The problem, as any experienced tape-echo user knows, is that these lumbering analog hulks are instruments in their own right—with functionality and feel that that can become foundational parts of a playing style not easily replicated in the digital domain. This is especially true for the original Roland RE-201 Space Echo. It invites on-the-fly tweaks ranging from playful polyrhythms to time-smearing, oscillating mayhem. Its capacity to double as a mix-stage instrument in the studio also makes it extra-invaluable to many player/recordists. And it’s pretty hard to replicate the intuitive, hands-on experience of working with its well-spaced knobs and their unique taper, layout, and sensitivity.
Boss’ RE-2 ambitiously attempts to distill the RE-201 experience into a compact digital format. But unlike the RE-20 pedal or the new RE-202, which utilize larger, more full-featured layouts that approximate some interactive thrills of the RE-201, the RE-2 fits all that functionality into a standard-sized Boss enclosure. Inevitably, that requires a hidden function or two—like the digital preamp and twist functions, and the assignment of (optional) expression pedal functions. But what Boss accomplished here in terms of delivering a Space Echo vibe in a pedal for space-conscious players is impressive. And in practice, it’s a fun and inspiring unit.
Seriously Stuffed!
One great thing about any Boss pedal is the seared-in-the-prefrontal-cortex familiarity of the form. It enables you to approach any compact Boss pedal with a lot more confidence. That sense of assuredness comes in handy with the RE-2 because there are a fair number of controls to manage. Packing that many control options into such a small space is not an enviable task. But Boss, to their credit, made the essentials—reverb, echo volume, intensity (repeats), tone, repeat rate, and a wow and flutter control—easily accessible via clever concentric knobs. The critical 11-position mode knob is vague and hard to read in low light, though. So, you’ll probably want to keep a printed copy of the head-combination matrix handy—or just navigate the multi-head sounds by feel.
Space constraints mean that some classic Space Echo features are hidden or consolidated into simpler controls. The very flexible bass and treble controls on an original (and the RE-20 and RE-202) become a single, if effective, tone control here. And the instrument-volume preamp control is a fixed analog preamp emulation option that, nonetheless, adds a discernible element of warm saturation.
Putting Heads Together
Much of the Space Echo’s allure is down to the painterly way you interact with it. And despite the RE-2’s size, you can still get pretty creative on the fly. With the pedal’s three virtual heads, it’s easy to create complex rhythmic textures that don’t collapse into a chaotic, odd-metered, miasmatic mess. The tap-tempo function adds a measure of additional control. It’s fun exploring these compound echoes, even if they lack some of the hiccup-y, polyrhythmic potential of virtual tape echoes with more playback “heads.”
Some players ignore the original RE-201’s spring reverb. But for this reviewer, it’s an essential part of the Space Echo sound that I love using on its own. It’s represented on the RE-2 by a nice spring emulation that complements the echoes in seamless fashion. Although it doesn’t have quite the character of the RE-201’s spring, it still sounds cool by itself.
The Verdict
Fitting all the functionality and feel of a Space Echo in a compact Boss Pedal is impossible. But if you drop the comparisons to the RE-201, the RE-2 is an engaging, flexible, and very practical delay with a lot of personality. Delay-soaked settings sound beautiful, rich, and immersive. Even players that have never touched an original Space Echo will still find a lot of expressive potential and utility here. The fact that the RE-2 makes so much of the Space Echo’s essence accessible in a small pedal is no small victory. I suspect that even a lot of jaded Space Echo purists with an interest in downsizing will find reason to celebrate.
Boss RE-2 Space Echo Delay and Reverb Effects Pedal
The world-famous RE-201 Space Echo effect makes its return in compact-pedal form with the BOSS RE-2 Space Echo! Offering authentic multi-head tape echo effects with expanded delay times, the beloved spring reverb sound, and a ton of control over effects parameters, the RE-2 Space Echo sounds amazing with guitars and keyboards, as well as drum machines. An external footswitch/expression pedal input gives you creative hands-free control options, and the true stereo signal path is perfect for multi-amp rigs and studio mixing applications.
When is an overdrive more than just an overdrive? That might be the question that led the engineers at DSM Humbolt when they came up with the Silver Linings preamp and overdrive. The Silver Linings’ three modes (normal, preamp, and mid boost) and three voicings or “styles” (soft, vintage, and hard) widen the field of possible tones considerably. And just a peek at the controls reveals there are plenty of tone combinations to explore.
With a Fender HSS Stratocaster in front of a clean Revv D20, I was impressed with the range of available drive tones. At lower gain settings, for example, the pedal delivers overdrive reminiscent of a driven black-panel Deluxe. The pre boost and pre tone knob can dramatically alter conventional overdrive sounds considerably. The pre tone functions like a tilt EQ—allowing surgical adjustment of highs and lows to reshape drive sounds. The pre boost adds up to 30dB of gain at the input, which gives you extra, and extensive control, of the distortion profile.
High gain sounds are a surprise. Cranking the gain and bass in the vintage-style mode generated a fuzzy tone that felt cool and compressed under my fingers. Using the Silver Linings as a preamp, meanwhile, is as easy as plugging the output into the return of the Revv’s effects loop. The results sounded and felt more direct and present, and this feature could be a lifesaver if you’re stuck with a subpar backline.
DSM Humboldt Electronics Silver Linings Drive/Preamp Pedal
- A pedal that provides a wide arsenal of tones and settings
- 3 style switches: Soft, Vintage, and Hard
- 3 mode formats: Normal, Preamp, and Mid Boost
- Dual boost funcitonality with Pre and Master Boost levels to add extra gain and higher output
- Tone stack is a passive 3-band EQ
- Variable gain bandwidth adds unprecedented versatility
Code Green
In pedal code, green almost always means “Tube Screamer,” or some version of it. Many makers offer their own renditions of the green meanie. And like all manufacturers that take on the task, Origin Effects had to consider all that is great about the TS808 along with its shortcomings. Origin, however, seems to have been tantalized by the possibilities.
Inevitably, some of you will cry out, “Of all the things this great company could do—another riff on the Tube Screamer!?” But hold your fire. A creative company like Origin Effects isn’t likely to put out “just another” anything. Origin promises better-than-TS dynamics, more sensitivity, improved clarity and articulation, and a more balanced frequency range. The pedal also comes with switchable voicing that tightens the output and flattens the midrange hump. Appetite whetted yet?
The Old Switcheroo
Halcyon’s controls feature the drive, tone, and level knobs you’d see on any TS. But there’s also a dry knob, so you can blend in as much bypassed signal as you like. A 2-way voice toggle delivers classic 808 or mod, which shifts the mid hump to something more like a presence boost that has distinct resonance characteristics and generates tighter lows and highs. Finally, there’s the 3-way adapt toggle, which is the revelation of Origin’s circuit. It vastly improves the circuit’s response to playing dynamics and improves clarity by reducing the midrange hump when you pick lightly or attenuate your guitar’s volume control—gradually returning to a flat frequency response as the Halcyon cleans up. The “O” position bypasses the adaptive circuit for a more traditional Screamer sound. “II” delivers the most frequency-balanced output at reduced guitar volume. Position “I” is somewhere in between.
Like other Origin Effects pedals to date, the Halcyon is built like a brushed-aluminum brick, with a heft that signals ultra-roadworthiness and pro player input. At 4.75" x 2.5" x 1.75", the enclosure is slightly more compact than many of the company’s offerings, and positioning the input, output, and 9V DC center-negative jack (external power only) on the top makes it even more pedalboard friendly. The footswitch toggles between on and buffered bypass.
Green Goddess
Initially, I approached this review thinking that I didn’t need to take yet another Tube Screamer update for a spin. After just a few minutes though, I was grinning from ear to ear. The “Green Overdrive” label (which appears right on the pedal’s faceplate) can make it hard to have an open mind, clear ears, and an absence of preconceptions about the pedal. But the Halcyon utterly slays and is one of the most enjoyable overdrive pedals—of any type—that I’ve sampled in good, long while.
A good Tube Screamer can be sweet, juicy, touch-sensitive, and tube-like. But the Halcyon’s more balanced frequency response, enhanced clarity, and improved dynamics make the Halcyon feel deeper and more thoughtfully engineered. Like the original, it works great as a semi-dirty boost with drive around 9 o’clock, but it’s also more delectable as a gained-up OD than many originals, issuing addictive saturation and bite when you get drive past 2 o’clock or so. Even when the pedal is pushed hard, the adaptive circuit feels like the stuff of genius, making it possible to move from girthy definition and precision at attenuated guitar volume settings to roaring and gainy—all without ever switching the pedal off.
Like other Origin Effects pedals to date, the Halcyon is built like a brushed-aluminum brick, with a heft that signals ultra-roadworthiness and pro player input. At 4.75" x 2.5" x 1.75", the enclosure is slightly more compact than many of the company’s offerings, and positioning the input, output, and 9V DC center-negative jack (external power only) on the top makes it even more pedalboard friendly. The footswitch toggles between on and buffered bypass.
The Verdict
In the shape of the Halcyon, Origin Effects created what is probably the best-sounding TS-inspired overdrive pedal I recall playing. Comparisons aside, they’ve built a well-rounded, low-gain overdrive that is stunning. And by overcoming the classic TS’s acknowledged shortcomings, Origin has made the platform much more flexible, while retaining the toothsome, tube-y delectability that made the TS series ubiquitous in the first place. Yes, it’s expensive for what, on the surface, might seem like just another Tube Screamer. But when your goal is to create the best-ever rendition of a thing—no-holds-barred quality and price be damned—then this is where the road takes you. If you can part with the cash—and really, if you consider the design and engineering here, it’s not that much—the rewards to you, the player, will be considerable.
Origin Effects Halcyon Green Overdrive Demo | First Look
Origin Effects Halcyon Green Overdrive Pedal
- Delivers overdrive tones that make it a worthy contender with some of the world's favorite overdrive pedals
- Origin Effects' first pedal built with Adaptive circuitry, which can meld itself dynamically and interactively to a user's playing habits
- A simple pedal with hard working circuitry that provides exceptional voice, drive, clean signal, and epic saturation
