The Roland GAIA SH-01 is one of the most underrated synthesizers. It is not without controversy because it is not a real virtual analog synthesizer, but rather sample-based. But who cares except some geeks who test synthesizers with oscilloscopes? One can argue about whether it is the legitimate successor to the legendary Roland JP-8000, but this synthesizer is ideal for Trance music. As for me, I just love this synthesizer. For me nothing else counts than good sound and good operation. You can say what you want, but the Roland GAIA SH-01 sounds sensationally good and the concept behind it is simply brilliant. A very easy to use and programmable synthesizer that is very versatile, sounds great and is a lot of fun.

@GlennMainMusic

4 ай бұрын

That is so well said 👍 I do agree 100 % 👍👍👍

The Gaia is possibly the most underrated synthesizer that exists. I'm so disappointed that the Gaia 2 doesn't have the core component that makes the original so great: a true three layered synth engine.

@GlennMainMusic

10 ай бұрын

I am exited to Get my Gaia 2 :) Lets hope its as cool as the original Gaia 😃😃

@alfredmx8415

8 ай бұрын

@@GlennMainMusic a digital synth with only 22 voices of polyphony and no multitimbral seems like a bit of a rip-off in 2023

@GlennMainMusic

8 ай бұрын

@@alfredmx8415 - I really get your point :-) But I belive this is ment to be a cool addon to live sets.. But yes.. multitimbral would have made this even better and more interesting for studio setup I guess 🙂

@alfredmx8415

8 ай бұрын

@@GlennMainMusic given the savings in processors / DSPs at least they could build it with aftertouch :)

@MIkeGazzaruso

8 ай бұрын

GAIA 2 is a great machine for its price tiers. 1 OSC wavetable + 2 OSC VA, plus a plethora of very good effects, plus you can import ZenCore model expansions, plus really good ARP and robust sequencer. I'm not disappointed having buyed one, it's one of my favs. In my opinion they could have added aftertouch on the keyboard, but the Motional Pad addition is not making me feeling it missing so much.

Man, loved your original sounds...and the way you played them . I just bought a used Gaia. Can't wait to get making my own sounds!

@GlennMainMusic

18 күн бұрын

Thank you :) And you are getting a great synth 😃😃😃

The sh-01 was my first synth, and I'm still in love ❤️

@GlennMainMusic

9 ай бұрын

😃😃😃

An amazing little synth with good polyphony and all of the editing features you would want.

@GlennMainMusic

7 ай бұрын

Oh yes - hands on Synth 😃😃👍👍

I bought mine around 2012, still love it.

@GlennMainMusic

8 ай бұрын

Good choice 😃😃😃 it’s a great synth 😃😃😃

good demo of sound possibilities ☺

@GlennMainMusic

6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much 😃😃

that sounds so good!

@GlennMainMusic

10 ай бұрын

Oh yes 😃

Thankyou Glenn you are the best, cheers from New Zealand.

@GlennMainMusic

10 ай бұрын

Wow ! Thank you so much 😃😃😃😃

Amazing sounding machine, love it!

@GlennMainMusic

10 ай бұрын

😃😃😃

Awesome video!!

@GlennMainMusic

6 ай бұрын

Thank you 😃😃

That was a very nice and sympathetic presentation of an underrated one. It indeed sounds way better than expected. It definitely should still matter in 2023 & the future.

@GlennMainMusic

9 ай бұрын

Thank you :) Yes - it’s a reason why it will stay forever 😃😃😃

This is also a very good synth! Loving it.

@GlennMainMusic

7 ай бұрын

😃👍😃

Hey Glenn. Really enjoyed your vid heaps, the sounds and your enthusiasm for a truly wonderful n fun machine. . . I share your love for them, from the first day I got my first one more than 12 yrs ago. I have 2. . . For me they truly are magical. . . Blessings. . .

@GlennMainMusic

4 ай бұрын

Thank you so much 😃😃😃🙏🏽🙏🏽

You are my new friend lol our Love for Roland is amazing!

@GlennMainMusic

8 ай бұрын

That’s awesome 😃😃😃

and it STILL sounds amazing!

@GlennMainMusic

8 ай бұрын

Oh yes 😃😃

The arpeggio's are fantastic. some are similar to juno and korg R3. And that theremin sound ❤️🎹🎼🎶

@GlennMainMusic

10 ай бұрын

😃😃 Love the Arpeggio on it 😃😃

Hello Glenn, Thank you very much for the great video! I had GAIA years ago. Unfortunately I sold it. Well, because of your video, I was able to purchase a brand new GAIA!. It fits perfectly with my two Roland TR 8 s and with the JP 8080 and Jupiter XM. Warm greetings from Cologne...And you are right....this is a real (liitle) Monster...

@GlennMainMusic

10 ай бұрын

Thats awsome 😃 And a Nice setup too 😃😃

HOLA ESTOY POR COMPRAR UNO Y VI TU VIDEO GRACIAS SALUDOS

@GlennMainMusic

4 ай бұрын

That is a really good choice 👍

I've actually been thinking about buying a ROLAND GAIA for a long time now, thanks for the reminder Glenn - I think GAIA will fit in perfectly well with my projects. The sounds and effects in GAIA are timeless in the electronic world... think I'll have to run and buy 💥👉 THANKS ALOT 👌(The first time I heard the Gaiasound was at one of your concerts (actually in Hamar approx. 2011)

@GlennMainMusic

10 ай бұрын

Oh yes Lasse 😃😃😃 The GAIA is a small monster 😃😃😃 And the gig in Hamar was so Nice 😃😃😃

The best thing about the Gaia is just being able t sit down and mix 3 layers of sound off the bat, in a simple and intuitive way. Best synth for learning synthesis. One that Id never let go, even if other synths are your goto.

@GlennMainMusic

8 ай бұрын

So true 👍👍😃😃

Can’t wait to see your review on the Gaia 2 Glenn.

@GlennMainMusic

9 ай бұрын

😃😃😃😃 This week

Awesome old lady you are hooking up with...AWESOME Glenn😍😍😍🎹😍😍😍

@GlennMainMusic

10 ай бұрын

Oh yes :) Thank you so much Lars 😃😃

@larsfrosznielsen3536

10 ай бұрын

@@GlennMainMusic You are very welcome Glenn🤗🤗

I love my Roland Gaia, it's so inspiring and powerful , a future classic ! I also own a Korg MS2000r ,a Korg Triton le and an EMU Proteus FX.

@GlennMainMusic

9 ай бұрын

Great setup 👍👍👍😃😃

@markslandingsandaviationvi3123

8 ай бұрын

What do you think is the the difference when it comes to comparing resonance between the MS2000 and the Gaia?

Wow, you got some amazing sounds out of the Gaia. The couple of patches you play at around 10:00 really reminded me of Ricochet-era Tangerine Dream. I've had this synth for over 10 years (although it was in storage for a lot of that time). I just pulled it out a few months ago and have been finally putting the effort into it. I always thought the preset sounds were terrible and as much as I found it helpful for learning about programming synths, I never got a sound I liked. I obviously didn't put enough time into exploring it. Gaia 2 looks much better however I've promised myself I'll master the original first before seriously considering it!

@GlennMainMusic

9 ай бұрын

The Gaia has been my all time favourite synth 😃😃 And one of he next days , I’m getting my Gaia 2 😃😃😃😃 I have to stop soon to buy all this new stuff 🤣🤣🤣

I have one too!

@GlennMainMusic

10 ай бұрын

Great little synth.. Nice to hear that you still have it 🙂

It really shines when you use one tone for attack (always unstable and characteristic on acoustic instruments), one for the steady state sound and one whole tone for dynamic and changeable color. It can get wicked thick all layered on top of each other and who has room for that in a mix?

@GlennMainMusic

7 ай бұрын

I have 😂👍

@Jozz_Music

7 ай бұрын

@@GlennMainMusic any thoughts on library software?

@GlennMainMusic

7 ай бұрын

@@Jozz_Music - Not really.. it’s so easy to make own sounds so I have never needed to buy anything 😃😃😃

@Jozz_Music

7 ай бұрын

@@GlennMainMusic That's the point! I have so many good sounds, I can't remember where they are. Sure, I can come close to every sound I make, but sometimes, it's just not "that sound" that makes this synth so important to me.

This man is the perfect candidate to compare the Gaia 2.

@GlennMainMusic

10 ай бұрын

And the Gaia 2 is on its way to me now 😃😃😃😃

10 ай бұрын

@@GlennMainMusicGlenn did you know new gaia-2 launching time before recording this video ? 😅😅

After having bought a Korg N364 in late 98 with no knobs on it and heavy on menu diving, I though I was done with synths - and used it just as a piano for twelve years. Went to the Paris Music Show in 2010 and found this little GAÏA so cute, that I decided to give it a try. It just demystified substractive synthesis to me and was a companion for live playing for over 10 years. Ok, it's PCM sample-based (so much for VA), yes it has aliasing and the usb-audio sucks, but it is portable, lightweight (bought the carry-bag, now worn-out, a sign it's been used !). Factory Presets ar impressive, albeit non-fitting in a band mix playing live. I wished the editor was a VST, as with its predecessor, to recall sounds in a session, but midi dump does the job. Now I'm willing to pass it down to someone starting in this field. By the way, would you put links to your former band's music for us to listen to "live Gaïa Action" ? Cheers, Skol !

@GlennMainMusic

10 ай бұрын

Hey :) So Nice to hear that you have had some fun with your GAIA 😃😃😃 The band we had some years ago was ARGH , but I have been using it a lot on my own production and live gigs for many years :) Anyway here is the the link to ARGH and my own music as well : spotify.link/4xXHa2mUfDb spotify.link/5QV5cwEUfDb Thanx 😃😃

The thing about Gaia one... it sounded like classic Roland! I mean you strike chord and you can say "OMG authentic Rloand' sound". In Gaia 2 i can't hear that. In fact two synth are so far apart from each other so i don't even see the point in naming them the same. Gaia 2 is pretty harsh sounding synth and Gaia 1 is smooth as butter. But hey, it's just my opinion. Thanks, man! Good reviews!

@GlennMainMusic

9 ай бұрын

After what I’ve heard and seen on various KZread videos I do agree with you. I will get mine within this week, so I will try it out for real. I do believe that the GAIA 1 (SH-01) is so iconic that to make a “follow up” is really hard. But it looks more “hightec” than the Gaia 1.. and what I love about the G1 is precisely the thing that it’s so “easy” layout.. but again.. I’m looking forward to get my new GAIA 2. I think that comparing them is hard to do 😃😃😃

@djkanyon

9 ай бұрын

@@GlennMainMusicindeed, it will be hard to compare them! can't wait for your review!

Great thanks for the video. I wonder whether GAIA SH-01 can be used as a midi keyboard with arpeggiator for external sound modules?

@GlennMainMusic

6 ай бұрын

As long as it sends the arp as midi that should work 😃

Love the Shirt I have a bunch of RE's Trance Gate and Compressor and many others are must haves in almost every Reason Project.... Also I'm really interested in picking up one of these I just been waiting for the prices to come down to around 250.... 350 to 450 on reverb is still a little too much for me but I will probably pick this up as my first hardware synthesizer if I don't end up getting a hydro synth explorer or sledge first

@GlennMainMusic

10 ай бұрын

Sounds great 😃😃😃 Good choice 😃😃

Hi, I love your videos and really appreciate you doing them. I am currently looking to buy either the GAIA or SH-02 but would be interested to know if there is anything else I should consider given these are quite old?

@GlennMainMusic

2 күн бұрын

I still love my Gaia (as you might see in the video 🙈🤣🙈) And I have never had any issues with it although I bought it when it was released. So just go for it 😃😃

i have a gaia....with right sweet spot you get incredible sounds , i have also a korg kaos pad 3 just to have more and better efx , really endless fun , people complain about not rich deep sound like proper AV or analog , ok is not a moog , is not the best roland synth , price was too high , but i bought used , it was cheap , i get a sound idea in few seconds , than with thousand of vst ect i can make the sound as i want , gaia is a sound card as well so when i play i can directly add what i want from the DAW, i am now going to buy a neutron or something fully analog and modular so i can have fun with analog patches and an arturia microfreack to have something else but defenetely i will keep my gaia for the simple way to use and potential

@GlennMainMusic

7 ай бұрын

Oh yes ;) The easy hands on lay out and the easy way to make it sound really good is the main reason to keep it for ever 😃😃😃

Wow! 05:50 sounds like John Carpenters Halowwen III soundtrack. Nice sounds, I can see why you like it. 😀👍

@GlennMainMusic

10 ай бұрын

That is so true 🤣🤣 Yes I love it 😃😃

I love mine, too! Does anyone know of a patch librarian that runs on MacOS Monterey? The Sound Designer was kinda quirky but at least it worked (until MacOS 11 ;().

Great timing for seeing your video as there is one near me for sale. Can these plug directly into an amp like my piano, or are there speakers? Battery powered also?

@GlennMainMusic

7 ай бұрын

That is awsome 😃😃 go get it 😃 It has no speakers built in, but it’s battery powered as well as AC powered 😃😃

@richlevenson9467

6 ай бұрын

I did get it! It's so much fun! My first endeavor into synthesizer after playing a stage piano for a while.

Most of the criticism I see of the Gaia, is that "it's not real virtual analogue, but it uses samples!" Which may well be true. However, does that even matter? If it sounds good, and it's easy to program, isn't that what it was meant to do? Cool video demonstration. I've several times considered a Gaia, but I'm not quite sure if it's what I'm looking for. It seems cool, but I'm not really sure if it would be the right synth for me. I believe it would overlap a bit with my Yamaha Reface CS. As for Sony Walkman... I remember when earbud type headphones used to have those thin foam covers on them...That went all gooey and disgusting after a while :/ Love the Beyerdynamics though. Is it the DT 770's you're using?

@GlennMainMusic

10 ай бұрын

Thank you so much 😃😃 Yes the GAIA is a great little monster :) And as You’re saying, its not about how the sound is made as long as it sounds great 😃😃 Yes, my headset is my beloved DT 770 pro 😃😃

I guess I will never give it away now...

@GlennMainMusic

10 ай бұрын

Keep it keep it keep it 😃😃😃

Anyone know of a synth like this that has a built in drum machine

@GlennMainMusic

9 ай бұрын

Did you check out the Roland Fantom ? 😃

@barneywilliam12

9 ай бұрын

@@GlennMainMusic no I have not but I sure will. Thank you Glenn

ill be contacting you to send a video i need a soundtrack for. is this ok?

@GlennMainMusic

9 ай бұрын

That is awsonme :-)

@GlennMainMusic

9 ай бұрын

glenn@ghmain.no

@williamwallace6508

9 ай бұрын

@@GlennMainMusic great stuff. wait. ill send you the video with another soundtrack first and then you will know the concept.

@GlennMainMusic

9 ай бұрын

@@williamwallace6508 - I ready to check it out :-)

Lo malo es que no es VA,sino basado en muestras al igual que el M-Audio Venom.

@GlennMainMusic

10 ай бұрын

As long as it sounds soooo cool.. it’s a go for me 😃😃😃

Strange that people after the gaia2 release...automaticly calling this gaia1...this is gaia sh01...

@GlennMainMusic

9 ай бұрын

I know.. But I guess it’s because people wants to separate the Gaia from the Gaia 2… but you are perfectly right- Gaia SH-01 is the name 😃

This synth had that JP 80x0 sound character (if not the quality). Compared to this, the Gaia 2 really pales. New is not always better.

@GlennMainMusic

9 ай бұрын

I also really love This Gaia 😃😃

this one always gets an unnecessary amount of hate. It's always been a bit overpriced, but now they're popping up for around $300 in some places they're a bargain.

@GlennMainMusic

10 ай бұрын

That is so true :) I just love This one 😃

I've watched many, many "synth guys"-- you're the only one l've subscribed to, because you've got soul, and you're not a DIRTY STINKING NERD !!! I HATE THOSE DAMN NERDS !!!!!! Sorry. I get upset when l think about them.

@GlennMainMusic

5 ай бұрын

Thank you so much 😃 I consider myself as a very “down to earth” and normal person interested in the basics.. not all the geeky stuff 😃😃😃

@googlepigs7027

5 ай бұрын

@@GlennMainMusic Yes. Thankyou. I appreciate that. I've only watched your videos on the SH-02 and the gaia so far. I aready have the gaia; but based on your video of the 02, l am now committed to findimg me one of those. I actually like that one much better, because it has 49 keys, and for me, it is a *far* cooler looking synth. I hate to sound shallow, but for me, how a synth looks is my no. 1 consideration on whether l buy it. And for me, out of all the many synths l've ever seen, that one has my most perfect ideal look and size l've ever seen. Thats why l'am so hsppy l stumbled on your video, cuz l didn't even know that synth existed. So l thank you again for that. My only difficult task now, is to have enough patients for the perfect 02 to come along. It must be in mint condition with all packaging and original contents, for that is the only way l can buy one. So my vigil begins. I will let you know when l get my most perfect little synth in my greedy little hands. I wish you well, my friend !