) that I owned back then. Bought second hand for £100 from Andertons in Guildford when they were just a small backstreet shop, circa 1992.
@@AlexBallMusic Sounds a bit dull and the quality fades as the delay goes on, standard analogue bucket brigade business though, I kind of like it though for the qualities listed. It's also got a chorus in it too only it's never worked on mine, probably why it was binned, should be easy to fix though when I ever get round to it!
@@chriswareham Interesting, thank you. I might be able to borrow a 501 at some point, one I've never tried.
Truly amazing vid, where the heck did you get this tho
People help me out with this channel basically. It's borrowed.
Cooool Find!! and very Interesting. However, That thing needs a good cleaning. Especially the VFD tube and the plastic window in front of it. Both sides. ;-)
Thanks for this! I got a few ideas to try out. And the digital glitching by itself can be used as a sort of effect in films/videos when the scene demands... Or at least that's what I think. I might just use your glitching demo here to experiment with, if that's okay?
Yeah, help yourself to glitch sounds.
Nice song in the end!!!!
Thanks!
Does it process the video at all?
:-)
I'd love to know for certain what the video input / output are for but it seems like it's for lyric read outs for karaoke and it runs through the RE-5 for sync reasons.
That jam at the end gives me quite vaporwareish feel. So, is there a difference between the sound the synths produce today and 30 years ago? Old ones feel more... Warm?
Vintage synths and FX sound like classic records because that's what they were used to make, yes. There's plenty of vintage turkeys, but the best sounding synths I've ever heard are all from the 70s or early 80s.
So did you try it for vocals?
wooow! sounds amazing on drums, a bit like Marie Davidson - Work It (Soulwax remix). Are there any plug-ins that would produce a similar effect on drums?
No week goes by without me seeing one of these in YT-videos, so to me it seems hardly forgotten. some have usses with the tape, though. So it needs some more maintenance.
Watch the video. It's not about the RE-201. 🙂
@@AlexBallMusic I admit/confess, I didn't watch it yet, but the title wasn't too inviting to me because of this. I rather often see people claiming things to be forgotten (a.o. Stewart Copeland of the Police) because they don't know them. Apologies for being premature.
Thanks Frits. The title and thumbnail are designed to seem curious and actually the answer is in the thumbnail itself, it's just not what it seems.
I did make sure to answer that within the first minute of the film though, but can understand some confusion if someone hasn't watched it.
@@AlexBallMusic Thx for the explanation. I start my day with scanning what youtube offers. I watch one or two easy digestible vlogs, and mark those that need/deserve more attention for later. Yours was one of the latter. When needed, IMO, I sometimes add a comment, based on face value. In a way risky business ;-)
How do you get a hold of this stuff???
I love it!
What a gem!
Pretty cool isn't it! Quite weird too.
Cool video