Bad Gear - Roland GAIA SH-01

It looks like a package to beat or live the synth suites we got in DAWs such as FL - I remember thinking it was nice and contemporary around 2012. Why didn't i buy this one? Its down to some sound nitty grittys maybe but i think this will work is good.

Do ppl remember this was like 300 bucks when it came out? As they use to say, eh close enough

Am I missing something?
This sounds very good?

if I hear "versatile" I think of the Gaia. Had about 20 Synths back in PreCorona Time, like the Peak, Prophet 6, Rev2, Hydrasynth, Juno106 or Poly.... the Gaia was the most fun, most versatile and most creative, for me personally. The other ones were nice but after 2 or 3 Weeks they didn't motivate because you already knew what they'll bring. With the Gaia it was everyday sth new. Miss it ❤

I'm pretty sure Grimes use to use this synth live back in the day. You know before dating Elon.

Que intro tan chingon, me encanta !!. Yo compre ese sintetizador hace 12 años y me encanto, para los principiantes es un sintetizador alucinante.

From which movie is this intro scene?

Got this synth....love this synth....goa juno reactor style love!

Mannys in Australia have this on sale for approx $550 for a limited time …might get one .

I would like to test it if it can hardstyle :)

I remember being so jealous of this synth. Before it's release I had got myself a Sh-201 because I thought it would be a great first synth to start with. I always hated the sounds of it and at the music stores this one sounded so much better. But speaking about it now, it's only slightly impressive and mostly rather silly sounding. Not for me, but still better than Sh-201.

I really love how simple-to-intermediate this synth is. Very usable, and not overwhelming! Even in 2023, I do not see another board that competes directly with it, unless you give up the fantastic Roland joystick for vomit-inducing pitch & mod wheels, or worse.

sorry gaia i loved you but behd gieu says you're a scam 😔😔😔😔

Der Homie neben mir hat schon mal V-Link benutzt.

Seems like there will be some new Roland goodness on the way with the brand new Gaia 2 ; can't wait 😂

Remind me 3 years. Gaia 2 announced.

Wow, Du bist echt ein Genie, Hut ab! Ich brauche wahrscheinlich mindestens 2.5 Mio Lichtjahre (bis Andromeda), um auf Dein Niveau von Music Production zu kommen und aus jedem, auch so einem beschissenen Device, solche Meisterstücke zu zaubern.

I purchased it when it first came out. It was the first analog synth I personally owned. I still have it in mint condition. The Roland Gaia works awesome with outboard effects or processed through the Roland SP 404MKII. The Roland Gaia also leaves a lot of room to add your own saturation and harmonic distortiom. At this point, I don't think I'd ever sell it. Most keyboards usually get a second wind on the resell market decades later.

All of the comments criticising the GAIA here are nonsense - including from this reviewer. I own a Juno106, Jupiter 6 and many other classic synths - and - the GAIA holds its own with ALL of them from a raw sound point of view.

Debating whether it's VA or samples is splitting hair, and meaningless. The JD800 and JD990 are sample based - and regarded as among the most luscious synths ever made. Indeed OMNISPERE is mostly sample based!

But beyond the base sound which is totally fine as said above, the GAIA offers instantaneous access to almost all important parameters, and then the 3-partial structure provides for mind-boggling sound design possibilities. To boot, while the D-beam was never popular, actually on the GAIA it's amazing because applying it to, say, LFO parameters is a snitch - and then you're straight into, say, Jarre territory -so easily ( as just one example).

Overall, this is a mind-blowingly versatile instrument. You really Are only limited by your imagination - and I suspect that's the issue with many who rate it poorly - they have no imagination and cannot find a path to exploring it's vast scope and potential.

Its keys feel fine, the white chassis is bright and optimistic, it lights up great even in a darkened location and overall, I adore the GAIA just as much as my beloved Juno 106 (in fact - they make a great duo when composing).

What with the GAIA 2 now out - you'll pick up a GAIA for half of what is suggested here and - it's a steal - it's a fantastic little synth in true Roland legacy format.

Just want to say, Grimes made some of the most killer jams of the 2010s with that thing, imo 😎 🎹

I picked one up yesterday for cheap and I can't wait to play with this thing. So many schools around the world did not buy this just because it's a crappy synth. As mentioned many times it is great for learning synthesis.

You use too much side snippets in your video it is sooo annoying and looks unprofessional

The leads was compiled crap, but the rest was quite creative, I like the synth pads and the bass is quite rewarding, the layout of the keyboard is excellent, I recently bought the Gaia 2, a great improvement over the Gaia 1.

I just found this used for a decent price in my area and am hoping it will be a good intro into syth/more creativity.

Gaia SH-01 was my first synth. While it isn't the best synth, and is quite knee-capped in terms of the kinds of sounds it can make, I have fond memories of laying in bed at 15 years old with this thing in my lap, headphones in, and jamming my heart out on it.
As a 15 year old, this thing was my favorite thing. It was extremely easy to learn how to program simple loops and taught me a lot about subtractive synthesis. Even someone who has never heard of an oscillator before (like me at 15) can sit down and within an hour deeply understand the waveforms, ASDR, filters, LFOs, polyphony vs mono, bending, portamento, etc.

I can relate to the frustration at a lack of split functionality. One has to wonder, however, why a synth with a 37-note keyboard would include a split function (if one wasn’t slaving it to a MIDI controller with a bigger keyspan).

My microKorg XL has one bi-timbral patch. It’s a patch with kick drum tone at one end of the keyspan and a snare drum tone at the other w/ filter cut-off assigned to the mod wheel. That’s not the same as (say) a split bass patch.

I don’t know I think the sound is pretty amazing…

If the SH-201 had the build and aesthetics of the GAIA without the flimsy silver plastic knobs it would have legendary status. It does what the Gaia does but actually sounds good. IYKYK

HOLA ESTOY POR COMPRAR UNO Y VI TU VIDEO GRACIAS

Very fragmented and confusing review.

Is the Gaia capable of the Hoover , What The ?... patch of the Alpha Juno because of its super saw ?
Cheers😊

Omnsipehere has the same samples. Is that weird or just industry standard

Awesome! Thank You!

Gotta say .. i just love how you proceed to slag off almost every bit of kit that i own ... and then proceed to create music that makes me just love it all even more ! 🙂.. salut to you sir !!

samples or no this thing sounds good is great to learn on i got mine for $300 on craigslist first synth learned alot from it

Jam 2 is amazing :o <3

20 secs - outa here - worra jodrell ..

I love my Gaia and need to spend some quality time with it SOON!

I still want one. Even with the joystick. I keep seeing them on local for sale pages, but only when i dont have any spare money!

Welcome to bad accents lol

It's truly dreadful sounds like a bad soft synth sold after 2 weeks.

I still like this and really a fan of the Gaia 2,flaws and all,the work around, don't use what doesn't work on that track,use another synth to do that function 😊 via trigger or the synth itself

Thank you very much for the good content. I'm a guitarist, and I'm completely new to the synth world, but I'm in love with the possibilities when it comes to create your own sounds. 
I'm in the market for a midi controller that I can use with GarageBand, and in the city where I live there aren't many options. In a store I saw the Gaia SH1, and the Arturia Keylan MKII. Can the Gaia be also used as a MIDI controller?... Which one have better compatibility with GarageBand? I thank you very much. Greetings.

what program can I use it with?

Sounds awesome. I guess i have a good ear for bad gear.. Will there come a day you review " good gear" to find out what i could have bought 😅