UAFX Galaxy ’74 Tape Echo and Reverb Review

Every effect is, to some extent, its own instrument. But few effects are instruments in the way that the Roland RE-201 Space Echo is a playable, almost living thing. In its original incarnation, the RE-201’s dimensions and layout had much to do with how artists interacted with it. Unlike a stompbox, it was built to sit atop an amp, keyboard, mixing desk, or in a studio rack. And by virtue of that orientation—more aligned with the hands than the feet—and it’s well-spaced, generously sized controls, it compelled users to manipulate its echoes while playing or mixing.

It’s tough to stuff those design attributes of the RE-201 into a stompbox. But Universal Audio’s Galaxy ’74 has much of the touch—if not quite all the ergonomic advantages—that made the RE-201 so compelling to tinker with. And its sounds are deep, rich, and very suggestive of, if not indiscernible from, its analog tape echo inspiration.