Roland SH-4D assessment: An overdue return to nice synths for the plenty

The guts of the is constructed round Roland’s engine, nevertheless it’s not really Zen-Core suitable. As a substitute, the corporate took the constructing blocks and organized them into simplified oscillators. That is nice information as a result of, no less than in {hardware} type, Zen-Core has primarily proven up both as overly sophisticated and menu-divey, or as a glorified . Right here there are 11 completely different oscillators that vary from emulations of basic Roland machines just like the Juno-106 and SH-101, to metallic FM tones, PCM samples and 31 completely different wavetables. And there are sufficient hands-on controls you can really do some critical sound design with out having to dig seven layers deep in an incomprehensible menu system. That is the closest Roland has come to knob-per-function in a very long time, and the corporate deserves credit score for that.

Fortunately, Roland additionally blessed the SH-4d with the bigger, higher-res display we’ve seen on machines just like the Jupiter-XM and , relatively than the painful two-line shows on the sequence and the , so navigating the menu is much less aggravating. Basically, the menu system additionally feels extra streamlined than on a variety of different Roland gadgets. I’d cease simply wanting saying it’s intuitive, nevertheless it additionally didn’t ship me right into a .

There’s solely a handful of issues that felt like they required an pointless quantity of menu diving: the consequences, the matrix and the mixer, most notably. There’s clearly a restrict to what number of buttons and knobs Roland might match on the face of the already fairly crowded SH-4d, however I’ve seen mod matrix patching dealt with extra elegantly by each and . The 4 faders can be utilized in a mixer mode, which is nice however you need to swap to sample mode, then hit the sound button to entry it, when it ought to actually be a single button press away. And the consequences part solely exposes two parameters straight, all the pieces else requires going right into a menu.

The results generally are fairly nice, no less than. The delay and the refrain are glorious. The reverbs are a bit lackluster, however there’s a complete suite of different results (95 in complete) starting from a fully unbelievable bit crusher, to lo-fi vinyl warbles, to the DJ looper from the . And the fattener is so good I form of want it had its personal devoted slot just like the reverb, delay and refrain do.

Transient apart: Why is there so a lot noise within the Juno refrain emulation, Roland? It’s principally unusable till you go into the menu and switch it down (or off), at which level it’s glorious. What’s really wild is that it’s set to 30 by default and goes all the best way as much as 127! At full tilt it’s only a white noise machine. Nice for the synth nerd who has hassle sleeping, I suppose.

That one gripe apart, the SH-4d sounds unbelievable. Actually. I’m not at all times the most important fan of the Roland sound. I believe its trendy synths tend to be a tad chilly and medical. However the 4d principally avoids this (until that’s the said purpose, akin to within the Wavetable or PCM oscillator). The presets do a superb job of displaying off the distinctive traits of every mannequin and even take a few of them in locations you may not instantly consider. Positive, the SH-101 is nice at bass and leads, everyone knows that. However do you know it could possibly additionally shine whereas taking part in mellow pads? Properly, because of trendy know-how blessing us with a polyphonic emulation of 1 it could possibly.

Roland consists of good touches right here, like graphically representing the structure of the Juno-106 and SH-101, or displaying a hoop modulator diagram on the display. Basically, the oscillators themselves really feel fastidiously polished. The 2 knobs straight under the display, the 4 faders and the 4 buttons under these have speedy and apparent makes use of often which might be mirrored indirectly on the show.

The center two buttons beneath the faders are the way you activate and off the noticed and sq. wave within the Juno mannequin, as an example. And within the Cross-FM engine you possibly can draw an envelope utilizing the faders. Oh, and talking of drawing, there’s a drawing oscillator. Right here you possibly can create a totally customized waveform by utilizing the 4 faders, by recording as you progress a knob in actual time, or step-by-step with unbelievable granularity. It’s a great deal of enjoyable and a fast option to get one thing that’s fully your personal. One other twist of the knob and you may sq. off the sides to get one thing that sounds prefer it’s straight from an Atari 2600. Then feed that by a bit crusher and *chef’s kiss*.

From right here the sign goes by a easy excessive move filter and a resonant multimode filter. The multimode filter is respectable sufficient. It doesn’t self-oscillate, nevertheless it’s nonetheless pleasantly aggressive. I do want the filter drive a bit stronger, although. It provides a bit of further oomph, however doesn’t attain the giddy damaging highs of what Roland has within the SP-404.

All of this leads us to the sequencer, which is what makes the SH-4d extra of a groovebox than a real synthesizer. There are 4 polyphonic synth tracks and one rhythm monitor that you need to use to create loops as much as 64 steps lengthy. The sequencer within reason function packed and principally straightforward to make use of. Every half can have its personal size, playback mode (ahead, reverse, ahead and reverse, inverted or random), shuffle fee and extra. There’s additionally likelihood and substep choices, although you do should perform a little menu diving to get there. And, whereas the keyboard on the SH-4d isn’t velocity delicate, you possibly can join an exterior controller or dial in velocity manually on a per step foundation. The one main limitation is the shortage of sample chaining or a music mode.

There’s a handful of performance-friendly options as nicely, like a grasp impact channel for buildups and breakdowns. Plus, you possibly can mute elements and even particular person drum sounds on the devoted rhythm monitor. One factor lacking is the Step Loop operate discovered on even its cheaper devices, just like the latest Aira Compact S-1.

I’ve received to say the rhythm part is nice, too. I used to be initially form of skeptical of it. I actually needed Roland to only deal with making an approachable and inexpensive synthesizer, relatively than proceed its “all the pieces and the kitchen sink” strategy. However, it actually is superb and never an afterthought in any respect. There are 26 devices in every equipment, which may mix two completely different waveforms, with their very own pitch envelopes and EQ settings. Roland in all probability might have gotten away with simply tossing some 808 and 909 samples in right here and calling it a day. However the rhythm part has its personal wealthy and highly effective sound design instruments.

Sadly, Roland didn’t cease at a 5 monitor sequencer with a surprisingly wealthy drum machine. There are a number of options right here which might be a little bit of a head scratcher. The largest one being D-Movement the place you possibly can assign parameters to an X and Y axis, then tilt the instrument to vary them. It’s gimmicky and fairly unnatural on one thing that’s over 14 inches broad and weighs simply shy of 4 kilos.

The visible arpeggiator is in the same boat. It has a handful of modes that permit you to management playback by bouncing notes, taking part in pong or drawing in a sequence Etch-a-Sketch type. I needed to love them. However the actuality was they weren’t significantly helpful, not even for thought era, and I grew uninterested in them after a couple of minutes. I’d have relatively Roland used that D-Movement button on the entrance for one thing extra instantly helpful like fast entry to a mixer mode, or Step Loop for creating fast fills.

On the entire, although, I believe Roland has a winner on its fingers. I’d like to see a model sooner or later with a correct keyboard – maybe one with aftertouch. And I nonetheless have my struggles with the Roland workflow. However that is my favourite instrument from the corporate exterior of the SP-404MKII, which is a wholly completely different beast.

The has loads of hands-on controls, a wealthy palette of synth engines and it sounds nice. Add to {that a} stable construct, the flexibility to be powered by a handful of AAs, and a a lot cleaner interface than many different Roland devices. The highest notch drum machine and multi-track polyphonic sequencer are simply icing on the cake. That is simply my favourite Roland synth in a very long time. And the truth that it solely prices $650 solely makes it that rather more interesting.

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