ROLAND SH-4d // Rolands best synthesizer groovebox yet?!

This is the Roland SH-4d. It's a synth, drum machine & groovebox all in one. In this video I go over what it sounds like, how you can make music with it and talk about some improvements I want to see with future firmware updates. Today's video is sponsored by Roland.

CHECK SH-4d in stores here
*Affiliate links support the channel at no cost to you

CONTENT
00:00 What is the Roland SH-4d? + Sound demos
08:33 Walkthrough: How to make music with SH-4d
29:20 Patch from scratch on SH-4d
35:57 Rhythm Part Explained
42:37 Verdict & Improvements I want to see

SYNTH MERCH

PRESETS & SAMPLES

SOCIAL MEDIA

COMMUNITY

GEAR I USE (affiliate)

BUSINESS INQUIRY

#RolandSH4d #RolandGroovebox #RolandSynthesizer

[BoBeats]

You can support the channel by checking out SH-4d in stores here:

*Affiliate links support the channel at no cost to you

[BrianTaylorD]

one thing I've found that I wish Roland would implement when saving patches/patterns/songs would be just a "New" button, which automatically takes you to the next empty slot to save, rather than having to scroll through.

[thedeepblueskys]

I just got mine today and I have to say, that if y’all you think you know what this machine can do, you don’t. I own lots of synths and this is up there with my Virus and Tasty Chips GR-1 in terms of sound quality and versatility. I got this thing squelching out sounds I haven’t heard in any of these videos. Not even trying to use it as a groove box, but rather a sound design tool. All I have to say is I’m super impressed.

[sinewaymusic]

Workflow has always been Roland's achilles' heel, and it looks like they are taking a huge step in the right direction with a more immediate interface and "fun"/engaging display (following companies like Elektron and Arturia)! I also think they're following another important trend of multi-timbrality and groovebox-like features for what is at the core a synthesizer module. It makes it appealing for a wider audience of musicians.

One trend where Roland is still catching up, however, is sequencer thrills and fun, creative features: parameter locks, conditional trigs (1:2, 1:4 etc), randomized tones, sequences, etc. I predict that most grooveboxes will have this in the future as they're heavily saught after by their users. It's part of the "fun, happy accidents and inspiration" part of grooveboxes that is a key reason why people look outside of the DAW these days. Roland is taking some steps here but they need to push harder.

[krazywabbit]

Brace yourselves. Someone’s gonna complain this isn’t for them and tell us.

Once you get through those comments, there was a demo and review done that gave pros and cons.

Job well done Bo.

[dankeplace]

People missing the point of what this can do, which you cannot do on the MC707 and that is the immediacy and less menu divey workflow.
I hated the MC707 and sold it, it's more of a workstation than a grove box.
This little thing screams play me, and it seems fun too.

Thx for the upload Bo.

[ChristopherOrth]

This seems like the "boutique" we all wanted in the first place. It might look disappointing as a groove box, but it's pretty great as a synth +.

[JeremiahTrue]

As a child of the 90s who always lusted after the MC505 and ended up with a RM1x, this looks very interesting to me. I don’t do a lot of sampling and use apps on my phone (Reason Compact, Synth One, etc…) as sketch pads. I’ve looked at the MPC as a portable option but this looks like a viable option as well. Thanks for making this video!

[insidestraight]

Love this, instant buy. No traces of Aira green either

[petrusbarbatusberolinensis]

Maybe if Roland, as Akai did with the MPC firmware, kept adding more engines in the future, say, a TB or a granular synth — this indeed could be a close to perfect instrument. 🥰

[mr_floydst]

Interesting, this seems like plenty of value for the money. Nice UI as well!
Great demo video once more, thanks for putting the work in.

[Gainn]

I really like my old SH-32, so this seems like an interesting upgrade from that. Will wait and see if they add any new tricks via firmware.

[filipzawadzki]

I think this unit will be classic one day. So much sounds in a small package. Ideal for Deep House

Love that sweater! And, I have to say this is the 1st roland I have seen in about a decade that I actually like, at face value!

[ededdy]

Just got this and have been playing with it. I love what Roland did with this one. It can def use some improvements but it’s great as a groovebox even with its limitations. If roland spends some time developing this product and adding more models, sequencing capabilities, and workflow features, it’s going to be a hell of a machine. For some reason they do not want to call this a groovebox. many people are approaching it as one. And it sure acts like one.

[alexwestconsulting]

This is surely Zen-core in the end, just less param access like the 101 used to be crippled with. And it doesn't have access to import the other models (yet). And it's most def. not ACB. And the drums are just samples. This is just an MC-101 repackaged in a SH-32 form factor.

[juliprivate]

good points for future improvements. Will wait and see if Roland does work on software updates for this unit. It could then really become one of the better roland grooveboxes.

[petek]

This looks and sounds incredible Bo ~I like where Roland are going with this. Thank you for your presentation.

[paulguy]

I am very intrigued by this synth! It seems to have enough of a feature set for my very 1st Hardware type of synth and I’m glad you have gone through its many features so I could use this video as a guide if I decide to buy one… it beats studying the Manual!

I’m a little disappointed that you can’t save your own patches to an SD Card; maybe Roland could add (via a Software Update) the ability to plug in an SD Card reader to its USB socket so you could then have a back-up of your own patches… still at least it has some Internal Storage! I hope Roland sees this comment ;)! Thanks for doing this!

[MusicWizard]

What I like: less menu diving, more hands on. I think I'll stick with my MC-707 for Zencore sounds though. Roland removed a lot of the sounds hence the price of this being cheaper than MC-707.