DinSync R-101 turns Roland SH-101 tribute into rackmount synth

DinSync has pushed its SH-101 tribute into rack form with the R-101, a 150 mm deep 19-inch unit built with Krumptronics that swaps the little Roland keyboard shell for something far easier to park in a studio, modular rig, or live rack. That change sounds simple, but it lands right on the old argument vintage synth people actually care about: if the SH-101’s magic was sound, workflow, and that compact plastic body all at once, what does “most authentic” mean once one of those pillars is gone?

The answer from DinSync is to keep the circuit attitude as close to the original as possible. The R-101 uses a Trevor Page Goblin CPU with MIDI in and out, and the Goblin documentation describes it as a highly accurate replication of the original SH-101 processor, with the same core functions plus MIDI control. It can even move the VCF cutoff by MIDI CC #74 or note velocity, which is exactly the sort of modern convenience that makes sense on a rack module without pretending the 101 was ever meant to live there.

Under the hood, the parts list stays stubbornly old-school in the right ways. DinSync’s RE-101 parts listing calls for a Curtis CEM3340 VCO, an Analogue Renaissance RE3109 VCF, a Toshiba TC4013B sub-oscillator, and a separate BA662 clone. The coverage of the R-101 says the rack version follows that same philosophy, using a genuine Curtis CEM3340 VCO, an Analogue Renaissance 3109 filter, and a new BA662 replica VCA. That is not generic “vintage character” marketing. It is a very specific attempt to preserve the SH-101’s circuit behavior instead of merely approximating the vibe.

The tradeoff is obvious, and for some players it is the whole point. A real SH-101 gives you the keyboard, the sliders under your hands, and the odd little physical ergonomics that helped make the machine feel immediate. A modern clone can be cheaper and more convenient, while software emulation can be opened anywhere, but neither gives you the same tactile object. The R-101 gives up the instrument-as-handheld-machine part of the story in exchange for reliability, cleaner integration, and far less studio real estate.

That is why the rack format matters now. DinSync has already built credibility with replica work like the RE-303 and RE-606, and the RE-101 base kit bundle on the RE-303 Web Shop is listed at 4,600.00 kr, which puts the project squarely in boutique territory. The R-101 was shown in blue and red at Superbooth 2026, where tickets were already on sale and the program was still being rolled out in stages. In a market that already includes SH-101 clones and modernized takes from Behringer, Donner, and Superlative, plus MIDI retrofit paths from Kenton Electronics and Tubbutec, DinSync’s pitch is narrower and stronger: keep the 101 sound, modernize the control, and admit that sometimes the best place for a classic synth is not under a keyboard at all, but in the rack beside the rest of a working setup.