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4.84.8 out of 5 stars
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21 Reviews

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Greatest Low Cost Roland Synthesizer

I have had Roland synthesizers for the past 40 years. Everything I've purchased from them have been great. The stuff that was early and pre-middy to the newest objects still on sale brand new right now. You can't go wrong with Roland and this Gaia synthesizer is extremely powerful. You can find these for around $400 or $500 used all over the place and in great shape, this synthesizer sounds incredible and is the most programmable and easy to use synth on the market today. Great sounds and the famous Roland filters make this bad boy a must have. It's even battery powered for those who want to take it on the go. Use it straight as a synth or as a controller into your computer setup. Either way, you can't go wrong for the money hereRead full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: jogulley30

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Great modern synth features with classic analog sound, awesome value!

If you are looking for an affordable keyboard that allows you to capture that 80s analog synthesizer sound, look no further. Roland has included lots of easy & fun analog-like features into its GAIA SH-01 portable digital synthesizer. Three independent tone generators (featuring familiar LFO, Osc, Filt, Amp & ADSRs) can be layered in limitless combinations. Lots of knobs & sliders allow you to create infinite patches & save/recall them using onboard or USB storage. The synthesizer output can be routed through an effects section with distortion, flanging, delay-line & reverb before producing its stereo, mono & headphone outputs.

There is a powerful preprogrammed arpeggiator & a phrase recorder/player with tap-tempo capability. The 37-key, velocity-sensitive keyboard has good action & is solid. A pitch bender & modulation lever and an optical hand-sensor allow you to add expression & special effects. As a hidden bonus, there is an additional polyphonic General-MIDI tone generator built-in which can be commanded from an external MIDI sequencer or keyboard.

The package is only about 11 Lbs and will run on 8 NiMH AA 1.2V rechargeable batteries & the unit comes with an AC adapter. There is a stereo input jack to input music (e.g. from MP3 player) which you can mix in with your performance & this input has a basic vocal-eliminator option built-in. There are standard MIDI-IN & MIDI-OUT/THRU jacks & the USB PC connection supports USB-MIDI-IN/OUT as well as capture & playback of streaming audio. There are so many great features on this keyboard, it's hard to list them all.

Just to be fair, there are some very-minor negatives I have noticed, most probably due to trying to keep the price affordable & I will list them here: Cannot use regular 1.5V dry-cell batteries; PC software sold separately (~$80); Lightweight plastic case gives less of a professional feel; Cannot easily use onboard GM tone generator locally; No readouts of the current "analog" settings; System settings & secondary features are accessed by cryptic button sequences.

In summary, the Roland GAIA SH-01 Synthesizer is a fun, feature-rich keyboard with great sound & expressiveness in a portable, affordable package. It is ideal for anyone wanting to recreate that distinctive analog-synthesizer sound & still remain compatible with current MIDI, USB & PC-based instruments. I think Roland has a real winner here & I am having a lot of fun with it.Read full review...

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Amazing!

I have wanted this synth for a while now, and it took me a while to make the purchase due to people saying it sounded bad in the forums. I guarantee the ones that said it sounded bad have never played one or dug deeper than the presets. I am honestly blown away by this amazing little synth. It has tons of potential and begs to be tweaked. I think I enjoy it more than my high end analog synth! Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: new | Sold by: interstatemusicllc

by

Great starter synth

got this as my first ever foray into synthesis. some of the presets are very questionable but it's super easy to make sounds i dig. the aux in is awesome. the fact i can use it as an interface, awesome. i'm in loveRead full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: new | Sold by: thewindingcompany

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Roland Gaia

Versatile , a lot of bang for your buck, great tool for creativity. A step forward from my Juno 6! It has 64 hidden presets too!

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: merchandisevault

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Ultimate Synth for the Price!

This wonder-synth does everything they say it does and more! The ONLY limitations this synth has is me. The gentleman I bought it from is awesome and goes way beyond the call of duty.

by

Gaia is a nice entry-level hardware VA synth for the price.

This is a great sounding entry level virtual analog synth. I've worked with and owned true analog synths in the 80s and have been using digital synths and now virtual synths ever since. I wanted a virtual analog hardware synth that would rekindle the joy I remember from back in the days, when I would need a certain sound and could conjure it up quick with a few tweaks and twists of knobs. The Gaia provides this.

In terms of fatness of sound, it is not the fattest analog or virtual analog currently on the market. But for the price it is a great VA synth with lots of fun possibilities and one-for-one knobs which is why I got it. I personally and happy with the sound I get out of it, and by the time the sounds are mixed in my tracks they sound fat enough to get the job done.

The keyboard in another reason I got this. I'm a pianist with full weighted 88-key keyboards and I wanted something with a nice synth action. I also was brought up on the Roland pitch bend and mod stick so I prefer this to wheels. I like the key bed which is great for fast leads and bass lines.Read full review...

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Roland gaia

I love this synth. I can't stop playing it. It's the best item I have ever bought on Ebay,

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: iamdaveauctione...

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Awesome analog sauce!

Best of both analog and digital worlds!
Virtual analog indeed!

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: fgspecial

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Roland Gaia

Fast shipping. Just as described. Great powerful affordable polyphonic synth

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: xkalay3000

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