In 1979 this was my first ‘professional’ synthesiser. By that I mean I already had the Kawai 100F and that was a lot of fun. But this was a Roland, actually capable of what most people call music. It was still on sale new when I bought it second hand.
In my recall it had a deep voice, wonderful versatility, suave and sophisticated tone and timbre. Along with the CSQ-100 sequencer I could orchestrate a whole track to tape from kick to strings. I can remember playing with an SH-2 a while back and feeling unimpressed – but obviously my memory is not evidence. Other reputable people have measured and compared the whole SH series and found no particular difference. The bias is strong and so I should not offer a toilet roll rating.
I sold it to buy the TB-303 which was an appalling mistake. Yes it could keep a sequence when the sequencer was turned off. But the TB303 sounded like utter shit. It was replaced with the MC-202 and eventually the SH-101. Which just wasn’t the same.
Polaroids suck. They bleed out. Here is 1980 – the CR-78, CSQ-100 and the SH-1. All around them a bevy of Electro-Harmonix stomp pedals: Memory Man, Clockworks, the drum machine and Electric Mistress. Up the front are two Crash Pads.
If the SH series is much the same you could easily use Roland’s SH-2 or SH-101 emulations in software or loaded onto a ACB synthesiser such as the System-8. But even if it isn’t exactly the same that really doesn’t matter in making music. And we are making music aren’t we? Yes.