Roland Boutique SH-01A Synthesizer

Roland Boutique SH-01A PRODUCT FEATURES:

The SH-01A is a compact reproduction of the Roland SH-101, one of the most popular analog synthesizers from the 1980s. Building on the iconic sounds and creative immediacy of the original, the SH-01A offers exciting new polyphonic capabilities, inspiring new performance features, and a level of authenticity that could only come from Roland.

In comparison with more complex instruments available at the time, the SH-101 was a seemingly unremarkable monophonic synthesizer when first launched in 1982. However, it quickly became prized for its rich, musical sound and simple-to-program synth structure. Legions of artists found it quick and easy to create fat basses, edgy leads, and exciting sound effects with the SH-101, and these hallmark sounds continue to be revered by electronic musicians over 30 years later.

The SH-01A recreates the oscillator, filter, and envelope behaviors of the vintage SH-101 with extreme accuracy. Roland’s Analog Circuit Behavior (ACB) technology fully realizes all the sonic details and quirks of the SH-101, modeling each analog circuit right down to the component level. And though scaled-down in size, the panel interface offers all the hands-on controls found on the original hardware.

Expanding on the SH-101’s huge monophonic voice, the SH-01A supports four voices and four modes for more sound-creation possibilities. Mono mode produces the classic SH-101 sound, while Poly mode allows four notes to be played simultaneously, making SH-101 sounds available for pads and other chordal work. Unison mode stacks four voices for super-fat basses and leads, and Chord mode layers any four pitches together for playing in semitone steps. The SH-01A also offers 64 patch memories for storing sounds, a feature not available on the SH-101.

The SH-01A is equipped with an intuitive 100-step sequencer like the one found on the SH-101, but now adds the ability to save and recall 64 sequence patterns for any performance situation. The sequencer can also be used to control modular synths, hardware modules, and software plug-ins via CV/Gate, MIDI, and USB.

Like all Roland Boutique modules, the SH-01A is extremely portable, runs on USB bus power or batteries, and includes a built-in speaker for monitoring the sound in mobile situations. When mounted in the optional K-25m Keyboard Unit, the SH-01A can be used as a compact, all-in-one synth with 25 velocity-sensitive keys.

Roland Boutique SH-01A TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:

Sound Generator Section

Maximum Polyphony: 4 voices

Assign Mode: MONO/UNISON/POLY/CHORD

User Memory

Sound Patch: 64

Sequencer Pattern: 64

Controllers

VOLUME knob

Ribbon controllers C1, C2

LFO section:

RATE indicator and slider

WAVE FORM select knob

VCO section:

MOD depth slider

RANGE select knob

PULSE WIDTH slider

LFO/MAN/ENV select switch

SOURCE MIXER section:

PULSE level slider

SAW level slider

SUB OSC level slider

SUB OSC select slider

NOISE level slider

VCF section:

FREQ: cutoff frequency slider

RES: resonance slider

ENV: envelope depth slider

MOD: modulation depth slider

KYBD: key follow slider

VCA section:

ENV/GATE select switch

ENV section:

GATE+TRIG/GATE/LFO select switch

A: attack time slider

D: decay time slider

S: sustain level slider

R: release time slider

Controller section:

TRANSPOSE switch (L/M/H)

VCO BENDER sens slider

VCF BENDER sens slider

LFO MOD slider

PORTAMENTO select switch (AUTO/OFF/ON)

PORTAMENTO time knob

MENU switch and indicator

SEQUENCER/ARPEGGIO section:

1/LOAD switch and indicator

2/PLAY switch and indicator

3/DOWN switch and indicator

4/U&D switch and indicator

5/UP switch and indicator

6/HOLD switch and indicator

7/KEY TRANSPOSE switch and indicator

8 switch and indicator

Power switch

Step Sequencer

100 steps

4 notes (Polyphonic)

Arpeggio

DOWN/U&D/UP

1 OCT/2 OCT

Display

7 segments, 4 characters (LED)

Connectors

CV OUT jack: mono miniature phone type

GATE OUT jack: mono miniature phone type

EXT CLK IN jack: mono miniature phone type

PHONES jack: stereo miniature phone type

OUTPUT jack: stereo miniature phone type

MIX IN jack: stereo miniature phone type

MIDI (IN, OUT) connectors

USB port: Micro-B type (Audio, MIDI)

Power Supply

Rechargeable Ni-MH battery (AA, HR6) x 4

Alkaline battery (AA, LR6) x 4

USB bus power

Current Draw

500 mA (USB bus power)

Expected battery life under continuous use

Rechargeable Ni-MH battery: Approx. 6 hours

* This can vary depending on the specifications of the batteries, capacity of the batteries, and the conditions of use.

 

Options (sold separately)

Keyboard Unit: K-25m

Boutique Dock: DK-01