Roland Gaia SH-01 User manual

ACHIEVE
MASTERY!
ENJOY CREATING
SOUNDS
WITH
YOUR SYNTHESIZER
Sound synthesis made easy!
Learn the basics of sound creation on Roland’s
new GAIA SH-01 synthesizer!

2
Introducing the Controls
INTRO
What are the Three Elements of Sound?
The three elements of sounds are pitch, brightness, and volume. On a synthe-
sizer, these elements are controlled by the following three sections.
1. Pitch = Oscillator (OSC)
2. Brightness = Filter (FILTER)
3. Volume = Ampli er (AMP)
D Beam
By moving your
hand above the D
Beam controller
you can change
the sound’s pitch,
volume, or bright-
ness.
LFO
This modulates the
sound.
Oscillator (OSC)
This determines the sound’s pitch. The oscilla-
tor is the heart of a synthesizer, and is where
you select the waveform that forms the basis
of the sound.
USB Memory
You can save your
patches to USB
memory.
memory.
Tone
You can layer three
tones to be played
simultaneously.
Here’s where you
select the tone you
want to edit.
Lever
Move this to left or
right to change the
sound’s pitch.
Move this away
from yourself to
apply modulation.
A NOTE OF
ADVICE
The three elements of sounds are pitch, brightness, and volume. On a synthe-
sizer, these elements are controlled by the following three sections.
ADVICE
ADVICE

3
Pitch
OSC
Brightness
FILTER
Pitch
Pitch
Pitch
OSC
OSC
OSC
Brightness
Brightness
Brightness
FILTER
FILTER
FILTER
Roland’s GAIA SH-01 synthesizer is designed so that these three elements of sound are arranged on the
panel in an intuitive layout, making the sound-creating process easy.
EXT IN
You can connect
a portable audio
player here.
Patch
Here you can call up
patches.
Filter
This determines the
sound’s brightness.
Amp
This determines the sound’s
volume. This is also where the
sound’s attack and decay are
adjusted.
E ects
Here you can apply reverb to give
the sound more depth, or add other
e ects.
Volume
This adjusts the
overall volume.
Volume
AMP

4
Play a Sound!
1
STEP
The GAIA SH-01 lets you start playing as soon as you turn on the power.
1. Turn on the power.
2. Press the NUMBER [1] button.
In this example we’ve selected sound (patch) number 1. On the following page we’ll explain more about how to
select “patches.”
3. Use the [VOLUME] knob to adjust the volume.
4. Play the keyboard.
Did you hear sound? Now read the next page, and select and play other sounds (patches).

5
What is a “Patch”?
The GAIA SH-01 lets you save the sounds you create.
Each sound you save is called a “patch.”
You can think of the locations that store the patches as being like shelves.
You’ll select the desired patch by GROUP, BANK, and NUMBER.
PRESET GROUP
Non-rewritable 64 patches
USER GROUP
Rewritable 64 patches
USB MEMORY
Rewritable 64 patches
Internal Memory USB Memory (sold separately)
Internal Memory
USB Memory
Internal Memory
You can use these patches to store the original sounds you’ve created.
Select Other Patches!
A sound you’ve saved can be easily recalled simply by pressing a button.
Go ahead and try out each patch to get an idea of what kind of sounds the GAIA SH-01 can produce.
Select a GROUP
PRESET PATCH
USER PATCH
USB MEMORY PATCH
Select a BANK
Press the [BANK]
and then press one
of the [1]–[8] buttons
Select a NUMBER
Press one of the [1]–[8] buttons
How to Think About Sound Programming
As you take a closer look at the factory-set patches (preset patches),
you’ll notice all sorts of clever tricks that were used to create the sounds.
Remember these tricks, and use them to create new sounds from scratch.
As you create your own sounds by modifying the preset patches, you’ll
learn various ways in which the sound can be changed.
A NOTE OF
ADVICE
ADVICE
ADVICE

6
Create a Sound!
2
STEP
Create a Bass Sound
Use the [CUTOFF] Knob to Fatten the Sound!
Moving the [CUTOFF] knob will make the sound fatter or brighter. Once you’ve
familiarized yourself with its function, try moving the [CUTOFF] knob between
10 o’clock and one o’clock while you raise and lower the LFO [FILTER DEPTH]
slider. It’s e ective to do this in sync with the tempo.
1. Call up the “PRESET B-1” patch.
Press the [PRESET
PATCH] button
Press the [1] button
Press the [BANK] button and
then press the [2] (B) button
2. Press the [KEY HOLD] button so it’s blinking.
3. Press the second C key from the bottom.
You’ll hear an arpeggiated techno bass.
4. Turn the FILTER [RESONANCE] knob to the
maximum position.
5. Slowly turn the FILTER [CUTOFF] knob from
the maximum position down to the minimum.
It’s e ective to make this change in sync with the tempo.
6. Set the [RESONANCE] knob at 10 o’clock, and
the [CUTOFF] knob at 12 o’clock.
7. In sync with the tempo, raise the LFO [FILTER DEPTH]
slider, and then bring it back to the center.
For the LFO DEPTH, the center is 0.
A NOTE OF
ADVICE
Use the [CUTOFF] Knob to Fatten the Sound!
Moving the [CUTOFF] knob will make the sound fatter or brighter. Once you’ve
familiarized yourself with its function, try moving the [CUTOFF] knob between
10 o’clock and one o’clock while you raise and lower the LFO [FILTER DEPTH]
slider. It’s e ective to do this in sync with the tempo.
ADVICE
ADVICE

7
Let’s try playing an arpeggiated synth bass sound.
Turn the  lter knob to make the sound change.
How Do I Stop the Sound?
Press the [KEY HOLD] button to stop the sound.
Add More Low End!
Turn on the [TONE 3] button, and play the keyboard.
Layering three tones produces an even fatter sound.
Save The Patch You’ve Created
The GAIA SH-01 has internal memory in which you can store 64 patches
that you’ve created.
By using USB memory (sold separately), you’ll be able to store 64 more
patches.
To save your patch, press the [WRITE] button and then select the save-destination patch number;  nally press
the [WRITE] button once again.
Select the GROUP
USER PATCH
USB MEMORY PATCH
Select a BANK
Press the [BANK]
and then press one
of the [1]–[8] buttons
Select a NUMBER
Press one of the [1]–[8]
buttons
Press the [WRITE] button
Layer Tones to Create Fat Sounds!
The GAIA SH-01 lets you layer three tones together,
allowing you to create incredibly fat sounds. Use the
TONE buttons to turn each tone on/o .
A NOTE OF
ADVICE
The GAIA SH-01 lets you layer three tones together,
allowing you to create incredibly fat sounds. Use the
TONE buttons to turn each tone on/o .
ADVICE
ADVICE

8
3
STEP
Create a Pad Sound
1. Call up the “PRESET A-3” patch.
Press the [PRESET
PATCH] button
Press the [3] button
Press the [BANK] button and
then press the [1] (A) button
2. Press the [KEY HOLD] button so it’s blinking.
3. Simultaneously press the TONE 1 and TONE 2
[SELECT] buttons so they’re lit.
You can use the [SELECT] buttons to select the tone that you want
to edit.
4. Play a chord.
5. While playing a chord, set the AMP [ATTACK]
slider in the range of about 2–5.
The attack sound will become more gentle.
While you play, adjust the slider to get the desired attack.
6. Next, try pressing the TONE 3 [SELECT] button
and adjusting the sound of TONE 3.
7. Raise the FILTER [ENV DEPTH] slider from
the center position to 2. The soft sound will
become brighter.
8. Set the FILTER [ATTACK] slider to 6. Now the
sound of TONE 3 will slowly become brighter
after you play the key.

9
Here we’ll try playing a polyphonic pad sound. This is a synth pad that combines an
attack sound with a softer sound.
9. Lower the FILTER [ENV DEPTH] slider
downward from the center. The sound of TONE
3 will disappear.
For additional expressive possibilities, you can move the FILTER
[ENV DEPTH] slider while you play.
Turn o the [KEY HOLD] button, and raise
the TONE 3 AMP [R] (RELEASE) slider to the
maximum position.
The time over which the sound of TONE 3 disappears will
lengthen.
You can change how the sound varies over time by adjusting the
ADSR, so you may want to adjust these settings until you get the
sound you like.
Save the Patch You’ve Created
To save your patch, press the [WRITE] button, then select the save-destination patch number, and  nally press
the [WRITE] button once again.
Press the [WRITE] button
Adjust the Envelope!
For example, if you want to create a gradual attack, such as for strings, try
raising the [A] slider. If you want the sound to linger for a while after you take
your hand o the keyboard, raise the [R] slider.
The sound’s attack and decay are created in the ENV (envelope generator) section.
Raise or lower the [A] [D] [S] [R] sliders, and notice how they a ect the sound.
Time
Release the key
Volume
Play a key A D
S
R
Symbol Name Volume change
AAttack time Duration of the attack
DDecay time Duration of the decay
SSustain level Level while sustained
RRelease time Duration of the release
A NOTE OF
ADVICE
The sound’s attack and decay are created in the ENV (envelope generator) section.
ADVICE
ADVICE

10
Create a Wind Sound
4
STEP
Use Cuto to Control the Character of the Wind
As you turn the [CUTOFF] knob
toward the left, the sound will
become more mu ed. When the
knob is turned all the way toward
the left, the sound will be nearly
inaudible. This is because most of the
frequency range is not being allowed
to pass.
Let’s try playing a wind sound that was created using noise. Noise allows you to produce this type of sound.
We’ll try controlling the character of the wind while listening to it.
1. Turn the FILTER [CUTOFF] knob all the way to
the left.
2. Call up the “PRESET A-8” patch.
Press the [PRESET
PATCH] button
Press the [8] button
Press the [BANK] button and
then press the [1] (A) button
3. Press the [KEY HOLD] button so it’s blinking.
4. Press and hold any key. The wind will start
blowing.
The sound of trickling water will also begin.
5. While holding down the key to make the wind
continue blowing, turn the FILTER [CUTOFF]
knob toward the right, and move it between
the 10 o’clock and 1 o’clock positions.
This lets you control the character of the wind.
Level
Frequency
Overtones
being cut
A NOTE OF
ADVICE
ADVICE
ADVICE