BOSS RE-20 Space Echo with Voyager

Christopher J. Boylan · Post by **Christopher J. Boylan** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 8:28 pm

I remember back when the Voyager first came out hearing about all sorts of things players thought should be included. I'm glad the computer won out in the end. And for those that were forever pissed about that idea, it's cool that they now have the Old School version. But I do recall a great many that wanted onboard effects.

Well, I was reading an article about Emo's Modular, "The World's Most Dangerous Synth" and how an integral part of it's unique sound is the use of an old spring reverb (last part of Trilogy - great example of this sound). Well, I've been using a Boss/Roland Space Echo RE-20 with my Voyager. I gotta tell you guys, what a killer sound. The old Roland Space Echo RE-101 tape unit of y'or was a really cool unit at the time. Well, this digital reproduction of it is really cool and I recommend it whole heartedly. I copied Keith's Modular patch from the end of Trilogy and added Rick Wakeman's screaming noise modulation trick (dubbed 'Magic').

Didn't I have a box of tissues around here somewhere??

EricK · Post by **EricK** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 11:02 pm

Man im frankly amazed at how the Moog delay sounds. Ill bet your Space Echo sounds awesome too! THere are a lot of people who won't pay a lot of money and settle for just any old delay but I think that units like these really make some stuff sound excellent!

Eric

CZ Rider · Post by **CZ Rider** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 11:17 pm

I have been trying to get some of those old Emmo sounds on my Moog,
but could never qiuite get it right. Untill I saw this photo of the patch
set up he used. I noticed the reverb is patched in after the mixer, then
the reverb is patched into the filter. Interesting? Perhaps with the Voyager
can do the same with the effects loop input on the back.
Here is a link to the photo showing the old Emmo patch, with the 905
reverb patched in before the filter.
http://flickr.com/photos/23461646@N03/2 ... 7/sizes/l/

EricK · Post by **EricK** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 2:42 am

WHere are his Oscillators? In that added cabinet?

Christopher J. Boylan · Post by **Christopher J. Boylan** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 3:57 am

Wow... that's why I LOVE this forum. You guys are so on top of things. My friend Doug Slocum (Authorized Moog Center some years back and Modular enthusiast) asked me if there was a way to patch the Echo unit just before the VCA:

"Are you able to patch the reverb wherever you want it? You should patch it AHEAD of the VCA and listen to the sounds!!!! Very cool."

My answer was:
The VX-351 expander, and I sent him a picture of it.

His Reply: (mind you, Doug said this tongue in cheek - ribbing me about one of his favorite old toys):

"Too bad. You're f@&ked. The VX-351 is mostly for control voltage input / output. There's no way to get at or bypass audio routes from what I can see. Ya should have gotten an EML 101. Lots O' Patching and 4 oscillators. Too bad it had a sh@*y filter (but I fixed that on Manfred Mann's EML101 machine - added a real Moog filter!) I loved those EML synths"

So, help me out here guys... CAN it be done?

Christopher J. Boylan · Post by **Christopher J. Boylan** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 7:14 am

The answer was in the Voyager's manual. Look at the Voyager's back panel:'

"The audio output of the mixer goes to the filter. There is an insert jack on the back of the unit where an external effect can be inserted in between the mixer and the filter. This can also be used as direct output of the Mixer. Note that this output is before the Volume envelope. If an Oscillator is selected and its level is above zero – its sound will be there regardless of playing the keyboard."

I'll have to mess around with this... but what's with the part about "regardless of playing the keyboard" ?

And what about Voyager's stereo output? Is that a stereo input? Special cord?

Christopher J. Boylan · Post by **Christopher J. Boylan** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 7:22 am

EricK wrote:Man im frankly amazed at how the Moog delay sounds. Ill bet your Space Echo sounds awesome too! THere are a lot of people who won't pay a lot of money and settle for just any old delay but I think that units like these really make some stuff sound excellent!

Eric

I wish I could afford the Moog Delay. I just can't readily come up with that kind of money very often, hence the Space Echo - and personally, I think it's an incredible unit for the buck. And frankly, now that I have it, the Moog unit is way at the bottom of my list. Sorry guys.

pianokey88 · Post by **pianokey88** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 8:09 am

Hello,
David here with my first post. I am new to this forum but not new to Moog equipment. I have all the Moogerfoogers (except phase shifter) & the CP251.

Now, I just received my Voyager Electric Blue last friday & am amazed while learning it's capabilities.

I have only had time to try the effect loop so far with my Moogerfooger delay and the effect it gives is cool for some patches, but not what I am used to. I am familiar with adding effects at the output of the synth & then into the instrument amp.

Placing the delay at the Voyager insert point seems to be best for patches that have some sustain or at least a longer decay because you can only hear the echo while a key is depressed. But a patch with a short envelope makes it hard to hear much effect. Also, when I stop playing, there is no more echo, echo, echo ... decaying off like I am used to hearing. All the sound just stops. ... unlike when the echo box is placed between the Voyager output and the instrument amp.

Also, I noticed that the echo seems to be held somehow so that when I press one note ... and then wait a while before pressing another key ... like enough time where the echo feedback would have normally finished ... that the echoed note is still there when I finally play another note.

I guess all this is normal for patching the effects through the insert point?
David

Christopher J. Boylan · Post by **Christopher J. Boylan** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 9:16 am

You know, I'll bet a lot of people don't know how to wire that up. Could someone explain/diagram how to correctly wire the Effect input?

pianokey88 · Post by **pianokey88** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 9:37 am

Christopher J. Boylan wrote:You know, I'll be a lot of people don't know how to wire that up. Could someone explain/diagram how to correctly wire the Effect input?

OK, admittedly I am no expert here as I have only had my Voyager for 5 days. However, iit seems fairly self explainatory from the manual.

Use a standard insert cable from the jack on the back of the Voyager labeled “mix out/filter in”. Then the ring wire goes to audio in on your effect box. The tip wire goes from audio out on the effect box.
David

GregAE · Post by **GregAE** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 9:49 am

Christopher J. Boylan wrote:You know, I'll bet a lot of people don't know how to wire that up. Could someone explain/diagram how to correctly wire the Effect input?

Chris -

Check your email.

GregAE

pianokey88 · Post by **pianokey88** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 9:58 am

Christopher J. Boylan wrote:...
... but what's with the part about "regardless of playing the keyboard" ?

It is because it is a direct output of the oscillator from mixer ... before the CVs for the keyboard and volume envelope are applied. The oscillators have a constant output at whatever the frequency dialed in. That constant output will be changed by depressing a key and sending on the the envelopes. But the output from the mix out/filter in jack is before all that so you will hear the oscillator regardless of playing the keyboard when output from the mix out/filter in jack.

This newbie thinks he explained that correctly? If not, someone please clairify.

Christopher J. Boylan wrote:... And what about Voyager's stereo output? Is that a stereo input? Special cord?

Yes, you need to use a cord called an "insert cable" ... for example:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ ... sku=330033

David

Gonga · Post by **Gonga** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 7:29 pm

I apologize in advance for going somewhat off-topic, but this is related to echo...

I'd like to share a trick I learned from Jan Hammer.

Most people place the echo last in their sound chain. What Hammer did with his Minimoog early on was to place the echo not after, but before his other effects. For example, if you place the echo before a heavy flanger, what you get is an amazing effect that really gets people's attention. Instead of the echo simply repeating the sound and fading away, the echo changes dramatically in its sonic character as it fades. This is very effective and musical when used with a heavy, distorted lead sound and I highly recommend trying it!

With regard to the Mixer Out / Filter In jack, yes you need an insert cable, but not because it's a stereo input signal going in. This type of cable has a single stereo plug at one end and two mono plugs at the other (a Y cable). This is because a mono signal is coming out of this jack from the mixer, going into another device through one of the mono plugs, coming out of that device through the other mono plug, and then going back into the mini through the same jack it came out. So the reason it's a stereo plug is that it has to handle one mono signal coming out from the mixer and another mono signal coming back in to the filter.

After this point, the mono signal is split into a stereo signal before entering the separate filters in the mini. The outputs from the two filters are also processed by a stereo VCA before exiting the stereo outputs.

Prime NL · Post by **Prime NL** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 4:46 am

Sorry to bump this thread up.

I just got me new MP-201 pedal this weekend and i guess that i can also use this pedal together with my Boss RE-20.

Just wondered how to set this up as the manual for the RE-20 states that you can only use a Roland pedal...but i guess that the MP-201 can be setup to do the same.

rico1980 · Post by **rico1980** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 2:48 pm

I just wanted to agree with the earlier comments about how good the Boss RE-20 sounds with the Voyager. I had been running the Voyager through the RV-5 Reverb (I think that's the name) pedal, which sounded nice. I upgraded to the RE-20 primarily for access to the echo/delay effects. But I had no idea how the RE-20 would REALLY bring the Voyager to life.

Even with the delay/echo effects off and just using the RE-20's reverb, you can really kind of nail the Trilogy synth solo sound and the Tarkus (into-outro) sawtooth lines - even without access to the 6-8 oscillators Emerson had on his rig.

I definitely recommend the RE-20 if you can't afford the more expensive stuff.

Thanks for the other tips earlier in this thread. I can't wait to try 'em out.

Rick