Roland's Founding and Early Synthesizers
Ikutaro Kakehashi established Roland Corporation in 1972 after leaving Ace Electronic Industries, quickly focusing on affordable analog synthesizers to compete with Moog and ARP. The SH series began with the SH-1000 in 1973 and evolved through models like the SH-3 and SH-5, incorporating improved oscillators and filters.
SH-7 Release and Technical Features
The SH-7 arrived in 1978 as a 44-key duophonic instrument with two VCOs, noise generator, ring modulator, and sample-and-hold, positioned between the simpler SH-5 and the larger System-100 modular setup. It featured a single 24 dB filter shared in duophonic mode and a built-in spring reverb, reflecting Roland's push toward versatile stage and studio instruments.
Notable Artists and Lasting Influence
While less publicized than Roland's Jupiter or Juno lines, the SH-7 found use among European electronic acts and experimental producers in the late 1970s and 1980s for its raw analog character. Today it remains a collector favorite for its build quality and distinctive filter response that predates the more famous Roland polysynths.
