Cheap when it launched, legendary ever since. The Roland SH-101 was the synth "for the rest of us", a 32-key monosynth in red, grey or blue that you could sling over your shoulder like a guitar and play battery-powered at the front of the stage. One oscillator, but what an oscillator: saw, pulse with PWM, and a sub that together make basslines fat enough to flatten a dancefloor, plus that creamy Roland filter and a sequencer-and-arp combo that turns one finger into a riff. When the 90s analog revival hit, the 101 became a studio staple for techno and acid producers everywhere. Often imitated, never bettered.

FEATURES & PROS:

• One Oscillator, Huge Sound: Saw, PWM pulse, and sub mixable into basses and leads far bigger than the spec sheet suggests.
• That Roland Filter: The creamy, squelchy low-pass that defined acid and techno. Pure character.
• Sequencer + Arpeggiator: Step-program a riff, sync it to your rig, and let it run. Instant techno.
• CV/Gate: Talks to modular and to the rest of your synths. A perfect modular companion.
• Built to Travel: Battery power and an optional mod grip. The original over-the-shoulder bass synth.
• Icon Status: Named by Fact magazine as one of the most important synths ever made.

AS USED BY

• Aphex Twin, a longtime 101 user across his catalogue
• The Prodigy, for raw acid lines and leads
• Orbital and 808 State, staples of their live and studio rigs
• A Guy Called Gerald, "Voodoo Ray", built around the 101
• Future Sound of London, Boards of Canada and The Chemical Brothers
• Chicago house and acid pioneers like Larry Heard and Phuture
• Vince Clarke and Devo on the pop and new-wave side

THE WORD: MusicRadar judged the SH-101 brilliant outright, not merely brilliant for the price, and Fact later ranked it among the most important synthesizers in history. Read the feature.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Year: 1982-1986
• Type: Analog monophonic synthesizer
• Oscillator: 1 VCO (saw, pulse with PWM, sub-oscillator, noise)
• Filter: resonant low-pass VCF with ADSR, LFO, key tracking
• LFO: triangle, square, random, noise
• Sequencer: 100-step; arpeggiator (up/down/up-down)
• Keyboard: 32 keys (optional mod grip)
• Inputs / Outputs: 1/4 inch out, headphone, CV/Gate
• Power: 9V DC adapter or 6x AA batteries
• Manual: Roland SH-101 owner's manual (ManualsLib)