World's Greatest Mono Synth: Roland SH-101 

Did you get one? How much did you pay and how do you like it ?

Same here. I have tried to like the Prophet more than the Roland synths so many times, but I can instantly get the sounds I want with Roland stuff. I mainly use the Juno 60, xv5080 and Jupiter 8 but I'm working on a song and used my sh-101. Tried to replace it with my Minimoog and reverted to the sh 101. Roland is undefeated in my studio

Totally! My collection would be nuts if I had held on to everything in my past. I'm pretty happy right now, so I totally have zero complaints!

The YAMAHA CS01 MK2 is easily as good as this. Go and check the demos that have been done on one on youtube. Some guy recreated Depeche Mode classics on one. Simply amazing

Haha! The man, the myth! Thanks, Craig! Hope you're well!

Get the behringer. Way cheaper and has additional stuff in it

Haha! Thanks! And same here. Really couldn't resist when the Warp email landed in my inbox.

@@midichlorian73 yeah there's a lot of good unreleased stuff in there. I used to own a second hand 101 years ago. The previous owner had spray painted it completely black and I didn't have manual.

tough to find currently

The SH-01a can't be beat imho... not even by the original.

@@sheateeley1 Please let me just copy / paste something I've written before - The Roland Boutique SH-01a sounds EXACTLY like this but adds a ton of additional features: polyphony of up to four voices, polyphonic sequencer, unison mode, chord mode, 64 patch- and 64 sequence memory slots, alternative noise generator, two additional LFO waveshapes, extended LFO range for FM, audio input, MIDI, LFO sync mode... add a chorus pedal and you've got yourself a great Juno-like four voice poly that can be transformed back into a 101 at the push of a button. One of the best if not the best Boutique without a doubt!

You can find such videos already if you’re interested in comparing.

As soon as I saw the title I thought "a lot of Roland heads would not agree". The 101 is the most flexible per-pound but also the most 'vanilla'-sounding (for all vanilla can be, mind you) Roland analog mono. I'm partial to the System-100 and TB-303 (ha!) , many others to the SH-5 or SH-2. ProMars, SH-7 and SH-3a are also beastly. It really comes down to what sound you're out to nail, or how special you find the synth's breadth or character of voicing.

Yeah, he fluffed quite a few synthesis 101s.

I think this a retail/reseller's channel. Fairly casual and not academic.

@@shaft9000 yeah my dude, but if you're going to sell a PC or a car, you better know how it works.

The SH-01A is a great synthesizer indeed. It's one of the rare cases where the boutique exceeds the quality of the original. It fully covers the sound palette of the original and can also be programmed to sound quicker and punchier. It gets rid of the analog instability weirdness (I don't appreciate these for my music). In addition, it's a polysynth! It's got a metal casing! It's Roland!

@@midimoog But it's so freakin' small.

@@lo-firobotboy7112 The sliders are actually not even much smaller than on the original as Nick Batt pointed out in his review for Sonicstate. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-r0Ns96rEybU.html

@@LousyFacelift It's the whole form factor of the boutiques that I don't care for. I'm a hardware synth collector. I love big, chunky keyboards. The two or three boutiques that I've played were so small and fiddly the the interface was actually a distraction. At this point, I'd rather go with the Behringer clone, or wait 'till a vintage model falls into my lap.

@@lo-firobotboy7112 I can totally understand your point, it's what kept me from buying the JX-03, SE-02... in fact all of them besides the SH-01a and JU-06a. These two are really not as crammed, in the JU they also got rid of the two (ugly) touch strips to give it a much better look and make room for the controls. It really works out ok for these two imho, I was quite sceptical towards both of them at first but they're great and I enjoy them a lot...

🤷🏿‍♀️ That sounds rather doable. I’ll get back to you once I’ve spent more time learning my MS-1…

And the Oberheim SEM! In a totally different league. Or the VCS 3. Even Octave Cat, Wasp and Oscar. And I don't get the "more flexible" thing about the SH-101 compared to the Pro One for example. How in the world is not having a poly-mod section, only one oscillator instead of two (differfent) with only two waveforms instead of three to choose from "more flexible"? To me the SH-101 is just generic sounding (boring) and quite inflexible when it comes to mono synth duties!

No other VA sounds so close to an SH-101 and adds so much to the concept. I have absolutely no wish for the OG ever since I got my SH-01a.

@@LousyFacelift VA is okay, but not like the original analog sound.

@@HenritheHorse The sound may not be exactly the same in every single (measurable) aspect but to say that it is "not like the original analog sound" is simply not true. Of course it is EXACTLY LIKE the original sound despite being digital. There is absolutely no difference that matters to me personally and I'm convinced the majority of listeners, even professional musicians, could not tell the SH-01a apart from an original unless this original sounds rather different from the norm, which can be the case with analog gear. Could you please try to put a little more effort in making a point by trying to describe the difference you're hearing and explain why you feel that it's relevant?

@@LousyFacelift VA has come a long way, but it's never gonna be the real thing analog. In good and in bad.

@@HenritheHorse There are very many completely different types of VA technology out there and I think they should all be evaluated individually, not in such a generalized way. Talking about a difference in sound between an SH-101 and the SH-01A without even trying to describe it doesn't seem convincing, it doesn't make sense to me. What is the difference you're hearing and why does it matter to you?

The Juno 60 is a six voice poly.

@@LousyFacelift ; ) yeah I know, but it works so great as a mono using the arpeggiator.

@@nilsvanderplancken It's a rather simple one oscillator synth and it sounds gorgeous.

@@LousyFacelift Unless you play with only one finger!)

Yeah. But I guess both the 2600 and the Odyssey are duophonic? But even if so, I still think the Prophet Pro One is way more powerful. It both sounds better and have much more flexibility. I can't understand why he thinks the SH-101 is more flexible? It doesn't have the very powerful polymod that the Pro One has (that has even more options than the Prophet 5). The Pro One also has two oscillators and additional waveforms. It simply is in another league when it comes to producing more variations in sound compared to the SH-101. There are also many other options in Synths that sound way more unique than the 101. Like Octave Cat, Wasp, Oscar. Or what about the extremely creamy Oberheim SEM? Or the VCS3? To me the 101 is ok for basses, but I think it just sounds like a generic Roland early 80:s synth. Nothing that stands out and quite neutral. Simply boring and not very versatile!

??

when it comes to versatility and price point, yuh!

@@crnkmnky I'll give you that. I will say, the Minimoog is a beautiful instrument, not only in sound but also physical design.

@@crnkmnky For that the Pro One wins hands down. Much, much more flexible and versatile with its poly-mod section, it's two oscillators and its three waveforms to choose from (And not just sawtooth and pulse). Just way better in every department!

@@Magnus_Loov fair enough

I'd say all these are the best for what they do!

Well, he qualifies the statement pretty effectively: Flexibility.

Odd to put the 101 over Roland's own System-100 or SH-5. Video is more about his sentimental opinion.

Well said. It's earned its place in synth history for exactly those reasons. It matters not what other synths can do better.

@@jamesmarsden2172 And compared to the Pro One the SH-101 is WAY less flexible. No Poly-mod section. Only one oscillator. Only two different waveforms etc.

Chris did qualify his statement a couple times. Put down the pitchfork, Padre. 🧊