The Roland SH-101 is an analog synthesizer manufactured by the Roland Corporation between 1982 and 1986. Though it was something of a commercial failure during the time of its manufacture, it later became a staple of electronic music in the 1990s, particularly house music .
42-572: The SH-101 is monophonic , meaning it can only play one note at a time. It has a single oscillator (the Curtis CEM3340) and a sub-oscillator, a low-pass filter , a mixer allowing users to blend different waveforms plus a noise generator , and an arpeggiator and sequencer . An ADSR envelope generator controls the filter and VCA , and the filter, VCA, pitch and pulse width can be controlled with an LFO . Users can attach an optional handgrip with modulation controls and shoulder strap to play
84-624: A Kickstarter campaign to produce the SB-1 Space Bee, very similar in layout to the SH-101 with a unique keyboard design and all keys and keyboard in dark gray. In 2023, Roland introduced the S-1 Aira Compact , based on its Analog Circuit Behavior (ACB) technology. It is a small form factor with built in keyboard. In June 2020, Roland released Zenology plugins for Roland synths, which includes an SH-101 emulator. Roland claims it
126-427: A melody (or "tune"), typically sung by a single singer or played by a single instrument player (e.g., a flute player) without accompanying harmony or chords . Many folk songs and traditional songs are monophonic. A melody is also considered to be monophonic if a group of singers (e.g., a choir ) sings the same melody together at the unison (exactly the same pitch) or with the same melody notes duplicated at
168-471: A common filter and/or amplifier circuit shared among all the voices. The result is a synthesizer that can play chords, provided all the notes start and end at the same time ( homophony ). For example, playing a new note on top of notes already held might retrigger the volume envelope for the entire sound. Monophonic synthesizers with more than one oscillator (such as the ARP 2600 ) can often be patched to behave in
210-423: A complete sound-generating mechanism for each key in the keybed (e.g., a piano has a string and hammer for every key, and an organ has at least one pipe for each key.) When any key is pressed, the note corresponding to that key will be heard as the mechanism is activated. Some clavichords do not have a string for each key. Instead, they will have a single string which will be fretted by several different keys. Out of
252-500: A large number of audio outputs to a mixer. The stops or drawbars on the organ modify the signal sent from the audio-generating system, and the keyboard switches the mixer's channels on and off. Those channels which are switched on are heard as notes corresponding to the depressed keys. In classical music, a definition of polyphony does not only mean just playing multiple notes at once but an ability to make audiences perceive multiple lines of independent melodies. Playing multiple notes as
294-495: A monophonic tune sometime between 1527 and 1529. Many of Luther's hymns were later harmonized for multiple voices by other composers, and were also used in other polyphonic music such as the cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach . See Voicing (music)#Doubling DeLone more loosely defines monophony as "passages, movements, or sections in which notes sound alone, despite instrumental doubling" even if "such passages may involve several instruments or voices." Indian classical music
336-537: A note one octave lower, the frequency of the oscillator is divided by two. Polyphony is achieved so long as only one of each note in the scale is played simultaneously. A forefather of octave divider synth and electronic organs. Octave divider technology similar to Novachord was used. Polyphonic ensemble keyboard consists with one synth per key (totally 60 synthesizers), based on octave divider Patchable polyphonic synthesizer consists with three synths per key (totally 144 synthesizers), based on octave divider. In
378-455: A number of varieties, including double, triple, and quadruple ocarinas, which use multiple chambers to extend the ocarina's otherwise limited range, but also enable the musician to play more than one note simultaneously. Harmonic ocarinas are specifically designed for polyphony, and in these instruments the ranges of the chambers usually overlap to some extent (typically at the unison, third, fourth, fifth, seventh or octave). Cross-fingering enables
420-443: A paraphonic manner, allowing for each oscillator to play an independent pitch which is then routed through a common VCF and VCA . The earliest polyphonic synthesizers were built in the late-1930s, but the concept did not become popular until the mid-1970s. Harald Bode 's Warbo Formant Orguel, developed in 1937, was an archetype of a voice allocation polyphonic synthesizer. Novachord by Hammond Organ Company , released in 1939,
462-399: A polyphonic instrument is a (classical) piano , on which the player plays different melody lines with the left and the right hand - depending on music style and composition, these may be musically tightly interrelated or may even be totally unrelated to each other, like in parts of Jazz music. An example for monophonic instruments is a trumpet which can generate only one tone (frequency) at
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#1732798809300504-481: A single chamber to span an entire octave or more. Recorders can also be doubled for polyphony. There are two types of double recorder; drone and polyphonic. In the drone type, one tube is tuned exactly like a regular recorder with a range of approximately two octaves, and the other tube is a drone and plays the tonic note of the scale. The polyphonic recorder has two tubes with a range of one major sixth. With overblowing, some notes can be played an octave higher, but it
546-514: A time, except when played by extraordinary musicians. A monophonic synthesizer or monosynth is a synthesizer that produces only one note at a time, making it smaller and cheaper than a polyphonic synthesizer which can play multiple notes at once. This does not necessarily refer to a synthesizer with a single oscillator ; the Minimoog , for example, has three oscillators which are settable in arbitrary intervals , but it can play only one note at
588-768: A time. Well-known monosynths include the Minimoog, the Roland TB-303 , the Korg Prophecy , and the Korg Monologue . Duophonic synthesizers, such as the ARP Odyssey and Formanta Polivoks built in the 1970s and 1980s respectively, have a capability to independently play two pitches at a time. These synthesizers have at least two oscillators that are separately controllable, and a duophonic keyboard that can generate two control voltage signals for
630-414: A whole, such as a rhythm from a chord pattern, is not polyphony but homophony . A classical violin has multiple strings and indeed is polyphonic but harder for some beginners to play multiple strings by bowing. One needs to control the pressure, speed and angle well for one note before having an ability to play the multiple notes at acceptable quality expected by the composers. Therefore, even though
672-406: Is a forefather product of frequency divider organs and polyphonic synthesizer. It uses octave divider technology to generate polyphony, and about 1,000 Novachords were manufactured until 1942. Using an octave divider a synthesizer needs only 12 oscillators – one for each note in the musical scale . The additional notes are generated by dividing down the outputs of these oscillators. To produce
714-594: Is an ultra-detailed replica. Other software emulators include Togu Audio Line TAL-Bassline-101 , D16 Group LuSH-101 , Togu Audio Line TAL-Bassline (a free limited version of the other Togu app)., and Softube Model 82 . Polyphony and monophony in instruments Polyphony is a property of musical instruments that means that they can play multiple independent melody lines simultaneously. Instruments featuring polyphony are said to be polyphonic . Instruments that are not capable of polyphony are monophonic or paraphonic . An intuitively understandable example for
756-428: Is not possible to achieve the range of an entire octave in one tube with these instruments. Double zhaleikas (a type of hornpipe ) also exist, native to southern Russia . Launeddas are an Italian instrument, native to Sardinia that has both a drone pipe and two pipes capable of polyphony, for a total of three pipes. Monophony In music , monophony is the simplest of musical textures , consisting of
798-428: Is still considered monophonic. Plainsong was the first and foremost musical style of Italy , Ireland, Spain, and France. In the early 9th century, the organum tradition developed by adding voices in parallel to plainchant melodies. The earliest organum merely augmented the texture of the melody by adding a second voice in parallel octaves or parallel fifths , which could still be considered monophonic; however, by
840-509: The Early Middle Ages , the earliest Christian songs, called plainchant (a well-known example is Gregorian chant ), were monophonic. Even into the twenty-first century, songwriters still often write songs that intersperse sections using monophony, heterophony (two singers or instrumentalists doing varied versions of the same melody together), polyphony (two or more singers or instrumentalists playing independent melodic lines at
882-448: The octave (such as when men and women sing together). If an entire melody is played by two or more instruments or sung by a choir with a fixed interval, such as a perfect fifth , it is also said to be monophony (or "monophonic"). The musical texture of a song or musical piece is determined by assessing whether varying components are used, such as an accompaniment part or polyphonic melody lines (two or more independent lines). In
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#1732798809300924-401: The 11th century the organum had developed a style called "free organum" in which the voices were more independent, evolving into a polyphonic tradition. Mozarabic chant , Byzantine Chant , Armenian chant , Beneventan chant , Ambrosian chant , Gregorian chant and others were various forms of plainsong which were all monophonic. Many of these monophonic chants were written down, and contain
966-712: The 14th century produced many songs which can be seen as extensions of the Provençal troubador tradition, such as secular monophonic lais and virelais. Jehan de Lescurel (or Jehannot de l'Escurel), a poet and composer from northern French from the Trouvère style also wrote monophonic songs in the style of virelais, ballades, rondeaux and diz entés. Minnesänger were similar to the French style but in Middle High German. A tradition of Lauda , or sacred songs in
1008-526: The Boutique SH-01A, a virtual analog synth, based on its Analog Circuit Behavior (ACB) technology. It is available with or without a keyboard. In 2019, Behringer started producing a clone of SH-101 called MS-101, since the Roland patent had expired. The layout and sound is very close to the original, with the addition of enhancements such as MIDI and USB. In 2019, Superlative Instruments launched
1050-455: The European vernacular genres as well as of Latin song ... in polyphonic works, it remains a central compositional principle." The earliest recorded Christian monophony was plainchant or plainsong (of which one well-known style was called Gregorian chant ) a single unaccompanied vocal melody sung by monks . Sung by multiple voices in unison (i.e. the same pitch and rhythm), this music
1092-539: The SH-101 as a keytar , and it could also be powered via battery. According to MusicRadar , the SH-101 has "snappy and razor-sharp" bass, "squelchy and expressive" leads, and a "piercing yet smooth" filter. The SH-101 launched in the US at $ 495 and in UK at £249, making it much more affordable than the popular digital synthesisers of the time. Two limited edition versions were also released in both red and blue colours, in contrast to
1134-522: The classical guitar, is polyphonic, as are various guitar derivatives (including the harpejji and the Chapman stick ). Multiphonics can be used with many regular wind instruments to produce two or more notes at once, although this is considered an extended technique . Explicitly polyphonic wind instruments are relatively rare, but do exist. The standard harmonica can easily produce several notes at once. Multichambered ocarinas are manufactured in
1176-477: The earliest music notation to develop after the loss of the ancient Greek system . For example, Dodecachordon was published by the Swiss Renaissance composer Heinrich Glarean (also Glareanus) and included plainsong or Gregorian chant and monophony. The earliest manuscripts which contain plainsong were written in neumes , a primitive system which recorded only the outline of the melody, and it
1218-422: The early-to-mid-1970s, the voice allocation technology with digital keyboard scanning was independently developed by several engineers and musical instrument manufacturers, including Yamaha , E-mu Systems , and Armand Pascetta (Electro Group). The Oberheim Polyphonic Synthesizer and Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 were both developed in collaboration with E-mu Systems. Voice allocation technology
1260-557: The keys that share a single string, only one may sound at a time. The electric piano and clavinet rely on the same principles to achieve polyphonic operation. An electric piano has a separate hammer, vibrating metal tine and electrical pickup for each key. With a few exceptions, electric organs consist of two parts: an audio-generating system and a mixing system. The audio-generating system may be electronic (consisting of oscillators and octave dividers) or it may be electromechanical (consisting of tonewheels and pickups), and it sends
1302-488: The lowest- and highest-note. When two or more keys are pressed simultaneously, the lowest- and highest-note will be heard. When only one key is pressed, both oscillators are assigned to one note, possibly with a more complex sound. Paraphonic synthesizers, such as the Solina String Ensemble or Korg Poly-800 , were designed to play multiple pitches at the same time by using multiple oscillators, but with
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1344-407: The maximum number of notes is already sounding when an additional key is pressed. There are several ways to implement this: Modern synthesizers and samplers may use additional, multiple, or user-configurable criteria to decide which notes sound. Almost all classical keyboard instruments are polyphonic. Examples include the piano , harpsichord , organ and clavichord . These instruments feature
1386-600: The multiple synthesizers. One of the most popular polyphonic synth featuring patch memories, also used E-mu's technology. One notable early polyphonic synthesizer, the Prophet 5 released in 1978, had five-voice polyphony. Another notable polyphonic synth, the Yamaha CS-80 released in 1976, had eight-voice polyphony, as did the Yamaha GX-1 with total 18 voice polyphony, released in 1973. Six-voice polyphony
1428-488: The original grey. Roland marketed the SH-101 to the emerging keytar market, with magazine slogans such as "freedom for expression" and “[the 101] takes you where you want to go". However, it was outsold by the digital Yamaha DX7 and was discontinued in 1986. During the 1990s resurgence of analogue synthesisers, the 101 became a staple in dance music studios. It was used by many famous electronic musicians. In 2014, MusicRadar wrote: "Some inexpensive synths were brilliant 'for
1470-995: The price'. The Roland SH-101 was brilliant, period. Never a rock star's instrument like the Minimoog or Prophet-5 , the 101 was a synthesiser for the rest of us, and a damned fine one, too." In 2016, Fact named the SH-101 one of the 14 most important synthesisers in history. Famous musicians that have used the SH-101 include: Nitzer Ebb , Aphex Twin Vince Clarke of Erasure , Paul Frick from Tangerine Dream , Future Sound of London , Orbital , Überzone , The Prodigy , 808 State , The Grid , Eat Static , Jimmy Edgar , Apollo 440 , Devo , Union Jack , Luke Vibert , Dirty Vegas , Skinny Puppy , Pig , MSTRKRFT , Josh Wink , Depeche Mode , The Crystal Method , Astral Projection , Les Rythmes Digitales , Squarepusher , KMFDM , Freddy Fresh , Lab-4 , Jimmy Dickinson of Little Angels , The Chemical Brothers , Boards of Canada , The Knife and many others. In 2018, Roland introduced
1512-405: The same time), homophony (a melody accompanied by chords), or monody (a single melodic line with instrumental accompaniment) elements throughout the melody to create different atmospheres and styles. Monophony may not have underlying rhythmic textures, and must consist of only a single melodic line. According to the modern medieval scholar Ardis Butterfield , monophony "is the dominant mode of
1554-408: The sound, often with a keyboard to trigger the oscillators. However, multiple oscillators working independently are a considerable challenge to implement. To double the polyphony, not only must the number of oscillators be doubled but the electronics must also function as a switch connecting keys to free oscillators instantaneously, implementing an algorithm that decides which notes are turned off if
1596-619: The style of Troubador songs, was popularized in the 13th and 14th centuries by Geisslerlieder , or Flagellant songs. These monophonic Laude spirituale songs were used in the 13th and 17th century by flagellants , as recorded in the medieval chronicle Chronicon Hugonis sacerdotis de Rutelinga (1349). Monophony was the first type of texture in the Lutheran Church . A well-known example is Martin Luther's hymn "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott" (" A Mighty Fortress Is Our God "), written as
1638-421: The violin family of instruments are misleadingly considered (when bowing) by general untrained musicians to be primarily monophonic, it can be polyphony by both pizzicato (plucking) and bowing techniques for standard trained soloists and orchestra players. The evidence can be seen in compositions since the 17th century such as Bach sonatas and partitas for unaccompanied solo violin . The electric guitar, just like
1680-476: Was not until the 11th century that Guido d'Arezzo invented a more modern musical notation system that the exact notes of the melodies were preserved. Most troubadour songs were monophonic. Troubadour songs were written from 1100–1350 and they were usually poems about chivalry or courtly love with the words set to a melody. Aristocratic troubadours and trouvères typically played in courtly performances for kings, queens, and countesses. Poets and composers in
1722-401: Was standard by the mid-1980s. With the advent of digital synthesizers , 16-voice polyphony became standard by the late 1980s. 64-voice polyphony was common by the mid-1990s and 128-note polyphony arrived shortly after. There are several reasons for providing such large numbers of simultaneous notes: Synthesizers generally use oscillators to generate the electric signal that forms the basis of
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1764-483: Was used to assign the limited 8-voices per manual into the notes. It was succeeded by the portable Yamaha CS-80 (1976), which was successful and became one of the most popular polyphonic analog synths. In 1974, E-mu developed the polyphonic technologies, and in 1977, released the 4060 Polyphonic Keyboard and Sequencer. It was developed under the collaboration with E-mu Systems. LEO used Armand Pascetta's polyphonic keyboard ( c. 1975 ) to control
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