Roland RE-201

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The Roland RE-201, commonly known as the Space Echo, is an audio analog delay effects unit produced between 1973 and the mid 1980s.

It records incoming audio to a loop of magnetic tape, then replays the audio over a series of several playback heads before it is erased again by new incoming audio. The tape used is the standard 1/4" tape of the open-reel variety, but in the Space Echo there are no reels of any kind--the tape is transported via a capstan drive. The tape loop is contained in a loose, constantly moving jumble under a clear plastic panel (which protects the tape and keeps it from getting tangled).

There are several control dials on the device that alter such aspects as tape speed, repeat pattern (a 12-position rotary switch), instrument and microphone levels, wet/dry mix for both echo and reverb, and intensity (number of repeats), that can be adjusted to a user's liking; the unit also includes a VU meter for its audio output.

Used as a delay/echo, the Space Echo is said to produce an unpredictable delay that is warm and gritty sounding. The Space Echo is also capable of producing a large variety of its own sound effects, even without an input signal (by turning the intensity control to maximum and allowing the unit to self-regenerate, while manipulating the tape speed and other controls).

Despite its age, the Space Echo is widely sought after, and still used by many bands to this day, notably in the experimental work of Radiohead.