Roland SH-201 Synthesizer

[spitfire8898]

Anyone own/borrow/use one before? How does this one compare to the Korg MicroX?

Pros? Cons?

[Pericles]

I own one. I use it for live performance. It's a basic modeling synth that I use for leads and a few effects. To really get the full effect of the synth you must load the editing software into a laptop so you can gain full access to all parameters--yes, there is more behind the knobs.

I tried some recording with this piece, and it's a bit too dirty for what I want--then again, I use a V Synth for a lot of my studio lead work, and you can't compare the two. Considering the relativly cheap price of the SH-201 (I paid $550) it's worth it. And if you play live, you'll appreciate the fact that the thing weighs about 11 pounds.

My live set up is a Fantom X-6, Korg X-3, V Synth, Wavestation ex, and the SH-201. It works.

[spitfire8898]

Would this be an ideal choice for doing bass lines for say, hip hop and funk?

[Pericles]

Originally Posted by spitfire8898

Would this be an ideal choice for doing bass lines for say, hip hop and funk?

For that, if you can afford a new Moog, get one. I'm not certain that the SH-201 has the hard edge for some types of funk. If you're a player that likes real hard slapping bass lines then I'd say not to use the SH-201. For more trance/Euro dance type stuff it would be okay.

[spitfire8898]

Yeah, I won't need "trance-like" sounds....I was messing with my brothers MS2000 and it sounds like it's full of em! That's great if you need 'em, but I'd probably never use them for hip hop...

What do you think about the Juno d and G?

[Pericles]

Originally Posted by spitfire8898

Yeah, I won't need "trance-like" sounds....I was messing with my brothers MS2000 and it sounds like it's full of em! That's great if you need 'em, but I'd probably never use them for hip hop...

What do you think about the Juno d and G?

Hmm, The Juno G is really an entry level workstation that tries to do a little bit of everything. Nice piece though. The Juno D is just Roland's new entry level "synth." The sounds are good in it, you'd just have to play through every preset to find what you want. Roland is trying to market themselves to that crowd a bit. I'm not a hip hop guy so I might not be the best person to ask. I will say to go listen to those machines. And I will say that I never had a Roland product break on me, and I've been playing for a long time.

I don't know your budget. You should look at a few synths by Nord, Korg, and the Polyevolver (though only 4-voice, sounds great).

If you have serious cash (6+ G's) check out the Neko 64.

[spitfire8898]

Well, I ventured out to guitarget the other day and was impressed with the Juno G's sounds...they didn't have a Juno D on the floor to mess with...does the "D" version have the same sounds, but not all the features of the "G"?

I also was impressed with the size and sound of the Korg MicroX. I really like the compact size, but it kinda left me with a hankerin' for more bass tones...

Wasn't too impressed with the Korg X50....I was looking to spend around 6-700 bucks....do you guys think I should shell out the extra cash for a Juno G?