Review: Roland SH-2 Plug-Out 

Well spotted! Correct

sonicstate Oddly enough this synth reminds me of Blakes 7, something to do with the greeen trim on the Liberator perhaps. Perhaps I'm nuts...

I'm glad it was Snake Plissken who knew that. Not only my favourite ever character from a film, but also an expert on Sheffield based electronic music pioneers. Bet The Duke of New York knows absolutely nothing about Cabaret Voltaire!

one of the best Human League songs

@@markussamnell6408 Nah sound of the crowd is one of the best but I prefer the dare album to the earlier stuff.

+Alex Quested went through the same thing

+Alex Quested same here... everything you get now is the synth without anything... the extra plugout okay... but not even the vst version for the goddamn thing? Im actually pretty pissed at roland

+Dan Bog i know how it feels...and after the release of minilogue by korg,im actually in fear of roland giving up on the plug outs project...for a new analogue synth to compete with korg..by the way,how do you like the system 1 synth?

They kind of did with the new boutique hardwares like the 303 and 909. You have a crystal ball?

Definitely sounding much better now. I too am not sold on the single plug out at a time and the miserable 8 patch memory slots. Although I think it is 8 for the System-1 and 8 more for the loaded plug out but still... 16 patch slots on a digital synth in 2014? Really? A fully analog Bass Station II has somewhere around 128 patch slots and is a cheaper synth.

Get a System-1m and use the keyboard you want.

With different oscs and filter they’ll hardly sound the same. You can get somewhat close with some clever programming

True, but look into the System-8. Full sized keys and comes with 3 plug-outs, each with 64 patch memories. I love mine.

Buy the System-1 synth, then you will need to buy the Plug-out if your choice and install the Plug-out using your computer and DAW. There are several Plug-outs available. I got all of the Plug-outs (SH-101, SH-2, ProMars, System-100 and the System-1) but like the System-100 plug-out the best.

I have not heard of anyone yet that is able to do this. Great question though. I am also curious.

sonicstate Something i just noticed; the lighting of the "mono/unison/poly" -button changes when you change the VCA-mode. In all the shots where the VCA-envelope is active, the mono-button is steadily lit. And it changes across several patches/shots, so presumably you can change the VCA-mode straight from the front-panel using the mono-button.

Marc the Darc, check out the System-100 Plug-out. I like the System-100 the best. Just love the sounds I get with it. I got all of the Plug-outs when I bought my System-1.

Jupiter-8, Juno-106 and JX3P for free with the System-8

Neither the System-1 or System-1m include a plug-out.

64 patch memories. 64 for the System-1 engine, and another 64 patches for the Plug-out, regardless of which plug-out you install.

Yes and no. As Nick demonstrated with the filter envelope giving that snappy sound, it was modeled after the SH-2 which should have reacted that same way. I bet you could make something sound close with the normal System-1 engine but that engine also trying to be original in other directions as well. Not every synth uses the same filter and even those that do won't necessarily sound the same. Oscillators even sound different. For all we know the SH-2 has some oscillator drift to it (it's analog so very likely) which the System-1 engine does not. They could have added a slop feature like DSI and Elektron have done in their own ways but that isn't the point in this design.

Roland could just as easily made the LED multicolored like they have on the latest TR-8S, and should have.

Just different classic Roland synth engines. I got them all.

Korg has announced the upcoming release of, quote, "a faithful recreation of the legendary 1970s analog synthesiser, the ARP Odyssey." Your wish has been granted!

G force Novation controller End:

I can see them doing a Jupiter Series Plugin... Select in the Plugin... Subscription based ... in app purchases for their Zencore... might be cool stuff.

***** Who cares!

***** Who cares, are you following this thread with your nice nice language? MORON

***** MORON

***** MoRon!

No, its awesome synth, MATRIX & CYBERGOTH GREEN! , Christmas tree...WTF, lolol

The Lush 101 is a 101 emulation, not an SH-2. The two synths are very different.

+Jordan Passmore To answer my own question, it is still monophonic.

i agree. i bought it on the understanding i would get a sh-101 but i have logic 9 and cannot load the plugout. i feel a bit cheated but i should have checked its limitations before buying it.

markusfuller I recently tried the update for the SH101 VST but that still doesn't fix the problem for me. Can't select or save presets and it crashes frequently so right now I have no faith in the plug-out technology. BTW love your channel Markus, very watchable and addictive!

Well, the SH-2 came out in the late 70s so it's hardly surprising that a new emulation of it does not sound exactly the same as the 30+ years old original hardware. I've used a SH-2 on two occasions and think that the System-1 plugout does manage to catch its spirit quite nicely. It may not be perfect but then what is.

TheRealTakumaji yeah right , roland magically has a sh2 pristine example that didn't age at all in 34 years because they put it in a roland cryogenic freezer because they predicted they were gonna emulate it in the future , that argument doesn't hold any truth , software just sounds different because it's a whole different concept , we've got 20 years now of emulation (jp8000- nordlead mid 90s) and they never got rid of the 'software sound' , shure there have been improvements and in a mix the difference is sometimes hard to tell , but a real analogue still has the edge and always will have

AlainRaes67 The sound of my original analog MC-202 that I've bought in the 80s changed a lot over the past decades. It got more grit, dirt and soul than ever before and I love every bit of it but it's nowhere near how it sounded like when I bought it, the same goes for the SH-101, SH-09, etc. That is what I wanted to get across - stuff gets old and changes its character over time. Most software emulations of these synths are modelled after the original specs and circuit layouts, that's one of the reasons why many of them lack that certain oomph which cannot be emulated and makes analog gear so desirable. Then again, I don't subscribe to the "analog uber alles" thing. In my opinion, a good sound is a good sound, no matter whether it was made on an analog synth, a digital workstation or with software, it's all about the creativity and talent of the person using it. In this regard, the SH-2 plugout will deliver enough options for people who simply want to make music instead of getting stuck in tiresome analog vs. digital debates.

agreed... and all you responders notice he said it doesn't sound anything like it. My SH-2 doesn't sound like this at all. This sounds great but not like an SH-2

i've owned amongst so many other analogs 2 sh2's at the sametime and they both sounded quite different from eachother (mainly because internal calibration is different between models and not component related) , to me it was the closest that roland had sounded to what many call 'american filter ' sound with far better bass respons than any of their older linear voltage ones (sh5 ,sh7/ sys100), but the plugout has in no way the character of the sh2 , it's just a way to capitalize on their past glorys , plugout sounds ok but they should have given the model a different name so people don't expect realistic copy of the actual instrument

Get both! I have the System-1, but also got a few of the System-1m so I can connect to my EuroRack stuff. Granted, I started with one to check out EuroRack. Love the jacks and having 64 patch memories. Just do it! :)

I think people also thinks in terms of price/polyphony ratio. Wich is so so in this case.

renoise is a synth you don't need anything else

BS, sh2 is bad asss

i want the 101 and the sh2 so bad i might buy cubase 7.

@@nautzero renoise is not a synth

check out the editor librarian demo, it does a CS80 emulation very well

Richard Stevens who cares!

cheap bastard

Mr. Mike Hardly. This is just not a good deal for what you get, IMO. But thanks for your comment :)

Well what about people who want to buy the plugins without the hardware? These do work as solo VSTs - you know that right?

Add $800 more to that number and go pick up a System-8 ;)

I actually think I will. The JP-8000 has limited time left, so I could use a new monster VA.

BTW, I made that comment like 2 weeks before they released the System 8, so it was basically my idea. 😉

That’s what the system 8 is for…

philipmason108 I think it's made for portability, you could easily plug in any $50 MIDI keyboard and have pitch, modulation, aftertouch and velocity.

actually, I think I mentioned all of that if you go back and check the other parts

***** Who Cares if the lights can be dimmed.

it does run on modern cpu's when you host the plugin on a windows machine or mac..within the hardware synth it's dsp.

cresshead Ah I see, thanks for the info.

it's emulating a monosynth...that's why it's called the SH-2

cresshead ah yes but if it's dsp, why the limitations? Poly would be nice

James Porch it does have a 4 voice poly mode

hi James. im selling mine already. i havnt even tried loading the 101 into it yet. infact i have all 4 aira items up for sale.

markusfuller are they as shit as i think they are ?? im torn between the bassstation 2 , minibrute SE or this thing, i have a novation ultranova, its ok but lack of hands on is annoying.

But a SH2 is not that expensive 2nd hand.

Not only that, look at Korg, manufacturing true analog Arp Odisseys for, what, 800 euros? Now that's extremely competitive.

Most of the world spells it without the unnecessary 'u'.

They look tacky as fcuk. Most of the Aira series is rock solid, but the look of them, goddamn.

it repels me!

Really? I think it's awesome! Makes me feel like I'm playing something powered by demonic fell energy. haha

Review not a demo....

Right right - nevermind the way it sounds (i.e. awesome) :-/

Brandon Ryan Exactly, some people are just spec hunters not musicians.