SH-101 Synthesizer

Faced with the emergence of low-cost electronic musical instruments like the Casio VL-1 which were aimed squarely at the consumer market, the SH-101 can be seen as an attempt to bring fully-fledged synthesis to a new audience. As this chapter’s detailed technical analysis reveals, the specification of the SH-101 bears much in common with earlier Roland ‘SH’ synthesizer models from the late 1970s. However, while some earlier features are omitted, the addition of an easy to use 100-step sequencer and accessible arpeggiator created an instrument built for performance. Underscoring this, the heavy, black metal cases of previous SH instruments is replaced with a sleek plastic, angular lines, a guitar-style modulation grip and strap and even limited edition metallic red and blue colour schemes. This was a synthesizer for the fashion-conscious 1980s. The chapter continues by exploring the ongoing musical uses of the SH-101, its recreation in hardware and software and considers its influence on contemporary synthesizer and sequencer design.