Roland SH-101


The Roland SH-101 is an analog synthesizer manufactured by the Roland Corporation between 1982 and 1986. Though it was a commercial failure, it became a staple of electronic music in the 1990s, particularly house music.

Sound and features

The SH-101 is monophonic, meaning it can only play one note at a time. It has a single oscillator and a sub-oscillator, a low-pass filter, a mixer allowing users to blend different waveforms plus a noise generator, and an arpeggiator and sequencer. An ADSR envelope generator controls the filter and VCA, and the filter, VCA, pitch and pulse width can be controlled with an LFO. Users can attach an optional handgrip with modulation controls and shoulder strap to play the SH-101 as a keytar, and it could also be powered via battery. According to MusicRadar, the SH-101 has "snappy and razor-sharp" bass, "squelchy and expressive" leads, and a "piercing yet smooth" filter.

Release

The SH-101 launched in the US at $495 and in UK at £249, making it much more affordable than the popular digital synthesisers of the time. Roland marketed the SH-101 to the emerging keytar market, with magazine slogans such as "freedom for expression" and “ takes you where you want to go". However, it was outsold by the digital Yamaha DX7 and was discontinued in 1986.

Legacy

During the 1990s resurgence of analogue synthesisers, the 101 became a staple in dance music studios. It was used by acts including Aphex Twin, Orbital, the Prodigy, 808 State, the Grid, and the Future Sound of London.
In 2014, MusicRadar wrote: "Some inexpensive synths were brilliant 'for the price'. The Roland SH-101 was brilliant, period. Never a rock star's instrument like the Minimoog or Prophet-5, the 101 was a synthesiser for the rest of us, and a damned fine one, too." In 2016, Fact named the SH-101 one of the 14 most important synthesisers in history.