Roland SH-101 Nova Mod

Produced from 1982 to 1986, the 101 was the final model in Roland’s SH series of analogue monosynths, which was launched in 1973 with the release of the SH-1000 (also Japan’s first synthesiser, just beating Korg to the punch). In standard form, it’s still a great buy. With just one oscillator, a low-pass filter, an LFO and a single envelope generator, the 101 might not seem particularly powerful, but its bare-bones setup is one of the most deceptively versatile synth architectures you’ll find on any keyboard.

But the simplicity of the SH-101’s circuits also means that it lends itself really well to being upgraded, tweaked and improved. As a result, the 101 has long been a favourite of synth modifiers and remains a great choice for anyone looking to get into modding. With a few carefully chosen mods, you can get a whole lot more out of the 101 than Roland would ever have imagined.

The best starting point to see what can be achieved with a modified SH is to check out Phil Pilgrim’s Nova Mod, documented here (PDF). Adding features including filter FM, CV control of cutoff, variable LFO rates, external audio input and additional sources for PWM, the 101 becomes an even more versatile tool.

16th June, 2015

Comments

  • What about the Mute Synth II?

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  • Great read. Thanks.

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  • The extensive envelope control on the x0xi0 is really the defining feature…but all in all, a wonderful, wonderful mod that transforms the x0xi0 into something else entirely…

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  • Well, going back, the E! and and SuperMAX for the Yamaha DX7 are pretty amazing, but maybe not so much for your audience. The SCI Pro One TurboCPU+MIDI might be though.

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  • What about Europa for Jupiter-6 and Gligli for Prophet-600? They’re great inexpensive massive upgrades. Gligli is even free.

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  • There is no link for the Tubbutec mod in the article. Here is the link:
    https://tubbutec.de/polysex

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