Softube Model 82

[PAK]

This synth is now on sale for $29 at pluginboutique.

Wow.
The Softube synths has really gotten cheap when you wait for one of their random sales

FWIW That's steep pricing too. It was 19€ in Feb 2024

[BONES]

I reckon $29 is about all it's worth. It's an incredibly limited instrument and the fact that it can only sound like an SH-101 makes it near useless in 2025, really. I bought it when it was really cheap, for purely nostalgic reasons. I only kept the one I bought in 1984 for a year or two and, if I'm honest, I really only bought it for its ability to be a keytar and because it was cheap. Anything under $500 in 1984 was absolutely unheard of but the used ARP Axxe I also had at that time was a much better sounding synth that I got for even less. It always sounded too "woolly" to be able to fit into a mix comfortably, given the limited production tools I had at my disposal back then.

[Cuauhtli]

Just wait for D16's Lush 2 to go on sale again. The vowel/vocal filter is a lot of fun.

[bnz]

I reckon $29 is about all it's worth. It's an incredibly limited instrument and the fact that it can only sound like an SH-101 makes it near useless in 2025, really.

Softube stuff sometimes depends on how deep you are into the Softube ecosystem. The model 82 for example comes with 6 modules for Softube Modular. In that context, it's not as limited any more. Similarly, other plugins sometimes come with Amp Room pedals or effects. Both may not be for everyone, but it's something to possibly keep in mind that Softube bundles these things in ways that might not be apparent at first glance.

[BONES]

Yeah, but then it's a completely different thing. I think it was just convenient for Softube, having already modelled many of its components for the Model 84. The SH101 made sense when I bought mine in 1985 because it sounded OK and its simplicity made it easy to program on stage, between songs. But in an age of instant patch recall, it's simplicity is a massive limitation with no upside.

[DrGonzo]

But in an age of instant patch recall, it's simplicity is a massive limitation with no upside.

It is quite useful as a beginners synth. Not much that can go wrong when taking your first steps making your own sounds.

[ghettosynth]

I would take me more time to remember the patch number than to program a sound on an SH101. I still think it's a great live synth and that's only partly related to the "sound" and the core synth components.

[zerocrossing]

I reckon $29 is about all it's worth. It's an incredibly limited instrument and the fact that it can only sound like an SH-101 makes it near useless in 2025, really.

Softube stuff sometimes depends on how deep you are into the Softube ecosystem. The model 82 for example comes with 6 modules for Softube Modular. In that context, it's not as limited any more. Similarly, other plugins sometimes come with Amp Room pedals or effects. Both may not be for everyone, but it's something to possibly keep in mind that Softube bundles these things in ways that might not be apparent at first glance.

I love a synthesis playground as much as anyone, and Softube Modular is definitely that... though an awkward one, but I definitely don't need, or want that all the time. If you have a wide pad going on with lots of movement and modulation, the last thing you want is a bass or lead sound to also share those attributes. A simple but great sounding instrument is perfect in those cases. You can also have the idea to animate a bunch of effects around a part, so a pretty simple sound also works best in those cases. If your argument to that is that there are plenty of synths that can do simple sounds, I'd ask if they sound as good when they're doing a solo bit in the mix, like during a break.

[BONES]

It is quite useful as a beginners synth. Not much that can go wrong when taking your first steps making your own sounds.

Plenty of better things around with patch memory so you can explore a range of timbres without having to know how to make them.

I would take me more time to remember the patch number than to program a sound on an SH101.

Which is exactly why it's a waste of time, space and money.

I still think it's a great live synth and that's only partly related to the "sound" and the core synth components.

Maybe if you've never seen or heard a Waldorf Rocket. It sounds way better, it is far more versatile yet also way, way simpler to patch on stage. I don't even know what I'd use a 101 for, it doesn't do anything well. It was fun to play with, and I'm hoping the Donner might take that even further, but I can't imagine ever finding an actual use for it.

[concealed identity]

The whole reason the SH-101 is popular is because a bunch of uncreative people declared it useless and it became cheap enough for creative people to make awesome sounds with it

[ghettosynth]

The whole reason the SH-101 is popular is because a bunch of uncreative people declared it useless and it became cheap enough for creative people to make awesome sounds with it

For sure. Back in the day when they were $100 it made for a great live synth. I wouldn't pay the price that people want for them today and I'm not even sure that I'd bother to buy the Behringer variant. However, to dismiss the synth because it's a simple single oscillator synth kind of misses why it's a great live synth. It's as much about the physical layout, and the interesting and trivial sequencer, and how the sequencer and the arpeggiator interact with the synth. Obviously, if you don't need the kind of simple bass/lead line that fits the synth architecture then it's not for you.

For me though, citing "the rocket" as a better choice is a silly statement that conveys a lack of experience with the SH-101. Nobody used an SH-101 for "flexibility" in terms of sound, that's not the point.

As far as the model 82. There's more to that than just the synth itself. It's really about the modeling of the Roland filter, which does sound good and if you want that in softube modular then it's a good way to get it, either that or the model 84. In any case, they still haven't added resonance modulation to the filter and so, for me, it's not interesting enough.

I don't really care about it in a DAW, I don't think that's going to give you the same experience as the physical synth.

On Edit: My bad, they have added modulation to resonance.

[bnz]

In any case, they still haven't added resonance modulation to the filter and so, for me, it's not interesting enough.

Are you sure?

Modular ResMod.png

[ghettosynth]

In any case, they still haven't added resonance modulation to the filter and so, for me, it's not interesting enough.

Are you sure?

Modular ResMod.png

I stand corrected. I took a quick look, I should have looked more carefully. I might pick that up the next time modular goes on sale.

[seafire]

Nitzer Ebb made a whole album with just an SH101

[mholloway]

Nitzer Ebb made a whole album with just an SH101

No, they didn't.

That Total Age (their debut) was made with drum machines, SH-101 and DX7 -- with these two synths frequently layered together for the bass sounds. EBM fans have been discussing for literally decades how the Nitzer Ebb bass sound was 101 + DX7, and it's well documented... so I dunno, do some research before posting nonsense statements?

All albums after that involved increasingly more gear, with heavy focus on the Xpander.