SH-201 OR Korg R3 ? cant decide !

Geez I dunno. I was gonna get an R3 but went with the SH-201 because I liked the sound and feel of it, and the extra keys. In the long run the extra keys still weren't enough though, and I bought a fantom x6.

Price was the main deciding factor at the time. Couldn't really afford $800 for the R3, and the store didn't have any in yet. So I went with the SH-201 and I don't regret it.

That said, I bet the R3 is really amazing and if money's not an issue you gotta think about the pros and cons. What do you want to do with it?

Hey Zedius

yea I just want a addon synth to tweek and muck around on
and the 201 & r3 are in my budget
I have a motif rack es

I do like the 201 for its logical layout
and the editable appregiator

Have you done much the appregiator ?

Is there any aspect of the 201 which is kinda lame ?

appreciate your comments
Chris

Ok, the R3 is an update on the microkorg, from what I understand. Basically a microkorg with a (I imagine somewhat limited) korg radias in it. Not sure about that, but that's what I imagine.

One of the things I really liked about my buddy's microkorg is the step arpeggiator. You can drop 8th notes out in real time with a step grid. So if the R3 has something like that, I'd be interested.

The arpeggiator on the SH-201 is alright, but you can only edit it on the computer. On the computer it's easy to mess with, but I find it kinda lame just because I don't like to have my gear hooked up to the computer all the time.

The SH-201 is fantastic for tweeking, and loads of fun. I don't think you'll regret buying it if you want something to tweek and muck around on.

I would like to say I own a radias and sh-201

and I love my 201 more than my radias... crazy to say but i do.
My radias is a beauty, and I love it to death, but the 201 delivers on the leads i always seem having trouble programming on my radias.

I have all the r3 presets on my radias

heres what you gotta look at.


radias/r3 has nice pads and very trancy type sounding presets... its kinda hard to get a kick or some raunchyness out of it, im not saying its impossible, but you will work for it


the 201 is raunchy straight out of the box, easy to work with and navigate, but kinda lacks in the polyphony area, exspecially when you duel tones


so what it boils down to is what your wanting to use it for..

do you perfer raunchy sounding synths or trancy sounding synths?

you got me ...........
am liking them raunchy sounds
just listened to some samples on the roland site

the order is placed

thanks to all for your comments

I own both the R3 and SH-201. Deciding on either really depends on your priorities.

If you are using the preset sounds as a deciding factor, don't get either. These are VA synths which you are supposed to create your own sounds on. You will exhaust yourself of the preset sounds very quickly since there are not that many, so getting a Rom based synthesizer would be a better choice since they come loaded with hundreds of preset sounds.

Now, if you do want to buy a synth to create your own sounds, get the SH-201 if you don't know how to do so. I didn't know a single thing about sound design and figured it all out within a month of owning the SH-201. Although the R3 is a much deeper and overall better instrument for sound design, it would be a terrible learning experience since you have to program everything step by step, menu by menu.

hi re member

excellent response !
that pretty much covers it

thanks a lot

Sorry, I'm a bit late to the party, but I felt like adding my 2 cents.

I have both synths as well. I must say that as a learning instrument, the sh-201 definitely comes out on top. It certainly helped me understand subtractive synthesis in a simple logical way because of how it is all laid out.

The sh-201 also works quite well performance wise, once again because most parameters are tweakable right in front of you, plus the d-beam is fun, and quite configurable.

*also* the sh-201's vst plugin interface is awesome if you have it connected to your pc alot, you can save patches and tweaks in your software of choice. which is much better than the pc editor that comes with the r3, even though the r3 editor has a nice midi monitor that comes with it.

where the r3 wins out is in it's sound engine. the r3 just sounds better, plus you have more to work with, there are three effects layers you can run your sounds through, and there are quite a few awesome effects you can use. The distortions and amp modelling on the r3 are awesome, much better than the very limited overdrive on the sh-201, which sounds pretty average.

The vocoder on the r3 is great. the little lcd displays with the customisable knobs on the r3 are also good. i like the that r3 is portable, i've picked it up with one hand during performances and played it with the other. the r3 has virtual patching, which is a bit limited but certainly way more powerful than the limited options you get with the 201's lfos. also the r3's arpegiator and programmable modulator are way better.

also when you save patches with the r3, it remembers the octave you are in.. one of my pet hates is that when switching patches on the 201, i also have to make sure i'm in the right octave before a song starts.

also the r3 is alot smoother with pitch bending, you can easily hear the 201 'stepping' up when using the d-beam or the pitchbend or portamento, where i don't really notice any stepping with the r3.

however, while the r3 sounds lusher, the sounds on the 201 are nothing to sneeze at. the supersaw or whatever it's called, sounds nice and fat, and it's really easy to program up some nice lush pads or thick leads. The pulse wave is really easy to set up with some nice modulation for those old-school sweeping basslines, and the feedback osc is pretty cool.

overall though, i think they both cover different areas. the r3 has more features, but it's smaller, larger to program. the sh-201 is better play around with, tweak, and it's great for performance, and it's easy to save in a computer software workflow. If i have a sound in mind, i can usually dial it all in with a few minutes of tweaking, where the r3 would take ages of going through menus and the like.

I would say, get the 201 if you are new to synths, and want something that will let you grow and learn without much study on your part. I don't think I could have had a better introduction. Having said that, I'm planning on eventually swapping out my 201 for a prophet 08, or something similar, but i have the feeling i'll always have a place for my r3, if just for a nice portable keyboard/vocoder.

wow, that was alot longer than I expected, I hope it helps someone decide, as these are both great entry level synths.

Thanks for the info PS
And I totally agree with you on both counts as .....

I bit the bullet and bought both an R3 and sh-201

And can tell you am having a lot of fun with both

thanks again

i have both and i got the r3 for the vocoder,so wasn't a problem if the other sounds on it weren't up to scratch,which they are good enough for me,it feels quite robotic to me for some reason as if the sound is always synced to something i don't know,maybe it is just me.
it matters not much that you have to edit the arpeggio on the p.c which i don't do,when i want to use the sh201 i create arpeggio's on the juno g in one of the tracks,to play on the sh201 synced via midi lead.
i do not enjoy using the p.c. i like to keep as much man element as possible.although it can be a good tool.
for certain tasks.i love them both in their own way.