Imitating a Roland RE-501 Tape Chorus Echo

StingRay

Member
Hello everyone, it seems pedals designed to imitate tape echos these days are all designed to imitate only those like the Roland RE-201 Space echo which did not have a built in chorusing effect like the RE-301 and the more refined RE-501 which is what I'm after, and the tape delay block in the Axe FX3 which does have modulation on three different heads which is very cool, but I don't believe this is the way the chorus on the RE-501 worked as the modulation in the block only puts modulation on the repeats themselves and not the original signal like I believe the RE-501 does (I may be wrong about that). Of course you could put a tape chorus block in front of the tape echo block but is that really going to give you the same sound since the RE-501 chorus within it's complex tape architecture may be configured differently? Also, I believe the RE-501 had a nob to set very unique echo patterns and a "sound on sound" effect using a fourth head, and two outputs. I would love to get a RE-501 to see if I could match it in Axe FX3 but even the cheapest ones cost more then a brand new Axe FX3 so wondering if anyone has one that could answer these questions. Any help on this would be appreciated of course.
 
I sold my RE-501 about 15 years ago For $550. I bought it for $500 new 1983 or 1984.
I believe the chorus was electronic, and not affiliated with the tape at all. I didn’t like the chorus, as I thought it was “too much” and it did not have a mix adjustment to make it more subtle.
 
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I sold my RE-501 about 15 years ago For $550. I bought it for $500 new 1983 or 1984.

i believe the chorus was electronic, and not affiliated with the tape at all. I didn’t like the chorus, as I thought it was “too much” and one was not a mix adjustment to make it more subtle.
They are a good $2500 minimum now. Thanks for the info Rushfan. I still would like to hear from someone who currently has one or at least had a lot of recent experience with one but a Alex Lifeson fan should be listened to regarding chorus since he used a lot of it in his sound if I remember correctly?
 
The multitap delay block allows you to add chorus to each delay tap.

A brief look at the RE-501 schematic indicates it's using a BBD chorus so chorus block -> delay block is probably the configuration you want.
Thanks for the reply but respectfully that was not part of my question. I believe all the delays on the Axe have optional modulation parameters for the repeats.
 
You're correct that all the delays provide the option to modulate the delay time. You're also correct that this is going to be a different effect to running a chorus block into a delay block.

Regarding this;

Of course you could put a tape chorus block in front of the tape echo block but is that really going to give you the same sound since the RE-501 chorus within it's complex tape architecture may be configured differently?

It seems the RE-501 chorus is in fact independent of the tape delay section, and does not modulate the tape based delay lines.

You should be able to capture echo modes 1-5 with a standard tape delay but mode 6 would require the Quad Tape mode in the MTD.

Screenshot 2023-06-04 at 2.28.03 pm.png

This is a short but decent demo of the chorus which sounds typical BOSS/Roland to me so the Japan CE-2 type might be a good start.



Based on that clip and an existing preset I A/B'd with the BOSS RE-201 I put this preset together. Adjust Chorus depth/mix to taste and play around with the delay times. Might scratch the itch.
 

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You're correct that all the delays provide the option to modulate the delay time. You're also correct that this is going to be a different effect to running a chorus block into a delay block.

Regarding this;



It seems the RE-501 chorus is in fact independent of the tape delay section, and does not modulate the tape based delay lines.

You should be able to capture echo modes 1-5 with a standard tape delay but mode 6 would require the Quad Tape mode in the MTD.

View attachment 121711

This is a short but decent demo of the chorus which sounds typical BOSS/Roland to me so the Japan CE-2 type might be a good start.



Based on that clip and an existing preset I A/B'd with the BOSS RE-201 I put this preset together. Adjust Chorus depth/mix to taste and play around with the delay times. Might scratch the itch.

Well thank you very much for the time and help on this. I do appreciate it! Funny how I missed that video on the unit as I've watched a few but didn't see this one. So this confirms what Rushfan said about the chorus being not part of the tape process but a separate electronic effect, however what is not clear to me is if the chorus is in the same signal path as the echo or is it on a separate channel since the 501 has two outputs (A+B)? And still not clear on what this "Sound on Sound" effect is about or if it just means combining a tape echo on one channel and a electronic chorus on the other for a kind of false stereo effect?

I will check out your preset when I have some more time but thanks for that.

Still would love to hear from someone who has a lot of experience with one.
 
I believe the chorus was stereo, and also that is was before the tape echo - same signal path. However, I don't remember if the echo was stereo at all, and may have been equally applied to both sides as mono. At the time, I was not running a stereo rig - I have a photo somewhere of me standing in front of my rig in the early-mid 80's, with the RE-501 sitting on top of my Lab Series 11 Head, piggyback on it's cabinet.
 
You're correct that all the delays provide the option to modulate the delay time. You're also correct that this is going to be a different effect to running a chorus block into a delay block.

Regarding this;



It seems the RE-501 chorus is in fact independent of the tape delay section, and does not modulate the tape based delay lines.

You should be able to capture echo modes 1-5 with a standard tape delay but mode 6 would require the Quad Tape mode in the MTD.

View attachment 121711

This is a short but decent demo of the chorus which sounds typical BOSS/Roland to me so the Japan CE-2 type might be a good start.



Based on that clip and an existing preset I A/B'd with the BOSS RE-201 I put this preset together. Adjust Chorus depth/mix to taste and play around with the delay times. Might scratch the itch.

Thanks for the preset Leon, I used one of these as an FOH effect in the 80's and early 90's . What memories
 
I believe the chorus was stereo, and also that is was before the tape echo - same signal path. However, I don't remember if the echo was stereo at all, and may have been equally applied to both sides as mono. At the time, I was not running a stereo rig - I have a photo somewhere of me standing in front of my rig in the early-mid 80's, with the RE-501 sitting on top of my Lab Series 11 Head, piggyback on it's cabinet.
Thanks for the follow up on more info Rushfan, I appreciate that. What you said makes sense about the delay because from what I have read these units where not stereo output even though they had two outputs marked A and B but you are thinking the chorus was stereo? Hmm, well since you had one and we know now that the chorus is electronically independent of the tape delay I must consider it a possibility even though I've read these units are not true stereo output, but here is the biggest problem with that. On the video that 2112 provided above it shows a 501 using the chorus with only one output (A) connected. Now I'm confused on the issue. :(
 
It might have been mono. I’m not sure what the second output was for. I hadn’t used it. It must be in a manual somewhere on line.
 
When connected to both the A & B jacks the Direct, Reverb, L-Chorus come out of A and Echo, R-Chorus and Sound on Sound come out of B. The option was ‘all’ sounds out of the A jack. Sound on Sound was just a super long delay (10 to 35 seconds).
 
When connected to both the A & B jacks the Direct, Reverb, L-Chorus come out of A and Echo, R-Chorus and Sound on Sound come out of B. The option was ‘all’ sounds out of the A jack. Sound on Sound was just a super long delay (10 to 35 seconds).
Hmm, what you say is interesting but what I don't understand is if there is a left and right chorus when you use both A and B jacks you would think it's a stereo chorus like the Boss CE-1, but since we know you can use the chorus with just the A jack why would there be a left and right channel for the chorus? So are you saying that it's like a CE-2 mono chorus on both A and B outputs? Or another way of asking is if you are just using the chorus does it sound any better or different when you use both A and B outputs together than if you just use the A output? I'm just trying to understand how the chorus on this unit works so I can duplicate it on the Axe along with the rest of configuration of this unit. Thanks for the explanation on the "sound on sound" I was really wondering about that.
 
So for exacting detail it's been too long for me. Had an RE-301 in the 70's and loved it. The routing i posted came off a photo of the inside of the lid of a 501. From the owners manual it just states. Use A if you're using one amp and A & B if you're using 2 amps for a stereo effect.
 
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