Roland SH-201/Korg RADIAS

[hephiroth]

anyone tried these? I recently fiddled around with an SH-201 at my local guitar center. i thought it was okay, but the Korg RADIAS was a lot more impressive, IMO. i did sort of enjoy the layout of knobs and sliders a bit better on the SH-201...but the sounds just seemed a lot more in-your-face on the RADIAS.

i guess i just hadn't heard a lot about these two boards on the forum and was curious as to other's reactions.

[Omega Monkey]

Ive tried the SH very briefly. I thought it sounded really good, but the keybed is absolute shit. Seems like the same one they used for the similarly awful Juno D (and also about the same as the horrible Alesis Ion). Even the keys on my 20 year old D-50 are way better (and for that matter on my nearly 25 year old Alpha Juno). Actually, even the keys on my 20 year old Casio CZ-1000 are better. The ones on the SH/Juno D/Ion (they all feel about the same) just have no life, no "snap" to them. They just dont feel responsive.

But yeah, Ive only played it for maybe 10 minutes total on 2 different occassions. Im interested in getting a more indepth look at it, not to buy it, but just to see basically how far Roland has come with their VA program since the JP-80** series.

[Liquid Shadow]

I own the new SH, actually. I bought it like a week after it came out. I agree about Omega Monkey's comment on the keybed...which is not that great...but then there are always alternatives like the Micron/Ion keybed, which might as well be one of these.
http://www.vintagesynth.com/misc/edp_wasp.shtml

Very impressed with the sound though. I did some tests to demonstrate any flaws in it to the curious people on the HC forums...I think I deleted the files but they might still exist. Test for aliasing (LFO mod. --> pitch osc1 [sine]) showed nothing unless you went to unmusically high resgisters...I didnt even pay attention, but I think it was beyond the range of a piano before anything would show up. Certainly far beyond the range that I would use for any synth sounds. PWM when controlled by the LFO is very smooth...it steps a little when using the knob, because I think it only has a resolution of 127, even though the values that the synth can handle are far greater than that (which the lfo test shows). Same story for the filter.

Major advantage that I see over the JP-8000 is that you can use all waveforms on both oscillators. You can even have two supersaws and detune them from eachother. And with the layering possibility this makes for some very nice pads. I know my friend still has the file I did of one pad with a couple supersaws on one layer, and a feedback oscillator with filter modulated by S/H LFO doing little beeps in the background....man that was nice. And it has 10 note polyphony so doing big pad chords with long release time, you dont have to worry (as much) about notes cutting out.

The biggest complaint I had vs. the JP at first was the lack of effects, mainly chorus. But then I just thought that with chorus being a delay effect anyways...well...time set all the way down and depth set all the way up...and there you go. Chorus. I don't really use the reverb. The overdrive is real nice for adding a little dirt...I dont find it real useful at higher values though. It was real useful in the Chameleon bass patch I made...which is surprisingly accurate when compared to the original recording. I'll have to record it and put it side by side to the original for you guys.






Radias is neat too. Definitely a lot deeper, and physically feels a little bit more solid. If I had 2-3x the cash to spend (depending on if I wanted rack or keyboard version), I would have enjoyed taking one of those home too. But even if I had the cash I would have been taken aback at the price anyways, because Korg seems to enjoy padding their prices just a little bit too much. In a few years as they hit the used market and go down in price, they'll be a much better deal.

[twg88]

It was real useful in the Chameleon bass patch I made...which is surprisingly accurate when compared to the original recording. I'll have to record it and put it side by side to the original for you guys.
I'd love to hear that - good stuff!

[-=AnatomiC=-]

I will maybe buy 1 too.

Why? Coz it's real analog... I think. It's really userfriendly (like all stuff from Roland), and it will be my first analog synth. Also it's really affordable - only 500 euro at my local store. And they say it's very powerfull too, for price, size etc.
And also - I'm Roland fan, don't know why :rolleyes:
But I'll have to wait till next summer, coz I have no money :wink: and also - it's not funny, buying everything at the same time...

Keys... it doesn't matter to me, coz all 61-key keyboards suck anyway, IMHO. But it has only 41 keys - I don't care
I'm going to use it as a secondary synth to create patches for my Fantom x :smile:

Edit - no, it's digital :biggrin: thx Axiom

[hephiroth]

yeah, it's definitely not a bad unit to get a nice virtual analog sound into your rig...but i think i would be more inclined to buy the RADIAS if i were shopping. however, i'm more than content with my fusion for all my VA needs!

[-=AnatomiC=-]

yeah, it's definitely not a bad unit to get a nice virtual analog sound into your rig...but i think i would be more inclined to buy the RADIAS if i were shopping. however, i'm more than content with my fusion for all my VA needs!

It's also nice to have a very small keyboard. Only 5 kilogram!!! Also very sturdy - no screen, and fancy stuff.
I can't get to my prog-rock band, because my current keyboard is just to heavy. And they are noobs - so I need only analog sounds, and I don't need much polyphony. It will be perfect... I wonder - is it possible to transfer some patches to it? Sample patches - like piano and stuff.
It would be even better

[hephiroth]

i'm pretty sure it ONLY does VA, no sample-based synthesis

[-=AnatomiC=-]

i'm pretty sure it ONLY does VA, no sample-based synthesis

That's a shame - otherwise it would be 100% perfect. Nah...I don't need them anyway :biggrin:

[ReaPeR]

if you want an VA that sounds really analog, try the Alesis Ion... it has filter modeled on Moogs, Obereims, ARP... or try an used Virus B or C

anyway like axiom sayed, analog isn't better than digital, only different!
(but both VA and Analog are far funnier to program than workstations)

[hephiroth]

(but both VA and Analog are far funnier to program than workstations)

hell yeah!

[-=AnatomiC=-]

I agree... but workstation synth sounds are very important too :cool:

I think I'll take SH-201. But I'll have to wait till summer :rolleyes: I don't need "real digital analog", digital digital analog should do.
Besides - it's very cheap (actually, first I wanted to buy V-synth, but it's to expensive).

[ReaPeR]

mmh i think you're in love with Mr. Roland

[-=AnatomiC=-]

mmh i think you're in love with Mr. Roland

Yeah, maybe I'm :biggrin: (not Mr. Roland... Roland Co).
And why not? As long as they keep making good stuff, I will buy it. I like their user-friendly interfaces.

[ReaPeR]

I'm more an fan of the older roland things... like Jupiter 8 or TB-303 (aceeeeeed!!!)... but it's sad how the workstations productions it's killing the search for new sounds (i'm talking about Korg, Roland, Yamaha)

[Analogkid]

I think im ready to dump my Moog Prodigy for the SH 201.

[Berrido]

I think im ready to dump my Moog Prodigy for the SH 201.
Regret or you'll be sodomized by a tribe of indians!

[Analogkid]

Regret or you'll be sodomized by a tribe of indians!

Well, since I have a Voyager I think its ok to do.

[Berrido]

Well, since I have a Voyager I think its ok to do.
oh ok.......