Roland SH-2000 Analog Monophonic Preset Synthesizer

The Roland SH-2000, released shortly after the SH-1000 in the early 1970s, is a simplified version of its predecessor. This monophonic synthesizer was designed to be more accessible to its target demographic at the time, which included churches and casual home organists. Like the SH-1000, the SH-2000 was designed to complement home organs, featuring a front control panel with organ-style selector tabs and an included wooden sheet music stand. The SH-2000, while less flexible than the SH-1000, still made a significant impact in the world of early synthesizers by offering a user-friendly interface for those new to electronic music.

Despite its limited capabilities compared to the SH-1000, the SH-2000's velocity-sensitive keys were an innovative feature, allowing for more expressive playing. This model provided an easier entry point into synthesis, with its simpler interface and more straightforward operation, making it appealing to a broader audience.

The SH-2000 is used by Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim, Mighty Dub Kats), 808 State, Blondie, Human League, Mike Oldfield, and Jethro Tull.

The Roland SH-2000 features several colorful tab switches which are used to select any one of its 30 Preset sounds, a significant increase from the 10 presets on the SH-1000. However, these presets are relatively limited in terms of sound design flexibility compared to the SH-1000’s full control panel. The only editable controllers available are the filter’s cutoff, resonance and modulation sliders, LFO modulation rate, portamento, vibrato, pitch bend, volume and master tuning. The filter and LFO are severely limited and there are no ADSR envelope controls.

Nonetheless, the SH-2000 retains the cool ‘Growl’ and ‘Wow’ effects and the Random Note Generator from the SH-1000. These and other functions like a vibrato and pitch variation can be controlled via the 37-key aftertouch-sensitive keyboard. 

Its simple interface and preset sounds made it a practical and appealing option for musicians looking for straightforward electronic sound without the complexity of more advanced synthesizers.