WNAMM02:Roland Demo New Units

US SH-32(with demo) and XV-5050 in full effect 23/01/02

Buying Choices

Affilliate Links help support the site

As with many other manufacturers this year Roland weren't flooding the show with a many new MI products though there were a few (See other items).

Perhaps the most significant was the appearance of the new SH-32 Compact Synthesiser. Roland were keen to point out that this is not another Groovebox but a new synth with arpeggiator features that enable a hands on approach to music creation. The four part multitimbral unit feaures 32 note polyphony with most synthesizer parameters accessible from dedicated front panel controls We were treated to a demo by the very helpful Pablo (pictured) who showed us the chord memory, beats and other key features. Take a listen
The synthesis engine has been likened to the JD990 and Juno 106 though it does have it's own particular flavour. The arpeggiator allows you to trigger patterns on the fly and build up various patterns by interaction with your sequencer of choice. Roland UK will be puting together some more comprehensive demos in the not too distant future so stay tuned.
The Sh-32 should be shipping as you read this with a US list of $595

SH-32 press release

Also on show were the XV-5050, a 64-voice 1-U module featuring the engine from their flagship JV-5080,compatibility with SRX-Series Wave Expansion Boards (up to 2), and a USB jack for easy MIDI communication with a Mac or PC.
The XV-5050 has all of the patches from the XV-5080, sounds from the new Fantom workstation, and brand-new patches created just for the XV-5050. With four stereo tones per patch, expressive Matrix Control and over one-thousand presets, this module presents an arsenal of sonic possibilities. Three onboard effects processors offer everything from crystal-clear 24-bit reverb to COSM® Guitar Amp Modelingall bolstered by 24-bit D/A converters and S/PDIF coaxial and optical digital connectors.

XV-5050 press release

Roland Social