The SH-3A is a monophonic

analog synthesizer An analog (or analogue) synthesizer is a synthesizer that uses analog circuits and analog signals to generate sound electronically. The earliest analog synthesizers in the 1920s and 1930s, such as the Trautonium, were built with a variety of ...

that was manufactured by Roland from 1975 to 1981. It is unique in that it is capable of both the usual

subtractive synthesis Subtractive synthesis is a method of sound synthesis in which partials of an audio signal (often one rich in harmonics) are attenuated by a filter to alter the timbre of the sound. While subtractive synthesis can be applied to any source audio ...

and also the less common additive synthesis, offering mixable waveforms at different footages. Two LFOs and a unique sample-and-hold section provided capabilities not found in competing self-contained synthesizers of the time. The SH-3A was Roland's first non-preset based synth. The predecessor, the

Roland SH-1000 The Roland SH-1000, introduced in 1973, was the first compact synthesizer produced in Japan, and the first synthesizer produced by Roland Corporation, Roland. It resembles a home Organ (music), organ more than a commercial synth, with coloured ta ...

, could also do this but didn't offer as much control as on the SH-3A. The rhythmic pulsing in the Blondie song " Heart of Glass" is an example of its sound. Contrary to common belief, the initial version "SH-3" did not infringe on the transistor ladder-filter patent of

Robert Moog Robert Arthur Moog ( ; May 23, 1934 – August 21, 2005) was an American engineer and electronic music pioneer. He was the founder of the synthesizer manufacturer Moog Music and the inventor of the first commercial synthesizer, the Moog synthesi ...

. It used a diode filter like the

EMS VCS 3 The VCS 3 (or VCS3; an initialism for ''Voltage Controlled Studio, version #3'') is a portable analog synthesizer with a flexible modular voice architecture introduced by Electronic Music Studios (London) Limited (EMS) in 1969. EMS release ...

. The SH-3A does use a transistor ladder-filter and as a result can generate Moog-like sounds.

Notable SH-3A users

* Blondie * Chris Carter *

Covenant Covenant may refer to: Religion * Covenant (religion), a formal alliance or agreement made by God with a religious community or with humanity in general ** Covenant (biblical), in the Hebrew Bible ** Covenant in Mormonism, a sacred agreement b ...

The Human League The Human League are an English synth-pop band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Initially an experimental electronic outfit, the group signed to Virgin Records in 1979 and later attained widespread commercial success with their third album ''Dare' ...

Radio Massacre International Radio Massacre International is a trio of British musicians, Steve Dinsdale (Keyboards and Drums), Duncan Goddard (Keyboards and Bass), and Gary Houghton (Guitar, Synth). They specialize in improvisational experimental electronic music, utilisin ...

Vangelis Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou ( el, Ευάγγελος Οδυσσέας Παπαθανασίου ; 29 March 1943 – 17 May 2022), known professionally as Vangelis ( ; el, Βαγγέλης, links=no ), was a Greek composer and arranger of ...

Image:roland_sh3a_controls.jpg, Close-up of SH-3A controls

References

External links

Roland SH-3A review by Bruce Gibbs
on ''

International Musician and Recording World ''International Musician and Recording World'' was a magazine published from 1975 to 1991. Originally launched in the UK, editions were created for the United States, Europe, Australia, and Japan. Foundation ''International Musician and Recording ...

'' (December 1975)
Different Roland synthesizer filters

Demo of SH-3A on YouTube
SH-3A Analog synthesizers Monophonic synthesizers Musical instruments invented in the 1970s {{Electronic-musical-instrument-stub