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SH-101 or novation bass synth?


dereksljuka

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I've been playing with a borrowed SH-101 for a couple months and I've found it to be a bit hard to tame. The thing seems to need a gater to make it rhythmic and musical. But it certainly does that classic analog/resonance liquid thing in spades.

 

Now I'm researching alternative analog bass synths and have settled somewhere with Novation's Super Bass Station, a DSI Evolver and a Juno 106... all because of price and MIDI functionality.

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I've had a BassStation Rack for a few years now. I've never used a 101, but I haven't had much to complain about regarding the BassStation. It's limited in some aspects, and the envelope curves aren't as versatile as I'd like, but I use it for bass on most of my songs (that's why I got it, after all), and occasionally for some sync sounds.

 

And the best thing, is that it has crashed to the floor more times that I can count between drunken me and my crazy cat, and it still keeps on ticking!

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No stepping, of course. And that sequencer....

 

 

I've had both, and IMHO the unison on the 106 was beyond worthless (don't get me wrong though, more power to you if you can get a good sound that way; I sure couldn't). SH-101 is just way cooler in every way.

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I've owned and have had extensive use of multiple BassStations (Keys and Rack), multiple 101s (Gray and Blue), and multiple 106s. I like all of them for what they are good for. Its really a decision you can only make by owning all of them I think. :) They all are squelchy as {censored}. They all can scream with resonance applied...just in their own respective way. All of them will make good basses. The 101 I think did better subs (best envelopes). The BassStation would make solid tight percussive basses. The 106 was great at chorused out booms. The BassStation sounds more like the 101 than the 106. You have to remember though that the BassStation wasn't meant to be Novation's version of the 101. Its not meant to sound the same. I've also owned the Evolver for a while. I found it to be really versatile for a monosynth. I've also owned a Nord Lead next to all of these pieces, and can attest to them going well together in a mix.

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I'd like to get one of these analog bass synths to go along with my Nord Lead. Which one would make a better combo? (yeah I know the 101 is CV / gate only)

 

I purchased SH-101 a week ago. Sounds abso{censored}inglutelygooood. For the first time that i couldn't turn the damn thing off. There is something so goooood about its sound that i can't explain. Well i can - it's the CEM baby! (this is coming from a CEM hater, or better to say ex CEM hater). The sound is somehow in the sweet spot all the time, no matter what you do. I have a Clusterchord's SH-2 right next to it which has much more power in the bass than SH-101, but it doesn't have such a sweet / pleasing sound. Ideally would be to have both, but the going rate of SH-2 is too high.

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I purchased SH-101 a week ago. Sounds abso{censored}inglutelygooood. For the first time that i couldn't turn the damn thing off. There is something so goooood about its sound that i can't explain. Well i can - it's the CEM baby! (this is coming from a CEM hater, or better to say ex CEM hater). The sound is somehow in the sweet spot all the time, no matter what you do. I have a Clusterchord's SH-2 right next to it which has much more power in the bass than SH-101, but it doesn't have such a sweet / pleasing sound. Ideally would be to have both, but the going rate of SH-2 is too high.

 

 

 

I agree with ya man. I know the SH-2 doesn't sound completely like an SH-09, but I used a SH-101, and an SH-09 tethered together via CV/Gate in a couple of bands. Those things sounded enormous together.

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The SH-101 is a beautiful sounding synth! I actually use my SH-101 to CVGATE control my SH-2 which has slow noisy keys. The SH-2 is definitely more Moogy though the SH-101 has such a pleasant and full sound...it sounds great at any cutoff and resonance. The SH-2 sounds more complex and shimmers a bit more though there is something special about the SH-101...can't put my finger on it yet. I have the Novation Super Bassstation which is one heck of a synth also. It has more of an acidy sound, though a lot of what I come up with reminds me of the sound of my Oberheim Matrix 1000. I would get all three synths...SH-101, SH-2 and Super Bassstation.

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i've owned a bass station keyboard and a bass station rack, a pulse, a source, a prodigy, borrowed 101s extensively, currently own my modular, a minimoog, a juno 6, blah blah.

 

i've made good bass sounds with all of them, i've made bass with MS2000s, my Hammond, whatever.

 

the first question is "what can you spend?", the second is "what is your goal?" what context is the synth going to be used in? are you going to play it or sequence it?

 

i think that 101s and Junos are now so expensive as to be out of the question. i'd personally rather have a Little Phatty than a 101 now that they cost the same.

 

i think the bass station is a killer deal if you can nail one for 200 USD. what are they going for now?

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