one of my first "VA"s, and very fun

programming a VA with a mouse is not my idea of fun, and i would argue that it's not a good way for a beginner to learn either.

i bought this unit because it's cheep, has great polyphony, 4 part multitimberal, and plenty of controls.

you may have already read the available indepth reviews, like i did, so here is my take on the most common negatives.

yes sync&ring are limited, but if you care that much about those sounds, this box probably isn't for you anyway.

it's very easy to program, and the shared LFO & OSC controls are not a big problem at all.

the LED screen isn't even a big deal - the effects have funny names but you can quickly flip through them and choose with your ears, not with the codes !

the cutoff does make "zipper" noise. i assume it operates on values 0-127, and there is no glide between values as you turn it. if the movements are slow, it's no problem, but fast movement in the higher frequencies makes a clear stepping sound, perhaps undesierable but still, unique. i should add that it has only been apparent with hand-tweaking, and i havn't noticed it when modulated from the Envelope or the LFO.

the programming process (esp with Perforamnces) is like other roland boxes i have used. the terminology is the same as my JV-1080 and took about the same amount of time to learn to setup a performance on 4 different midi channels. sysex "bulk" dumps are the same, and so is the concept of the "temporary" patch/performance area.

a great value at <$250, but you do need a keyboard to control it.

4 of 5. if it had a data-wheel for values and 4-stereo outputs, i'd give 5.

My advice would be get the extra money together and get a jp8000. The sound creation possibilities are multiplied many times even though the spec is similar. I certainly can't say that the sh32 is a cut down version of the jp synth as it has its own unique characteristics. The filter sounds superior to that of the JP in my opinion although it suffered with some nasty clicks at times. I ended up selling mine to get a nord rack 2, I didn't miss it particularly.

If you are a noob to this synthesizer lark I don't think you could go far wrong with this one for your first bit of kit. For the more discerning synthesist I reccomend you have a good tweak with it first before you buy.

Unfortunately, specs are only half the truth. When it comes to pure sound quality, it’s pretty obvious that the SH-32 after all is an analogue wannabe. Pure Oscillator output is somewhat static (but adding modulation, or/and detune between OSC 1 & 2 or/and “analog feel� will help. The filter section, or more precisely the resonance functions is nothing else than awful. When brought up to what should act as (near) self-oscillation, the output is totally unpredictable (in a very bad way) and is unusable. However, at low settings it can still be used to emphasing the cut-off frequency to a certain degree. Deep filter sweeps and resonance effects are definitive not the type of sounds that this synth does best. (Maybe I’m wrong, but I seem to remember that the older JP-8000 did this much better and could mimic self-oscillation in a much more musical manner.) In addition, some system/ MIDI functions can be difficult to get a grip on at first. Also the programming of the arpeggiator requires some studying of the user manual.

If you are out for more analogue authenticity sound wise, you will probably do better with Arturia’s Minimoog V (and probably most other soft synths), laptop and a midi keyboard. ( I am planning to do this myself for the band) Or of course best with the real things (if you dare).

Don’t get me wrong; I love the SH-32, despite its limitations. My first synthesizer, the Roland SH-09 also had lots of limitations (only 1 osc, 1 env, no memories, no effects, no MIDI), but I loved that as well. I have used and owned most of the Roland synth models from the 70’ and 80’, including SH-09, SH-101, SH-5, Jupiter 4 and 6, Juno 60/ 106, VP-330, RS-202 so I have some experience with analogue Roland gear. So when I had the opportunity to by one (SH-32- Second hand for approxx. 400USD, virtually un-used) two years ago, I could not resist it. Currently I play in a band, which does mainly 70’ prog rock. Obviously the need for analogue synthesizer sound is present, but instead of lugging my beloved analogue relics to the rehearsal room and stages, I use the SH-32 with a dedicated controller keyboard. For additional analogue synth sounds I also use my favourite workhorse, the Yamaha EX-5.

I will absolutely recommend the SH-32 to those who are in need for analogue types of sound, but can not afford to buy much more expensive VA’s or real analogue gear.

Some subjective highs and lows for the Roland SH-32: Making analogue synth sounds is very fast and easy It’s pretty and neat programmable arpeggiator, convincing electronic drum sounds (Tr-808/ Tr-909 types) can act both as a standalone synthesizer or a 4 part polysynth/ electronic drum-machine lots of digital effects good PWM imitation 2 independent oscillators and sub-oscillator, it has all the basic OSC waveforms you would expect, including noise and the super-saw seen on the JP-8000/8080 (with an array of variations of each, which can be useful to mimic different synth models) 2 LFO’s with all necessary waveforms and modulation possibilities, only seen on the most advanced and expensive monsters from the past (As on the great SH-5). Absolutely necessary in making those weird noises and effects. (Remember the simple sinus-waveform LFO on the Juno range) Unbelievable low price -----

The filter resonance is almost unusable The sliders and knobs are too small (for my fingers anyway. I think the box altogether is too small to give any impression of a serious synthesizer) The display is too simple for showing system messages. Barely useful for showing patch-numbers. Although I must admit that I like the way Roland has managed to put so many features on such small space, i.e the same slider are used for both osc 1 & 2, LFO 1& 2 etc, but I must also admit that It can sometimes be confusing. The effects are many, but in general I feel that they are of standard to low quality. Especially I would have liked delay times up to 1000ms instead of the max 500ms. A little low on polyphony (voices) for multi-timbral use. Depends on how patches are programmed. Too much limitation when it comes too using the sync functions. Better avoid it.