i just wanted to drop a note of gratitude, for the great information you're sharing on your channel. i'm a recent subscriber, and until now have lurked, picking out videos of pedals we both have- and i have to say, the format is incredibly refreshing. great work. p/s: my RT20 arrives today- it will be my third from this series, and this video will be my reference as we get to know each other. again, thank you, and cheers from Oregon!
That's so great, I really hope you enjoy it, and thank you thank you thank you for the kind words. I'll say that the RT-20 is a fun pedal, and I found it really useful as a "What else can I do to push this chorus/solo/whatever even further" tool. Sometimes I'd wait until the last song of the night and then just unleash it during a way-too-long solo. It was fun for me, at least.
Yes, they could mostly copy line 6 Roto machine's control set (crappy sound), but the RT-20 sound is the best. The Line 6's dual action foot switch isn't the only one out there.
So cool to revisit older stuff as a new review. I’m convinced we always chase after the new thing when we can wring some great stuff out of the older tech. Where the RT-20 works for me is on keys and I have it matched to a Voce organ module and it really does the trick live and is an improvement over most built in leslie effects - even on the dedicated stage organs. Greg Baum let me audition it at Seeetwater and I chose the RT-20 over others as live you really won’t hear the difference over the more acclaimed ‘Spin’. And yeah it sounds great.
In 2008 my board was: Vox Over the Top Boost, RT-20 and a tuner, period. Just sounded great. I used it as just a slow churning Joe Walsh thing with plenty of dry mixed in. The Vox was replaced later with a Red Llama, this delay and that went before the tuner later on but the mighty RT-20 stayed until 2017 when I got an MD-500. I'll never part with it and having a couple different boards I'll probably build a third with the RT-20 making a comeback. As a former 147 owner I give it FIVE STARS!!! Thanks for doing this one.
We were also greatful to be reminded of this pedal. I have seen it but never looked into it...I thought it wasn't for me. But pedals have sometimes - rather most of the time - settings that transcend their typical use. I experienced this again with your video. FOR example, I am experimenting with ring modulation for bell, tibetan bowl, gamelan and gong sounds: This rotary effect - with the correct speed - on a ring modulated pluck of a ringing guitar string would really bring it closer I think to the sound of these metalic percusion instruments. But this is an extreem example, I felt that in general with the distortion and the different modes and speeds there is alot of versatility I wasn't aware of before. SO thanks again for another interesting episode.
You hit on something there for sure. Sometimes pedals sit around for a long time until we discover what they’ll do for us, specifically. I remember when I moved into my house, my Dad gave me a bunch of tools and was like “You’ll need these some day”. Last week I needed to pull the drain out of a bathtub and there was a tool specifically for that in there. That ring mod experiment sounds amazing. Effects… is there anything they can’t do? :)
I’m not a fan of rotary, but you had me instantly on that Hall & Oats jam at the beginning. The light … THE LIGHT. I would be digging that pedal out on the regular, just to watch the light while I played. For all the reference to rotary speakers/Leslies online, no one ✨no one✨ has mentioned the lower speaker rotor until you. Everyone is fixated on the top horns, but I was today-years-old when I learned the opening for the bottom speaker rotated, because you shared that. You are bringing the knowledge, doing all the leg work, and making it understandable in a succinct way. Understanding the two rotations, the speed settings and wind-down settings… you’ve made a compelling case for this pedal. I’d really enjoy playing rotary if I had this and that’s not something I thought I’d ever say. Super dug that last jam! Kind of Dire Straits meets ZZ Top, meets David Gilmour, meets Bob Seeger. Honestly, I have no idea. I pondered that jam and played it a few times because it was so enjoyable and reminded me of something, but I think it’s your thing and it’s good 🤘🙂🎸
Thank you so much again! Yeah, the detail Boss put into the speed and momentum of the RT-20 is what makes it really special, I think. The wind up and down phases are the best, and I love seeing the horns go crazy while the rotor is just barely moving. As a kid, a bunch of us rescued an old discarded Leslie (I know!) from an old night club. We never got it working, but it kind of planted a seed for me. I think the first song started out as a soundalike of Foster the People’s “Sit Next To Me” (I really just wanted an excuse to do the handclap part) and the last jam was the remnants of a jam band chorus I wrote but never used for a band last summer, though I definitely hear the Knopfler in there now. A lot of my song ideas get knocked around last minute if I can’t find the right drum patch. I appreciate your noticing all the little things that go into the videos. Sometimes it’s frustrating how long they take to make compared with guys who seemingly just prop up and phone and go “Ok here’s this pedal” and get 250k views in an hours but I like going deeper. Just wait until the next few ;)
You won't be sorry. We've all tried phase, flange and chorus. This is a different animal, and as a former 147 owner - and a Joe Walsh fan, I can say it succeeds it getting those subtle but important aspects, in particular that unique metallic Leslie "scrape", for lack of a better term, the others overlook. Go for it.
The Leslie is a lot more involved than I thought, and a lot of thought went into making the RT20. I always forget about that Uni-Vibe setting. Alas, the size is a deal breaker. My rotary sounds are coming from a Flamma micro multi mod pedal or my ME-80. I only recently started digging into rotary though.
I have a Leslie in storage to ship out here someday. It was my great-grandma’s. I don’t think I’ll be loading it in anywhere, but it’ll be cool in the studio. I use a NUX Monterey Vibe in the meantime. It approximates well.
I have way more Big Muffs than someone who doesn’t use Fuzz should ever have, but I’ve also been curious about the differences. After the one I’m working on now, I’ll get to work on a Muffisode
Sounds great I got a nux roctary for my rotary needs it covers octave up and down also so it's pretty much an organ machine I've had a few opportunities to get Leslie cabs but it's never been worth all the extra trouble to get em up and running but the nux is a good budget rotary option
Hey could you possibly do a video on the germanium big muff and big muff deluxe I've heard all the reissues but no real good demos on the deluxe, germanium or Russian deluxe there's alot more going on with those pedals than the typical three knob versions
Ditto. I have a Deluxe and I'm not sure if buying one of the smaller enclosure reissues has any benefits. Theoretically, I should get all the Big Muff tones out of my Deluxe.
Whenever I see this pedal I think of the Yamaha RA-200 Rotating Speakers instead of the Hammond Leslie Speakers. The reason for that I assume is the name because RT-20 sort of resembles RA-200, and I always wondered whether or not Boss used 20 in the name as a hint towards the Yamaha RA-200. Even though the Hammond Leslie and the Yamaha RA-200 function a little differently than each other similar sounds/tones can be achieved depending on settings. Even though Boss doesn't specifically state whether the pedal simulates the Hammond Leslie Speaker or the Yamaha RA-200 most people draw the conclusion that it simulates the Leslie because of how well known the Leslie is. The Yamaha RA-200 is not as well known as the Leslie and I might not have even heard of it if I wasn't a Pink Floyd and David Gilmour fan. David Gilmour used the Yamaha RA-200 hear and there from around the mid to later 70's up to present day, but it's mostly recognized as being used on the Pink Floyd Animals album & tour, the Wall album & tour, and on the first 2 of David Gilmour's solo albums & tours. It would be interesting to know whether Boss was trying to model both types or just one specifically because all there website says is "Employing COSM-modeling technology, the RT-20 authentically reproduces classic rotary-speaker sounds".
Hey Bradley, thanks for all of that information, I had no idea about the Yamaha system. Page 13 of the RT-20 manual actually spells out that it’s the Leslie 122 that it’s emulating, though it’s anyone’s guess as to which sound lives in peoples minds and thoughts when they think of *that* sound.
Three cents from me (I have it a few weeks now): 1.) I can pretty much overcome the slight disappointment of "overdrive dulling", when I want to use the internal overdrive: By just turning it up enough - between ca. 55% & 70% in my case! And then I adjust the volume of the organ itself until the right (even slight) amount of distortion for the song is reached. Why? There´s not only the amount of overdrive but also some opening filter going on, when turning the overdrive control up, it seems.. 2.) I like the brightness and clarity of Mode 2 - but it´s too "impressive", too wide in the stereo field for my ears. I go stereo out -> into -> two mono channels and set the amount of left and right with the pan controls to taste. I am not wanting to sonically sit "too narrow in front" of the rotating speakers, so to say. I even may add a small room reverb to virtually "distance" me from the virtual cabinet. Still I also might add a little bit of a longer reverb too, just for "convenience" ;-). 3.) While I totally enjoy the "modeled realism" of the Leslie action - to me it is more convincing than most other simulators - the basic impression of the sound still is a bit "static" or "anemic", somehow. I´m not the first guy, who likes it better with a slight chorusing in front of the RT-20. I do that with a tad of "detune" instead of a regular chorus. In my case it is an affordable Donner "Harmonic Square" Pitch shifter in detune mode, set to its lightest setting ("+/- 7" = +10 cents) and just "10 o´clock wet"... By the way1: I don´t use the "direct" signal control on the RT-20. I keep it turned down. By the way 2: My organ of choice here is a tiny Yamaha "Reface YC". And I totally switch its internal Leslie and internal overdrive off for using it with the RT-20. And I control my volume variations with an expression pedal. That plasticy "Moog" - thang, in my case. Well enough.
This pedal is criticized a lot. I've had one for a year and really enjoy it. The univibe number 4 setting is seldom mentioned and is pretty cool. The pedal takes some tweaking and may not appeal to everyone.
One of my first pedals. The overdrive is a bit obnoxious and the Univibe setting is not at all convincing, but apart from that I have had nothing but aural pleasure from this unit :)
How many pedals do we use that only do one thing? Aren't programmable? And how many do it this well (very few)? This should be on any pedal board. It earns it's space.
I made the mistake of smoking a bowl before watching this, and that swirling, twirling light has me seeing...wait, where was I? Oh yeah, cool demo, as always.
I'll spin you right round baby right now. I love brunettes. I used to have a Jim Dunlop Rotovibe and now I want another one, but I've also been checking out the Boss RT-20. Which one would you recommend? I almost bought the Boss but I waited to long to get it and now they're discontinued, I believe. All I see are used ones online.
Anyone else try the trick with taping a record cover vertically to a turntable and spinning in front of a small crappy practice amp for fake Lesly when they were stupid teenagers ?
Interesting, I never heard of those type of speakers. Meybe you can help me. I'm looking for some kind of stereo delay/Eco pedal to help me make a digital piano sound like an acoustic piano that's standing outdoor! Something with great build and experience when using and a great tactile feel.. Thanks!
Felicidades, es un buen ejemplo. 127 sentadillas son unos SEXBABY.Uno muchas y un buen ejercicio. Se deja ver que hay muy buenos resultados 😍👍 Saludos desde la Cd.. de world 🌹😉💖 los mortalesz abian apreciado tan hermosa mujer.k
How can anyone not love Boss? I mean, what haven’t they done yet? I love the hypno wheel on this thing.
Mine got sidelined my my MD-500, but I'll pull it out again to build a more old fashioned and basic board. It just sounds too cool to be put away.
i just wanted to drop a note of gratitude, for the great information you're sharing on your channel. i'm a recent subscriber, and until now have lurked, picking out videos of pedals we both have- and i have to say, the format is incredibly refreshing. great work. p/s: my RT20 arrives today- it will be my third from this series, and this video will be my reference as we get to know each other. again, thank you, and cheers from Oregon!
That's so great, I really hope you enjoy it, and thank you thank you thank you for the kind words. I'll say that the RT-20 is a fun pedal, and I found it really useful as a "What else can I do to push this chorus/solo/whatever even further" tool. Sometimes I'd wait until the last song of the night and then just unleash it during a way-too-long solo. It was fun for me, at least.
I second your sentiments
If Boss made a compact version of this pedal, it would sell like hot cakes.
Do you know if Boss is still producing the RT20? Id love to get one soon
Yes, they could mostly copy line 6 Roto machine's control set (crappy sound), but the RT-20 sound is the best. The Line 6's dual action foot switch isn't the only one out there.
This was a great video. The best one out of about 10 I watched. You clearly explained everything.
The Hardwire line of pedals are awesome as well👍
Definitely! I have a couple videos with those up as well.
And thanks to this channel I just bought 4 hardwire pedals. They are incredible!!
So cool to revisit older stuff as a new review. I’m convinced we always chase after the new thing when we can wring some great stuff out of the older tech. Where the RT-20 works for me is on keys and I have it matched to a Voce organ module and it really does the trick live and is an improvement over most built in leslie effects - even on the dedicated stage organs. Greg Baum let me audition it at Seeetwater and I chose the RT-20 over others as live you really won’t hear the difference over the more acclaimed ‘Spin’. And yeah it sounds great.
Not ‘Spin’. I meant the ‘Vent’. Long day.
In 2008 my board was: Vox Over the Top Boost, RT-20 and a tuner, period. Just sounded great. I used it as just a slow churning Joe Walsh thing with plenty of dry mixed in. The Vox was replaced later with a Red Llama, this delay and that went before the tuner later on but the mighty RT-20 stayed until 2017 when I got an MD-500. I'll never part with it and having a couple different boards I'll probably build a third with the RT-20 making a comeback. As a former 147 owner I give it FIVE STARS!!! Thanks for doing this one.
That 2008 board sounds like a hot little board!
@@StompboxBreakdown Thanks. A few basic but good sounds. It fit in a milk crate - pretty much.
We were also greatful to be reminded of this pedal. I have seen it but never looked into it...I thought it wasn't for me. But pedals have sometimes - rather most of the time - settings that transcend their typical use. I experienced this again with your video. FOR example, I am experimenting with ring modulation for bell, tibetan bowl, gamelan and gong sounds: This rotary effect - with the correct speed - on a ring modulated pluck of a ringing guitar string would really bring it closer I think to the sound of these metalic percusion instruments. But this is an extreem example, I felt that in general with the distortion and the different modes and speeds there is alot of versatility I wasn't aware of before. SO thanks again for another interesting episode.
You hit on something there for sure. Sometimes pedals sit around for a long time until we discover what they’ll do for us, specifically. I remember when I moved into my house, my Dad gave me a bunch of tools and was like “You’ll need these some day”. Last week I needed to pull the drain out of a bathtub and there was a tool specifically for that in there.
That ring mod experiment sounds amazing. Effects… is there anything they can’t do? :)
I’m not a fan of rotary, but you had me instantly on that Hall & Oats jam at the beginning. The light … THE LIGHT. I would be digging that pedal out on the regular, just to watch the light while I played.
For all the reference to rotary speakers/Leslies online, no one ✨no one✨ has mentioned the lower speaker rotor until you. Everyone is fixated on the top horns, but I was today-years-old when I learned the opening for the bottom speaker rotated, because you shared that. You are bringing the knowledge, doing all the leg work, and making it understandable in a succinct way.
Understanding the two rotations, the speed settings and wind-down settings… you’ve made a compelling case for this pedal. I’d really enjoy playing rotary if I had this and that’s not something I thought I’d ever say.
Super dug that last jam! Kind of Dire Straits meets ZZ Top, meets David Gilmour, meets Bob Seeger. Honestly, I have no idea. I pondered that jam and played it a few times because it was so enjoyable and reminded me of something, but I think it’s your thing and it’s good 🤘🙂🎸
Thank you so much again! Yeah, the detail Boss put into the speed and momentum of the RT-20 is what makes it really special, I think. The wind up and down phases are the best, and I love seeing the horns go crazy while the rotor is just barely moving.
As a kid, a bunch of us rescued an old discarded Leslie (I know!) from an old night club. We never got it working, but it kind of planted a seed for me.
I think the first song started out as a soundalike of Foster the People’s “Sit Next To Me” (I really just wanted an excuse to do the handclap part) and the last jam was the remnants of a jam band chorus I wrote but never used for a band last summer, though I definitely hear the Knopfler in there now. A lot of my song ideas get knocked around last minute if I can’t find the right drum patch.
I appreciate your noticing all the little things that go into the videos. Sometimes it’s frustrating how long they take to make compared with guys who seemingly just prop up and phone and go “Ok here’s this pedal” and get 250k views in an hours but I like going deeper. Just wait until the next few ;)
You won't be sorry. We've all tried phase, flange and chorus. This is a different animal, and as a former 147 owner - and a Joe Walsh fan, I can say it succeeds it getting those subtle but important aspects, in particular that unique metallic Leslie "scrape", for lack of a better term, the others overlook. Go for it.
This pedal does the david gilmour thing really well.
The Leslie is a lot more involved than I thought, and a lot of thought went into making the RT20. I always forget about that Uni-Vibe setting. Alas, the size is a deal breaker. My rotary sounds are coming from a Flamma micro multi mod pedal or my ME-80. I only recently started digging into rotary though.
best led light on a pedal evah
Man, really good pedal, and amazing video!
Thanks, Flash!
idk if i even want a rotary effect, but i do want blinky light
They should sell it as a small standalone thing, like the size of the TU-3S
I have a Leslie in storage to ship out here someday. It was my great-grandma’s. I don’t think I’ll be loading it in anywhere, but it’ll be cool in the studio.
I use a NUX Monterey Vibe in the meantime. It approximates well.
Their Mod Core Deluxe has an actual Rotary effect, and the Monterey Uni-Vibe as well. Along with other modulations.
It’s only about $20 more.
It has that Robin Trower vibe Which is massively cool… Keep on rocking…
Love your music.
Thank you!!
Great video, a ton of interesting information and good demos! Now I just have to find one! ところで、なんで「コロンビア」というのシャツがありますか。
Golden Years opening jam. 👍
I want to buy one just for the LEDs.
It really might be my favorite pedal display of all time.
Have you tried this Vs the Neo instruments Mini Vent?
Everybody loves the hypno-pedal!
One of my favorites for sure. Peddling between low and high speeds during a lead adds a level of dimension and fun that's hard to beat.
Hypnotised. Will I ever be back in the real world? But who needs that when there's pedals?
Get vid. Informative and funny.
Agreed on all counts. Thanks, Amy!
@@StompboxBreakdown Thanks for getting back. Would just like to second the comment about doing a video on Big Muffs. It would be brilliant!!!
I have way more Big Muffs than someone who doesn’t use Fuzz should ever have, but I’ve also been curious about the differences. After the one I’m working on now, I’ll get to work on a Muffisode
Sounds great I got a nux roctary for my rotary needs it covers octave up and down also so it's pretty much an organ machine I've had a few opportunities to get Leslie cabs but it's never been worth all the extra trouble to get em up and running but the nux is a good budget rotary option
Hey could you possibly do a video on the germanium big muff and big muff deluxe I've heard all the reissues but no real good demos on the deluxe, germanium or Russian deluxe there's alot more going on with those pedals than the typical three knob versions
Ditto. I have a Deluxe and I'm not sure if buying one of the smaller enclosure reissues has any benefits. Theoretically, I should get all the Big Muff tones out of my Deluxe.
Ooh, good call. Yeah, I can probably do that. I’ve got a few Muffs, it’d be good to see what the differences really are.
Surely you have plans to do a video on that Damage Control Timeline, right?
That’s actually an Amptweaker Tightdrive Pro. Very complicated and capable pedal, but way heavier than what I typically go for.
Whenever I see this pedal I think of the Yamaha RA-200 Rotating Speakers instead of the Hammond Leslie Speakers. The reason for that I assume is the name because RT-20 sort of resembles RA-200, and I always wondered whether or not Boss used 20 in the name as a hint towards the Yamaha RA-200. Even though the Hammond Leslie and the Yamaha RA-200 function a little differently than each other similar sounds/tones can be achieved depending on settings. Even though Boss doesn't specifically state whether the pedal simulates the Hammond Leslie Speaker or the Yamaha RA-200 most people draw the conclusion that it simulates the Leslie because of how well known the Leslie is. The Yamaha RA-200 is not as well known as the Leslie and I might not have even heard of it if I wasn't a Pink Floyd and David Gilmour fan. David Gilmour used the Yamaha RA-200 hear and there from around the mid to later 70's up to present day, but it's mostly recognized as being used on the Pink Floyd Animals album & tour, the Wall album & tour, and on the first 2 of David Gilmour's solo albums & tours. It would be interesting to know whether Boss was trying to model both types or just one specifically because all there website says is "Employing COSM-modeling technology, the RT-20 authentically reproduces classic rotary-speaker sounds".
Hey Bradley, thanks for all of that information, I had no idea about the Yamaha system. Page 13 of the RT-20 manual actually spells out that it’s the Leslie 122 that it’s emulating, though it’s anyone’s guess as to which sound lives in peoples minds and thoughts when they think of *that* sound.
Three cents from me (I have it a few weeks now):
1.) I can pretty much overcome the slight disappointment of "overdrive dulling", when I want to use the internal overdrive:
By just turning it up enough - between ca. 55% & 70% in my case!
And then I adjust the volume of the organ itself until the right (even slight) amount of distortion for the song is reached. Why?
There´s not only the amount of overdrive but also some opening filter going on, when turning the overdrive control up, it seems..
2.) I like the brightness and clarity of Mode 2 - but it´s too "impressive", too wide in the stereo field for my ears.
I go stereo out -> into -> two mono channels and set the amount of left and right with the pan controls to taste.
I am not wanting to sonically sit "too narrow in front" of the rotating speakers, so to say. I even may add a small room reverb to virtually "distance" me from the virtual cabinet. Still I also might add a little bit of a longer reverb too, just for "convenience" ;-).
3.) While I totally enjoy the "modeled realism" of the Leslie action - to me it is more convincing than most other simulators - the basic impression of the sound still is a bit "static" or "anemic", somehow. I´m not the first guy, who likes it better with a slight chorusing in front of the RT-20.
I do that with a tad of "detune" instead of a regular chorus.
In my case it is an affordable Donner "Harmonic Square" Pitch shifter in detune mode, set to its lightest setting ("+/- 7" = +10 cents) and just "10 o´clock wet"...
By the way1:
I don´t use the "direct" signal control on the RT-20. I keep it turned down.
By the way 2:
My organ of choice here is a tiny Yamaha "Reface YC".
And I totally switch its internal Leslie and internal overdrive off for using it with the RT-20.
And I control my volume variations with an expression pedal. That plasticy "Moog" - thang, in my case. Well enough.
Oh wow, that's a thorough writeup, thank you! Lots of great stuff to explore here and in other effects.
This pedal is criticized a lot. I've had one for a year and really enjoy it. The univibe number 4 setting is seldom mentioned and is pretty cool. The pedal takes some tweaking and may not appeal to everyone.
Not easy to find an used one for RT-20, what do you think about the rotary effect included in MD200 or MD500?
I want to find a good deal on one of these
One of my first pedals. The overdrive is a bit obnoxious and the Univibe setting is not at all convincing, but apart from that I have had nothing but aural pleasure from this unit :)
How many pedals do we use that only do one thing? Aren't programmable? And how many do it this well (very few)? This should be on any pedal board. It earns it's space.
100% agreed
I made the mistake of smoking a bowl before watching this, and that swirling, twirling light has me seeing...wait, where was I? Oh yeah, cool demo, as always.
Most of us have our own distortion pedals so adding distortion to this pedal was not needed.
Were the handclaps going through the pedal?
Haha, no. Those were recorded straight, then added some echo on em
I'll spin you right round baby right now. I love brunettes.
I used to have a Jim Dunlop Rotovibe and now I want another one, but I've also been checking out the Boss RT-20.
Which one would you recommend? I almost bought the Boss but I waited to long to get it and now they're discontinued, I believe. All I see are used ones online.
Anyone else try the trick with taping a record cover vertically to a turntable and spinning in front of a small crappy practice amp for fake Lesly when they were stupid teenagers ?
Interesting, I never heard of those type of speakers. Meybe you can help me. I'm looking for some kind of stereo delay/Eco pedal to help me make a digital piano sound like an acoustic piano that's standing outdoor! Something with great build and experience when using and a great tactile feel.. Thanks!
Hmm, not sure I know what could help you there. I bet someone would have an opinion over on The Gear Page, though
Felicidades, es un buen ejemplo. 127 sentadillas son unos SEXBABY.Uno muchas y un buen ejercicio. Se deja ver que hay muy buenos resultados 😍👍 Saludos desde la Cd.. de world 🌹😉💖 los mortalesz abian apreciado tan hermosa mujer.k
Jesus christ…… yappediyap
Fun looking pedal