SH-101
SH-101 tech specs
Roland SH-101
- Released: 1983
- Initial price: £239[1]
- Clearance price: £179[2]
- Company: Roland
- Types: Digital step sequencer; monophonic synthesiser
- Polyphony: Monophonic
- Timbrality: Monotimbral
- Control: 1V/Oct CV & V-trig gate[3]
- Synchronisation: 1 PPS V-trig clock for arpeggiator and digital step sequencer[3]
- CPU: 8-bit Toshiba TMP80C49P-6-7301[4]
- Features: Arpeggiator
The SH-101 was a monophonic synthesiser released by Roland in 1983. It's the sibling of the MC-202, which has a better-featured sequencer (if harder to program) but worse keyboard.
Unlike most monosynths, the SH-101 has a microprocessor, allowing it to feature an arpeggiator and modest digital step sequencer. Sure, on the one hand, it lacks the MC-202 and TB-303's accents and multiple patterns (you'll need the "SH-1oh1" mod for those). On the other hand, it still supports rests, ties, and note-specific portamento (as in slides), and it can store far more than sixteen notes and rests in its single pattern — up to a hundred.[5] Perhaps most importantly, it's much more intuitive to program.
As with most synths that predate the use of tiny 16×2 character LCDs, the SH-101 is agreeably tactile, making it reasonably intuitive. There's a slider or switch for every parameter that affects the sound.
As with Roland's SH-1 and SH-09, it features a two-octave sub-oscillator.
In terms of the visual aesthetics, it's not a million miles away from Roland's System-100M, with its grey case offset by the controls' sparse yet bright colours. Its CV and gate outputs make it a fine substitute for the 100M's own controller keyboards — a combination employed by Chris and Cosey. The arpeggiator and sequencer don't hurt, either.
Notable users
- 4 Hero[6]
- 808 State[7] (×4)
- Aphex Twin[8][9][10][11][12][13] (modded with extended ranges)
- Apollo 440[14]
- Biosphere[15]
- Bomb the Bass[16]
- Bizarre Inc[17]
- The Chemical Brothers[18]
- Chris and Cosey[19][20]
- Eat Static[21]
- Faithless[22]
- Gimmik[23]
- Global Communication[24]
- Richie Hawtin[25]
- Kenny Larkin[26]
- Man Machine[27]
- Massive Attack[28]
- Nightmares on Wax[29]
- Nitzer Ebb[30]
- Orbital[31][32][33]
- The Prodigy[34][35][36][37]
- Sheep on Drugs[38] (×3)
- Speedy J[39]
- Stereo MCs[40][41]
References
- "Soho Soundhouse" Soho Soundhouse (Vendor), Electronics & Music Maker, Dec 1982, p. 45
- "Soho Soundhouse" Soho Soundhouse (Vendor), Electronics & Music Maker, Feb 1986, p. 70
- "SH-101 manual" Roland, 1982, pp. 37—38
- "SH-101 service notes" Roland, Nov 1982, p. 8
- "SH-101 service notes" Roland, Nov 1982, p. 1
- Parallel Universe 4 Hero, 1994
- "The State of Technology" Simon Trask, Music Technology, Nov 1989, pp. 54—60
- "Richard's at Door of Disc Dreamland" Jeremy Ridge and Dale Webb, The West Briton and Royal Cornwall Gazette, Jan 1992
- "~~ rephlex ~~ aphex ~~ drn ~~" Ben Middleton, alt.rave, Oct 1992
- "Live and Kicking" Andy Crysell, DJ Magazine, 1993
- "The Aphex Effect" Dave Robinson, Future Music, Apr 1993, pp. 22—23
- "Aphex Twin SYROBONKERS! Interview Part 1" Dave Noyze, 2014
- "Straight Outta Lanner" Jim Butler, Aphex Twin: A Disco Pogo Tribute, 2024, ISBN 978-1-0687642-0-2, pp. 24—41
- "Apollo Four Forty: Ad Astra" Sam Molineaux, Sound On Sound, Nov 1999
- "In the Studio With Biosphere" Headphone Commute, Jan 2021
- "Beat Dis" Mike Collins, Sound On Sound, Jun 1991, pp. 24—30
- "Strange Changes" Simon Trask, Music Technology, Dec 1991, pp. 30—36
- "Matt Cox: MIDI Tech for The Chemical Brothers" David Greeves, Sound On Sound, Dec 2011
- "The Creative Technology Institute" Chris Heath, Electronics & Music Maker, Sep 1984, pp. 38—40
- "Home Taping" Tony Reed, International Musician & Recording World, May 1986, pp. 118—119
- "Eat Static: Chart Success" Jonathan Miller, Sound On Sound, Jan 1997
- "Faithless: Breaking Down Classic Tracks with Sister Bliss" Jamie Franklin, Jan 2021
- "In the Studio With Gimmik" Headphone Commute, Jul 2022
- "Calling Occupants" Maff Evans, Future Music, Mar 1995, pp. 61—63
- "Signal Path: Richie Hawtin on His Origins as F.U.S.E. and How He Made Techno in the Early '90s" Maya-Roisin Slater, Fact, May 2019
- "Mixing metaphors" Tim Barr, The Mix, Jun 1995, pp. 88—92
- "Machine Head" Simon Trask, Music Technology, Jul 1991, pp. 56—62
- "Massive Attack's New Studio" Sue Sillitoe, Sound On Sound, Oct 2005
- "Nightmares on Wax: Groove Is in the Heart" Claire Francis, Electronic Sound, Jun 2020
- "Turning Tides" Maff Evans, Future Music, Feb 1995, pp. 56—58
- "The Magic Circle" Phil Ward, Music Technology, Jun 1993, pp. 56—60
- "Music of Spheres" Nigel Humberstone, Sound On Sound, Apr 1994
- "Paul and Phil Hartnoll (Orbital). Ask Me Anything. Streamed live on 27th February 2023." Orbital, Feb 2023
- "The Lone Raver" Tim Goodyer, Music Technology, May 1992, pp. 68—72
- "Prodigious Talent" David Robinson, Future Music, Feb 1993, pp. 31—34
- "Liam Howlett: The Prodigy & Firestarter" Paul Nagle, Sound On Sound, Sep 1996
- "Playing With Fire!" Robin Green, The Mix, Mar 1997
- "Rack & Roll" Phil Ward, Music Technology, Dec 1993, pp. 20—22
- "Warp Factor 8" Simon Trask, Music Technology, Nov 1993, pp. 32—33
- "Tales Of The Supernatural" Simon Trask, Music Technology, Dec 1990, pp. 48—52
- "Stereo Speakers" Phil Ward, Music Technology, Apr 1993, pp. 40—45
Further reading
Reviews
- "Roland SH-101" Paul Colbert, One Two Testing, Dec 1983, pp. 68—69
Encyclopedias
- The A-Z of Analogue Synthesisers, Part Two: N-Z Peter Forrest, 2003, ISBN 0-952437-73-2, pp. 131—132
Modifications
- "SH-1oh1" Tubbutec
Downloads
Documentation
- "SH-101 manual" Roland, 1982
- "SH-101 service notes" Roland, Nov 1982
Digital step sequencers: MC-202 | MS-1 | RD-6 | SH-101 | TB-303 | TR-606 | TR-808
Hardwired synthesisers: CZ-101 | Juno-6 | Juno-60 | Juno-106 | MC-202 | MS-1 | MS-5 | Minimoog | Model D | Polivoks | RS-101 | RS-202 | SH-5 | SH-101 | Solina String Ensemble | String Ensemble | TB-303 | VC340 | VP-330
Monophonic synthesisers: MC-202 | MS-1 | MS-5 | Minimoog | Model D | SH-5 | SH-101 | TB-303
Roland: Boss | DCB | Edirol | JV-1080 | Juno-6 | Juno-60 | Juno-106 | MC-4 | MC-8 | MC-202 | MPU-101 | R-8 | RS-101 | RS-202 | SH-5 | SH-101 | SN-R8 series | SN-U110 series | SO-PCM1 series | SR-JV80 series | System-100 | System-100M | TB-303 | TR-606 | TR-808 | TR-909 | U-110 | VP-330 | W-30