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Average rating:
5.0 out of 5
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The SH-1 is a very nice synth and extremely valid sounds for today. I found mine for about full retail a couple of years back, and I had read about the features so I jumped on it, because it seemed to be more sturdy than a SH-101 and with more features.
To be sure, the 101 has the sequencer and that is something the sh01 doesn't have, but otherwise, there are plenty of things this has that the 101 doesn't like the s/h lfo, external envelope for input, etc. This synth doesn't sound like a Moog at all. I think people saying this are generalizing a bit. Even the square wave on an SH1 is more gritty sounding than one on a minimoog.
This synth is a great ACID synth. It has an edginess to the sound that a Minimoog lacks. Its sound cuts through very well. The Sub osc automatically is synced to the oscillator so you just have more bottom end, but not as much of the "detune fatness" you can get from a minimoog. The hpf is something I am beginning to explore, you can thin out the sound and get it great for subtle leads and noodlings. The S/H LFO is great for modulation. The filter isn't a Moog filter but is very nice, and gives the synth a nice low-fi quality to it. When on resonant mode it has great "bite" to the sound. Some things on an SH-1 is more versatile than a Mini. The envelopes, there are 3, although 2 of the VCA envelopes are 2 step. You can invert the envelope too. Definitely more cheesy in general than a mini but great for leads, bass, techno, etc. Put some processing on the signal and you can get great tone out of it, and you also can get blips, bleeps, and noises. Highly recommended, but alas, a rare board. Like they came out with it and then soon after came up with some things that they felt would help sell more synths so there probably aren't very many of these around. Also I have been using it along with a CSQ-600 sequencer. It is very easy to program repeating patterns and CV can be fun!
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I have a lot of analog synths, the sh-1 is my favorite. It`s, hands down, warmer than my moogs and does moog bass better than all of them :-) The PWM is amongs the best. It also does kraftwerk-ish leads very well. Its not good for percussion, its also makes pretty tiny, but analogish, strings.
I don`t like the saw waveform on the sh-1. I think it lacks something.
This machine has been used in these songs: - Depeche modes ice machine is almost all sh-1, except the perc. stuff. - Yazoo`s situation is sh-1 bass. - Depeche mode, just can`t get enough bass + riff, any second now bass. Eurythmics (Sweet dreams bass, here comes the rain again bass) Although they use a sh-2 they use it like a sh-1 with these sounds. - a lot of fad gadget songs!
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mmmmm, i scored mine about 5 years ago at a flea market AU$10.00!!!!! sounds like a dream, and a wet one at that. she runs picture perfect and has been looked after real well. i just found some of these selling for 700 euros! not that i could part with mine.
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The SH-1 brings moogish texture in Roland sound. Certainly comes from the powerful sub osc associated with the filter, which is surprisingly not a moog-like 24db transistor ladder, but this filter is built with many analog OTA : the CA3080, in obsolete metal can (usually found in the vca at that time)... A certain configuration of 4 or 5 probably reproduce a transistor ladder or a feedback loop for resonance, as their inner circuitry is a mini communication between 5 transistors, but I don't know really. It was experimental days in Japan and this little beast is quite unique... i'm not sure if roland SH 2 and 9 (in 1978) have this CA3080-based filter too... But the FAT bass moog sound is only when resonance is down. When resonance is up, it's another story and you recognize the japanese self-oscillation... This one is rather screamy, harsh, gritty but still can have this analog smooth sinus wave.Very good and organic but can sound metallic too. This vcf is maybe an ancestor of the IR3109 filter (custom Roland IC) found in SH-101 and Jupiters, but more agressive and noisy, solid like a moog !
Only 1 vco but powerful mixable sub osc, and 2 envelopes. Plenty of knobs for hands control and pleasure ; )
Try to capture this synth if you see one !
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found mine some years ago on a fleamarket in switzerland for about 25 dollars...couldnt believe it. like that synth very much for its thick massive bass and all the weird little sounds it produces playing round :-) huarageil...
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