The modelled synth delivers authentic 101 tone with expanded 128-step sequencer and modern production features.
AIR Music Tech has released IONA, a virtual instrument that faithfully recreates the legendary SH-101 synthesiser while adding modern production capabilities.
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The sound engine faithfully recreates the SH-101’s oscillators, Pulse, Sawtooth, Sub and Noise, with original VCO pitch range and modulation. You can control pulse-width modulation via LFO, envelope or manually, and the LFO syncs to BPM with nine waveform shapes. The resonant filter responds to envelope, LFO and keyboard tracking, with ADSR envelope, portamento and pitch bender rounding out the controls.
“IONA captures the classic 101 tone we all know and love, then opens it up with a deeper sequencer and workflow refinements that fit today’s production styles,” says Neal Gustafson, Software Marketing Manager at AIR Music Technology. “Whether you’re sketching on MPC or finishing a track in your DAW, it’s the same instrument – and the same sound – everywhere.”
The expanded 128-step pattern sequencer keeps the original’s intuitive flow while adding transpose/shift functions and a graphical editor. An integrated arpeggiator expands what you can do beyond the hardware limits.
Onboard effects—Lo-Fi, Delay, Reverb and 3-Band EQ—let you shape sound immediately. Over 100 factory presets cover bass, lead and sequence sounds, while five colour skins (grey, red, blue, white, yellow) can be saved per preset.
IONA works across standalone MPC, MPC Desktop and DAWs. Whether you’re a beatmaker chasing powerful basslines, a producer wanting 101 authenticity without the hardware, or an electronic musician who relies on classic analogue tones, it delivers unmistakable acid bass wobbles, squelchy leads and punchy sequences without the drift, maintenance or price tag of original hardware.
Available now from AIR Music Tech.
