Roland SH-1 User manual

SYNTHESIZER
SH-1 INSTRUCTIONS
The SH-1 incorporates asub-osciliator which adds aone- or two-octave lower pitch
to the note played, thus widely expanding the sound.
The newly developed VCO and VCF guarantees stabilized pitch and
tone quality.
The SH-1 is provided with an envelope follower to make
synthesizer-like sounds from any type of sound source.
It is also provided with abender lever which greatly
helps solo performance.
The SH-1 features versatile functions like those found on larger synthesizers and
it is designed to be compact and easily operable
even by beginners.
Copyright ©1978 by ROLAND CORPORATION
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission of ROLAND CORPORATION.

PRECAUTIONS AND CONNECTION
PRECAUTIONS
•Avoid using the synthesizer in very high or low temperature
locations. Also keep it away from heaters and coolers since
this type of equipment tends to affect circuit and pitch stability.
•Avoid using the synthesizer in very dusty or high-humidity places.
•If it is necessary to piay the synthesizer in an area with neon
or fluorescent lamps, keep the synthesizer as far away from
these lamps as possible since they will induce high levels of noise.
Sometimes, changing the angle of the synthesizer in relation to
the lamps wiil help reduce noise.
•When connecting the synthesizer, plug the cord into the external
amplifier first, then the other end into the SH-1 output. To
disconnect, remove the cord from the synthesizer first, then
from the amplifier.
•To clean the synthesizer, wipe with acloth dampened with a
neutral cleanser.
Do not use solvents such as paint thinner.
COMBINING WITH ELECTRONIC ORGAN CONNECTING TO AMP
giiiniii ijjin
i*Tune to unison with middle C
ion the organ.
When playing an electronic organ in combination with the
SH-1, set the units as illustrated above. Connecting the SH-1 to an amplifier.

CONTROLS AND BLOCK DIAGRAM
-• CONTROLLER (page 8)
CONNECTION JACKS
(page 5)
MODULATOR (page 21) <
>VCO (page 9}
SUB-OSC (page 12)
NOISE (page 13)
IIXER (page 13)
HPF (page 14]
VCF (page 15)
ENVELOPE GENERATOR
(page 19)
VCA (page 18)
KEYBOARD
(page 7)
SIMPLIFIED BLOCK DIAGRAM
MIXING \
I
i
I
I
I
;
\
\
I
sCONTROL
VOLTAGES \{ SOUND \ '
N•"""
\/
1tADSR AR
!1CONTROL
1jVOLTAGES ENV-1 ENV-2
Auto
Bend vco
•
/*-%. j\»
MIXER
MOD. .SUB
OSC
^'™*
\/—J—
HPF VCF !,f VCA
\
ii
!I
NOISE \\
TONE LtV
IIVOLUME
','CULUH •'\
CON-
TROLLER —EXTERNAL
SIGNAL ENV
FOUR
\/
\/

THE ABC's OF THE SYNTHESIZER
iBASIC BLOCKS MAKING UP ASYNTHESIZER
PITCH,
determined by TONE COLOR
determined by
CONTROLLED
CONTROLLER VCO
f\ C\
-y
VCF
/v y^
Auto
Bend Env-1
MODULATION
SIGNAL
OSCILLATOR
I
VOLUME
determined by
VCA
_N^
Env-2
i
CUT
M-Vfj
V77Z
SOUND
SIGNAL
y
CONTROL
VOLTAGE
+.
GATE
PULSE
THE THREE QUALITIES OF SOUND
The three qualities of sound are: pitch, tone
color, and loudness.
Sound is the result of physical vibration in
objects. The pitch produced depends on the
vibration rate. Fig. 1shows that the higher the
vibration rate, or the higher the frequency. of
the vibrations, the higher the pitch is. Frequency
is measured in unit called the Hertz (H2}. If a
sound source vibrates at arate of 100 vibrations
per second, it is said to have afrequency of
100Hz. The normal human ear can hear sounds
with frequencies from about 20Hz to about
16,000 Hz.
In synthesizers, pitch is controlled by the VCO
(Voltage Controlled Oscillator). An oscillator is
an electronic circuit which generates swave-
form, or in this case, sound. Voltage controlled
means that avoltage is used to control the
frequency (pitch, in this case) of the oscillator;
the higher the voltage, the higher the frequency.
This, then, is the first quality of sound; pitch.
Fig. 1shows what are known as sine waves,
the simplest mode of vibration. The sound of
a sine wave is very clean and pure. Most sound
sources vibrate at many frequencies at the same
time, however. The lowest of the vibrations,
and usually the strongest, is the one which we
hear as the musical pitch of the sound source.
The presence of these other frequencies is what
gives asound source its second quality: tone
color.
The frequencies produced by the complex
vibrations of asound source are called har-
monics. Harmonics are usually multiples of the
pitch frequency. For example, consider asound
source which vibrates so as to produce apitch
with afrequency of 200Hz. The first harmonic
would be 200Hz {1 x200 =200). The first
harmonic is also called the fundamental because
this is the frequency which gives the sound its
musical pitch. The second harmonic would be
2x200, or 400Hz. The third harmonic would
be 3x200, or 600Hz; the fourth harmonic
4 x 200, or 800Hz, etc.
Fig. 2shows asquare wave. Square waves
produce atone col or much like that of aclarinet.
Square waves contain only the odd numbered
harmonics, or in other words, those frequencies
which are one, three, five, nine, etc. times the
frequency of the fundamental, or pitch frequen-
cy. The even numbered harmonics are missing.
Tone color, then, is determined by theharrnonic
content of the sound; the more harmonics
there are, the brighter the tone color. In the
synthesizer, tone color is controlled by the
VCF (Voltage Controlled Filter). The VCO
produces abasic sound wave rich in harmonics.
The VCF is used to remove (or filter out)
some of these harmonics thus controlling the
harmonic content of the finished sound. The
amount of the harmonics removed is control-
lable by acontrol voltage.
The third quality of sound, loudness, is de-
termined in asynthesizer by the level or ampli-
tude of the waveform, as shown in Fig. 3, and
is controlled by the VCA (Voltage Controlled
Amplifier).
The loudness of a sound changes during its
production. Strike apiano key- and the sound
jumps the maximum loudness. Hold the key
down and the sound slowly dies away. This
pattern of loudness in asound is called its
envelope. The output of the envelope generator
is acontrol voltage. This control voltage is used
to control the VCA, thus shaping the loudness
pattern of the output sound of the synthesizer.
FIG. 1-SOUND PITCH
-FREQUENCY
HIGH LOW
FIG. 2-TONE COLOR
=HARMONICS CONTENT
SQUARE WAVE
with three of its SiNE wave
harmonics shown on,n "HVC
FIG. 3VOLUME
=AMPLITUDE
BIG SMALL

\. CONTROLLE DVCO
PITCH =FREQUENCY
VCF
TONE COLOR =
HARMONIC CONTENT VCA
LOUDNESS *AMPLITUDE
CONTROLLER \
KEYBOARD The most common use of the key-
board control voltage is for the
control of the pitch of a VCO; the
pitch produced will correspond to
the key pressed.
The tone color of most instruments
will vary with pitch; higher pitches
often produce brighter tone colors,
lower pitches darker tone colors.
For this purpose, the VCF can be
controlled by the keyboard.
The control of loudness by means of
the keyboard is of little practical use;
the SH-1 has no provision for this
type of control.
ENVELOPE With some sounds, it is desirable to
incorporate pitch changes during the
production of each note.
The SH-1 contains aspecial envelope
generator (autobend) provided exclu-
sively for this purpose.
The tone color of many instruments,
particularly the wind instruments,
changes during the production of
each note. This effect can be produced
with envelope generator control of
the VCF. Raising the VCF RESO-
NANCE control will produce sounds
possible only on the synthesizer.
The loudness pattern (or articulation)
of asound is produced by using the
output of the envelope generator to
control the VCA.
LFO
(MODULATOR) The LFO (Low Frequency Oscilla-
tor) produces low frequency wave
forms. Using the LFO sine wave out-
put to control the pitch of the VCO
will produce vibrato effects. The LFO
square wave output will produce
trills.
With some sounds, the tone color
will vary at the same rate as vibrato.
This can be done with LFO control
of the VCF. Raising the VCF RESO-
NANCE control will produce "growl"
effects.
The SH-1 does not provide for LFO
control of the VCA; however, the
square wave output of the LFO can
be used for triggering the envelope
generators to produce rapidly repeat-
ing notes.
BASIC SYNTHESIZER THEORY
In the synthesizer, then, the three qualities of
sound are controlled by the VCO (pitch),
VCF (tone color), and VCA (loudness). The
tremendous versatility of the synthesizer is due
to the principle of voltage control. The above
table shows some of the possibilities.
The keyboard has two outputs: acontrol voltage
and agate pulse. The level of the control voltage
will correspond to the last key pressed. The
control voltage output is most often used to
control the frequency of the VCO, thus, when
8key is pressed, the VCO will produce the
pitch which is related to that key. The key-
board produces agate pulse each time akey is
pressed. The gate pulse is most often used to
trigger the envelope generator into operation.
The control voltage output of the envelope
generator, then, "opens" the VCA to let the
sound wave out, thus the synthesizer produces
sound each time akey is depressed.
The shape of the envelope is controlled by the
envelope generator sliders. When the sliders are
set, the envelope generator will generate acon-
trol voltage which corresponds to the shape of
the desired envelope. When this control voltage
controls the VCA, it regulates the loudness level
of the sound so that the loudness will rise and
fall in the desired pattern. Fig. 4shows the
output sound wave when the envelope generator
controls are set to produce aviolin-like envelope,
and Fig. 5shows the output sound for apiano-
or guitar-like envelope.
The tone color of many types of sound will
often change during the production of each
note. This can be done with the synthesizer by
using the output of the envelope generator to
control the VCF.
There are two other sources of control voltage:
the LFO (Low Frequency Oscillator) and the
S/H (Sample and Hold), each of which can be
used to control various synthesizer functions.
In the following pages, the functions of each of
the synthesizer elements is explained in detail.
When trying various sounds, try to analyze
exactly what is happening; this will give you a
better understanding of thesynthesizer. Synthe-
sizer sounds are very much enhanced by the use
of effects units such as echo chambers, re-
verberators, chorus effects, phase shifters,
flangers, etc, thus their use is highly recom-
mended.
FIG.
4
-VIOLIN-LIKE SOUND FIG. 5-PIANO-LIKE SOUND FIG. 6-PARTS OF ENVELOPE
-A*|*»D-

CONNECTION METHODS -BASIC
STEREO SYSTEM
POWER
---ON
..OFF
EXT SIG jOUTPUT
INPUT ICV GATE INPUT ITRIG CV GATE INPUT
o©
1. POWER SWITCH
Push the Power switch and the LED {light
em'tttir>g diode) will light, indicating the
SH-1 is on
NOTE: It requires about five minutes for
the SH-1 circuits to completely stabilize.
Keep this point in mind when using the
SH-1 on stage or in recording sessions.
2. OUTPUT LEVEL
Set this switch to L, M, or Haccording to
the input sensitivity of the amplifier used.
Set to Lor Mfor an ordinary guitar
amplifier and to Hfor an audio amplifier
or mixer.
3. OUTPUT
Connect to guitar amplifier, mixer, or
audio amplifier. If you use an effects unit
like an echo chamber, connect it between
the output jack and the amplifier. When
using audio amplifiers such as those in home
stereo systems, use caution with the volume
control because the synthesizer is capable
of generating sound levels high enough to
destroy the speakers.
4. PHONES OUTPUT LEVEL
This switch changes the output level at
the PHONES jack. Set it at the position to
suit the sensitivity of the headphones you
use.
5. PHONES JACK
Connect headphones to this jack. Use
headphones designed for normal home
stereo systems. Roland RH-1 headphones
©©©©
are suited for this purpose. The output
level from this jack is constant, inde-
pendent of the TOTAL VOLUME setting;
therefore, you can turn down the volume
from the speaker when adjusting sounds
with the headphones. This is very con-
venient for setting sounds on stage.
6. EXT SIG INPUT LEVEL
This is alevel changeover switch for the
external input. Set to Hfor microphone, to
Mor Hfor an electric or electronic instru-
ment. When connecting atape recorder or
other audio devices, set to L.
If the output level is low even when the
EXT SIG control on the AUDIO MIXER
is set to maximum, set the EXT SIG INPUT
switch astep higher. If the sound is dis-
torted by excessive input, change to a
step lower.
7. EXT SIG INPUT
Connect external sources such as amicro-
phone, electric guitar, electric piano, or
strings to this jack.
As the SH-1 incorporates an envelope
follower, the VCF can be controlled by
the level of the signal from the external
source to use the SH-1 as a kind of effects
unit like automatic wah. When connecting
the strings such as the Roland RS-202,
connect the gate output also to make it
possible to control the envelope generator
of the SH-1 from the strings keyboard.
With this setting, the VCF can be activated
on brass chords producing sounds like a
©©©d> ®
polyphonic synthesizer.
8. CV OUTPUT
This jack outputs the control voltage from
the SH-1 keyboard. Connect to the CV
input of an external synthesizer or the
MC-8 MicroComposer to control such
devices with the SH-1 keyboard.
9. GATE OUTPUT
The gate output from the SH-1 keyboard
can be taken from this jack. Connect to
the gate input of an external synthesizer or
the MC-8 MicroComposer for control of
such devices with the SH-1 keyboard.
10. CV INPUT
In the same way as the Gate input, control
voltages from external sources can be
connected to this jack.
When connecting external controi voltages
to control the SH-1, be sure to set the KEY
MODE switch to EXT position. (See page
8, No. 2).
11. GATE INPUT
This jack receives gate pulses from sources
such as the VK-6 or VK-9 Organ, the
Model 104 (System 100) or Model 71 7
A
(System 700) Analog Sequencer, the MC-8
MicroComposer, the RS-202 String Synthe-
sizer, etc.
12. TRIG INPUT
This jack receives external trigger pulses.
When a+15V pulse is fed to this jack, the
SH-1 gate is triggered.

CONNECTION METHODS -APPLICATION
l.SH-1 +EXTERNAL SYNTHESIZER (SYSTEM 100 -Model 101/102, SYSTEM 700, SH-7
When the SH-1 is connected with the
System 700, System 100 (Model 101/102),
SH-7, etc. the external synthesizer can be
controlled from the SH-1 keyboard. It is
also possible to control the SH-1 from the
keyboard of the external synthesizer.
Combined playing by two SH-1's is also
effective.
2. SH-1 +SEQUENCER (SYSTEM 700 -Model 717A, SYSTEM 100 -MODEL 104)
When the SH-1 is connected to an analog
sequencer like the System 700 Model 717A
or System 100 Model 104, automatic
performance is possible. When using the
System 700, up to 36 notes can be stored,
and with the Model 104, up to 24 notes
can be stored.
3. SH-1 +MICROCOMPOSER (MC-8)
When the SH-1 is combined with the MC-8
Microcomposer, performance of more than
5,300 notes can be carried out automati-
cally. The note pitch and rhythm can
be stored by use of the ten-keys. It is aiso
possible to play the SH-1 to store the pitch
and rhythm directly in the MC-8. When
eight SH-1's are used with the MC-8, eight
voices can be automatically played simul-
taneously.
4. SH-1 +GUITAR SYNTHESIZER GR-500
When the SH-1 and GR-500 Guitar Synthe-
sizer are combined, the SH-1 can be played
using the GS-500 Guitar Controller.
f
OUTPUT jPHONES
HML ,~^ IHML _
5, SH-1 +ORGAN VK-9/6
When the SH-1 and Organ VK-9/6 are
combined, the SH-1 synthesizer sound can
be produced by the upper manual of the
organ, together with the organ sound.
om>?ur
*When controlling the SH-1 from external instruments like examples 2thru 5, set the KYBD/
EXT CVGATE selector to the EXT CVGATE.
EXT SIG
INPUT OUTPUT
CV GATE !INPUT!
CV GATE

KEYBOARD
KEYBOARD
The SH-1 keyboard has 32 keys for arange
of 2-1/2 octaves, but by use of the VCO
RANGE switch and with the CONTROL-
LER section TRANSPOSE switch, the SH-1
has atotal pitch range of over eight octaves.
With the RANGE switch at 8' and the
TRANSPOSE switch at M, the iowest Con
the keyboard corresponds to middle Con
the piano.
KEYBOARD VOLTAGE
The keyboard produces acontroi voltage
which corresponds to the key pressed. This
control voltage is most often used to con-
trol aVCO so that it produces the pitch
related to the key pressed.
The SH-1 uses the relation of 1volt/1
octave (one volt per octave) which means
that aone voit change in the control voltage
will produce aone octave change in pitch.
The relation is very common and is used on
most synthesizers and related equipment,
including professional studio equipment as
well as stage type equipment. This means
that the SH-1 is compatible with most
equipment used in all forms of electronic
music.
jCL
440Hz
T-o- JL
gva
±-4.
ZE
-&-
XL.
^
-6-
-J? *.
32.7Hz
~e-
A
5.4Hz
I
I
A
130.8Hz 261 6Hz
A
523.2Hz A
1046Hz
32'
K
I
32' (TRANSPOSED)
*I
2093Hz 4186Hz 8372Hz
2' (TRANSPOSE-H) J
—
!
1*1
(TRANSPOSE-M) ->1
6'
SOUND RANGE
AVAILABLE BY SH-1
-»!
-3*
1[
!!MIDDLE C1
it
88 KEY PIANO
KEYBOARD
SH-1 KEYBOARD
KEYBOARD VOLTAGE
VK-9 ORGAN
KEYBOARD

CONTROLLER
1. TUNING
This controls the overall pitch of the SH-1.
The tunable range is ±700 cents (700
cents =perfect fifth), thus if Cwere the
center pitch, the range would be from the
Fbelow to the Gabove. With this feature,
the SH-1 can play transposing parts such as
for trumpet or saxophone without having
to rewrite the parts or transpose mentally.
When first turning the SH-1 on, be sure to
allow enough time for the circuits to
stabilize before trying to tune accurately.
2. CV/GATE SELECTOR SWITCH
Set the selector switch to EXT CV/GATE
when controlling the SH-1 with external
signals from an organ, guitar, second
synthesizer, sequencer, computer, string
synthesizer (RS-202), etc.
in performance, this switch is convenient
because it allows instant changes of control
of the SH-1 between control by its own
keyboard or from an external source.
When nothing is connected to the GATE
and CV INPUT jacks, control will always
be from the SH-1 keyboard no matter
what the switch position is.
3. VOLUME
This controls the total volume of the
output sound from SH-1. Changing the
tone color by means of the VCF sometimes
causes achange in the volume of sound. In
such cases, the volume should be adjusted
with this knob.
4. PORTAMENTO
Portamento is the sliding of anote from
one pitch to another. The synthesizer is
the only keyboard instrument which can
produce portamento effects. Through the
effective use of the SH-1 portamento
feature you can create portamento effects
like those sometimes used with trombone
and violin playing.
The PORTAMENTO knob controls the
time required for the change of pitch. As
this knob is turned clockwise, the porta-
mento time is increased. At the extreme
counterclockwise position no portamento
is in effect.
5. TRANSPOSE SWITCH
The TRANSPOSE switch transposes the
keyboard pitches up or down one octave.
L-LOW range; M=MIDDLE range, and
H=HIGH range.
[^Roland
SYFTTHBIEER
MODEL SH-1
6. BENDER
This section functions for changing the
pitch, tone color, or volume by means of
the BENDER lever (61. The BENDER
variation of the pitch is very effective for
imitation of guitar choking.
The BENDER lever controls the bend
effects. It has aclick-stop at center with a
spring return to center. When using the
BENDER for control of LFO depth, the
lever may be moved in either direction, the
effect is the same.
7. SENSITIVITY SLIDER (VCOI
This slider controls the pitch variation
range induced by the bender. At maximum,
it is possible to get atone octave variation.
Set at around "2" for normal bending.
8. SENSITIVITY SLIDER (VCF)
This slider controls the tone color variation
range induced by the bender. At the upper
position, wah pedal effects are imitated by
moving the bender lever. If the VCF
CUTOFF frequency is set high, the tone
color variation may be poor even when the
lever is moved with the VCF Sensitivity
slider at high position.

VCO -VOLTAGE CONTROLLED OSCILLATOR
VCO (Voltage Controlled Oscillator)
The VCO is the primary sound source of
the synthesizer and generates the basic
waveforms. The frequency or pitch of
these waveforms is controlied by acontroi
voltage.
VCO CONTROL VOLTAGE INPUTS
The most important control of VCO pitch
is by means of the keyboard control voltage
and the BENDER controi voltage. The
keyboard control voltage is internally
connected to the VCO. The BENDER
control voltage is connected through the
BENDER SENSITIVITY control.
Other sources of control voltage for
control of the VCO are: MOD (Modulator)
and AUTOBEND voltage, and the S/H.
Each of these may be fed to the VCO in
the amounts needed to produce the desired
effects.
1. MOD (Modulator or LFO)
With the MOD slider at high position, the
VCO is modulated by the output signals of
Modulator. The VCO pitch will vary as
shown in (1), (2), and (3) at the right,
depending on the setting of the Modulator
MODE switch.
(1) Pitch varies continuously to give
vibrato effects.
(2) Pitch varies as in atrill.
(3) Pitch varies irregularly to give random
notes.
2. AUTOBEND DEPTH
This controi adds achange of pitch at the
beginning of each note played. By raising
this control, the VCO pitch is controlled
by avoltage envelope as shown in (4) so
that the sound starts with alower pitch.
The human voice, whistling, and other
sound sources which begin on tower pitches
will sound more real and natural using this.
3. AUTOBEND TIME
This controls the time required for the
VCO to return to its normal pitch when
using the AUTOBEND. Raising the slider
increases the time. Normally, this slider is
set between and 5; special effects are
obtained with higher settings.
(1)MOD(^)
8
PITCH
TIME
(2)MOD.(n_l)
h—
PITCH
\> TIME
(3)MOD.(Random)
h
PITCH
TIME
(4)AUTOBEND
-*p
CHANGE OF PITCH

4. RANGE SWITCH
This switch changes the VCO range in one
octave jumps from 2' to 32', for atotal
range of five octaves. The 8' position of the
RANGE switch is used for sounds in the
middie sound range; the lowest Con the
keyboard will produce the pitch of middie
C. The 4' position produces pitches in the
range one octave above 8', and the 2'
position produces pitches two octaves
above 8'. The 16' and 32' positions produce
pitches one and two octaves beiow 8'
respectively,
5. WAVEFORM SWITCH
This switch selects the VCO output wave-
form.
{1) SAWTOOTH WAVEFORM (/I)
The sawtooth wave is very rich in harmonics
and therefore is used very often. It is
particularly suitable for brass and string
sounds, and for sounds which only the
synthesizer can produce.
(2) SQUARE WAVE (QJ)
The square wave is also rich in harmonics,
but it contains only the odd numbered
harmonics. The pure square wave has a
sound quality very much like aclarinet.
The clarinet and xylophone are common
sounds synthesized with this waveform, as
well as sounds peculiar to the synthesizer.
One effect which is very often used is the
continuous sound of the square wave
(without envelope control) accompanied
by portamento.
(3) PULSE WAVE (FLJ)
When the top and bottom portions of the
square wave are unequal, the result is what
is called apulse wave. The harmonic
content of the pulse wave will depend
greatiy on the width of the pulses. It is
possible to modulate, or change the puise
width by means of the LFO or the envelope
generator.
SOUND RANGES OF VARIOUS INSTRUMENTS &va -CU
-&- -e-
zs:
IT
GLOCKENSPIEL
XYLOPHONE
FLUTE
OBOE
TRUMPET
VIOLIN
CLARINET
TENOR SAX
FRENCH HORN
TROMBONE
CELLO -s_
*%rm
1Fj
8'm
1*16'
^•1
WAVEFORM
SAWTOOTH
SQUARE
DESCRIPTION
The sawtooth wave con-
tains afundamental sine
wave and its integral har-
monic sine waves at afixed
ratio. The level of each
harmonic is as shown on
the right. When fundamen-
tal content is 1,the con-
tent of nth harmonic is 1/n.
The square wave contains a
fundamental sine wave and
its odd numbered harmon-
ics at afixed ratio. The
level of each harmonic is
the same as sawtooth
wave: the content of nth
harmonic is 1/n; except
that there are no even
numbered harmonics.
PULSE
With pulse wave, the har-
monic content greatly
varies depending on the
pulse width. It is charac-
terized by alack of the
nth harmonic series when
the pulse width is 1/n. The
example on the left tacks
3rd, 6th, and 9th harmon-
ics because the pulse width
is 1/3 (33%).
HARMONIC CONTENT
F: Fundamental
F2345 6 7
PULSE WIDTH
at 33% (1/3).
F245
10

VCO -VOLTAGE CONTROLLED OSCILLATOR
6. PULSE WIDTH AND
PULSE WIDTH MODULATION
Puise width refers to the ratio of the widths
of the top and bottom portions of the pulse
wave. Puise width is measured in per-
centages as shown in the drawing at the
right. 10% pulse width produces asound
very rich in harmonics and is often used for
synthesizing sounds such as the oboe,
bassoon, and human voice. Note that a
50% puise width is nothing more than a
square wave.
In addition to using fixed pulse widths, it
is possible to modulate the puise wave so
that the width of the pulses varies con-
tinually, as shown in the drawing at the
right.
Using the LFO to modulate the pulse
width produces chorus-like sounds. The
output of the envelope generator can be
used to modulate the pulse width to
produce sounds very much like those of
pizzicato strings.
With the PWM MODE switch at MANUAL,
this control allows manual adjustment of
the pulse width. Note that the lowest
position, 50%, will produce asquare wave.
At the top is MIN (minimum) which
produces apulse width of about 10%.
With the PWM MODE switch set at LFO or
ENV-1 ,this slider controls the depth of the
LFO or ENV-1 modulation.
7. PWM MODE SWITCH
With this switch at MANUAL, the pulse
widths may be set manually by means of
the PULSE WIDTH MOD slider. In LFO,
the pulse width will be modulated by the
LFO output, and in ENV-1, by the output
of ENVELOPE GENERATOR 1.
(1) PULSE WIDTH WAVEFORM
10%
25%
50%
,—PULSE WIDTH MOD
PULSE WIDTH
MIN
1ito
Imanual
ENV-1
oAX
(2) PWM BY LFO
—PULSE WIDTH MOD —
^
PULSE WIDTH
MSN A.
AA
LFO
OUTPUT
WAVEFORM
(3) PWM BY ENV-1
ENV-1
SIGNAL
OUTPUT
WAVEFORM
r
ENV-1
—PULSE WIDTH MOD —
^
PULSE WIDTH
min n..
AA
LFO
y
ENV-1
WAVEFORMS AND HARMONICS All waveforms except the sine wave
can be generated by acombination
of afundamental sine wave of the
pitch frequency and agroup of sine
waves which are multiples of the
fundamental; therefore, any waveform
can be synthesized by combining a
fundamental sine waveform with a
proper ratio of harmonics.
The drawing below shows afunda-
mental with its harmonics. The white
notes are even numbered harmonics
and the black notes are odd num-
bered harmonics. (True harmonics are
actually slightly different from the
pitches produced by the equally
tempered scale.) Ail waveforms, except
the sine wave, contain harmonics. It is
this harmonic content that gives each
sound its particular tone color.
~e~ 8v*V -e-
i
FUNDAMENTAL 2ND 3RD 4TH 5TH 6TH 7TH 8TH 9TH 10TH HARMONIC
8' 4* 2-2/3' 2' 1-2/3' 1-1/3" -r8/9' 4/5'
11

SUB-OSCILLATOR
Sub-oscillator
The sub-oscillator is actually apart of the
VCO and generates apitch one- or two-
octaves lower than that of the VCO.
Three types of waves are available: aone-
octave lower square wave, atwo-octave
lower square wave and atwo-octave lower
pulse wave.
Mixing the sub-oscillator output with the
VCO output will give new dimensions to
your sound, as if two VCO's were used.
Figure (1 }shows the combination of a
PWM wave from the VCO and aone-
octave lower square wave, which can be
used to synthesize accordion or organ
sounds.
Figure (2) shows the combination of a
square wave from the VCO and atwo-octave
lower square wave, which can be used to
synthesize vibraphone sounds.
Figure (3) shows the combination of a
pulse wave from the VCO and atwo-octave
lower pulse wave, which produces very
heavy sounds suited for rock music and
effective forad-!ib performance.
The correct adjustment of the AUDIO
MIXER controls is very important since
the sound will vary greatly with different
balances.
1. 1OCT DOWN (ACCORDION, ETC. See page 34.
zFtFfcF
1OCT DOWN
2. 2OCT DOWN (VIBRAPHONE, ETC. See page 35.)
VCO
SUB
OSC
Jtftfutf- ..nnn
SQUARE WAVE
zFTbllF:
2OCT DOWN rU
YMIXED WAVE
MIX) *AUDIO MIXER O'
VCO OSC WISE SO
3. 2OCT DOWN (VERY HEAVY SOUND FOR ROCK. See page 37.)
JtMJLb J] ._ _[L
VCO PWM WAVE
-n-~n
2OCT DOWN nI
MIXED WAVE
MIX) •»
MODULATOR
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\
DEPTH TtUE PULSf WtfrT*
SUB OSC
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ru
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NOISE
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12

NOISE GENERATOR AND AUDIO MIXER
NOISE GENERATOR
The NOISE GENERATOR is used as the
sound source for effect sounds like wind,
surf, and thunder.
Two types of noise are available: white
noise and pink noise.
White noise is the random combination of
all frequencies, This kind of noise is like
the hissing sound which can be heard
when an FM tuner is set at apoint where
there is no station broadcasting. Pink
noise is similar, but has some of the higher
frequencies filtered out to produce asound
more like awaterfall.
The random notes of the MOD (Modulator)
are due to irregularly changing voltages
produced by sampling the noise wave.
AUDIO MIXER
This mixer mixes outputs of the VCO,
Sub-osciHator, Noise Generator, and the
external input signal.
The OVERLOAD indicator lights when the
external level is excessively high. The
indicator is not related to the position of
EXT SIG slider. Keep the externa! signal
level so that the overload indicator goes on
at the peak volume.
NOISE WAVEFORM
MIX
jAdding S
1to vco r
INC
UB-
3P
osc
=UN
1c
CIF
ct E
LE
)ownn
_L-
<y
13

HIGH PASS FILTER
HIGH PASS FILTER
Before entering the VCF, the signals mixed
in the AUDIO MIXER pass through the
HPF (High Pass Filter). The HPF blocks
iow frequencies and passes high frequencies.
With the CUTOFF FREQ control at its
lowest position, all sounds pass through the
HPF without change; this may be thought
of as its normal position. When the CUTOFF
FREQ control is raised, the HPF will
remove the lower harmonics from the sound
source, thus brightening the sound. It is
normal for higher positions of this control
to produce lower levels of output sound;
compensate for this by raising the VOL-
UME control.
The HPF can be used for synthesizing
harpsichord and oboe sounds, for example.
WAVEFORM CHANGES IN THE HPF
°U_1 w
B
V
k
N
HPF FREQUENCY RESPONSE
dB
FREQUENCY
ACTION TO BE TAKEN WHEN DESIRED SOUND CANNOT BE PRODUCED.
Tune with piano,
organ, pitch pipe,
tuning fork, etc.
Raising HPF
may reduce
volume.
No sound is produced
when ail ENV controls
are set at "0"
Normally set at
KYBD GATE.
Normally set PORTAMENTO at "0" -"3".
VCF will oscillate
with Resonance at
high position.
With HOLD at
high position,
sound continues
indefinitely.
No sound at "0" position.
No sound with Cutoff Freq at very low
position.
When no sound is produced at all check the following items.
(1
}
Are the POWER switches of the SH-1 and amplifier on?
(2) Are volume controls of the external amplifier, mixer, etc. raised?
(3) Are connections correct? (See page 5.)
(4) Are the cords defective?
14

VCF -VOLTAGE CONTROLLED FILTER
VCF
(VOLTAGE CONTROLLED FILTER}
The VCF is alow pass filter whose cutoff
frequency (or filtering characteristics) can
be controiied by means of acontrol
voltage. The VCF, being alow pass filter,
acts in away opposite to that of the
HPF, It passes low frequencies and blocks
high frequencies.
The VCF is used to alter tone colors by
cutting or boosting harmonics in the signals
sent from the VCO or noise generator.
1. CUTOFF FREQ CONTROL
This control determines the frequencies
which will be removed by the VCF. At its
highest position, all sound passes through
the VCF without change, thus this may be
considered its normal position. If the
control is slowly lowered, it will begin to
shave off the upper harmonics of the sound
passing through the VCF. In its lowest
position, the VCF CUTOFF FREQ control
will remove ail frequencies so that the
VCF blocks all sound.
NOTE: If the synthesizer produces no-
sound, this is one of the first things you
should check.
Tone color is determined by the waveform,
or the harmonic content, of the sound;
the more harmonics there are, the sharper
the waveform and the brighter the tone
color. The fewer the harmonics there are,
the more rounded the waveform will be
and the softer the tone color.
The polarity of the envelope control voltage
which reaches the VCF is determined by
the ENVELOPE POLARITY switch (7). In
the normal {/S.) position, the VCF cutoff
frequency point will rise, following the
shape of the envelope, each time the
envelope generator is triggered. Since the
cutoff point rises, the CUTOFF FREQ
control should be kept away from its HIGH
position, otherwise the envelope will have
no effect.
With the ENVELOPE POLARITY switch
in the invertedd^"} position, the cutoff
point of the VCF will fall, following the
envelope pattern, thus, for this position,
the CUTOFF FREQ control should be
kept away from its LOW position for the
envelope to affect the VCF.
The cutoff frequency is also affected by
the KYBD slider. Compensate for this by
adjusting the CUTOFF FREQ slider.
o©©I
VCF FREQUENCY RESPONSE
t
dB
FREQUENCY
^fe^s tr^^mrs^ r^r^r\/
15

2. RESONANCE CONTROL
This control accents the frequencies at
the cutoff point of the VCF. At "0", the
RESONANCE control has no effect. The
effect will become stronger, the higher
the control is raised.
With the RESONANCE control at ahigh
position, moving the CUTOFF FREQ slider
will produce sounds peculiar to the synthe-
sizer.
At about "8", the frequencies at the cutoff
point are accented so strongly that the
VCF starts to oscillate by itself, or in
other words, it begins generating asine
wave even with no input to the VCF.
The frequency of this sine wave will
depend on the position of the VCF
CUTOFF FREQ control.
When the KYBD slider is raised, the pitch
can be controlled with the keyboard to
play music. In addition, avariety of effect
sounds are also obtained by the oscillating
VCF.
When the resonance control is set at ahigh
position, total volume may fall. The volume
should be compensated for with the
volume control.
3. ENV-1 CONTROL
With this control raised, the cutoff point of
the VCF will change during the production
of each note, following the pattern dictated
by the setting of ENVELOPE GENERA-
TOR 1. This type of VCF modulation is
very often used with brass sounds.
For example, with the ENV-1 controls at
around A=0, D=5, S=0, R=5, thek_ type
envelope controls the VCF. The VCO
waveform, asquare wave in this case, is
modified from Ato Eas shown at the right
each time akey is depressed.
At the instant akey is depressed, the
cutoff frequency is high and the original
VCO wave passes unchanged.
As time passes, the envelope voltage falls
and the cutoff frequency lowers, changing
the waveform from Bto D.
If the cutoff frequency slider is lowered
below acertain level, signals are blocked as
shown at E.
With the ENV-1 polarity in the inverted
position (V^hthe VCO waveform changes
in the opposite way. Normally, the Polarity
switch is set in the normal positionf/^-J.
The inverted (\y^ )envelope is used for
producing special effects.
»FUNCTION OF RESONANCE CONTROL
t
FREQUENCY
CONTROL OF VCF BY ENVELOPE (K_)
VCF
^
BVCF
VCF No signal passes.
16

VCF -VOLTAGE CONTROLLED FILTER
4. MOD (Modulator)
Controiiing the VCF with the Modulator
MODE switch at the [r\A position produces
effects like continuous wah pedal move-
ment. With the MOD slider at the maxi-
mum, growl or flutter effects are produced.
With the RESONANCE slider at the lower
position, tremolo effects are produced,
which is aslight varying of the loudness.
With the Modulator MODE switch at
RANDOM, the VCF response varies
stepwise to produce very interesting tone
color changes which are useful for proces-
sing noise or external signals.
5. KYBD CONTROL
This control allows control of the VCF
cutoff point by means of the keyboard
control voltage. The tone color of many
instruments will change with pitch; this
effect can be produced by means of
keyboard control voltage control of the
VCF cutoff point. When the siider is set at
maximum, the VCF cutoff frequency will
change at the rate of 1volt/1 octave, and
the VCF CUTOFF FREQ control will
have to be set alittle lowe- than it would
be without keyboard contro
6. EXTSIG ENV FOL'R
{ENVELOPE FOLLOWER) CONTROL
This control will allow the VCF cutoff
point to follow the level of an externa!
audio signal. To get effective wah effects,
keep the external signal level so that the
overload indicator goes on at the peak
volume.
The best wah effects are obtained with
instruments whose sounds decay slowly,
such as guitars and pianos. It is also inter-
esting when used with wind instruments
and the human voice. See pages 47 and 48.
CONTROL VOLTAGES ON VCF
*^V- 1BENDER H
Cut Off Resonance
Freq.
CONTROL OF VCF BY KYBD-CV
III II III II III
Filter characteristics changes with pitch.
KYBD-CV i
at maximum
KYBD-CV 'Filt8r characteristics are constant without regard to sound pitch.
J
at minimum _j *-
CONTROL OF VCF BY ENVELOPE FOLLOWER
OVERLOAD
EXTERNAL
INPUT o
EXTERNAL
SIGNAL Envelope
Follower
EXAMPLE OF SETTING TO USE ENVELOPE FOLLOWER
AUDIO MIXER Oto"'
vcd osc must sc
HPF
euro" >n
ENV-2
.»
—\—.
DI =I'
VCA
HOID
=I- D
—U— j
17

VCA -VOLTAGE CONTROLLED AMPLIFIER
VCA
(VOLTAGE CONTROLLED AMPLIFIER)
The VCA is an amplifier whose gain is
controlled by acontrol voltage. In other
words, the varying control voltage acts
much like avolume control to any sound
passing through the VCA. If the output of
the envelope generator is used to control
the VCA, then the sound passing through
the VCA wili take on aloudness pattern
corresponding to the shape of the envelope
voltage.
1. ENVELOPE SWITCH (ENV-1/ENV-2)
This switch decides which of the two
envelope generators will control the VCA.
At ENV-1, the envelope used for control
of the VCF is also used for the control of
the VCA.
Normally this is set at ENV-1, which has
A(attack), D(decay), S(sustain), and
R(release) controls. The ENV-2 has
A(attack) and R(release) controls only
and is convenient for synthesizing con-
tinuous sounds like the violin and organ.
When controlling the VCA by an envelope
separately from the VCF (for brass instru-
ments, for example), use ENV-2.
2. HOLD CONTROL
When there is no envelope, the VCA is
"closed" and will not pass sounds. Raising
the HOLD control will "open" the VCA to
let sounds through. It is most often used
when it is desirable to control the sound
envelope entirely by means of the VCF,
or when tuning the synthesizer, or when
processing external sound sources.
When controlling the VCAwith an envelope,
set the HOLD slider at "0". If the HOLD
slider is raised, the volume of sound
cannot be controlled by the envelope as
shown at the right. With the HOLD slider
at "10", the VCA is completely "open"
and sound is produced at aconstant volume.
FUNCTION OF VCA
HOLD
FUNCTION OF HOLD
HOLD A
at maximum j
tu
D
.:/,J. .V "'-'
wmm mm
%w im
HOLD
at middle
HOLD
at minimum

ENVELOPE GENERATOR
"ENVELOPE GENERATOR
Depressing akey on the keyboard triggers
the envelope generator into action. The
envelope generator generates acontrol
voltage which varies with time according
to the control settings. This controi voltage
is used to controi the VCF cutoff frequency
point so as to vary the tone color during
the production of anote, and/or it is used
to control the VCA to give the output
sound its loudness contour. The drawing
on the right shows the four parts of an
envelope.
The SH-1 incorporates two envelope
generators. The VCF is controlled by the
ENV-1, while the VCA can be controlled
by either the ENV-1 or ENV-2.
ENV-1 has four controls: A(attack),
D(decay), S(sustain}, and R(release).
ENV-2 has two controls: A(attack) and
R(release) with asustain level set perma-
nently at maximum.
CONTROL BY ENVELOPE
When controlling the VCF and VCA with
envelopes, four combinations are possible;
1. Controlling VCA with ENV-2
Only the VCA is controlled by the AR
sliders of ENV-2 to synthesize the sound of
strings, etc.
2. Controlling VCA with ENV-1
Only the VCA is controlled by ENV-1 to
synthesize piano-like sounds.
3. Controlling both VCF and VCA with
ENV-1
Both the VCF and VCA are controlled
with ENV-1.
This mode is most frequently used.
4. Controlling the VCF with ENV-1 and
the VCA with ENV-2
The VCF and VCA are controlled by
different envelopes to synthesize brass
sounds.
GATE TRIGGER SELECTOR SWITCH
This switch selects the pulse which will
activate the envelope generator.
19
ENV-1 OUTPUT (ADSR
KYBD GATE
ENV-2 OUTPUT (AR)
A(ATTACK TIME) CONTROL This slider controls the amount of time which is
required for the voltage to reach its maximum ievei after akey is depressed. This is
called attack time.
D(DECAY TIME) CONTROL This slider controls the amount of time required for
the voltage to fall to the level set by the SUSTAIN control. This time is called
decay time.
S(SUSTAIN LEVEL) CONTROL This slider determines the level to which the
voltage will fall at the end of decay time. Once this level is reached (at the end of
decay time) it will be held until the key is released,
Note that if the SUSTAIN control is set at maximum, there will be no decay time
since the voltage level cannot fall to maximum. With the SUSTAIN control at
maximum, then, the DECAY control has no effect.
Note that ATTACK, DECAY, and RELEASE control time elements and SUSTAIN
controls level.
R{RELEASE TIME) CONTROL This slider determines the amount of time required
for the voltage to fall to minimum level after the release of the key.