Roland Clan Forums

Hi All,
I am still learning how to use my Fantom S and I am getting to know more about sound design. Just want to know whether the SH-201 ($600)is worth getting or should I jump straight for a Vsynth($2000) or possibly even a Moog Voyager Performer($3000)?
My intentions are centered around long term growth in this field. I tend to buy items that I can keep for years, and I want to learn how to master sound design.
Looking at the specs for the SH-201 I like that it seems easy due to the layout...but will the sounds be thick (fat) enough and in your opinions (Artemio feel free to respond) is it a professional tool?
I am not sure if anyone here has had the chance to use the SH-201 yet.
cheers
Ian

"Never waste venom on dead and fleeing things" - The mantra of the Cobra

It is really hard to make a suggestion here, it depends oh what sounds are you looking for. Voyager and V-Synth are way too different to compare them, and SH-201 is simply in another category...

If you want pure analog sound, Voyager is one of the best options. But remember you won't go far than classic synth sounds of the 1970s with it. This is both good and bad.

SH-201 is a simple virtual analog. Not the best in this world, but one of the most low-cost and easy to use, with some nice features like external audio processing and USB audio/MIDI.

V-Synth (and V-Synth XT) is more about deep sound tweaking. It can do classic analog sounds too, but not as good as a dedicated virtual analog synth and of course by far not like the Voyager. However, it is not it's goal, it is one of the most advanced synths when it comes to serious sound design based on analog modeling, VariPhrase, COSM, step-modulation, etc. You better see my today's reply in another V-Synth thread and also check out V-Synth samples and sound demos. And also check out Planet V, it's a Fantom-S/X sound library based on sounds I made with the V-Synth.

So, I would go for the V-Synth any day, it would be my only synth if I had to choose. But, you'd want a real analog synth anyway - and if you can afford $3000, go for the XT and Dave Smith's Mono Evolver keyboard, you'll get two of the most exciting machines on the planet. Moogs are cool but way too overpriced in my opinion.

Thanks Artemio,
I never considered the Dave Smith Keyboards. hopefully I can go to my local music store and see a demonstration of all the XT can do.
Still waiting to hear more thoughts about the SH-201.
cheers
Ian

"Never waste venom on dead and fleeing things" - The mantra of the Cobra

The SH-201 seems to be a decent synth regarding waveforms (supersaw, feedback osc), not keen on the amount of patch memory (32 preset & 32 user seems a little shy to me), for serious sound design it is nice to have the option of series/paralell filter routing, assignable envelopes (so you can assign an evelope to your amplitude, two filters, pitch and lfo rates for example). The reason i say this is that the SH-201 spec seems like a Roland jp8080 spec. No doubt you will get some good sounds out of the SH-201.

SH-201 will be a very cool little synth, I am sure. It has two OSCs, Feedback and SuperSaw included, OSC sync and ring mod for more complex sounds, separate LFOs for pitch, filter and amp (!), external audio filtering, overdrive and effects.

Canefire,

You can break your choices down by the following

1) Do you want to stick with dedicated analog/analog sounding (VA) synth? If the answer is "yes", if you have the funds then go purchase the voyager. You will have no regrets!

2) Do you want something which is not quite so dedicated to a particular synth architecture and dive deep into sound designing, then go purchase the V-Synth. Again, you will have no regrets!

I just bought V-Synth XT 4 days ago and already loving the sound designing capabilities of this monster. It's powerful but yet very logically laid out. I hope that this helps.

Thanks,
Emran Rao

BTW, Emran Rao, really good to see one of the very first forum members here!

The SH-201 is just the VA section of the V-Synth, which isn't really the best on the market.

You might try the Alesis Ion, which has 3 oscs, versus the two on the SH-201. It's also much more flexible thanks to the 'mod matrix', Alesis' way of saying that there is a lot you can do to change the sound. The SH-201 does not posess this flexibility, and if you're looking for long-term use, you might find that to be a nice feature.



"I thought all you did was push a button and sounds come out!" - My mother on synths
"Not quite, mom." - Me on synths

Hey thanks for the info...I think I am soured on the SH-201 now...Also not so sure any longer about the Moog....after reading Artemio's reply about the Dave Smith evolver and researching that machine it seems like a good idea.
So Artemio why did you suggest the Mono evolver with an XT instead of the poly-evolver keyboard?
Do any of you guys have a Dave Smith synth, and what do you think?
I have come to the point in my life where I am not buying anymore cheap peices of equipment...I don't think the SH-201 is cheap but I think it may be limited. Sadly I can't see why with todays technology many of these synths have such few voices.
I plan on purchasing in January 2007 so I am doing my research now to get the best synth buy I can ...Just hope that I don't buy and then all these new synths come out with fantom x style voice and polyphony....as I said I looking at keeping this equipment for 10 years minimum.
cheers
Ian

"Never waste venom on dead and fleeing things" - The mantra of the Cobra