Go SH-4d
It’s your birthday
We gonna party like it’s your birthday
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The manual (with sound list) is up now. Looks like you get some world percussion and a few sounds that appear promising, plus whatever else you can make with the engines. If your main use for a new machine is as a rompler, something like the MC-707 might be a better bet (or the Integra-7 if you’re feeling extra fancy). If you’re willing to go to a keyboard, the Yamaha MX-49/61/88 has a good selection of world sounds from the Motif series. Digital Sound Factory has a lot of the Proteus series sounds available as Soundfonts or Kontakt libraries, too.
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This complaint has always been confusing to me. If you have a device to sequence it from, isn’t the sequencer being bad a neutral point?
I know it’s a hack. But since there is battery power, you can 3D print fake batteries with connectors at either end that plugs into the correct voltage wall wart ps. I did this in the past and made it out of wood and wires.
This would not break warranty. ( Roland probably wouldn’t be happy if you told them. ) You just need to do a nice job of it, so it works well, and serves your purpose, and doesn’t damage the SH-4d.
This isn’t for everyone, and i agree there should have been a plug, but that said …
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Yay…
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Like the SP-404? Or the Jupiter 4?
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I shudder to think how many people will go, “who is Carl Craig?”.
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Blofeld has a MASSIVELY deep synth engine. But that interface tho…it haunts me.
You can venture deep into the sonic abyss, but there’s no convenient way to leave a breadcrumb trail.
And thats not even getting into multi-mode…which is WAY too easy to lose your work on…
I love the Blofeld and I also hate the Blofeld
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I think for a lot of people, sequencing some external sound module with an elektron sequencer is an inferior user experience compared to using the elektron’s internal sound engine, given the midi setup, multiple project structures to deal with, et cetera. Like, if what you have is a synth that you love but that has a bad sequencer, an elektron as an external sequencer is a really attractive option. But if you’re starting with an elektron, unless the other device has massive advantages in the sound department, making the switch is less likely to be worth the hassle of coordinating two devices or settling for a worse sequencer.
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Watched a few more videos. D for Desktop, wonder if keys + a few more features might come next. I hope this signals the release of a few more devices by Roland (NAMM maybe?). I would still have preferred a fifth fader for “R” track, LFO design and other use. Very Jupiter-XM like, the screen, knobs and buttons. If you use the XM, you know menu-dive. Reminded me of how Korg likes to reuse hardware inventory parts from one product to the next. Somehow visual arpeggio bring flashes of Animoog app to mind. Lastly, I would have preferred the two octaves worth of buttons to be pads like the MC-707. How about a scatter function as a mid-life firmware refresh?
I thought D just stood for Digital. To differentiate from the other black SH models with a similar typeface.
Jupiter Xm thread: I wish it didn’t have the keyboard!
SH-4D thread: I wish it had a keyboard!
Roland: [crying in the corner]
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I see. Would that apply to SH-3D as well 
Edit:
The effects section of this thing is ridiculous! There’s like six different phasers (Small Stone! MXR!), Dimension D, JV Chorus, multitap delays, and on and on and on it goes for about 50 manual pages. I am seriously impressed!
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Roland ready to bring out the SH-4Keys in 2026 to sell you the samedifferent thing twice.
SH-8Keys with ZenCore in 2027.
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Wait, can you record the results of those cute little animated arps so the current track sequencer? Or is it just something fun to play with when you get bored? I assume you can record the regular arp to the sequencer as well? Or do you have to manually enter the steps?
That physics arp really got me interested! Hope they adress this little thing that you can’t leave the physics arp without it stopping.
I should probably look at the Korg Modwave…
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finally, i got some time to watch a couple of the reviews.
so… this thing has proper SH-101 model inside, and its 4 tracks can work as 4 instances of SH-101 ?!
holy shit, this is the ultimate goa trance & EBM machine!! worth buying just for this feature alone.
and yes, i have strong impression that SH-4d is a homage to SH-32. i wanted SH-32 for a long while, but iw we compare them, i definitely choose the newer one.
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My thoughts exactly.
Plus a juno, plus that ring mod thing looks cool.
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Excellent summary! I feel the same and it makes me hope that Elektron will eventually come up with something comparable, as it’s just so much more fun to play with an Elektron. Everything else feels like a compromise to me at this point.
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