Following on from part 1: Bolex H16 and part 2: Nagra SN is part 3 – an ode to/rant about arguably one of the most musical pieces of outboard gear you could own: the Roland RE201 Space Echo.

The RE201 Space Echo is an outboard effects unit produced by Roland between 1973 and 1988 and is based on a tape echo and a three element spring reverb. Using a loop, sound is recorded on to 1/4″ tape and then replayed from any one, or combination of, three replay heads – the physical gap between the record & replay heads equating to the delay.

By using the Mode Selector control the user can choose between combinations of replay heads/echoes and the spring reverb:

Repeat Rate and Intensity are the other two controls that get a lot of use. While many delay plugins offer the ‘feature’ of automatically setting the delay time based on the host apps tempo, I personally believe the fact you must match the delay length to rhythm by ear with a Space Echo is a huge advantage – after all, delays often work best when they are not quite perfectly in time!

The Repeat Rate control is actually varying the speed of the tape playback, and if you take the lid off the top of the 201 you can literally see the shuffling tape loop accelerate & decelerate. The Intensity control varies how much feedback occurs and the combined use of these two controls can lead to some gloriously dubby delay swells.

Replacement tape loops were sold by Roland as the RT-1L and there was an urban myth (?) that back in the day the New Zealand distributor of Roland products accidentally ordered 1,000 of these, rather than 100. When Roland ceased production of the various models of Space Echo slowly the worldwide supply of the RT-1Ls ran out until someone at head office discovered that the only place left in the world with any stock was in Auckland, NZ and demanded some of the stock be returned. I managed to buy ten before Roland NZ ran out of stock & still have a few unopened, such as this one:

There have been many famous users of Rolands entire Space Echo range in recent times, but the most deeply influential would have to be the original dub mixers such as King Tubby along with Scientist and Lee Scratch Perry and many others… There’s a track on an Augustus Pablo album called 555 Dub Street which surely must be named after the SRE555 – check the Space Echo on his beautiful melodica:

In this photo (by Adrian Boot/Retna) of Lee Scratch Perrys studio The Black Ark you can see his 201 front & centre of the mixing desk:

While I was researching this article I came across what could be the best news any Space Echo owner could ever hear: someone local who specializes in repair and maintenance of the entire range of Roland Space Echos, and also sells refurbished units – he currently has an RE-201 and an RE-150 for sale

EchoFix is based in Australia and I got in touch immediately as I need to have one of my 201s serviced, but I also invited him to do a little Q&A – see below… Also of note; he kindly hosts PDF copies of the user manuals and the service manuals for the entire range including the RE-101, RE-150, RE-201, RE-301, RE-501 and SRE-555!

TP: Hi Shane, thanks for sharing your knowledge & providing the services you do – when did you first start working with the Roland Space Echo models?

EF: I started specialising in repairing the Roland Space Echo 3 years ago after I purchased an RE-201 that was faulty. I had repaired them in the past, among other vintage analog gear, but this was when I really decided to focus on Space Echos.

TP: When did you start Echofix? Is your background technical, musical or both?

EF: I started advertising parts and repairs in mid 2011, before that it was just word of mouth, people would just find me. My background is both technical and musical. I am the singer/songwriter in the Australian band St Leonards which is my main gig. We are currently signed to BMG publishing. I repair Space Echos because I really enjoy it and it helps me reset and get my mind away from music etc. I am a closet nerd at heart 🙂

TP: I’m about to ship you one of my 201s for maintenance, being based in Australia do you do work on many from outside your immediate Pacific neighbours?

EF: Yes, I receive Space Echos from all over the world. As there are not many people repairing them, I am pretty easy to track down by a simple google search.

TP: Are parts readily available?

EF: Most parts are no longer available but I have had certain parts manufactured to original spec like pinch rollers, bearings and even new plastic tape bay covers.

TP: I see you also sell replacement tape loops & advise against using old stock of the RT-1L, could you elaborate?

EF: After a while magnetic tape starts to deteriorate and the oxide on the tape surface starts to become sticky and smears across the tape heads. This is caused by the binder breaking down. This can also cause the tape to jam and can cause excessive wow and flutter which puts more strain on the drive motor. The more humid the environment is, the worse the tape will stick and shed as the tape absorbs the moisture from the air. As the original RT-1L tape is over 30 years old it suffers from the shedding.

TP: Whats your advice in terms of maintenance? How often should I clean the heads? How often should I replace the tape loop?

EF: You should clean your heads, tape path and tape bay quite often. I clean the heads every couple of days if I am using it frequently. Isopropyl alcohol and a cotton tip is the best, with a light pressure so you do not damage the heads. You also need to clean every surface that comes into contact with the tape. Replacing the felts every 2 or 3 tapes will do wonders in keeping your Space Echo clean and will even improve problems with wow and flutter.

TP: Do you have a favourite model?

EF: My favourite model is the RE-201. It has the tone control for the echo signal and they have a nice grainy sound to them. They are like guitars in a way, as each RE-201 sounds different to each other. This is from component value drift, head alignment etc. I like all of the different models though as they all have a unique sound.

TP: I’ve tried most of the attempts to emulate the Space Echo in software and none come even close – apart from the physicality in terms of intuitive use, am I imagining it or is there something magical about the spacing of the replay heads?

EF: I have the Universal Audio RE-201 Space Echo plugin myself which sounds amazing and it definitely has its uses, but you cannot go past the real deal. What I do like about the emulations though is the fact you can use as many as you like on multiple tracks and it allows you to revisit a mix and make changes etc. There is a time and place for both but I think all Space Echo fans would agree with me when i say that using authentic analog gear produces a truly unique sound.

TP: Are there any quirks or hidden features?

EF: Not really but I personally use the RE-201 to drive extra signal into a tube amp to get more gain like an overdrive pedal. It works really well and colours the sound in a nice way. To tell you the truth I run a Space Echo through nearly everything when I am recording with my band in the studio. If a track feels a little brittle and clinical, just run it through an RE-201 with very little echo and it instantly sounds better.

TP: Amen to that! Thanks again & much respect to Shane Fritsch & ECHO FIX for supporting such beautifully idiosyncratic machines! Do your Space Echo a favour & at least order a few sets of replacement tape loops

EBAY: Search for “Roland Space Echo”

FWIW I’ve been having a play with the RE-20 “space echo” stomp box that Roland released recently, and its kind of fun but it feels like about 10-15% of a real 201 and is totally missing some of the most important and characterful aspects of the real thing – I’ll write a little review of it at some stage…

NOTE: service manual PDF for RE101 and RE201 Space Echo HERE

 

 

 

 

Following on from the first edition of Beautiful Tech: Bolex H16 comes part 2: the Nagra SN.

The Nagra SN was first released in 1960, and was apparently commissioned by the CIA, accordingly they were unavailable and unknown to civilians for the first 10 years.

I borrowed this one from John Neill at Park Road Post (thanks John!) who have two mint condition Nagra SNs as well as a collection of pretty much every model of Nagra. (Park Road Post was launched when Peter Jackson bought the previously government owned National Film Unit and along with the film lab and mixing stages out in Lower Hutt came a fantastic collection of equipment dating back to the origins of film making in New Zealand) So who knows what has been recorded with this particular Nagra over the years…

The design is so throughly well developed, notice how the cover has three small viewing windows, which lets you see the record level, supply reel and take up reel.

Apart from winning Academy Awards for the Nagra III in 1965 and the Nagra IV in 1977, and for general excellence in 1978, Nagra also won the Film Producers of America: Alan B. Gordon Award for Technical Excellence in 1972 for the NAGRA SN! And to appreciate why that might be, consider that before radio mics were invented these were the only way to record dialogue for some scenes.

To access the battery compartment you turn three screws and the bottom cover comes off, also revealing the circuitry… And like all good hardware there is a block diagram in on the inside of the lid:

According to the Nagra site: “The SNST-R and its miniature jewel-like construction is a perfect reflection of the engineering and manufacturing expertise at Nagra. The SNST-R is milled from a solid block of metal, with top and bottom covers drawn from a light metal alloy. Its stunning look and superb engineering allow analog enthusiasts to maintain the values of Swiss crafting. Nagra-made heads, the meter, equipped with two scales, giving the recording level and indicating the status of the internal batteries, the manual rewind crank, offer the famous Swiss-watch precision. Measuring 146 x 101 x 26 mm and weighting just 590 g, the SNST-R becomes a discreet high-end miniature recorder.”

“The Nagra SN has a frequency response of 50 Hz to 15 kHz ±2 dB. The wow and flutter performance of 0.05% is also state-of-the-art. Its small size renders it an ideal candidate for all portable, location or discreet recording applications. The machine uses 0.15” (3.81 mm) tape on special open reel spools. Operating at a tape speed of 3.75 inches per second (9.5 cm / S), it yields duration of approximately 40 minutes per reel of tape. The Nagra SNST-R uses two “AA” size batteries or rechargeable cells. This enables more than 5 hours of operation.”

Check out this great virtual visit to the Nagra factory – particularly page 9 which has many photos from the Nagra museum room, with this great story: “Below shows the very first Nagra recorder which forever changed the arts of location recordings. The story goes that Kudelski participated in a French competition where he played back a tape of the Notre-Dame bells he had recorded in the actual cathedral tower. Being used to the minor tank contraptions of recorders of the day, the flustered jury demanded to know just how he had managed to transport the necessary equipment up said tower. When Kudelski presented his small and lightweight machine, history was written. Naturally, he also walked away with the award.”

Of interest to any johnny-come-latelys; this Guide to the Nagra 4.2 Production Sound Recording PDF is definitely worth a read. Apart from explaining how to use a Nagra 4.2 the author also works through the process of production sound for films, circa 2003 and there is a LOT of very valuable, honest advice!

PDF of Owners manual for the Nagra SN is here

 

 

 

 

There are few gentle mechanical sounds as evocative as the smooth whirr of a wind up Bolex 16mm film camera. I can only presume it is due to the Swiss history of watch making that the country is home to two of the most beautiful technologies associated with film making: Bolex cameras and Nagra reel to reel sound recorders. Apparently as far back as 1790, the city of Geneva alone was exporting 60,000 watches per year – thats 200+ years ago now!

The film I am working on at the moment, Russian Snark by Stephen Sinclair is about a couple who arrive in Auckland, New Zealand having sailed in a small boat all the way from Russian. The husband is a film maker of evocative black & white art films and he arrives armed with a Bolex H16 camera, with which he shoots his beautiful wife and any local actors they can rope in. Often onscreen we see him setting up his shots and filming, as well as seeing the results throughout the film. It is a great film that confronts just how far people will go to create their art, in terms of mental and physical health…. The byline for the film is “When you’re making the film of your life, it’s easy to lose the plot!”

The only useable recordings of the Bolex from the shoot were from the above location, a chicken farm, which is fine for that scene but the background chickens aren’t quite so applicable in other scenes so I knew I’d have to track one down to record myself…. and a few calls later I have this beauty to play with for a few days:

So this is a Model H-16 Bolex which is powered by a hand crank that you wind up – no batteries needed! The H16 has a 3 lens turret mount, variable speed settings for fast or slow motion, hand cranking to reverse exposed footage for super-impositions, and single-frame for stop-motion.

When I opened the side where the film runs I found the serial number: 128674, which according to this site means it was made in 1956 – you have to wonder how many of our plastic HD video cameras will still be fully functioning 50+ years from now!

Heres a few more photos before I start recording it:

In the recordings from the shoot I noticed that apart from the constant whirring there was a periodic click, and after consulting the manual I discovered the meaning of the click:

For the film I really just needed a good ‘normal’ recording of the Bolex in use, shooting film at 24fps but as soon I got it and had a play with the varispeed (it will shoot from 60fps down to 8fps) I immediately decided that once the normal recording was done I would attach my two contact mics and see what it sounds like. Even listening normally when the Bolex is running at 64fps it fair roars, so I was imagining a heavy industrial mechanism when heard via contact mics… Have a listen, and if you want a copy of the FX go to the soundcloud page & help yourself (I recorded 192k but the .WAV I uploaded to soundcloud is 16bit 44.1k)

While handling this Bolex I couldn’t but help think about all the film that has been shot with it. Of course all I can do is imagine, but there is one famous local who shot his first feature film on a Bolex…

Bad Taste was Peter Jackson’s first feature film, shot in weekends over a four year period at a total cost of $25,000, with the NZ Film Commission adding $235,000 to finish the film – for more info on the film see here and if you skip to 8’30” in this video you can hear him discussing his Bolex:

If you are interested for more info on the Bolex H16, there are manuals here, a brochure of accessories for the H16 here, an interview with a Bolex collector here and a far more detailed discussion of the H16 with some beautiful photos of lens here.

And some images from the Bolex manual: