Roland Announces SH-4d Synthesizer

With 11 OSC Models and a hands-on panel filled with knobs, buttons, and sliders, the SH-4d fuels on-the-spot creation and endless sonic discoveries. It also features a multitimbral sequencer with four synth parts and a customizable rhythm part, allowing users to compose intricate patterns with motion recording, extensive effects, and more. Equally suited for studio, stage, and traveling, the SH-4d is a fun and versatile instrument that will appeal to both modern electronic music creators and synth collectors everywhere.

Fifty years ago, Roland launched its first synthesizer, the groundbreaking SH-1000. The SH name has represented the company’s core synthesizer instruments ever since, merging innovative new technologies with tactile interfaces for quickly designing sounds in the moment. The SH-4d opens the next chapter in the long-running series, offering Roland’s latest analog modeling advancements and a deep-yet-inviting panel that catalyzes creativity and rewards exploration at every turn.

Detroit techno legend Carl Craig was so impressed with the SH-4d that he agreed to be the face of the launch video, delivering a spirited performance featuring new music composed solely on the unit. "That machine is a little monster,” he said after spending just a short time with the SH-4d. “So many options to not only shape sound but to shape the musical composition too."

Eleven OSC Models offer diverse sound-crafting possibilities, from vintage analog tones with SH-4d, SH-3D, Chord, Ring, and Sync Models to cutting-edge digital textures with Cross FM, Wavetable, and Drawing Models. Influential voices from Roland’s historic past include SH-101 and JUNO-106 Models and a PCM Model with a large selection of sample-based sounds. The SH-4d also features a flexible drum synthesizer with rich tone-shaping capabilities for creating custom kits from scratch.

The SH-4d puts everything creators need for pro sound design at their fingertips, with 32 knobs, four sliders, and a massive array of multi-function buttons. The LCD, sliders, and buttons automatically reconfigure their functions to follow the selected mode, eliminating menu-dive roadblocks that slow the creative flow. Dedicated Filter, Amp, and LFO sections are always ready to shape any tone or pattern. And with the powerful Matrix section, users can create an even wider range of sounds by routing the output of the LFO or envelope generator to parameters in a Model.

Among its many tricks, the SH-4d features built-in motion sensors that allow the user to pick up the synth and adjust sounds with physical movements. D-Motion mode provides X/Y control for two parameters, while the unique Visual Arpeggio shapes note patterns via fun interactive displays.

The SH-4d sequencer is always a button press away, ready to transform sound ideas into compact loops or extended compositions. Up to 60 notes of total polyphony provide ample resources to develop complete musical ideas in the box. There’s also a versatile selection of renowned Roland effects to frost, finesse, rough up, or mangle tones and patterns.

The SH-4d runs on a standard USB-C phone charger or AA batteries for up to four hours. There’s a two-plus octave button keyboard for self-contained composition, plus MIDI I/O for use as a sound module and controller in an expanded hardware setup. The SH-4d also functions as a USB-C audio/MIDI interface with 12 discrete audio channels for computer music production.

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