Boss RE-1000 Digital Multi Echo: A 90s Take on the Legendary RE-201 Space Echo

Back in 1990, Boss launched the RE-1000 Digital Multi Echo. This was an attempt by BOSS to recreate the legendary RE-201 Space Echo using modern (for 1990) design and a rack mounted format. For an early digital reverb, it has a nice, warm, and fat sound thanks to a warmth control that introduces wow and flutter, emulating the RE-201.

I got the unit cheap around 1990 due to it having some damage on the input jacks, which I really must get around to sorting out.

Here are the specs:

• Two inputs
• Stereo or mono output
• Independent Input gain with overload indicators
• Pre EQ (low and high controls)
• Output Balance (from fully dry to fully wet)
• Decay
• Warmth

Modes:

• Multi Echo 1
• Multi Echo 2
• Multi Echo 3
• Multi Echo 4
• Echo 1
• Echo 2
• Echo 3
• Echo 4
• Echo & Rev 1
• Echo & Rev 2
• Echo & Rev 3
• Echo & Rev 4
• Rev 1
• Rev 2
• Rev 3
• Special

The combination of the warmth control and being able to overdrive the input gives some interesting tones, very much like the old Echoplexes and Space Echoes. It adds a lot of warmth to my Yamaha TX7 and old Jen SX100, and I leave the synths permanently connected via the RE-1000, even though there are plenty of effects options in the DAW.

In this video I hooked up my TX7 and demonstrated the different effects of the RE-1000.