Let the Haters Hate. Let them eat Hate...

It's perhaps something of a reflection on the poor state of internet discourse when Gordon Reid, a man who's been playing synths for 40 years and writing very eloquently about them for almost as long, has to say:

'So here’s the bottom line... I know that I’m going to get torn to shreds by some readers for writing this but, if I overlooked the inevitable aliasing at the highest pitches, I was usually able to make the two synths sound indistinguishable from one another. From the simplest leads and basses, to orchestral sounds, to more complex sounds and effects, the SH-01A handled almost everything that my SH-101 could throw at it.' https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/roland-sh-01a

Now, I may not be as experienced or as distinguished as Mr Reid, but I bought my SH-101 in 1998, so it's fair to say that I know this synth pretty well. And guess what? The boutique version sounds pretty damn close. Maybe lacking a tiny indefinable something in the 'organic warmth' department, perhaps? But part of me thinks that this elusive warmth is actually just caused by ageing resistors and capacitors, and that actually, this is what the SH-101 sounded like in 1982. It certainly sounds a lot better than my old SH-101 currently does, with its 60 Hz hum, hiss, tuning issues, crackling (and sometimes failing altogether) pots, and the boutique's tough metal top panel is obviously in much better nick than the original's cracked, dirty and stained plastic carriage - and broken keys, too! It might cost a small fortune to service and repair.

Furthermore, my SH-101 will never let me program a 16 step pattern with 4 voices of polyphony on every single step, create unison 4-voice patches, or create chords. It'll never produce Juno-like pads which sound gorgeous through delay and reverb when I tweak the PWM.

'But Bro, it's not analogue!'. No, no it isn't. And I'm starting to think I don't care when it sounds as good as this.

Downsides? Well, yes. No keyboard, bring your own. No proper power supply, and the USB power jack input is far from ideal. No CV in, which is a tragic oversight. The sliders are small and fiddly. And I've had preferred real wheels to the ribbon sliders, which don't seem to work all that well,

Maybe the true analogue power of the SH-101 would win in a live situation. But I'm almost certainly never going to take this unit out live, and once it's in your DAW, in a mix, I'd challenge anyone to tell the difference. Honestly.

Great portable synth

This is the best budget va I have and the sound is very rich for its size and money. I own a Juno 106 a Take 5 a Wave 2 and a Prophet 08, the sh01a is the most intuitive of all of them if you quickly want to dial in a sound, especially if you want to create something like a Jupiter 4 string/pad patch. The advanced LFO and 4 note polyphony is super useful and unlocks great sound design possibilities (FM). The 100 step sequencer can be played together with the Arp. Despite its small size it is very fun to play live. Add a warm transparent overdrive and a stereo modulated delay for extra vibes.

Sounds very authentic

Love it. I own the tb-03, jp-08, and the sh-01a from the boutique line and the SH-01a is my favorite.

I have two of them...

A red one and a grey one. Just can't get enough of its sound and portability.