Nick you have the best synth accordian face I've ever seen at 9:30 - nice demo and love your work!

All the hate on this, why? People forget that the same things were said about the SH 101 back in the day. I think the Gaia is fantastic for the price and will one day be a classic once Roland stops production. I’m keeping mine.

Great review. Just one history lesson to make: It was Roland, not Access Virus that actually coined the term 'Super Saw' on the JP 8000 (JP 8080). All the best and keep up the good work

@verve92

10 жыл бұрын

Access was called the Hypersaw. Same idea. I love usding my Gaia with the Virus T12..... fun stuff.

I'd just like to say how much I value your reviews. Always informative and free of the egocentric hype that bedevils so many reviews. Thanks, and keep 'em coming.

@Rbrownsword Actually, if you watch near the beginning, he mentions the 3 seperate synths in one, each with it's own oscillator, meaning that you have access to 3 oscillators =per voice= :). Unlike other 3-oscillator-per-voice synths, each one here has it's own filter, adsr ,ar, mod, filter, etc.

Excellent review, just bought a Gaia and love it.

Can you not layer 2 patches like on the 201?

We were just using a mixing desk to run the signal into camera if I recall. For live, you'd want some kind of amp - Roland make a few decent keyboard combo amps - I dont know their names off the top of my head.

This is a great concept to have controls similar of old analog Rolands (I'm just sitting beside a Juno-106 right now). Hope more VA synths come with knobs and sliders for each section as an option to lcd displays and shortcuts.

i love my GAIA!

I played with one of these today. Couldn't stop fiddling with it. It feels much higher quality than the SH-201 (which isn't all that bad in its own right), and has a pretty nice layout. It's definitely performance oriented... very easy to tweak the sound on the fly. I was really impressed. Good sound, nice layout. I will own one of these one day. One of the things I liked about it is that the LFO has a pretty wide range. Other synths that I tried had less.

Have been using one going on 10 years now. Very nice. 👍🏻

I love my Gaia,such a wicked synth,worth every penny.

It looks and sounds excellent. I hope the alasing will be resolved by the time it releases. The GM sound bank is a nice touch!

i walked into a shop today and did the ultimate synthesist test. How easy is it to make a cool sound from a synth youve never touched before. Nord Lead 2x, Novation Ultranova, Waldorf Blofeld, and the GAIA. Needless to say i was totally at home with the GAIA inside 10 minutes and it is now sitting on my studio desk right now. Its the most intutitive synth ive come across.

not too many physical synths have both super saw and pulse waves. im sold on this synth! altho, i wish it looked more like the sh-201.. i think the gaia is kinda ugly.. but, its a synth so its not what it looks like.. its how it sounds!

Nick, thanks again for an informative synth session. I have one question: can this synth be used as an audio interface as you are suggesting at 10:12? This is not featured in their specifications. Thanks in advance for your reaction & keep up the excellent work! You and that Japanese guy (too bad he's not subtitled) rule the tube as it comes to product videos. Cheers from Belgium, Van.

Great demo and great piece of gear for its standing. Can you connect an additional midi keyboard and assign two different sounds to both simultaneously?

This is a serious bit of kit. Miles better than previous vas like the SH-201, jp-8000 etc. It has all the great new features and it doesn't break your back when moving it. I loved old analogues and some digitals like the JD-800. This synth blows them all away. The tweaking feel good factor just goes on and on. You can dial up great sounds from nothing, just like on a prophet 5. Only,10 times more complex and with effects. There are also several performance controls and beams which are fun, but which cloud the issue, really. This is basically a programmer's dream. Simple, effective and great fun. When working with the 3 osc separately, you dial up stuff worthy beyond a matrix 12. It is a well made synth but the build isn't strong. It won't take heavy knocks, not that any synth will, really. I can see these becoming classic and sought after when Roland pull the plug and return to making sound packed romplers again.

@SPAZZOID100

9 жыл бұрын

Blows them away?? This thing is made of PLASTIC. sounds like plastic too.

@binkyboobosh1

9 жыл бұрын

So is the sh-201, and just about every other modern Roland synth. That's the modern trend. Metal chassis synths tend to flex in transportation which leads to problems in the circuitry. Plastic sounding? What jibberish! This is a serious synth with a modern powerful sound engine capable of an infinite sound pallet. Stick to your old, metal chassis analogues. I've owned hundreds of classic synths and this sounds better in every way.

@Memotek82

8 жыл бұрын

+James Reeno plastic is fantastic.

@scottwylie8568

5 жыл бұрын

Robert Todd it is much better, doesn’t have the aliasing problems of the JP-80x0.

@scottwylie8568

5 жыл бұрын

Robert Todd nope.

I use a Traynor K4 Keyboard amp for live shows when using the GAIA. About $900+tax, for 300 watt amp, including a 200watt subwoofer - massive sound. You can also switch between tube amp and solid state with the click of a button. It's a bit expensive but it really does justice for the synth.

Great review! You covered all of my questions, really.

Awesome review man, kinda reminds me of the ARP Quadra. I do have a question though, does this synth have more than one oscillator per synth or do you have to use more than one synth in the Gaia to get like fourth and fifth monophonic sounds? Cheers mate.

love the design of this, makes a refreshing change to not have any lcd screens

@sonic Not being able to locate a dealer with the Gaia, Venom, and Ultranova which one would you recommend for a newbie at synths but wants something that will grow with my understanding?

Around 5:04, probably the coolest sound I have heard from this keyboard. Time to do that on my A6!

@WoodenToaster No they ditched that with the change to fewer keys (no doubt to move in on the small synth market set by Korg with Microkorg and R3), and the change to 3x 1OSC layers instead of 2x 2OSC layers. Both makes sense to a degree - more portable and easier to edit. So they took a different path with this, for both good and bad.

@spudleyification tap the tempo out...you have a tap tempo button, also you can set it to midi sync

Sonicstate always has the best reviews.

Fantastic review. Many thanks.

just ordered one of these oh god i cant wait to play it along with my korg m50!!!!!!!!!

excellent review, is it possible to loop in the built in recorder or does it just play through the sequence once?

How many patch storage locations are there? And how many phrase recordings can you have?

Absolutely fantastic review

Also, it doesn't really stand out much in this video, but I found the low boost to be pretty impressive in person. It's limited in some ways, but I feel like it's one of those things where the limitation forces you to be creative. I haven't wanted a new Roland this badly in... well, decades, probably.

the sh-201 , the Gaia and the System 1 aint the same at all but they got huge classic soundpatch's that bring the exact cloned sound then the OG synth IMO . it's tru that sometimes some patch 's spund more like the synth sounded on the CD but that more the sound designer fault .

@sonicstate, thanks for this review. I'm stuck between this gaia, ultranova, and the m-audio venom. for a total newbie, which would you recommend? the vocoder for the ultranova is a plus, but both of the others seem really good too. have any advice?

could anyone offer me a contrast of this bugger vs. the JD-XI?? what will I be missing out on if I got the JDXI? i'm leaning towards it because of the drum machine capability mainly.

7:15 I think you forgot it's a digital synth :) I do really love your reviews though, it's good how you go through all the functions of the synth.

LOL I've owned this synth for over 5 years now and didn't know about these hidden settings. I really should learn to RTFM 🙃

@ruffiankickloops

5 жыл бұрын

yeaa its such a swiss army knife man! i love mine

Excellent review !

im looking into buying one of these..looks awesum fun! quick question tho.. what sound system setup would u recomend i play it through to get a decent live sound? in other words, what were you using? :)

i don't know wich to buy im about roland gaia sh 01 and roland sh 201 which of them u think it's better anyone who could ask my question

@0:58 are those strings made with waveforms or a preset?

Great review! How would you compare the gaia to the ultranova? They are of course very different synthesizers, but what would you prefer?

@SilkMeatball it loops...i use it to have it running in a sequence then create a synth sound to match the seq up.

@angie4josh There are 3 different sounds per path, and they're controlled over MIDI at the same time just like any normal synth. You just can't trigger each of the 3 parts individually on separate channels.

Just ordered one of these :D Can't wait 'till it arrives :D

I'm looking into getting one of these to also use as my MIDI keyboard, how would I swap between the computer receiving the MIDI data and recording the synths??

You're right! But Mopho fascinates me, and the minibrute too. I wonder if buying the MPK takes me a half money yard away from this synths. I wanted just one keyboard at the stage. By the way, I think I'll get the MPK because it is very usefull... and will keep the Mopho dreams quiet. Thank you!

I am a Minimoog fan, not a Minimoog widow... I loved this stuff!

very nice review:) im just wondering, could you please tell me how to use the tempo sync buttons?

does this roland have a standard piano voice? is it heavy or lightweight?

Took a run at my local gearstore tuesday last week. Despite it being plastic, it feels quite robust and nice. And while it's shaping up to another synth everybody loves to hate - not because there's anything wrong with it, it's just not a 20 year old Roland analog, ergo "crap" (does that then apply to Access Virus too?) - it sounds really nice and warm for a VA! The effects section is REALLY good! And all in all a super choice for any1 wanting a well sounding, easy to use, VA!

I have a GAIA that I bought new for 500€ by a guy who had it and never used it. I gotta say, the quality to price ratio is possibly the best I've ever seen... yeah it's not analog but with all the possibilities you have, it has nothing to envy to synths that cost three times more... I had all the fun in the world with my GAIA, I have much more expensive synths that aren't as fun. It's not perfect, some minor flaws here and there, but again compared to other synths of the same price range I think it wins.

@biggrime

4 жыл бұрын

Ive always wanted this synth. It is capable of creating some good sounds

what can this do for dubstep? I've got some guys asking about playing synth for our band and I want to know if this can drop some heavy bass

@Envergure even most of the portable analogues and even a lot of modular synths are subtractive models, an additive or fourier synthesis requires at least 512 separate sounds, controlling those via individual dedicated ADSR envelopes gives you a total of 2048 parameters, so analogue synths capable of additive synthesis have to be very complex. AfaIk the only synthesizers capable of additive synthesis are digital ones.

Not a bad synth you can get some nice dxish progressive pad sounds scapes from this. using the 3 filter and 3 amp envelopes for each oscillator. Its a shame about the waveforms sounding so thin thou.

Fantastic review. I've a Slim Phatty and I play it throug guitar (GK3+GI20). I need a keyboard controller. But I really don't know if I buy a simpler Akai MPK25 (I use live and already have a APC-40) or If I buy a Mopho KB, the SH-01 or wait for the minibrute (I saw all your review). I don't know if gaia is fat enouth (I use synth bass lines). Could you help me?

hey guys, wich synthe do you think is better, Roland Gaia or M audio Venom???? please help me.....

Doesnt look bad. Sounds kinda nice too. More into those contemporary sounds. I like the analog ADSR buttons.

Love the review. Tremendous way to demo a synth. I feel Roland have been losing its vision since the XV series. In my opinion this synth is closest to what Roland does best. It is the ideal first true modern synth for anyone to play and learn how to program and is better than a Korg or Yamaha in this context. Roland has a tendency to be gimmicky but there is more meat than cheese here, finally! I wish they would continue in this direction. Did I mention how much I enjoyed this demo?

sounds great. i mean you just wouldn't use it for huge bass but for sounds to go with all the big analogue monos out there. reality is that a lot of sound are high passed in mixing anyway

How do you import the sound after you finished it to the virtual studio like Ableton, FL studio or Reason ?

I like the prhase loop. "It's quite handy!"

so whats the better synth today for the same money?

does the phrase recorder quantize note data?

addendum: i mean can i use it as a soundcard for softsynths?

I really dig my Gaia, really fast to edit and I can get great pads, sub synth and super saw tones. I paid $250 cdn on a boxing day sale. I also have a nord electro and a lil phatty, those cover everything I need as a singer guitar player producer guy. I love the full size keys in a 37 key it fits on stage for lead sounds and pads and works great in the studio without needing EQ in the mix. Yes mainstage and arturia etc. Cover more ground, but I am sick of staring at screens! This is fadt and has a great tactile surface to work with. At $250 it’s a steal

@edenvanbaal550

4 жыл бұрын

Quickness Wow, may I ask where you found it at that price? Thanks!

can you sequence this synth from your computer DAW?

@Senj1n I'm happy that computers have really good capabilities for making sound. A computer mix can sound just as good as an outboard one. However they sound fat in a different way, where in the box sounds more clean and more precisely pumped, out of the box (generally) sounds warmer and more organic. It's a matter of taste and feeling (mouse vs. knobs, cables and noise versus total recall) what you pick to make music. Even LFO's sound better on real analog beasts like the Putney.

@hawklord2112 Ooh, thats a little harsh! I agree about the analog purists - its not supposed to be for those guys - this is a VA and thats it. I think duncanperson has it about right. Countfeedback - thanks for the clarification I didnt know that. I skipped a generation of Roland stuff - I had the 106 and jp6 and a JV1080, but missed the JD models.

oh gawd thats another beauty. Is it cheaper than the SH-201? If it is i might save up for this instead. Only starting out with synths, so it seems good.

@NewgroundsOwnSBB who said anything about free - it went back last week unfortunately

What would be better this or the microkorg

Sorry if this is noob, but this vs microkorg, which one would be better for a beginner?

Great review as usual, thanks very much :-)

@dana4261 61 keys? And you're planning on pressing each of these 61 keys at the same stime are you?

I like the layout, it has lots of knobs and the little sequencer reminds me of the JX-3P. It's a true Roland in terms of layout and possibilities. I think the sound is reasonably OK if you are into digital sounding VA's like Nord Lead, JP-8080 or Virus. It could be a nice polyphony boost for subtractive modern dance sounds, but it lacks separate outs and separate MIDI channels, so 64 voices is just complete overkill. They probably just an old stack of 64 voice chips left in a warehouse somewhere

Very well done ... loads of information!

oh boy, just got an interest in this piece and thought for a second that Bit Crash effect read Brit Crush, guess somebody gonna go make some money off that one lol.

Thanks for preview

can you split patches on the keyboard?

@ttoxique I bought JX10 for 500$ , Tiracon6v for 230$ not long ago , you can still get good hybrid synth for that money like Esq-1 /Sq80 and my favourite DW8000

It's puzzling how this synth sounds. I have 5 synths, in my current setup of which 4 are digital and one is analog. And none sound like this. It's like it's missing something. But it should be easy to produce, for example, a sawtooth wave. The user interface, and 3 tone set up looks great. Certainly being digital is not the issue so not sure why it's sound comes across as a bit weak.

I have JP-8000 I bought back in 1998, and for anyone starting out I would say grab the Gaia, it might not sound the same but having all the hands on control makes a synth so much more fun, something that Microkorg, Ion etc are missing, and something not worth spending $3000 for on the Virus.

Well first of all this is a virtual analog synth but it does sound more digital to be honest! Ive since sold it & bought a JX-8p which is full analog. I think its a case of horses for courses, ive used some jupiter & moog software lately & it really impressed me but I just love the more hands on approach! ;)

Well it is perfect for people who make trance and love that Supersaw stuff. People looking for 1970s VCOs should look elsewhere, like Korg.

This synth is worth every nickel that offers earth shaking possibilities!luv luv luv✌🏻👽Christo

@sonicstate i wasnt meaning that to be harsh! from the looks of it, it's got the same core programmable architecture as the SH-32 does / did - with a third oscillator - and adding some things that the SH32 didnt have (the keyboard, obviously, and the D-beam) and cleaning up the 32's rather cluttered interface a lot!

BTW what old product was called the SH-01? There was the SH-1, SH-101 and SH-201, but I don't know of another SH01 (aren't they creative over there? lol) I agree that Roland's older products were generally better than their newer stuff, but that's just because I generally prefer analog synths over digital subtractive ones.

this is fucking amazing. when is it coming out to sell? i live in cali

@BlueIzzzs Thats because the Dave Smith Tetra IS a true analog synth, its four mophos or half a prophet 08. :)

It was fun! We need more new synths with this many knobs & ease of use. ;)

@c2mojo damn good question. sitting here debating on what synth's gonna be my first as well.. It's most likely one of these three OR a budget workstation like the microstation

ive had this synth for a good year and a half. i bought mine brand new in box for 500$ best investment ever. I made my money back selling my instrumentals and some. definitely a favorite in my arsenal. word up! The Gaia remains infinite when it comes to sound. you just better have the creativity to yield this beauty of a beast! Dear Lawwwd!!!

another great review!

what about that "bit crash" distortion mode?

Can I get the same sounds in a Roland SH-201?

Which is better, SH201 or SH01Gaia?

@Keybern where do you read me saying this thing is analogue?