SH-32 Synthesizer on Display at Winter NAMM
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Rear Panel
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January 21, 2002
Roland is showing the SH-32 Synthesizer, a nod to Roland's past with an eye on the future. This attractive and powerful desktop synth serves up to 32 voices of fat synth waves and brand-new sounds using breakthrough Wave Acceleration Synthesis technology. Sporting a full complement of knobs and sliders, analog-style drums, DSP effects and a killer arpeggiator, the four-part multitimbral SH-32 simply begs to tweaked and played.
The SH-32 employs all-new Wave Acceleration Synthesis to overcome the limited polyphony of modeling synths. This proprietary technology allows the SH-32 to play up to 32 voices at a time--using up to four different patches--and produce a wide range of waveform variations, from traditional analog waves to brand-new waveforms like Spectrum and Noise. The SH-32 has two main oscillators and two sub-oscillators, plus a Subsonic mode for thick bass tones and new sounds that simply aren't possible on traditional synthesizers. It can do pulse width modulation and its oscillators can be hard-synced to produce fat monophonic patches. The SH-32 even contains drum sounds from the classic TR-808/909 Rhythm Composers.
For massive realtime control, the head-turning SH-32 is covered with knobs, sliders and buttons--just like the classic Roland synths of yesteryear. This means that there aren't any hidden menus or complicated displays, just a simple 3-digit LED and lots of fun. If musicians want to go beyond the great factory presets, they'll have a blast making their own SH-32 patches.
The SH-32 has an onboard arpeggiator for generating synth lines and drum patterns. The arpeggiator comes with a range of preset templates, and is also fully programmable. A Chord Memory feature lets musicians create complex arpeggios for modern techno styles, from trance to 2-step.
For effects, the SH-32 provides two independent effects processors. The Loop processor provides 10 varieties of reverb/delay-type effects, and the Insert processor offers 35 multi-effects algorithms, including distortion, compressor and pitch shifter. The SH-32 also has unique Groove effects like Slicer, Lo-Fi and Isolator.
For more information, visit their web site at www.rolandus.com. | 
