Roland SH-4d Drums // Everything you wanted to know + listen to all kicks and snares

[@scott21113]

I never considered all of the tone building and sound design that was in the drum part for rhythms - THANK YOU FOR THIS! My creativity on this little beast has now doubled.

[@cresshead]

Superb, thank you for taking your precious time to put this together - very useful Drum section does indeed seem VERY deep/useful. I like how you can copy paste same drum then edit LR or send fx so you can create snare with/without reverb and also spread the hi hats around as they play with copies at different settings.

[@rexcellencemagee6729]

Roland is killing it with the S4D and s-1! I love these units! And the E-4 pretty awesome too!

[@BenColemanUK]

Been waiting for this one, good to see someone putting the percussion part through it's paces and making some drum parts from scratch, thank you

[@dionysiaex5538]

Thanks for this pal. Some other reviewers seem to have skimped on describing the drum parts. This machine actually seems quite synthesis based which I like.

[@preservedjams4109]

It’s a more basic version of the rompler in the 101/707

[@AutPen38]

This series of videos has been excellent. I hope Roland lets you keep the device - or allows you to sell it - as I'm sure you've helped them shift more than a few units.

[@beesting6135]

It sells itself

[@pwaegemans]

Nice to see the jungle snare still in there. Though a bit weak, this was my favorite sound on the mc 303. Wish it had the same amount of knobs though.

[@DavidDeLuge]

I can really see usage cases for having synth tones on the rythym part. You could use it for your chords to free up another part for another sound, for example. Given that you have 26 keys, there's plenty to build a drum kit and have lots left over for additional tones. This thing just gets better and better. You could make a complete track on this.

[@ChristopherOrth]

So great! Thanks for all of these! Your demo's have really shown what this box can do.

[@peterfuzz3887]

creating synth sounds with the drum kit... oh : you make a custom 808 kick, while you can basically have a preset for this one ! well done dude, you are the geek of the week ! ;)

[@RJ_Eckie]

Nice! I'm currently watching *all* the SH-4d videos as I'm waiting for mine to be delivered. I gather the rhythm parts could even be used to build some nice noise risers! I'll be trying that out

[@TheDeathBeatsOfficial]

Great to hear they included some current drum sounds in addition to the classics. I notice there are some really good Drum & Bass style snares in there which is cool. I think they really missed a trick by not giving this machine a song mode though. Maybe that will come with a future update? Cheers!

[@cresshead]

i think song mode might be a leap too far, but your basic pattern chaining would/should be easy to add - mr Roland - pretty please!

[@lundsweden]

The Roland R-8 drum machine had song mode in 1988 (and a bigger screen). The theory of devolution?!

[@sub-jec-tiv]

Some of those DnB sounds go back to the MC505, 1990s.

[@cresshead]

@@sub-jec-tiv excellent times for music- nice.

[@jorhay1]

“Current” is a two edged sword.

[@kezstone1]

Great information thank you for taking the time to make this video, the drum synthesis info is just what I needed to know.

[@80noisemaker]

cool that you managed to find out if you could hook up and sequence external gear on the rhythm track too, by far the best review videos on this unit, nice one matey.

[@sinewaymusic]

Very useful, thank you! That workflow isn't bad at all, it's even reasonably quick to "hack" the drum track to be used as a fifth tone track because Roland finally got copying and pasting to work quickly. Can you do a video that goes into detail how using it as a groovebox is like? Specifically, how does switching between patterns work, will it reset the state of each tone preset back to the saved version, or can you somehow switch patterns while still twisting knobs and have the live tweaks persist across pattern jumps? Or will you need to maintain different copies of tone presets to ensure you can progress the way you want to? And how is the experience of switching between the parts given that the knobs aren't endless encoders and given that Roland refuses to implement a 'scale' knob mode in addition to their 'jump' and 'catch' modes? Thanks for great tutorials!

[@StarskyCarr]

When you load a new pattern it loads the saved state of the preset. So like you say if you’re tweaking as you go it will change. It does that in my first demo on the pad sound when I’m showing the interface and how to control a performance near the start. I didn’t comment about it as there was so much to say!

[@sinewaymusic]

@@StarskyCarr As I suspected. It's much more of a sketch pad than a proper groovebox then. Thanks for confirming it! It's a little bit ironic that this is probably their most interesting take on a groovebox without actually being one. But it gives me hope that their next generation of grooveboxes will be lots of fun jamming with!

[@marcusfreeweb]

Which groovebox does this? Tones are bound to a pattern, so of course it loads the saved state. As Digitakt and Syntakt do, for example. I sure hope that track mutes will be independent, though.

[@humfreee]

​​@@sinewaymusic Yes, it's a pity that it isn't a groovebox. I was looking through the manual to check. As far as I can tell there are no scenes, so you can only change each track's pattern individually and there's no song mode or pattern chaining. So it seems that they expect you to hook it up to a computer brain to trigger patterns there via midi. Such a shame!

[@sinewaymusic]

@@humfreee Yeah this is definitely more of a piece of studio equipment. The sequencer and battery power is there for sketching out ideas and having fun, not to do a proper live performance on.

[@TechGently]

Dammit Sweetwater I bought this. Now getting rid of my OP-1. Love this one even more. Have to ease into my wife that I got yet another synth so can’t watch this video right now or she’ll know.

[@streetbobade]

I was fortunate enough to be given a TR8s for christmas, but its going to be exchanged for an sh4d, the drum section on this looks far more intuitive. Add the two together and you probably have the ultimate drum machine.

[@sullycliftona888]

i would keep the tr8s.

[@streetbobade]

@@sullycliftona888 I did end up swapping for the sh4d, I absolutely love it, the drum synth is fantastic, If you could add your own samples to this Roland would be on to a real winner.

[@megahozer13]

I’m wondering if this would be an upgrade from my tr6s or should I go for a tr8s

[@ThinkerThunker]

Good review, thanks.

[@aseomg]

Starsky needs to make a sample pack of those drums!!

[@StarskyCarr]

I think Roland might have something to say about that!

[@vertigev]

Very useful video, thanks!

[@cornishwavesmusic]

Great ,enjoyed this so much

[@sentokan]

Great as usual! Are effects send type, or are there effects for each drum sound like say in a Virus Ti multi? Thanks!

[@StarskyCarr]

There’s sends plus a single insert for each track. The drums all have a Single insert but you can individually set the levels of each drum to the sends.

[@Tamiras]

Hi, is there a way to solo and record the rhythm parts elements individually?

[@SabcatPrinting]

I have been wondering about the drum synthesis.. Is the analogue wave free running or start from the same point in the cycle each time? (Meaning each kick hits slightly different like a 909, or not) Thanks Starsky.

[@StarskyCarr]

If you listen to the bit where I use the cosine rather than sign you can hear the wave starts at max every time (hence them putting it in here). I’d not thought about it in those terms.

[@preservedjams4109]

It’s PCM playback

[@SabcatPrinting]

Thanks. To be fair a tiny modulation of the pitch envelope depth will maybe achieve similar results. Im quite keen on this box to be honest.

[@fennygmuffin]

Would you recommend this over something like the TR8s for playing alongside a Behringer TD3

[@cl1xor]

Was wondering the same, if you don’t need separate outs then i guess you get enough of the bread and butter x0x sounds on the sh4d and 4 synth parts as well.

[@patrickbeckschafer6876]

You know, from what Ive gathered about the 4D it is a bit reminiscent of the "offers" of a mere Monomachine - which is a good thing I guess, also it appears to got Injections of the Minifreak - Im quite surprised how well the Crunch crunches - but Ill stick with my MnM for now ;)

[@EarlyMist]

Do you think this is upgradeable? Like the Arturia MiniFreak and many like it?

[@jhdrummer4815]

Just from a sonic quality perspective how these drums and percussions compare to a TD30 Vdrum module? I own a TD30 and is massive, so many sounds onboard but it lacks for example the 707 drum sounds.

[@thedeepblueskys]

The drum sound demo at the end could be sampled from this video and put into any sample player with a sequencer, if someone wanted to.

[@pablolarosa5]

How does the number of drum sounds compare to what's in the Jupiter-Xm?

[@TobyBorrow]

480 drums, that’s a nice compliment

[@partirparlesarmoires]

Is there a side-chain effect on this instrument ? Can you side-chain the hi-hats or a synth to the kick, for instance ? I'm not a fan of massive side-chaining but it can be handy in subtle amounts.

[@StarskyCarr]

No you can’t side chain - at least I’ve not found it if it’s in here.

[@SamLowryDZ-015]

Bit like the Yamaha RY30 but without the menu diving 🙂

[@Michel-r6m]

If this does 707, 808 and 909 I am interested. Throw in a CR-78 and a cowbell 😅

[@sullycliftona888]

get a tr6s. then.

[@wendelynmusic]

Question - Can you record motion on the drums?

[@Jux925]

At the end, the kicks and snares -- are they "synthesized" or samples?

[@StarskyCarr]

They’re the Roland samples.

[@tekrahmuzik777]

Great infos tx

[@lundsweden]

The Roland R-8 drum machine had song mode in 1988 (and a bigger screen). The theory of devolution?!

[@godot5082]

Thats not a dedicated drummachine, it's more a multitimbral synth with added drum machine

[@lundsweden]

@@godot5082 True, but I can't see why it can't have a song mode. They figured that out 35 years ago, so should be very easy with today's technology

[@fiddlestickzmuzik]

Nice video thanks, this is exactly what I was wanting to see.

[@EarlyMist]

Very helpful

[@ErdemYildirim_]

Can we adjust all the parameters in drum section as in tr09, like pitch, snap or decay of the snare?

[@StarskyCarr]

no its got some 909 samples and you can tweak them as samples (pitch decay etc), but you don't have the same controls as on the 909 - its not modelling the drums.

[@ErdemYildirim_]

@@StarskyCarr Thanks for the help

[@Bobo]

Can you send each of the drum voice as it’s own MIDI channel? I’m case you want to sequence the drums with an external sequencer? ☺️

[@StarskyCarr]

No, but you can sequence them by key. No need for separate channels.

[@Bobo]

@@StarskyCarr ah okey thank you so much for the reply ☺️

[@chrisbaron70]

Would the sh4d go well with the TR8S ?

[@nickdestruct]

Thanks 🙏👍

[@prayingelephants]

Can you do polymetric sequencing stuff on this?

[@StarskyCarr]

Each of the 5 tracks can be 1-64 steps - set individually

[@jjmathewson2160]

Can you upload your own drum samples like a TR8s? Forgive me if you mention in the video....

[@StarskyCarr]

No.

[@loubang100]

Can you record the drums unquantized

[@Kung_Fu_Jesus]

Hey Starsky, is there sample import or swap out ?

[@StarskyCarr]

No, the samples are firmly fixed in place.

[@briannhinton]

Hopefully that will change.

[@MusicWizard85]

This is really just a stripped down MC-707 with more hands on functionality. If only the 707 had a bigger screen, more intuitive & fast interface like the Fantom 0 series got, and more audio time. If you could use 707 as an 8 track audio recorder to record a 4-5 minute song it would be 100x better. Seems like an easy update but every time Roland gives lately they also seem to take, hence the comment before mine. 🤷‍♂️

[@loubang100]

Can you put a Tone fx on each drum sound?

[@StarskyCarr]

Not separate FX … just the sends and an overall send for the drums (different levels end amount per sound)

[@ursdubel3585]

Love it man but Roland.. why not a fifth fader lol

[@StarskyCarr]

😂

[@SIXELAUDIO]

Can you record filter or envelope motion on the drum track?

[@StarskyCarr]

no, but you can paste the same sound to another key with all the tweaks you want

[@SIXELAUDIO]

@@StarskyCarr that's a shame. It's a deal breaker for me. Let's hope they include it on a future update

[@claudiongleur]

@@StarskyCarris there anything that can be automted, like velocity probability gate?

[@StarskyCarr]

@@claudiongleur Probability, velocity, gate and flam/ratchets can be automated.

[@claudiongleur]

@@StarskyCarr cool Thanks for all the videos you made about the sh. Really well done. Gonna get one in summer (used and cheaper) unless something even cooler gets released until then.

[@christianthompson1473]

What you doing? Listening to 60 kicks.

[@StarskyCarr]

Haha… it’s quicker than answering 100s of questions about what type of sounds it has… here they are!!

[@christianthompson1473]

@@StarskyCarr could you make a track using all of the kicks please?

[@AutPen38]

I demand a 20-minute video for each kick sample, to be followed by individual videos for all the snares and hi-hats. All of these should be recorded, edited, and uploaded in the next 38 minutes, or I'll complain to the manager.

[@danwhite7629]

It seems we can't record automation/knob motions of drum part parameters (eg filter automation), or am I missing something?

[@StarskyCarr]

That's correct. My workaround is to save the same sound a number of times with the various tweaks. not ideal but gets it done. It'd be good if we could have the 4 lanes of motion to at least have 4 things to modulate. (but having 25 tones on the one channel I guess makes things more complex - hopefully not impossible).

[@danwhite7629]

@@StarskyCarr Thanks mate, loving this box so far but this is my number one request for sure! Really want to automate the decay level on hats etc!

[@Curious_Skeptic]

I wonder how it would compare to an Elektron MachineDrum? Via the tuning and synth mods, sounds like you had a few close sounds to it! I need the creativity of a drum synth like the Elektron, but right now, I'm not going to invest in an 1800 USD drum machine! This thing, at $500 used, is almost a no brainer. I literally hate my MPC ONE and the work flow. Such a waste of money after all the endless hype on youtube. Almost everything else I own is an inspiration. MPC workflow is strictly MPC SOFTWARE in a box with some pads. :( Very much a sampler/rompler more than a creative workstation. Seems very much a hiphop box and soon as you leave that world, you have a very limited workflow via the song structure system. Programs/tracks/seq. Too compartmentalized. An iPad with a couple apps is about 1000x better than the world of MPC. ANyway... You can tell I'm ticked! You have me ready to buy the SH-4d! Moving towards multitrack recording and loopy app. Already got the Model 16. Anyone want an almost new MPC one Plus for a good deal? LOL.

[@StarskyCarr]

Interesting story… I sold my Machinedrum when I bought the Rytm - sold on eBay and lost by its international courier. I got my money back but was annoyed that someone must’ve nicked it. I wouldn’t really compare the 2 tbh. The Machedrs parameter locks and tweakability of the sounds is a different approach to this. This is easier to create tracks in the MD is better for more complex pattern generation (for me at least).

[@Fred_Free]

Roland fails with the design these days. They should have kept to the 80's look on buttons, controls with no backlightning. 😎

[@falangistavaleroso9689]

wow, those are awful drums!

[@StarskyCarr]

I’m telling Roland you said that 😂

[@falangistavaleroso9689]

@@StarskyCarr yes, they need some new CEO and people with ears from the old school. Roland died after the JD800. Now is Crapoland. btw I will receive today a ISLA 2400, that is a serious machine. Best

[@roncoots3800]

Bit off topic... do you fancy doing a comparison between minifreak and hydrosynth explorer , same price bracket both essentially digital.

[@StarskyCarr]

It’s on the cards - waiting to get another explorer on loan.

[@roncoots3800]

@@StarskyCarr wicked La... they are so similar, but for some reason the hydra didn't get the same fan fair as the micro freak, strange given it's capabilities.