Roland SH-201

Roland SH-201

The newly introduced SH-201 by Roland is a user-friendly analog-modeling instrument. Professionals who have mastered the skills of synths will really find this instrument a masterpiece as it will remind them of the basic synthesizer. The SH-201 is simply a blast to play.

The main quality of Roland’s SH-201 lies in its great Analog-style sound. It has two beefy analog modeling oscillators onboard. Its sound quality is simply outstanding because of some of the best of Roland’s intrinsic features such as a resonant filter, saturation control, Supersaw waveform and so on. As the saying goes ‘ big things come in small packages’. SH-201 perfectly epitomizes this proverb. For a small l piece of instrument, it has the tendency to blow down the doors of a room.

SH-201 comes with amazing delay and reverb effects through which you can add depth and dimension to any sound. You can also create an instant rhythmic motion with its overdrive through its arpeggiator and can add a ripsaw edge to the sound through its overdrive controls.

Sh-201 is simply the best when it comes to utility. No other contemporary synth is as user friendly as SH-201. Its front panel is designed in such a way that it puts every control directly under the player’s fingertips. The keys on the front panel are logically positioned from left to right in a single path. It does not contain any useless features such as a disguised menu. You can simply play and move the sliders and knobs.

Playing SH-201 from its keyboard is a simple thing.  You can get the most out of SH-201 simply by plugging external audio sources into the SH-201′s external input, such as CD/MP3-player, sampler. You can also twist and twirl the sound with the help of the front-panel knobs and sliders. For more dramatic modulation, you can also try your hands over the SH-201′s invisible D BEAM.

You can also maneuver the sounds in SH-201 through the VSTi software editor within a VSTi compatible host software sequencer. Through SH-201 you can rout MIDI and audio tracks through the USB port by simply connecting it to a computer (PC or Mac).

What makes SH-201 really fantastic is its highly portable and can also be used in gigs. When played, it somewhat emulates the 80s style polyphonic synthesizers. Sound editing on Sh-201 is also simple and as easy as changing the filter’s resonance.

What’s good about SH-201: The best part of SH-201 is that it provides a printed blueprint as a part of its interface for basic synthesis. This feature makes it a very user-friendly instrument. SH-201 also makes powerful complex sounds when used with Alesis ION.

What’s not in SH-201: Roland’s SH-201 is somewhat soft as compared to other virtual synths such as the VST, Dxi and AU.

Bottom Line: Roland’s SH-201 has it all. Apart from having user-friendly features, the SH-201 also scores high in terms of all the features that should be in a synthesizer. If you are an enthusiast of analog-like sound then you should definitely have this Roland’s masterpiece in your music kit.