Roland SH-4d - Brutally honest thoughts on a fun synth
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- Опубліковано 31 тра 2024
- I've had the @rolandglobal SH-4d for about a month now. Giving my honest thoughts on this tabletop synthesizer, who I think it's for, and the problems that I see in its design.
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Chapters:
00:00 Introductions
00:29 Pros first ... Lots of sounds!
01:31 It's a bit confusing
01:56 Filter and other things
02:44 A little more context
03:26 The Rhythm section
04:21 Playing a couple beats I made
05:01 Running on a battery, without an indicator
05:41 It's great as a tone box - SH101 sounds
06:36 Navigating presets - More sounds
08:02 Shaping a Juno sound
08:53 The Effects Section
10:39 Whoooops - Reloaded the pattern by accident
11:59 Back to the effects
13:05 Adjusting TONE MFX
14:12 A subtle gripe with the effects
15:27 Sends work on individual drum parts
16:58 Pattern wide MFX
18:42 Visual Arpeggio
20:32 SH-4d excels at being a 'tone' box
21:09 Size comparison to other devices
22:15 I'm less excited about the sequencer
25:44 I'd rather pair it with a Digitakt or MPC
26:08 Quick note on polyphony
26:37 The lines are blurry for what this box can do
27:37 Kinda feels like the software was non-negotiable for the design
28:02 Similarities to the Juno-X etc
28:56 I wish Roland would support iOS devices
30:43 Quick thoughts on the D-Motion
31:36 Deep sound design is limited
32:07 Final thoughts
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Thanks for watching! If I got any info incorrect, drop the correction in the comments 🙏
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Lastly, I mentioned a previous video using the Digitakt and the SH-4d together. Here's the link: ua-cam.com/video/iJ9stfj0wk4/v-deo.html
I dont get the not a groovebox part. Why a multimbral sequencer if its not a groovebox? Than a motion seq should be more logical.
you can record directly in a daw, for example , via usb (with the driver installed yet)
Very informative video, thanks! Regarding iOS compatibility: it goes even a bit further than that. There's basically a USB standard to adhere to, which makes devices "Class Compliant." This makes them not only work with iOS, but it's a general standard that many devices comply to. For example, the Push 3 can receive Class Compliant audio over USB which is absolutely critical for playing without a computer involved. The SH-4d not having Class Compliant audio over USB is one of the biggest drawbacks for me, and I have no idea why Roland is so insistant on not implementing it
I do know it's unrelated to ZenCore. For one, because this has been a problem long before ZenCore existed. Many (maybe all?) of the boutiques lack Class Compliant audio over USB which is just so frustrating. Also, Class Compliant audio does not expose any information about ZenCore or the settings used. It's just a way of communicating an audio signal from one device to another, in a way that's standardized between devices from all kinds of different manufacturers. It's so frustrating to know I could be routing all the different parts to different channels in my Push and give them all separate effects, if only Roland would get around to implementing this widely adopted standard
Roland is interesting when it comes to implementation choices lol. All of these new Zen-based synths have that drum/rhythm part, but even in the Jupiter it's limited and really only seems to be there just to say it's there but with the knowledge that most users will have a separate drum machine.
Just like every single Roland device being an audio interface, and some of them like the Jupiter/Juno X having built in USB Midi hubs that they don't even advertise. It feels like they approach design from the perspective of giving you everything you could possibly need in a better-than-nothing manner.
Here's an awesome sounding synth, and for everyone who just wants to use it as a synth we've made it crazy easy to do so...if you're one of those folks who forgets to bring your audio interface or MIDI hub with you to practice or one of those devices dies when you needed it most...don't worry, we've got you if you want to dig deeper in the menus than your dentist does during a root canal.
I've grown used to their way of doing things, and really appreciate some of those extras from time to time.
Yeah, I need y’all to keep downplaying this thing so I can get one used for $3.
Unavailable in shops in EU...
@@filipzawadzki9424 probably ended production. Seems like a big ole flop. Maybe I’ll get one super cheap after all.
@@filipzawadzki9424 Yes... I was lucky and got the LAST unit in my local music store but it has been hell to get one.
I need that to happen too. I'd love to get into this kind of thing and the sound creation side appels to me.
@@filipzawadzki9424 It's available in my country :O (RO)
I think the 4d is great if you approach it as a multi-timbral synth to pair an Elektron box or similarly powerful sequencer. The drum engine allows for some pretty deep sound design. Ten years ago everyone was using a Blofeld for this use case. We would have killed for this amount of knob per function control offered by the 4d. It’s safe to assume we will get two major updates from Roland + bug fixes. I’m happy with my purchase.
Yeah it seems Roland was going for much more of a dedicated multi-timbral synth kind of direction with this device. I don't fully get why so many people want to treat it like it's a groove box as it would be in an awkward spot in Roland's line up if it was. It's ironically less powerful than the MC-101 let alone the MC-707.
Purchase ? This was actually available ? Thomann has shown availability as "several months" ever since the first reviews, i assumed they sent a handful to youtube reviewers.
@@snorrevonflake I ordered mine from Sweetwater in the states. I’ve had it for 6 weeks or so.
@@snorrevonflake I preordered mine the day it was announced and got it in a week or so, maybe less.
@@snorrevonflake it‘s out since april😅 but they are rare, happy to have one 🙃
Very helpful honest review, thanks.
Another great talk, and thanks for saving me the money.
Glad your channel exists to give some brutal honesty.
First synth I lusted over was the sh-09 so this has picqued my interest. They’ve certainly crammed a lot in and sure there will be a load of updates. This will make a great travel companion for long journeys!
I just got one of these and can +1 most of your observations (the saving stuff particularly). Roland seems to be in a good place these days about providing meaningful updates to their gear over the lifetime of their products, which was, possibly at my peril, part of my internal calculation when deciding whether to get this or not. But it sounds really good, if you need a little Roland in your life, which I did. I'm still learning mine (unboxed yesterday), and I'll probably be using it mostly under DAW control as a synth, but let's see how the timeline of my frustration lines up with Roland's firmware update timeline... Thanks for this great overview.
wow..a honest review, thanks! not so often on yt
Great walkthrough, keep them coming!
I find the vast amount of features, sound and hands on control of this machine really compelling and without much competition for the size and price and will definitely pick one up. Roland's workflow to me is, as any other piece of gear, get to know it and it clicks; saving patches and patterns before clicking out is already second nature to me thanks to the boutique workflow.
I own a Boutique Roland JD08 and a Boss RV500 reverb pedal with the same "Roland workflow quirks" and I love them both. Neither of those units get much UA-cam love and it would be a shame see this unit get dismissed on what seem like very minor cons expressed in reviews.
The JD-08 is such a crazy beast that's so complicated.
@@briannhinton Completely agree! Day one of owning it was like deciphering a new language! As I found myself building patches tone by tone and learning the envelopes the thing creates incredibly cinematic and huge modern sounds if anyone's willing to spend a couple of days having fun with it. No presets because they disappoint
It's been 6 months of constant use and the thing is still compelling for me, I've used it in film compositions even. I have probably overwritten all the included presets by now because they are horrid and dated, but it really is an awesome original synth like few others to me. Alright enough sales pitch jajajaja
Great review! I do love the Roland sound, and my Jupiter Xm has tons of fantastic sound - but I do have the feeling from the Xm and from this review that Roland's interface design could do with some rethinking to make it more intuitive.
That’s putting it nicely. Don’t know if you’re an SP-404 mk2 user but the UI was already clunky (albeit pretty easy to learn) however the latest updates with all the new features requires the user to memorize the most ridiculous combo of buttons. It’s literally like trying to perform fatalities in Mortal Kombat, it’s beyond obtuse. I would fire everyone involved with UI at Roland. Don’t get me started on the way they force you to download the Roland Cloud to get the SP App… a whole other conversation. But yeah, UI and structure as a whole needs to be rebuilt from scratch.
I've stopped buying gear where the UI is awful. Have too many already, and when small makes can get a UI right and simple, there's no excuse for the bigger manufacturers not to, other than sheer laziness.
Good points, there's a couple of things I'd like to see changed, or added, but overall I really like this box. I love sitting on the couch without having to deal with a power cable and making jams and if I come up with anything I like I just plug a USB cable into my MacBook and can multitrack a performance.
Yeah the multitrack sold me as well as the quality of the sounds, plus they didn’t totally gimp the thing when it comes to polyphony
The mc 707 and 101 also have sequencer issues, always had trouble getting my midi recordings right in those. I ended up using my digitakt or mpc one to sequence. I hope Roland improves their sequencers in the mc series and this one
I bought this about a week ago, and the sounds are great! The 101 really sounds like a 101, and the Juno sounds fantastic! I agree it’s a little confusing at first but it’s for most purposes a workstation although they don’t say that. There’s a lot packed into it, and it’s the most fun I’ve had with a synth in a long time. I agree with the other gentleman saying pair it up with a digitact or something, I’m using a Blackbox, basically the same type of product but smaller. With those two things it would make a great only package, but I’m a freak and have way too much gear but if I didn’t have all this gear, I’d keep those two! I think that says a lot! By the way, the shimmer reverb is as good as it gets! Completely adjustable in every way. Great video!
What do you control with the other unit in this and why? Thx
I have to say, I pretty much ignored this when it came out, but now that I'm hearing it, I'm blown away. Sounds amazing. I think for me it would probably be worth the tedious routing stuff.
If you need the sounds, it's a great Roland module companion box.
On my SP-404 MKII, to mute a track, I have to press two buttons and the pad I want to mute. While I have respect for their legacy, I often find using Roland gear somewhat torturous. However, this machine looks and sounds amazing, and I plan to buy it.
I picked one up today. Great review and very fair. I was looking for a desktop type synth and, even though this kinda does the job, I cant help but feel that I would have liked it without the sequencer and all the drums....
UPDATE: Less then 12 hours of having this thing, it has to go back. The buttons used for the keyboard randomly stick which causes notes to hold. This is a major design fail. So I wont be getting another.
So deep for a portable box of tricks, one train ride to Scotland album done!!!
I’m actually really happy with this synth, gives you lots of hands-on control, a great sound engine, and a very straightforward sequencer - so easy to create grooves. Overall a great sounding and really approachable groovebox.
I was almost ready to get one of these but, I had doubts. I watched stacks of vids and almost all of them sang it's praises. They ended up being out of stock and have been in limited supply since. This vid has justified my doubts. I will wait for a software up date and see how it is after that. For now I will stick with my Hydrasynth, Crave and old MC-303 (for Drums) all sequenced with a Zaquencer or Korg SQ-64.
The SQ64 is a pretty awful sequencer in terms of interface complexity. Much better out there for the same price, or less.
@@2112jonr you're not wrong, the interface is a pain and the sequencer itself has a mind of its own at times. I use it for basic sequences but anything more complex I leave it turned off. What do you recommend?
If you hold EXIT and turn a knob, it will print the value of the knob on screen. I use this a lot
We need to objective brutally honest reviews.
I think they are going to make this thing so much more than it is at the moment. That having said, I think it's kind of a MC101 with knob per function plus some built in Roland Cloud engines.
You're forgetting the novel oscillators
Well, they haven't, and as usual with Roland the only thing to look forward to is a new hardware version.....SH-4Dx (or some other nonsense).
Nice video Tefty! Glad to see you're already over 1K subs on this new one. I was pretty certain that I wasn't in the market for a new groovebox and this helped confirm that suspicion. Seems like it is a cool box maybe for someone that doesn't have a lot of other hardware already.
Thank you! We’re excited to see the growth on the channel 🙌
And yeah, your suspicion is correct. Excellent companion synth to an MPC/Digitakt/Octatrack type of setup.
hey there! do you know if the sh4d can receive multiple midis at the same time?
It's an interesting box with the usual Roland quirks here and there, but at the same time it isn't distinct enough from the MC-707 for me to really personally consider. Seems to be more fun to make patches on than the MC-707 but at the same time I love just the raw synth power of the MC-707.
Granted I also payed nearly as much as this is new for a second hand MC-707 so I'm all to aware Roland is targeting a different market. Seems like a nice poly synth though,
There’s a lot that I love about this box, but the saving structure has put me off using it for months now. I rarely have whole days to work on music so the fact that I can’t easily turn it off and back on again, and resume what I was working on is a huge pain. Might pull it out again soon when I have time. Every time I buy something from another company it just reminds me of why I love elektron so much.
I hear ya. Same as SH01a and JX03 units.
Such archaic saving systems seperating sequence from patch, or in 4d case, the whole lot seperate.
Its fkn shite
Nice video. What are your thoughts using it with MPC one as a sound module.
This is a fantastic combo. The MPC can control all 4 voices with it's sequencer. Or you can just sample complex synth parts.
It’s 1.0 for sure, but then I expect Roland to release firmware updates to address issues. As an MC-101 owner too, we saw Roland release several solid updates that fixed known problems and added new features too.
Yup, I’ll be very curious to see it grow over the next few years. I’m actually eagerly anticipating a Fantom 4.0 update. Was hoping to see something by NAMM. Maybe over the summer.
This and the mc101 is a wicked combo!!!!
@@Congasjones I’ve yet to try it but I will 😁
I got one and actually really enjoying it at the moment besides the save stuff but it’s good save system for patches kinda lol it definitely can synthwave and fun to compare against akai new jura plugin for synthwave
I really like this synth a lot, even with its shortcomings. Hopefully Roland firmware update will address some of them. As-is, it's still a keeper. Thanks for your review.
Thanks for your insights. Do you think this thing would work fine with a maschine mk3 as sequencer, and a midi keyboard like the sl61 for keys performance?
No
Thinking about this synth. As an MPC user(Live 2), is it pretty straight forward to get multiple midi channels up and running?
Yup, just select the proper midi channel on the MPC and the SH-4d should work properly. You *might* have to adjust a setting in the SH-4d to respond (I can't remember if it defaults this way)
Might buy this to pair with my Elektron boxes.
Yes it’s. Funny box I like it.
It's only different oscillators the rest filter etc is the same no matter what oscillators type you choose that's really important to know
Is it possible to save created presets and patterns on the PC?
As a previous JV1080 owner, I know better than to assume that I'll always have 60 notes of polyphony
This thing will be classic. Unavailable in shops in EU!
It sounds really nice but I'd love the knobs to be endless since it's all software anyways
True especally when using pesets for live situation!
As someone who avoids menu diving and only wants to easily play with some hardware synth sounds, I'm wonder if getting a couple Boutiques would be more suitable for me? Sequencing + drums I would be doing in a DAW + SL MK3, so not that critical to me on hardware
If you want polyphony, don't get the boutiques because they only offer 4 voices. So that means voice stealing constantly if you play chords. This box have enough polyphony to give you proper big chords.
On the iOS thing, Roland DOES have synths that use class compliant audio on things like the S1. I would hope they add it.
What Roland should be doing is upgrading or doing a new MC 707 successor
Yes. An MC-707 MkII would be great.
very good video. Helped me by my decision to buy or not to buy
Thanks for watching!
Thank you for a great honest review. I'm so glad I didn't rush out and buy one when they first hit. I've already lost interest.
Thank you! I honestly think this could be the perfect synth for someone. Especially if you want a couch synth 'sketch pad' that can double as your tone box with an MPC etc.
This would be killer with an iPad librarian/editor I would pay for that too .
for a beginner or on travel it is good. Its just fun.
Nice Video. Yes, the d-motion by tilting the device is a brain dead idea! What about beeing able to define individual chords eg. chordset. What would be great, since it's really difficult to play chords using these tiny round keys.
how to create a mute group in the rhythm section, and how to organize it ?!
is there a plug in/librarian for this synth at all does anyone know ?
I got rid of mine, it had horrible workflow. It may become good with firmware updates, but at the moment the portable multi-timbral/drum sketchpad/groovebox workflow is just not ready. Pattern changes sound clunky as they don't carry master effects properly and are reset from one pattern to the next. So forget having a nice delay/reverb tail that smoothly carries over to your next part/pattern. Secondly the save structure is terrible and needs to have an auto function for including patch changes from one pattern to the next, even the slightest change in filter value and you need to make a new patch for it. So the idea of moving/evolving changes from one pattern to another is moot. Yes you can midi seq it to other gear and I was doing this with the Syntakt, but this killed the portability and couch jam track creation potential I saw in the unit to begin with.
Finally the navigation around the thing gets so boring. I can do shift select all day as long but only if it makes logical sense, Rolands design was just frustrating.
If only I had watched this video before going to the store I wouldn't have made the mistake of buying it.
my experience is the same and I think exactly the same after 3 hours with it
this is a "give back while you still can and don't make any more mistakes with roland products" for me... and for those out there .. if you expect a significant update forget it.. it's not a bug problem.. it's a poor base design with strong limitations to development. that what I understand now!! what you bought is what it will be in 3 years. and people still talk about behringer .. deepmind is light years away in terms of sonic capacity and is analog from scratch..
I will pay more attention to your channel and thanks for the review.
Thanks for watching!
is there a way to solo and record the rhythm parts elements individually?
You can solo them 👍
@@teftymusictech I know you can mute them but is there a quicker way to solo one element?
I am thinking of getting one some day. Mostly because I need a drum machine. I am using a keystep pro to sequence the synths I have (Deepmind 6 and Minilogue XD)
So the problems with the sequencer I think would not be an issue for me. I also have a a circuit tracks that can sequence 2 midi instruments. I do not like the built in synths in that one.
As a drum machine it has a ton of sounds and lots of potential with the effects. It's not very good for performance tweaking though. Like you can't shift the pitch of all the drum sounds for a measure and then swap them back. I'd personally go for a Syntakt/Digitakt as a dedicated drum machine (but those cost more). Thanks for watching!
Check out the Erica LXR02, great drum machine with lots of sound editing. I have that but got the Roland anyways since the drums were just a bonus to the synth engines
One workflow thing many people miss that helps me a ton: Hold the Exit button and tweak something, and you can see the saved value for that parameter.
This is a great overview, and your thoughts mirror my own, especially using it as a tone box more than as a groovebox.
Great tip!
Class compliance would be welcomed at the least . As a user who is stuck with OSX 10.14 for the foreseeable future I was let down after getting it that this is the ONLY device in Roland’s current Zencore and even Boutique range without support for Apples last 32/64 bit system unlike the MC707 for example which has 10.14 drivers .
I didn’t even consider the lack of class compliance for older devices. Excellent note!
@@teftymusictech At least Roland should have implemented a Stereo class-compliant mode like the one that's in the MC-101/707. Is not ideal but you can plug the MC's to a iOS device, a android phone, Linux, etc.
Im looking for a deep multimberal synth to pair with the key 37.
This could be the one.
This would pair really well with the Key 37 IMO 👍
How can I get one ship to the Bahamas?
Is it actually groovebox?
Hmmm. I love the Minilogue XD but I’m not sure if you’re correct in saying that that’s gonna be a lot more powerful as far as sound design. The XD doesn’t even have a matrix. Don’t get me wrong the XD is extremely powerful but I just don’t understand why you would think that it’s a lot more powerful for sound design than this multi timbrel synth with a mod matrix.
Minilogue XD allow you to load Wavetables so you can make infinite sound palette with it.
As I stated "Don’t get me wrong the XD is extremely powerful but I just don’t understand why you would think that it’s a lot more powerful for sound design than this multi timbrel synth with a mod matrix.". So, you can make infinite sound pallates on just about any synth. And yes, I too love the user waves (wish there were more slots but they havent updaded the synth for years).
Not as confusing as the Jomox. I'd work for an hour and tap one button "and..... It's gone!"
Unfortunately, when using USB audio, I hear audio from both the DAW and the device itself. The sound is doubled. It is unclear how to leave only the sound that comes from USB (DAW). Without this setting, multitrack recording doesn't make much sense.
Flashbacks of the Jupiter-Xm: great sounds but confusing workflows.
Using an SY85 to sequence it most of the time. The sequencer is OK, but 64 steps with no pattern chaining is just too limiting.
Common Yamaha. Give us a RS7000 MK2 with the Reface CS - DX and CP engines.. That would crush everything else out there. But it just won't happen 😢
dude RS7000 was a beast. It's forgotten but damn that sound was huge
I’m totally blanking on the name, but they did just come out with what is essentially a Reface Pro with all of the sounds and capabilities of their og smaller refaces and more packed into a more professional package with more and better keys and key beds. Marked just under 1k, too. Watched a short vid on it today and meaning to check it out more, soon.
@@MaxOstrovtheheadyhive What? Where did you see this? Give me a link please!!!!
SH-4d for the win...as far as Roland cares. Want them to be great...no modern music without Roland
Im still at the point of selling it. It just needs a major update and it can be a really nice machine. Where can we attack Roland with update request’s?
I was watching Cuckoo and he always used overwrite and when I tried that it is faster with its saving. When you first use overwrite, it walks you through saving everything you have done. but as you go, if you keep using overwrite and just walks you through saving whatever has changed so its a little bit faster. I have had mine for few days and I was ready to send it back until I watched his video. Now I am loving it.
My setup is a Hydrasynth Explorer, Microfreak, Drumbrute Impact, and now the SH4D. For me it's a synth with a sequencer rather than a groovebox. the sequencer is fine for my needs. I want it for the sounds. I had a Digitone which sounds nice but I had issues as I get older with seeing the lights well enough to know what I was doing. It a really dark synth and it cause me issues. Also I just don't like the Elektron workflow.
the Roland has nice lights where I need them to make it real easy to see and overall the flow makes sense albeit the saving quirk which is annoying. but I love the sound design. Much happier with the sounds (for me) over the Digitone. I am hoping for the updates as well though. they can't come soon enough. I can set up the SH4D to do some looping style sequences and then do my generative sounds along with it on the Hydrasynth. And having the Rhythm Track run my Drumbrute Impact is nice.
Very cool! I'm planning out future state of my synth corner. Your setup is what I have penned out. Glad to see at least one other person has a similar vision.
Only gap would be a sampler and/or a semi modular box to get weird
Great tip on the overwrite! And your setup is sounding awesome. Very interesting running the SH4d sequences to control other synths/drums. Are you planning on getting a dedicated sequencer at some point? Like a Keystep Pro, MPC etc?
Thanks for watching and the great feedback on the SH4d 🙏
With the Roland method of counting polyphony, it would seem like this device would run out of polyphony quickly if used as a sound module. I use an Integra-7 and like the Fantoms and SH-4D, polyphony drops quickly. Otherwise, this sounds like an interesting device.
I feel that the marketing for this box should be, "If you want 'that Roland sound', sell all your boutiques and get this one. We'll throw in a free drum machine". As a groovebox it would be disappointing, but as a multi-timbral Roland flavored synth, it's pretty damn great and offers a hell of a lot more sonic potential (and polyphony!) than most anything else at the price point. And it's Roland, so of course the UI is wonky. haha This would also be a killer pairing with a modular rig. You get percussion, polyphony, and some cool FX stuff all in a portable little package. I feel everything you said here is fair. But it's also the best pile of Roland synth sounds to come around in a very long time. Great price to tick the Roland box, then move on and never look back. I mean really, for the same price as the SH-01a and JU-06a boutiques you get so much more.
Agreed. I think it sounds excellent.
I've been watching reviews of the SH-4d for weeks now, but I can't find a reason to buy it when the MC-707 has a better UI, more channels and faders, a sampler, a looper, real Zencore compatibility, better polyphony, nicer keys/pads and a better workflow.
Better workflow for sound design? Nope.
What are you having 707? Wake up. SH-4d is a dream for making new sounds. Can't say it about 707
Its interface is crap though. No denying that. Workflow sucks.@@filipzawadzki9424
Machine 1 or 3 / or this. Any views..
Please connect to the power next time, the sound only with batteries is not so good. Thanks!
I was praising this box the first week I had it, now Im cursing it in all of its sound design glory. It has some serious bugs, the workflow is the most treacherous of all thier latest releases. Its confusing as hell. Im currently using it as a sound module to my Akai Force, and even then it does not play well with it at all. Everytime I hit play on the Force, the 4d always plays from the default preset #1, no matter what, and Ive configured both machines midi and sync settings in every concievable way to remedy that, and nothing, its the worst bug of them all. Wtf was Roland thinking designing the workflow of this box? Nothing makes any sense, no other piece of thier gear is so poorly designed in terms of workflow than the 4d. I love it and hate at the same time. Roland pretty much needs to overhaul the whole UI with an update quick or this thing is gonna bomb hard. So far its a beautiful disaster thats going to be forgotten quick if Roland doesn't do something drastic soon. What a shame.....
Seems like a lot of synths fit this description, at least for me! But that’s terrible that these aren’t getting better by now via Roland. But I find design / usability /intuition in general is pretty poor w 90% of modular smaller scale synths.
Been begging for USB Class compliance on Roland products for quite a while.
I think the reason why they can’t do it or at least not more than in a basic way (stereo I/O, no multi-track) is because they are using very basic CPUs and then they heavily optimize their engines so that they can run in them.
Their proprietary USB audio is probably much more optimised than the USB class compliant norm.
Others who do support USB audio class compliant and with multi-track, typically have almost a tiny computer in their box that runs a sort of mini Linux (sometimes it’s a Raspbery or some custom SoC with similar power, it’s a higher level of programming requiring more CPU resources, but then the CPU they fit in can definitely handle advanced class compliance. Another category of synth and groovebox brands (Moog, Korg, Behri) doesn’t even bother about USB Audio, they just send MIDI.
And those who make mixers or sound cards use dedicated DSPs and mini CPU’s that have class compliance pretty much baked in the firmware it comes with. The mixer or sound card obviously only has this mission of transporting audio and MIDI, they don’t have to run a sound engine like ZenCore at the same time.
I think it’s also the reason why almost none of Roland’s products does stem export (except the SP404mk2 few v3 with its bounce feature which is per pad and not on the whole project).
Maybe as these more advanced chips become more affordable, next gen Roland products could make use of them and finally get us true USB Class compliance, among other cool stuff that these CPUs would allow when combined with the level of optimisation of Roland’s engines.
In the beginning I though it was some sort of willing to control their ecosystem but I don’t believe it’s because of that. They mass produce their products so if they want to make them affordable enough and still make some money, they need to make sure the cost and availability of components is under control, meaning some technical compromises. Probably, it was the best decision from a Product Management perspective. And for suré this has absolutely nothing to do with their cloud ecosystem.
I remember when pcm was a dirty word. Oh how things change.
I love that it has so many knobs and buttons compared to a lot of synth boxes where you have to menu dive.
But I am so tired of Roland milking Juno, Jupiter and x0x era synths for digital synths.
Just make an actual analog synth ffs!
Roland is just willfully throwing away money as far as I'm concerned. They would easily sell a couple hundred thousand 303 re-issues.
Which they could easily implement as an analog synth using simple to manufacture SMT on PCB with a few substitutions for vintage components like filter transistors.
No iOS support, I dislike the fact my Jupiter 50 is iPad only with app 😂
not sure if you mention it later in the video, but @ 8:40 you encounter the issue of not knowing where parameters are set when loading a new preset. If you hold EXIT and adjust the corresponding knob, it'll show you its current value without making said adjustment.
and another thing... am I missing something or do the two menu knobs have a CLICK function that does literally nothing? I'll be so pleasantly surprised to find this isn't the case.
also, I find the sub-step to be absolutely useless, musically. None of the divisions sound pleasant to the ear or offer a sound I want to feature in my beats. When I hear those types of "rolls" they make me want to die. They sound like the worst of hardware music. The Octatrack has this same issue, actually - and the 404mk2 if I'm not mistaken- the easily accessible retrigger functionality requires immense finagling to make sound good in most musical contexts. Either step length adjustments, per-part speed adjustments, resolution or tempo changes etc. add in the fact that you can't change the velocity of any of the sub-steps... I mean. Come on. Come on. They're useless.
another complaint, now that I'm at the end of your video. My Macbook on Mojave is filled to the brim, not enough room for a long overdue update. An update apparently necessary for using the USB audio functionality of this machine. I mean.... bruh. It's always something with this thing. This last gripe is obviously partly a "me" problem, but still.
Its always the same with Roland. Not sure why their logic is different from most users.
Timbre is not TIMber. TAMber or TAMbruh. Sorry can’t help myself.
Seems like they were targeting beginners for a less menu divey immediate satisfaction
Yeah I could see that. It'll probably evolve into an awesome niche box a year down the road with updates.
A year from now you will see this on Bad Gear
Sounds thin and tinny to me.
This synth is a beast. Nowdays we expect tomuch... for 600 bucks you get a great sounding synth.
As stated in the video, there's a ton to like about the SH-4d. It's definitely the perfect synth for someone. My main criticisms are design and workflow issues that feel like oversights or 'too many cooks in the kitchen' and in 2023, we have lots of examples of what works and doesn't work in hardware design.
But like I said, it'll be the perfect synth for some people. And it's going to evolve and get better over the next couple of years.
Great sound with a crappy interface. Not going there.
As someone who doesn't do this kind of thing with any goal in mind, who just likes to jam and make funky sounds to myself in my livingroom: this thing is fantastic.
it simplifies the whole process down to a single box with more or less direct access to the most important controls i don't have to sit at my computer, i can hook up my keystep 37 and seamlessly switch between parts and use the keystep to build my sequence before recording it into the SH-4D. it really makes making electronic music so accessable to someone who would otherwise not bother.
it's also perfectly reasonable price wise. this single box can do nearly everything i'd want. i do have an sp-404mk2 and a minifreak to make full tracks but this ends up being the rythm, bass, and drums for my tunes. that leaves the minifreak and samples on the sp404 to fill the rest of the space. it is a fantastic time if you don't need it to be a mega powerhouse.
Roland's stuff is always 50% "awesome", 25% "needs improvement", and 25% "WTF were they thinking?"... Everything they release is a compromise. Other UI travesties aside, the tiny poor-quality LCD screens they use on their grooveboxes and small synths are unforgivable. And when it comes to synthesis or playability, this company has been out of fresh, forward-thinking ideas for a very long time. It seems like it's just 800 different ways to milk the Zen Core engine. Preferably wrapped in as clunky a workflow as humanly possible.
Classic Japanese overthinking.. basically the exact opposite of stuff like sequential.. I still want one, I love the challenge.
Billy, I describe my AE-30 as "fabulous but flawed". It is the first thing I'd grab in an emergency evacuation but the ZEN Core implementation could be greatly improved (especially the filters) along with the inscrutable app.
This looks like nightmare to learn/memorize all the nuances.
It’s actually surprisingly simple yet has some of those classic Roland quirks that helps you arrive at happy accidents
It's a horrible workflow. Best avoided. Shame as the synth engine is pretty decent.
SH-4d has an identity crisis and feels half baked.
It's confusing ,badly thought out ,copying patterns ....where .Its just another botched Roland cash cow . Back to more well thought out products .
This is such a bad attempt at a synth