You could get a Korg - Microkog (mini-keys but a huge fan base), or one from their 'Logue series.

 

I only have a Behringer Pro-1 which I rarely use these days, and I kinda want to sell it because I don't really use it and I need money for a digital organ build project and some guitar gear. But I definitely want to get a Pro-800 or a Deepmind and especially the 303 clone (don't know yet if I should buy the normal or the modded version) when the money is not so tight anymore. I don't really want to buy that much hardware, but at least one or a few analog synths are really nice to have, sometimes I'm really tired with VSTs and with hardware synths I often get different ideas and results than with plugins because of different workflow.

 

I would not get the roland. It's a digital clone that will be replaced with another digital clone as Roland have been doing for 30 years now. Also Roland has in general been terrible at maintaining product support over the years, not that it's important with this product but in general I stear clear of them if possible. Novation on the other hand has been great to update and keep their products supported and the bass station is a nice synth and dirtier then the sh101.

 

Notwithstanding your size and MIDI controller requirements, if I had to pick, I'd go Roland, Roland, Roland.

In case you're wondering, the SH-101 was my first synthesizer. So I'm quite fond of the little bugger. It's a lot more versatile than a single oscillator monophonic bass synth sounds it might be (it's got a sub osc as well, but the filter section does a stellar job).

I've no experience with any Novation synth or keyboard other than the reliability issues I've heard of (audio channels usually, but not only). No such issues with Roland gear - any of the lot - ever in my, or my peers' long experience owning them (Yamaha's got a similar reputation for building tanks - Korg, not so much).

You sound like you're limited by your budget - asking too much of a single keyboard ("it'll need not be any bigger than 1000mm x 36 mm which is the size of my keyboard pullout tray and also 100mm high" is mighty specific), so pick what you can afford, and live with it.

 

I have had issues with multiple Roland synths through the years. Lot of them are plastic with bad buttons. Especially in the 90s. Try and find a JP-8000 with buttons that does not need serious cleaning. Yes the original SH-101 was a cool mono synth and nicely build. But this was many many years ago. Roland has a proud legacy but the things they build and have been building for 25 years is not high quality hardware for the most part.

And yes the original bass station keyboard was also a plastic mess and yes even version 2 is plastiky and not amazing build but at least it's a analogue synth where the Roland Digital clone is just another clone. There has been so many Roland Digital clones over the years so would not waste my money on them. New will most likely come again claiming to once again be better making the last digitale clone obsolete.

 

Choose wisely, SH01A is a wise choice.

This bloke knows his stuff.

https://sunshine-jones.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/A-Users-Guide-to-the-Roland-SH-01A-v10Ha.pdf

 

Damn man, you're the first human I've ever heard of to have had any issues with their Roland synths.

This reminds me of a famous (long retired) guitarist who couldn't come near the (very expensive) console in the studio. The console stopped working when he was in the control room - and resumed working when he left. Simple as that. Maybe you've got the same voodoo going on with Roland (just kidding, it's likely just bad luck).

 

He definitely does. Cool guy too, I've bought more than a few bits of gear off him over the years hehe.

 

Yeah, sunshine jones wrote a great alternative manual to the Roland se02 as well... WAY better than what Roland provided.

 

do you want a mono or a poly synth?
id have a look at sequential FOURM, great at both

 

Most synths from the 90s and 00s where plastic things not really ment to last that long. So it does not matter if its Yamaha or Roland or Novation. And a tiny plastic SH01A is not going to be some magically long lasting product.

Try and find a Roland D-20 or MC-303, EG-101 or whatever plastic thing where the buttons are not a bit wonky by now. Its the same with most manufactures. That is just how things are. So when you take a cheap product like a SH01A that was never ment as a flagship or premium product dont expect it will last any longer then any other plastic gizmo.

About Rolands support of products like audio interfaces, grooveboxes, and other hardware + software solution. It has been bad, they have dropped product support quite fast compared to other companies, leaving products useless. So that is why i do not recommend Roland in general.

In like i said specificily with this one we are talking about a hardware that is a software clone of something in mini format. Roland has been cloning its analogue hardware in digital forms for 30 years now, always improving and making newer versions. So in that sense this is not anything special and will very likely be surpassed with another SH-101 digitale clone in the future.

If i personally HAD to get my first hardware synth that could send midi i would get something like a Deepmind 6. Its analogue, polyphonic, send midi data, is not overly expensive or bulky. .. and you could buy it for a resonable price used.