Sonic LAB: Roland SH-O1A Boutique Synthesizer

Another Boutique is with us, this time its the classic 80's affordable mono the SH-101 which gets the ACB treatment. A classic little synth, and Roland have done a pretty good job of making it so.
Check our MAX4Live Synth: bit.ly/wavejunc...
Subscribe to Sonicstate on KZbin for new content!
bit.ly/SonicYTSub
Watch Sonicstate's Exclusive Series:
Sonic LAB: bit.ly/SonicLab
Meet The Makers: bit.ly/SonicMakers
Sonicstate Performances: bit.ly/SonicPer...
Sonic TALK Podcast: bit.ly/SonicTalk
NAMM 2017: bit.ly/SonicNAM...
Website: www.sonicstate.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com...
Facebook: / wwwsonicstate
Instagram: / sonicstateuk
Podcast/iTunes: goo.gl/4uOFA5

[@zelbarnap]

just got myself a SH-01A and it is Amazing. It has punch and warmth and tight. I think Roland has done an amazing job. Now Mind you I have not played an original SH101 but this unit at the price is worth every penny.

[@st0rmchild]

This is the best ACB boutique so far. They nailed the sound and added lots of great features not present on the original.

[@GuitarsAndSynths]

agree well the tb03 has great acid bass sound as well

[@dxtrs_mnpltr]

Yes, I really like this one too. They should have gotten rid of the pitch&mod sliders sooner and make the panel a bit less crammed

[@st0rmchild]

@@dxtrs_mnpltr Exactly. The pitch/mod strips don't work that well anyway. You have to apply some pressure for them to work, which makes them hard to use.

[@lying-dalai]

A few things I haven't seen on the video : - you can play the filter resonance as a chord (= 1 filter per voice) - one can play the sequencer and the arpeggiator in the same time. - you can access manual mode so that the sounds correspond to the panel configuration (MENU + 8) - btw, system menu is accessed by MENU + 4, it's quicker than using the value knob - and you just have to press ONE (and any of the) arp button to set the division - one can transpose a sequence with transpose button - chord mode can be used to stack notes such as octaves up+down - LFO MOD slider acts both and always on VCO and VCF. Which is quite weird : it doesn't take into account what MOD sliders you chose already. IMO, it's usable only to reach BoC-like drifting VCO sound, but apart from this I can't really see the interest of this. - you can retrig the LFO for each note played. Nice with inv saw for stab chords... - mix input is cool : you can plug a PO-12 and you can play for hours in the train ! Coolest cat of the Boutique family IMO.

[@Visser2800]

Damn, last hint, of course, my PO-35...

[@thedeepblueskys]

I love the sound of this unit and I purchased the keyboard that goes with it. Its really nice to own it over all, but whats been really useful is that I midi out to the Moog Mother 32 + DFAM for use of its 100 step sequencer and arp. It feels really nice together and easy to play out sequences on the keyboard verses using the Mothers sequencer. Everyones got there own thing. This works for me.

[@KacyDennis]

Another excellent review by Nick Batt. I am thankful for the time, effort, and care he puts into these reviews. -Kacy

[@GuitarsAndSynths]

I wish that Roland would bring back the full sized keyboard version of the 101 synthesizer.

[@space-skeleton]

Sounds a bit like a Juno 6 when in poly mode... I like this thing. Cute, little, easy to jam with. What's not to like?

[@gelatinous6915]

Lots of circuitry similarities I believe

[@Fractalite]

I bought this and also have an original 101. I love the 64 patch memory and the 64 patterns sequencer - can drive my 101 with it. The sound is very close - the original is perhaps slightly brighter on the top end and fuller on the bottom end but if you didn't have them side by side you wouldn't notice . Love the poly mode too. The faders are the nicest yet of the boutiques I've tried. Def. going to get the little clip on keyboard for it for laptop noodling . Love my JP-08 Boutique but this one has nudged it our for sheer fun and retro simplicity .

[@synthetic24]

Sounds exactely like my SH-101. Good job Roland!!!

[@fortheloveofnoise]

6:26 It sounds so melancholic....I love it.

[@Psychlist1972]

The SH-01 sounds pretty good.

[@Selador_]

The tune at the end sounded pure nostalgia, from sound quality alone. Thanks for this, you pushed me over the edge, going to pick one of these up eventually

[@noiselabproject9659]

I love real Analog Synths, they have such a girth to the sound when you remove all masking FX but I also like the ACB tech in Rolands digi Synths, unlike the vast Majority of softsynths they sound decent too when u remove any FX, liking my JX-03 and my TB3 is great when using the basic Square or saw patches ( don`t care for the other non 303 others ) & this new SH-101 release looks cool as well

[@kek23k]

I've still got a mint blue SH-101 so I was prepared to dismiss this but two things are making me rethink. The poly mode and being able to save patches. Less of an issue but still nice for convenience would be the MIDI. Pretty nice overall I think :)

[@josephlepkowski2383]

Hope you get to the D05 and TR08 for the next boutiques Nick . The D05 is menu diving though as im sure your aware by now vs the ease of the Sh01A but it sounds great !

[@projectnemesi5950]

5:16 Pulsewidth confirmed

[@Zeal808]

Project NEMESI5 yes haha

[@herrdoctorbenway]

Hey, I would never have known it isn't analogue if you guys hadn't told me. It's definitely not super tedious or anything to have people repeating it over and over. Although I'll have to confess ... I don't really care, it sounds great.

[@oldschoolebm666]

This has quickly become my favorite mono(poly) synth among my ms20, prophecy, microbrute etc. So much fun and easy to cook up a snappy sounding bass. Sounds very spot on.

[@machiwoomiapoo]

I love the SH-01a. It's an amazing little machine. I did a comparison video on this one and the original. Please check it out if you get a chance.

[@smartwerker]

link?

[@devincory9695]

I really like that polyphony.

[@Roderick_Legato]

It may be hard to find this video with the name "SH-O1A" instead of "SH-01A".

[@kaitsu9608]

O is fatter than 0 which resembles the bass this synth will blast out

[@opwave79]

Agree with Nick. I can totally pick up on several iconic Roland sounds. Been looking at all the boutique series modules and this one speaks to me more than the others. I’m gonna get this.

[@lundsweden]

The question is: how good is the PWM on this baby?!

[@charlesflint9048]

I got one of these a while ago, after always regretting letting my original SH-101 go years ago. This is a nice user friendly machine, unlike some other stuff which I am struggling with at the moment from other manufacturers. I love the sequencer, I seem to remember the original had only a 30 note sequencer, this one is a big improvement on the original. I still love the PWM!

[@Medniex]

Oh, multitrack demo song at the end. Sweet!

[@jonnyhead]

By far the best reviews of electric instruments on the tube, many thanks 👍👍👍

[@gelatinous6915]

Really love that Roland added the Nova FM mod to the 01A.

[@klausnikski]

That's punishing at 9:46. I never knew mine could do that and also the different noise available. I know I should read the manual really. Another great review. This is the boutique I was waiting for and it is superb. I had a SH101 for about 20 years and this new model certainly does not disappoint. All it needs really is some reverb but I have that built into my mixer so no worries.

[@saintnicholas5507]

mixer?

[@OrionB1498]

Love this little Autobot.

[@SebastianBeyer]

Best of all boutiques I think

[@st0rmchild]

I agree. It nails the sound and adds lots of great new features. Patch and pattern storage is very nice to have. Poly, unison and chord modes are very cool (though the oscillators are all perfectly in sync, so it's a bit thin until you add some chorus; detuning would have been nice for unison). The sleeper hit is the advanced LFO, which can do some crazy stuff as you approach audio rate. This thing is very versatile and so much fun! Definitely the best of the ACB series. The only boutique I'd rank higher is the SE-02, which is an absolute monster.

[@45rpm.]

The last time I saw new SH101s on sale in the 80s the shop had all 3 colours on a stand and they where £349.99 each which may have been an end of line offer. I remember this because I was thinking of buying one (blue) but didn't. I bought a second hand one about 6 years later (gray) which I still have. Now the modelled version is same price (ignoring inflation).

[@Unifono2012]

how about a boutique system 100 :) with mini cables.

[@tblv9300]

Sounds great

[@neonblack211]

kinda disspointed you cant detune the unison, thats like the first thing ever that got me hooked on synthesis using software

[@indiefilmcomposer]

this is the best one yet .....but would love to see Roland re-release this at full scale virtual will do fine but analog might bring them back into the glory days

[@stephenkyburz6529]

They're gonna keep going with the ACB technology. Having all the classics back in analog would only make the price of the real analog ones drop. Imagine if they redo the 909 then all the old ones that costs thousands of dollars would be worthless.

[@marklinney5045]

Fantastic review thanks for taking the time to do it. Which boutique would you recommend for ambient music please? With thanks.

[@xichael]

Your title is wrong. It's (zero) 01A, not O1A.

[@bboymac84]

It's got that "thang" lol

[@Wagoo]

10 of the buggers now, I have another 6 to buy >_

[@dxtrs_mnpltr]

Great synth! Run it thru some effects and 💥

[@DesignsbyJonathanUSA]

Pretty much like ANYTHING... saturation / resonance / harmonics / drive can get you in the pocket.

[@dxtrs_mnpltr]

@@DesignsbyJonathanUSA Right. But you missed the point.. I wasn’t talking about modifying its harmonic content but running it through modulation effects. Sure you can run any synth through disto,preamps,saturators… to enhace its tone but we’ll all agree that this synth has already got a character of its own unlike many synths out there.

[@zoundsic]

love the ditty at the end

[@warbatron2]

Bloody love this guys reviews

[@spazkong]

I have one of these and a Roland SH-101 but the SH-101 is somehow better. I was thinking a midi controlled on/off interrupt switch on each waveform level would allow for amazing rhythmic building possibilities when sequencing. Thinking an Arduino type mod would work but not wanting to drill any holes. Perhaps in the battery compartment. Why didn't Roland put this on the 01A? Oh I see at the end you mention CC control of every parameter. That solves that problem then :)

[@umusachi]

Thanks Nick!!! It does sound different to my original SH-101. Maybe just more stable! The filter is pretty darn close but the oscillators on my old synth are somewhat less stable and more sloppy - in a good way! I think they modelled this on a pristine new sounding SH-101 rather than a 30-35 year old one 😜

[@umusachi]

This would be so good for a live setup by the way 😊

[@umusachi]

Oh I just saw that the sequences are recalled separately from the patches... 😳 I wonder if they can be recalled from MIDI?? Ie chance patch AND sequence via MIDI for live performances

[@robertsteinberger5667]

What is the main difference between this synth and the jd 08? I'd appreciate if someone could telll me

[@leesimeone]

They seriously need to do a JP-4 Boutique.

[@HotStrange]

leesimeone and a JP/JV series one.

[@st0rmchild]

Yes. I also love the ProMars, so the Jupiter-4 would kill two birds with one stone. Also hoping for an SH-2 boutique.

[@frankvaleron]

Can you connect the usb C to a plug or can it only be powered by pc or battery?

[@mr.irrelevant3588]

Sounds great and I love your multi-track magic at the end.

[@synapticflow]

What's the best Roland Boutique to buy? Making deep house/electro house/drum and bass, are my interests.

[@st0rmchild]

I'd say the SE-02 is the best fit across all of those genres. Fat, punchy basslines for house and electro. Aggressive, raspy bass and lead sounds for electro. Speaker rattling wub and wobble for drum & bass. The SH-01A is great too - get both if you can - but if you have to pick one, start with the SE-02.

[@arinevakaoppositaer7241]

Great review as always! As i can understand there are no built-in effects.. how did that delayed pad came out??

[@andyboy2956]

Do you have to change any settings to add a midi keyboard? like he has as I can't get it working

[@TRUEiMPROrecords]

Loving that scpoe action, nice addition! And yes this seems like a killer unit. Cheers for another quality review!

[@leadersoundproductions4666]

Does anybody know if you can use the ribbons as playing input instead of a keyboard? for swooshy stuff?

[@thombroom5515]

at 5:26 welcome to Nitzer Ebb...bassline style

[@0e0]

if they got rid of the ribbon controllers..they could've made a much friendlier panel

[@HazeAnderson]

That's quite a ridiculous statement. The ribbon controllers only take up 20% of the left side and there is nothing to replace them with, the sliders and knobs are big enough to use live and you can save patches. I use the ribbon controller to load notes into the sequencer. It's magic.

[@st0rmchild]

I agree. The touch strips don't work very well as pitch/mod controls. You have to apply a bit of pressure for them to register consistently, and even then they're still much worse than the ones on most keyboards that have them (for example, the Arturia KeyStep or Novation LaunchKey Mini mk3). They could have improved the spacing of the rest of the controls by removing those. Roland seems to have realized that, since they dropped the pitch/mod strips on the newer JU-06A. I don't think they're coming back.

[@lostweekendscaravan]

Great video. awesome bit of kit for EBM nuts like me!!!! I WANT ONE.

[@mr.stainless3080]

Is the LFO syncable to MIDI clock?

[@kierenmoore3236]

I can't find hardly any YT videos of the BLUE unit ... ?!!! ... I want to know how it sounds, before I buy one ...

[@galena7474]

it... it sounds the same

[@Jauly]

Sounds the same as your blue shirt.

[@CoolDudeClem]

Sounds like a Commodore 64! (I mean that in a good way since I'm a fan of C64 SID music)

[@vr4ever645]

Goshdarnit it sounds bloody great! Oh my....

[@YurievOlmos]

What are you using for the scope? Is it a hardware scope with USB interface or is it done in software?

[@sonicstate]

Blue Cat Audio Scope

[@Wiz3k]

does any midi keybord work with the sh01a? +would modulation or pitchbend work too? cheers!

[@aldocarranza5631]

Hello everyone, I have a very huge problem with my roland sh01a. I want to transpose the sequence, but I really hate to push at the same time the button transpose and the key. So, does anyone of here knows how can I transpose my sequence if I don't want to press the buton transpose? Obiously everything using the internal sequencer of the roland sh01a.

[@BigWillTheMill]

Seeing the lack of FX section points me to the Roland Aira MX-1. They are really leaving money on the table ignoring the Aira series/letting it concievably die. I would shell out the money for a MX-2 with more inputs and USB power for the Boutiques as the MX-1 only has USB3 which can power a Boutique.

[@TrinityAngels]

Is it possible to program the sequencer without a midi keyboard?

[@anidea5646]

Hey ya’ll is this synth good to for 90’s style boom bap hip hop? I got an MPC one but I can’t seem to get the sound I’m looking for with it in terms of bass.

[@reazallykhan8614]

Yes ……definitely

[@theandroids]

can you use it just as a midi cc controller?

[@Hexspa]

Not sold on the filter. Anyone disagree?

[@st0rmchild]

The filter sounds bang-on to me, including full self resonance. The short slider makes it a bit hard to control, but you can avoid that by using a MIDI controller with decent knobs.

[@aliasghar907]

How come I don't hear any difference between GATE keypress mode and GATE+TRIGGER mode ? Is it because i'm in poly mode?

[@st0rmchild]

Trigger won't do anything unless you're feeding something into the trigger input (labelled EXT CLK IN).

[@daniellllll]

How are you running audio out of it? I see a big TRS/XLR looking cable coming out at the back which is weird

[@sonicstate]

It's a mini Jack to 1/4 adapter. Mono

[@daniellllll]

sonicstate thank you very much! Recorded all to mono too?

[@_Synthesize_Me_]

5:24 Holy shit. That was like a slap in the face of sonic goodness.

[@samuelpenn2973]

Thank you. I was waiting for this review.

[@cookieschreiber9055]

SH-01A SH01a SHO1A SHOTA Ara Ara

[@gernot-reininger]

Hi Nick. Planning to buy a SH01 very soon. I really like the USB cables use. Where can i get these? Thanks in advance.

[@sonicstate]

Just got them off amazon www.amazon.co.uk/Ailun-Braided-Pull-up-Resistor-Smartphone-Black-White/dp/B01M19EUYW/ref=sr_1_3?s=telephone&ie=UTF8&qid=1513763967&sr=1-3&keywords=usb+cable+micro

[@gernot-reininger]

sonicstate great. Thank you!

[@gernot-reininger]

sonicstate one other question. Where do the sh01 get the power from?

[@sonicstate]

Just a USB power source, we have a mains distributor with a bunch of USB power ports too. ou can buy USB power blocks too

[@VR360TV]

Another nice video, thanks Nick :-)

[@priscillahughes2152]

Hay - - Been waiting for this...

[@ivayloivanov3744]

Anyone know how this thing compares to VSTs like TAL Bassline ?

[@koaxcantropo4745]

nice video! as always. i have a question belonging to the sequencer of the roland sh01-a. how did you manage to use the sh01-a with the keystep keyboard? i have troubles to play single notes, cause of my setup my drumbrute impact is sending midi to the keystep and this setup is starting the sequencer of the roland boutique sh01-a. is there a possibility to stop the sequencer?

[@soupforare]

li'l ripper there. wish they'd get a hint from Korg and offer 1:1 sized version, even if it were 'limited' run

[@definitelymiami7978]

i wonder how the 01A compare to TAL Bassline. I always thought that sounded very good substitute for the 101.

[@SPAZZOID100]

Trevor Llewellyn no

[@spectralknights2]

I'll take Tal

[@JohnSmith-en2dq]

I've been waiting for this review for 2 months, cheers. Didn't take too long. Had it penciled in for March next year.

[@kierenmoore3236]

Isn't that Ramp Wave, not Sawtooth (the reverse of each other) ... ?!

[@kgbinfo]

Those poly synth pads sound incredible.

[@priscillahughes2152]

Great outro jam you made at the end there Nick:_ Was head nodding here...

[@synthartist69]

Can you chain two together to get 8 voices?

[@bengineer_the]

Ahh ..pitch is routable to the filter.. I guess you can map velocity to pitch-bend in your daw. :)

[@pcuimac]

You added frequency spectrum! Yeah!

[@Hexspa]

I love that screen. Ghost in the Machine?

[@111Dark84]

love ur videos i sure hope Roland reinvents the Mc Series

[@Zeal808]

Sam Blackburn they sorta did with the TR8S and tr8S..new names

[@SanplerVarondaro]

Roland boutique yeahhhhhhh yo tengo el azul lo amo saludos desde tijuana

[@Dougie-]

No overdrive and delay and no parameter lock/motion sequencing.. Why?!?

[@HisXLNC]

dahDougieBoy it’s probably best they leave those out and keep the price low. And you can always run it through some guitar pedals if you need FX.

[@Dougie-]

I guess, but I don't think it would up the price too much if included. I mean, it's all digital. But p-locks should definitely have been included in the sequencer.

[@SPAZZOID100]

dahDougieBoy $349

[@Dougie-]

I know, but still. It wouldn't take much effort to save a few cc values together with those notes in the sequencer, if there's memory for it. Better to add a few $ to the price than making it half ass.

[@fiddlestickzmuzik]

Rolands best emulation by far.

[@Superlover]

my favourite in the studio right now. fantastic sounds. great and timeless user interface. they nailed this one! thx for the great review as well!

[@ModularLanding]

Great review, as always!

[@Nosoultosell]

Can it store patches?

[@st0rmchild]

Yes. You can store 64 patches and 64 patterns.

[@SebastianBeyer]

Low brainer. Bought mine für 280 used in perfekt conditions. Best buy by far

[@hartkart]

Yeah! I just got one for €250. It arrives on monday, can't wait!

[@toddmeder5211]

Sh01a or korg monologue?

[@Zeal808]

todd meder I chose the korg 😋

[@midilyfestyle]

I have both. Monologue is it’s own little beast, and it’s a LOT of fun. This sounds bigger (despite not being real analogue), but it’s more limited, tonally. Monologue can record sequences via onboard keys and parameter changes for up to four parameters. Sh is four voice. The biggest downside of this one, for me, is the lack of a useful onboard keyboard and the lack of programmable/recordable modulation changes. The biggest upside for me with this one is the ability to sequence my modular with it. It also sounds really nice :)

[@Zeal808]

jozeph gee sick! I totally forgot I made this comment lol. I actually have both synths

[@savanaviolenta]

@@midilyfestyle k 25m

[@psience_1]

Thanks Nick.

[@dannyd1224]

hmm the poly does kinda make it more interesting....damn you nick!....I DONT WANT IT I DONT NEED IT STOP IT! NO YOUR NOT GETTING IT FOR YOUR SELF THIS CHRISTMAS SANTA ISNT REAL....

[@brainnok]

In this video, it does sound a little like my SH-101.