I’m excited to share Synthetic Heat – a custom sound collection for the tiny but great-sounding Roland SH-01A. This expansion pack features 64 carefully crafted presets, designed to get the most out of this affordable yet surprisingly powerful synthesizer.
The Roland SH-01A is a boutique version of the much-loved – and classic – SH-101 synthesizer from 1982, originally produced by the iconic Japanese company Roland. It is, in many ways, an evolution of the original SH-101, but with some – very welcome – upgrades. Although the original was a fully analog synthesizer, this boutique version is based on Roland’s ACB modeling. One big benefit? You don’t have to service it nearly as often.
With added features like 4-voice polyphony, it can even sound like a Jupiter-4, Juno-6, or Juno-60. The increased LFO speed and two extra saw waveforms open up new sonic territory to explore. Add to that the two noise colors, chord and unison modes, and you know you’ve got something special in front of you. Furthermore, it features the original sequencer and arpeggiator and allows you to save and recall 64 sounds. On top of that, it offers extensive MIDI control and almost no menu diving thanks to the dedicated controls.
The sounds I’ve created span from soaring mono leads to drums, basses, keys, FX, chords, organs, and atonal tones – all designed to inspire your next creative step.
These presets make use of velocity, mod wheel, and pitch bend. While they’re optimized for ambient, house, IDM, and techno, they’re certainly not limited to those genres. The collection is designed for firmware version 1.08.
Let’s unlock the heat!
Included in the soundbank
A collection of 64 presets designed for the SH-01A, featuring a variety of sound types including:
- Leads
- Basses
- Drum Sounds
- Pads
- Effects
- Chords
- Keys
- Organ