SH-4D Demo & Overview! Roland's Ultimate Synth Groovebox

Roland might have knocked it out of the park with the new SH-4D Multi-timbral synth and drum sequencer! Up to 60 voices of polyphony across 4 polyphonic synth sequencing tracks, 11 different synth engines (including vintage SH-101 and Juno 106 models), a 26 track drum group with layering and synthesis options, heaps of awesome creative fx, easy step sequencer with plenty of extras, can run on AA batteries or USB-C, fantastic hands-on interface; there's a lot to talk about!

This is a deep unit and a longer video than usual, so feel free to jump around with the timestamps below:
00:10 Intro & Feature Rundown
01:25 What It Can Do (Jams Mike prepared earlier)
04:14 Panel Tour
06:21 Synthesizer Models Overview
13:32 Workflow: Making a Sequence
22:52 More Features Worth Mentioning & Outro

Roland's SH-4D is available to order now at Store DJ!

We are Store DJ, Australia's biggest electronic music equipment and pro audio retailer, alongside our sister store: Mannys Music.

VIDEO GEAR:
Panasonic S5 & Fuji XS10 cameras
Neumann TLM103 Mic
Neumann NDH20 Headphones
Presonus Studio 1810c Audio Interface
Ableton Live 11

[lifewithoutera]

Excellent video. Your demo so far sounds the best out of all the ones I've seen! Thanks for actually going through and making a pattern.

[phfrixion]

Best demo so far! Really showing what the SH-4D is all about!

[sjpachica]

Super excited for this one. Can't believe it's priced so well..

[simonc]

really agree with comments. demo that brings out some of the extra features. and done well. thankyou!

[Truthasvictim]

Traded in my Opsix yesterday and have this coming, from all my reading and research, this machine looks great, beautifully designed and thought out and the sonic signatures are amazingly thick and analog like! too. This will be a fantastic addition to my newly acquired Hydra desktop and 49 note machines. Having only one sound per synnth, having 4 parts, and more importantly, the drum machine is going to make for some great possibilities! Thanks for the excellent video Store DJ, though I love reading manuals, this will help for my quick dive into it.

[GrootsieTheDog]

Their "ultimate groove box" was made decades ago. Starting with the MC707, they are just working their way backwards towards it.

[AviPFine]

im curious how the wave draw feature can have modulations sequenced per step, when adjacent steps are tied. - can that be done to create a kind of 'crossfade' between different steps that have different wave draw amounts, to kind of 'hack' a 64 step wavetable-esque wave sequence from the drawn waves? Maybe that would depend on if that knob above the sliders that can dial in the peak or valley to the draw image on the screen, can be modulated per step, or if its just the sliders that can. If we can't get custom wavetables, in an update, then it would be pretty cool to be able to kind of almost fake having a custom wavetable-like smooth crossfading - true not the same as wavetable more like wave sequencing, but that smoothed out adjacent step crossfade mod action maybe only is possible if you can mod sequence without note sequencing first, and you can also tie the steps and affect modulation per step also. If you have to input notes and cant play the [blank] sequence back, then i guess you couldn't, but ive seen a few videos where each step of the wave draw will have different drawn amounts. i think its done in the matrix somehow.

Ive not tried one yet but I plan to.

[andrewmcgee]

Great review Mike - very fair, natural and no hard sales pitch. I have an SH-01A boutique - given this has the SH-101 engine I am thinking this could be a drop in replacement with extras. Thoughts?

[aquaticborealis]

What do you think of the workflow, especially compared to something like the MC707?

[e-conrecords]

As a Syntakt owner, it would be hard to rationalise buying this… at least to the little lady 😬🤭

I may have to wait for an open box sale guys 😉

[karinegrandvoinet]

HELP I'v got a problem with some "ghost echoes" on some presets sounds, while playing an isolated note or after a sequence.... (it is not the delay function of course) Do you have the same ?

[blanchott]

Great demo. Any ideas on how to chain patterns or play a song of 4 sequences, 64 step each, in a live performance? How do we approach a complete song in a live performance?

[clovenfete]

I have yet to see anyone select individual drum tracks and fade levels or tweak their filters in mute mode. Is this a possibility?

[svensyntetics]

Hello it is a cool Machine. Does anybody knows if it is possible that each osc of each model gets it‘s own envelope, filter and LFO or do they share all the same envelope, filter and osc? I want maybe osc sine with less attack but long release but sawtooth osc with hard attack and short release.

[pilkam]

Great review 👏🏼 Just a question: Has Roland JDxi similar “attitude” ?

[crtgamer]

I thought it sounded a bit thin, then I realized I'm watching on my phone's speaker...😂😅

[brianwilliams]

Where is song mode? Or simple pattern chaining? I want to love this thing, but it needs love in this department

[dannydaniel]

Great! More digital. Behringer, where are you?

[Max_B]

Wish it had a chord designer instead of chord model. Sequencing/automating chord changes has never been fun for me. Chord designer the mc707 really opened up my stuff to different progressions by being able to assign to keys and play around

[uyscuti]

I would have been down for something in that form factor if it was a simple analog polysynth a la Nymphes. As it is....idk