Roland SH01

[volumetrik]

There are quite a few synths on the market that match that description, why don't you just buy one of them? What you say makes no sense, unless you just really like the way the SH01 looks. If that's the case then you should just buy one and never switch it on.

Listen, are you having a go at me just because I had an opinion on a synth?

I don't like the way SH01 looks, I like the way it felt from the quality of the materials.

Oh and for the record the D-Beam kicks arse as an expressive interface for controlling synths. You can use your hand, lean over the keys and use your shoulder, head, whatever. You don't have to stand there like a gimp waving one hand around like an extra in a Harry Potter movie, use your body to really interact with the synth. When I used to gig with the V-Synth I used to love tweaking two parameters with the XY pad with my left hand and two with my head with the D-Beam at the same time. Sure as h**l beats just tweaking one knob with your hand, that's why Frostwave made the spacebeam for modular users.

Yeah even your c**k hey? Bet ya liked doing that a lot...

[Primal Drive]

I'm starting to seriously think about buying an SH01 and a Beat Thang and making a whole album with them just to shut people up in threads like this. Can't wait for the shitstorm when the Beat Thang finally comes out.

I agree. What do all you people with opinions think this is, a forum or something?

[Hugo76]

Sorry if this is already posted, I haven't had the chance to follow this thread. Anyways, Sonic State has an interesting review that seems a little more nuanced than the "Platinum Award" praise in Future Music:

Personally I kinda like the synth, but am put off a bit by the lack of a screen. Can't commend to much on the sound as I haven't tried it myself yet. It may very well not be the fattest sounding synth, but that doesn't worry me too much.

[Stab Frenzy]

Listen, are you having a go at me just because I had an opinion on a synth?

No I'm not having a go at you just because you have an opinion, I'm pointing out the flaws in the logic of your opinion. This is a discussion forum, hopefully civilised discussion can occur here from time to time.

I don't like the way SH01 looks, I like the way it felt from the quality of the materials.

OK, so this is what I can gather from what you've posted about the SH01 so far:
Likes:
- Build quality/materials.

Dislikes:
- Looks
- It's digital
- Has presets
- Uses midi rather than CV/Gate
- 'crappy' effects
- D-beam

Can we agree on that?

OK, so I think rather than something like the SH01 you're looking for a Leipzig, Cwejman S1, Kraftswerg, Little Phatty or something of that ilk. Why would you even complain about the SH01 when it's so far from what you're interested in? It's like a racing driver complaining that a new range rover handles really badly on a track and is too heavy to be a real race car. The SH01 is designed for a completely different market to the one you're in, so judging it against your criteria is a futile exercise. It's not the kind of synth I want or need either, but I don't complain about it.

I'm not trying to start some kind of online argument here, I'm just trying to make VSE a more pleasant place to be, rather than some kind of repository for whinging. There is so much of this whining in threads like this, especially whenever Roland brings out a new product, and I think it should be discouraged.

Oh, and a personal attack on a Moderator, nice one. You really know how to make a good impression don't you?

[Stab Frenzy]

I'm starting to seriously think about buying an SH01 and a Beat Thang and making a whole album with them just to shut people up in threads like this. Can't wait for the shitstorm when the Beat Thang finally comes out.

I agree. What do all you people with opinions think this is, a forum or something?

Nothing wrong with opinions, it's the ceaseless complaining that drowns out the interesting discussions that becomes tiresome. That and people rubbishing perfectly serviceable instruments, just because they use a different technology or are aimed at a different market than someone's personal preference.

It seems to me that people forget we're talking about synthesizers and samplers here, the instruments with the greatest ability for the user shape the sound to their preference ever made. I'm of the opinion that if you don't like how a synth sounds then you turn the knobs until you do, rather than getting on the intertubes to complain about it.

[RD9]

You found yourself needing 64 notes of polyphony?
I only very rarely find myself limited by the 16 on the DX7 -- what were you doing to take advantage of so much polyphony on a three octave board?

I run into problems creating a heavy string section on the Radias which has 24 voices. The unison mode gives you the option of 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 voices (with detune and spread). And I'll tell you now, it's quite easy to hit the ceiling. For someone like me who is into minimalism, it never occurred to me that I might want a rich sound if it's a solo with no accompaniment. But apparently, a thick sound is still useful to a minimalist at times (who knew?). I tried 5-6 voices with a fairly lengthy envelope release and when I hit the part with quick successive notes, voices started dropping. I've also tried limiting the unison to 3 or 4 to give me more wiggle room, but it just doesn't sound the same. Granted that if you're really into realistic orchestral strings, you're much better off using a Kurzweil or something, but still. I wouldn't mind 64 just for experimenting. 24 isn't the end of the world by far, but it does occasionally give me feelings of inadequacy these days. Haha.

I few months ago I never would have paid attention to videos like this, but now it's all different. There's something quite neat about being being able to make sounds like that alone in your room. Sometimes I wonder if I should get a synth that can do something like that, but at half the price...

[Primal Drive]

I'm starting to seriously think about buying an SH01 and a Beat Thang and making a whole album with them just to shut people up in threads like this. Can't wait for the shitstorm when the Beat Thang finally comes out.

I agree. What do all you people with opinions think this is, a forum or something?

Nothing wrong with opinions, it's the ceaseless complaining that drowns out the interesting discussions that becomes tiresome. That and people rubbishing perfectly serviceable instruments, just because they use a different technology or are aimed at a different market than someone's personal preference.

It seems to me that people forget we're talking about synthesizers and samplers here, the instruments with the greatest ability for the user shape the sound to their preference ever made. I'm of the opinion that if you don't like how a synth sounds then you turn the knobs until you do, rather than getting on the intertubes to complain about it.

Kidding aside this time, I do agree. I've tried to avoid making posts like that drunken rant I did for the SH201 a few months back. That's the kind of garbage I hate to read, yet it's exactly what I wrote.

I personally like reading people's opinions on synths of any kind, especially if they're well written. The ones that bother me most are those that completely bash a synth or try to make it seem like the greatest piece of gear ever invented with little or no explanation as to why the poster feels that way.

[Stab Frenzy]

I personally like reading people's opinions on synths of any kind, especially if they're well written. The ones that bother me most are those that completely bash a synth or try to make it seem like the greatest piece of gear ever invented with little or no explanation as to why the poster feels that way.

I thoroughly agree.

[rharris07]

I got to play on the Gaia for a little while at a GC in Houston this week. I wasn't overly impressed, but I liked it too. Its tough to explain. The presets are awful, and the filter is fun but doesn't really tweak like you'd want it to at times...it can get boring easy. The effects section was nice though - giving fuzz to certain presets really increased their quality. The reverb was terrible, same with the delay, but the phaser was nice.

I would easily pay $200 to $300 for it, but definitely no more than that. If I'm going to pay $699 for a synth - well s**t, I'd rather pick up an R3 from korg (for a hundred less, right?), or a phase I phatty.

I do like the look of it though for whatever reason - kinda looks like a cheesy 80s type style. I can understand why most wouldn't like it though, and its definitely not a go to synth for serious work. The best sounds I got out of it were bass with fuzz thrown over it...other than that, ehh.

[Slunk Lord]

I found one up at my Guitar Center today, and I thought I'd try it out.

The discussion in this thread earlier about the inability of this synth to display the parameters of the presets truly does get amplified when there's so much more that a synth can do, but you can't see what the h**l the preset controls are set at. THAT is infuriating, just like my SH-201. Clearly all that Roland is trying to do with this is layer more sounds, but the 3-octave keyboard does feel limiting. I didn't notice the sound being any fatter or warmer than mind is, but it there was improvement in the sound, it wasn't by much. It was mainly just layering sound on sound, which is good, until you get so much sound that you can't tell what the h**l is going on. Many of the presets were very boring, but then again that's what all presets are like.
When I attempted to get into the synth (so to speak) and see what it could do, I was mildly enthusiastic with what I was getting. It was cool, but most of it sounded just like my SH-201. This synth is really just replacing the SH-201, except with fewer keys and more polyphony. Nothing more. No real change in sound, which I was kind of hoping they'd do.

I'm not too crazy about buying the thing myself.

[Mr Knesh]

I tried the Gaia at GC yesterday and I have to say that I was rather pleased with its sounds, controls, build quality and price.

As far as price is concerned, yes you can look at similar keyboards in the same price range and feel a little miffed that Roland would think that the Gaia could compete. However, if you happen to be looking for a synthesizer with 3 VA oscillators, dedicated knobs for filter cutoff, resonance, amplitude, lfo speed, etc... The only other keyboard like it in the price range is the Mopho. Now don't get me wrong, given the choice between the Mopho and the Gaia, I would be surprised if I purchased the Gaia. If you wanted to compare the Gaia's price to that of its historical Roland counterparts, the JP8000 was around $1200 when it was released, the V-synth was $1800, and finally the SH-201 (which is a far inferior instrument) can be had new for $600. For only $100 more, the Gaia kicks the sh201 out of the water. These values are all USD and do not reflect the changes to price over time to adjust for sales, or clearances of items.

As some other users have stated, the build quality of the keyboard is superior to that of the SH201. Despite the case not being made of metal, the plastic is a lot more sturdy than the 201 and keys have a firm and smooth action to them.

The sounds are not analogue. I understand that it is a virtual analogue synthesizer, and as such people are constantly comparing it to an analogue sound. However, I found that the sounds from the SH01 were very pleasing to my ear. The pads were lush. I like how easy it is to detune each of the oscillators. The bass sounds left quite a bit to be desired, but that can also be attributed to the shitty yamaha speakers guitar center insists on using for display models. I did however get some amazing acid synth lines going. They sounded really good both with and without the distortion on. This is the only place that the filter shined. For the most part the filter was lack luster and a little lifeless. But the PEG mode of the filter kicked major a*s. It allowed you to resonant and cutoff higher frequencies but seemed to leave the lower frequencies alone, so you could still get some really amazing cut through the low end even with a bunch of filter res noise.

The controls are modest but efficient. My only complaint being the way that you switch in between oscillators/voices. I would edit a parameter and wonder why it wasn't effecting the whole sound and then realize that I was editing only one of the oscillator panels. being able to adjust individual parameters on each layer is really cool, but it made jumping in to the synthesizer a little confusing at first. I find that the arpeggio had some really cool preset on it, but navigating them was a little bit of a pain. I had the same problem with the SH201. I like that the keyboard has a phrase sampler, but again I was unable to get it to function properly. I spent a good time working with it, and concluded that I would need the manual in order to achieve my goal with the phrase sampler.

All in all the Gaia SH01 is a very fun synthesizer. I can see how a synth newbie could step up to the keyboard and begin making some cool sounds, and myself as a synth enthusiast could have some fun making some noise. Were I to choose to purchase a new keyboard I think the Gaia would make a fine choice sitting amongst my jp8080, ms2k, and alpha juno. On a scale of 10 I give the Gaia a 7.

(10 = the modular I am building in my head
1 = "The most analogue synthesizer since WWI. It has only one oscillator made out of fish. Filters made out of leather. And the outputs are bung full of insect tusk parts for that crispy overdrive. It comes fit with two of the most disturbing techno notes.
The JP8080 is a 9, the ms2k a 7)

[Ashe37]

I messed with one again...

MY biggest gripe:

Turning osc sync on turns it into a $700 VA monosynth.

[D-Collector]

I tried the Gaia at GC yesterday and I have to say that I was rather pleased with its sounds, controls, build quality and price.
......
All in all the Gaia SH01 is a very fun synthesizer. I can see how a synth newbie could step up to the keyboard and begin making some cool sounds, and myself as a synth enthusiast could have some fun making some noise. Were I to choose to purchase a new keyboard I think the Gaia would make a fine choice sitting amongst my jp8080, ms2k, and alpha juno. On a scale of 10 I give the Gaia a 7.

Nice review. From the video on sonicstate, I kinda like it. I am sure I could get some nice things out of it, like most other synths that people tend to dismiss.. I just wish that one of the local shops would have a demo unit so I could try it out properly.

[ninja6485]

I'm starting to seriously think about buying an SH01 and a Beat Thang and making a whole album with them just to shut people up in threads like this. Can't wait for the shitstorm when the Beat Thang finally comes out.

hey, the "beat thang" is a respectable quality instrument. my 909 is clearly obsolete

[moremagic]

I messed with one again...

MY biggest gripe:

Turning osc sync on turns it into a $700 VA monosynth.

Just like my Mono/Poly! Well, except for the V part