SH-4D Demo & Overview! Roland's Ultimate Synth Groovebox

Roland might have knocked it out of the park with the new SH-4D Multi-timbral synth and drum sequencer! Up to 60 voices of polyphony across 4 polyphonic synth sequencing tracks, 11 different synth engines (including vintage SH-101 and Juno 106 models), a 26 track drum group with layering and synthesis options, heaps of awesome creative fx, easy step sequencer with plenty of extras, can run on AA batteries or USB-C, fantastic hands-on interface; there's a lot to talk about!
This is a deep unit and a longer video than usual, so feel free to jump around with the timestamps below:
00:10 Intro & Feature Rundown
01:25 What It Can Do (Jams Mike prepared earlier)
04:14 Panel Tour
06:21 Synthesizer Models Overview
13:32 Workflow: Making a Sequence
22:52 More Features Worth Mentioning & Outro
Roland's SH-4D is available to order now at Store DJ!
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We are Store DJ, Australia's biggest electronic music equipment and pro audio retailer, alongside our sister store: Mannys Music.
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Presonus Studio 1810c Audio Interface
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[@lifewithoutera]

Excellent video. Your demo so far sounds the best out of all the ones I've seen! Thanks for actually going through and making a pattern.

[@StoreDJ_online]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, really fun machine!

[@phfrixion]

Best demo so far! Really showing what the SH-4D is all about!

[@StoreDJ_online]

Thank you mate, appreciate it

[@sjpachica3]

Super excited for this one. Can't believe it's priced so well..

[@Truthasvictim]

Traded in my Opsix yesterday and have this coming, from all my reading and research, this machine looks great, beautifully designed and thought out and the sonic signatures are amazingly thick and analog like! too. This will be a fantastic addition to my newly acquired Hydra desktop and 49 note machines. Having only one sound per synnth, having 4 parts, and more importantly, the drum machine is going to make for some great possibilities! Thanks for the excellent video Store DJ, though I love reading manuals, this will help for my quick dive into it.

[@StoreDJ_online]

No problems, glad it was helpful, you're gonna love it!

[@dannymolns3573]

Thinking about getting one. How do you like yours? I feel like it looks like it's just a romper for all the presets. I'm really hoping I'm wrong and that there's a lot a room for sound design. Any feedback welcomed!

[@StoreDJ_online]

@@dannymolns3573 Definitely not just a preset machine, all that hands-on control makes building your own sounds from scratch a joy. The sonic possibilities are very very broad with all the oscillator models too!

[@dannymolns3573]

@@StoreDJ_online that's what I wanted to hear. If the sound design possibilities are more than it first appears then I'm interested!

[@simonc8265]

really agree with comments. demo that brings out some of the extra features. and done well. thankyou!

[@StoreDJ_online]

Thanks very much!

[@synaptic303]

Thanks Mike, great demo.

[@andrewmcgee228]

Great review Mike - very fair, natural and no hard sales pitch. I have an SH-01A boutique - given this has the SH-101 engine I am thinking this could be a drop in replacement with extras. Thoughts?

[@StoreDJ_online]

Thanks! Your boutique is likely more sonically faithful to the original model if that matters to you, but they'd certainly occupy a similar territory. Before you make any rash decisions with beloved synthesizers, Go and try an SH-4d in store if you can, see how it sounds to your ears 🙂

[@GrootsieTheDog]

Their "ultimate groove box" was made decades ago. Starting with the MC707, they are just working their way backwards towards it.

[@StoreDJ_online]

100% here for a new golden era of grooveboxes, loved the old mc505 and mc909, but they weren't exactly user-friendly and digital synths have come a LONG way in 20 years

[@GrootsieTheDog]

@@StoreDJ_online ya, I hear you but I just would prefer they work on the one they have out now (mc707) or improve it instead of spreading functionality across the four? they have now.

[@StoreDJ_online]

mc707 development is definitely still ongoing, latest firmware released a few months added a few highly requested features! what are you hoping they bring to the 707?

[@GrootsieTheDog]

@@StoreDJ_online A few upgrades (kind word - many were fixes for bad functionality and bugs as well) years after release...that should have been already in the box on release date. I'm not trying to get into a debate here with you. I love my mc707. But both things can be true. You are obviously a big Roland defender. I'm glad you enjoy their grooveboxes. But let's not fool ourselves. We are far from the"golden age" of grooveboxes - in fact that's my point. They build these things for maximum continuous sales - not to create a great long lasting product. In another year they will release something else. And on and on. None of it having to do with evolution but rather product sales and novelty. This is not news. It's a fact. And Roland just proved it with this release.

[@JoeM1314]

@@StoreDJ_online honest question what can a digital synth do today that is such a long ways improvement over a D50, JD 800, Akai Sampler, PPG Wave 2, Wavestation, or EMU synth? It seems like if people still want certain performance functionalities the original synths from 30 years ago arguably are still the most direct route to get what they want. The new digital synths from Roland fail by not providing a keybed at an affordable price, having a single knob control multiple functions in the same patch, reusing tones and samples from legacy synths while sounding worse than the originals by cutting corners in the emulation process, and forcing people to menu dive on such a tiny screen for all their modern products. I've got the SE 02 and I'm floored to have such a portable analog synth but for something built off the super tweakable mini Moog the controls can be astoundingly user unfriendly, I find myself just playing it without tweaking and calling up midi cc program changes from another device to do tone changes when a song calls for it. This device looks cool but it seems to fail on a basic level at being a groovebox - I'm not seeing a song mode of any sort. Interested in slaving it to my Deluge as an actually for once knobby tone module but just wondering what about this product isn't meant to directly eat into Roland's sales of it's boutique and aira compact lines, which at the end of the day are also not really complete grooveboxes

[@AviPFine]

im curious how the wave draw feature can have modulations sequenced per step, when adjacent steps are tied. - can that be done to create a kind of 'crossfade' between different steps that have different wave draw amounts , to kind of 'hack' a 64 step wavetable-esque wave sequence from the drawn waves? Maybe that would depend on if that knob above the sliders that can dial in the peak or valley to the draw image on the screen, can be modulated per step, or if its just the sliders that can. If we can't get custom wavetables, in an update, then it would be pretty cool to be able to kind of almost fake having a custom wavetable-like smooth crossfading - true not the same as wavetable more like wave sequencing, but that smoothed out adjacent step crossfade mod action maybe only is possible if you can mod sequence without note sequencing first, and you can also tie the steps and affect modulation per step also. If you have to input notes and cant play the [blank] sequence back, then i guess you couldn't, but ive seen a few videos where each step of the wave draw will have different drawn amounts. i think its done in the matrix somehow. Ive not tried one yet but I plan to.

[@kodymonroe2613]

Amazing video, I want one now

[@StoreDJ_online]

cheers Kody, it's great fun!

[@tommyg5095]

Jumping on the SH-4D train...

[@e-conrecords4665]

As a Syntakt owner, it would be hard to rationalise buying this… at least to the little lady 😬🤭 I may have to wait for an open box sale guys 😉

[@EnochDark]

I feel the opposite and want to do B2B with them!

[@brianwilliams4686]

Sell your syntakt to me for $650 and we'll call it even

[@ROBBYTOB777]

How is the Sound compare to MC707??

[@bedlumproductions3826]

Love this.

[@regularchickens]

Yeah this is it

[@blanchott9370]

Great demo. Any ideas on how to chain patterns or play a song of 4 sequences, 64 step each, in a live performance? How do we approach a complete song in a live performance?

[@StoreDJ_online]

no pattern chaining at this point, but when you switch patterns the current patterns plays in full before switching to the next one so it's easy enough to do manually. Hopefully we see chaining in a future firmware

[@peterfuzz3887]

nice guy, nice house music

[@karinegrandvoinet2038]

HELP I'v got a problem with some "ghost echoes" on some presets sounds, while playing an isolated note or after a sequence.... (it is not the delay function of course) Do you have the same ?

[@sandkipper1]

great vid...thanks

[@aquaticborealis4877]

What do you think of the workflow, especially compared to something like the MC707?

[@StoreDJ_online]

Considering how much is crammed into this little box, it's incredibly streamlined and easy (no manual was available at the time of filming, but i had no problems), if you're familiar with synths and step sequencers you'll have no issues. Haven't used the mc-707 extensively sorry so can't really comment there -Mike

[@pilkam]

Great review 👏🏼 Just a question: Has Roland JDxi similar “attitude” ?

[@Asmund648]

Random, but Im a JD-Xi owner and SH-4D seem to got more sound shaping options than JD-Xi

[@svensyntetics2830]

Hello it is a cool Machine. Does anybody knows if it is possible that each osc of each model gets it‘s own envelope, filter and LFO or do they share all the same envelope, filter and osc? I want maybe osc sine with less attack but long release but sawtooth osc with hard attack and short release.

[@StoreDJ_online]

Hey there, each synth model shares the same master envelopes and filters, but some oscillator models feature extra modulation, like the FM engine and SH3D engine. With some tricky programming, i suspect there'd probably be a way to do (or get close to) what you're wanting, but the easiest way would be to layer two tracks

[@clovenfete8913]

I have yet to see anyone select individual drum tracks and fade levels or tweak their filters in mute mode. Is this a possibility?

[@StoreDJ_online]

just tried it, yes you can :) While in the mixer/mute mode, hold shift and select which drum sound you want to tweak, then play with the filter and level of that drum sound to your hearts content.

[@clovenfete8913]

@@StoreDJ_online You are the freaking best!!! Thank you!

[@crtgamer2355]

I thought it sounded a bit thin, then I realized I'm watching on my phone's speaker...😂😅

[@brianwilliams4686]

Where is song mode? Or simple pattern chaining? I want to love this thing, but it needs love in this department

[@StoreDJ_online]

no song mode or pattern chaining at this point, patterns do wait til they're finished to switch to the next selected pattern though, so it's not too hard to do manually. Can't see a song mode happening but hopefully we see chaining in a future firmware

[@officialknightowlz]

Do you not understand what it is… it’s a phrase writing synth! Not a groove box not a beat machine. It’s a synthesizer. No song mode or pattern chains are needed.

[@brianwilliams4686]

@@officialknightowlz Ok, that's clever phrasing, but sure. Nevermind the dedicated track to drums, but ok it's not a beat machine. Nevermind the four tracks of Synth, it's not a groovebox. It's just a simple, normal synthesizer. Got it.

[@officialknightowlz]

@@brianwilliams4686 the whole tr line of drum machines are synthesizer also I think you are over looking that fact.

[@krklivestudio3033]

Does sound is directly from SH-4D?

[@StoreDJ_online]

Sure is

[@dannydaniel8975]

Great! More digital. Behringer, where are you?

[@day_changer]

Will it work with the MX-1?

[@StoreDJ_online]

Yes! It features AIRA link support so should work together beautifully

[@Max10_B]

Wish it had a chord designer instead of chord model. Sequencing/automating chord changes has never been fun for me. Chord designer the mc707 really opened up my stuff to different progressions by being able to assign to keys and play around

[@uyscuti5376]

I would have been down for something in that form factor if it was a simple analog polysynth a la Nymphes. As it is....idk

[@StoreDJ_online]

Would definitely encourage you to try one in store if you can, it might surprise you 😉

[@rightside]

Great feeling knobs………

[@dankeplace]

How much? How many kidneys do I have to sell?

[@saintnicholas5507]

650 euro £530

[@crisramirezdj]

599€

[@dankeplace]

@@saintnicholas5507 AUD is different, this is a local store that's why I was asking them, sometimes we pay less, sometimes more.

[@StoreDJ_online]

Available to order now at AUD$1059, stock has landed in Australia and is on route! Always best to check the website for current pricing 😉

[@dankeplace]

@@StoreDJ_online Yeah too expensive for what it is, I know you guys have sales and don't set Roland's $s, but they're taking the piss here.

[@eliaswarg6818]

That chorus noise sure is annoying

[@StoreDJ_online]

it can be turned off 😉

[@stevegriffiths566]

Why doesn't Roland when they program their patterns actually program something useable and modern so that anyone can enjoy them and gig them without sounding completely naff.🤦🤦 It's just mind-blowing that they program such crap

[@StoreDJ_online]

None of these patterns were made by Roland, but thanks for the feedback 😂

[@stevegriffiths566]

@@StoreDJ_online oh I am sorry if these were yours as they are better than I could ever create ,🤦 I thought they were professional programmers hired by Roland 🤦

[@nictrax]

@@stevegriffiths566 🤣

[@googlepigs7027]

The low polyphony kills it. It would have been real good.