Roland today introduced AIRA Compact – a new line of music gear that fits in the palm of your hand and is battery powered.
The Roland AIRA Compact line features three new instruments:
The T-8 Beat Machine
The T-8 Beat Machine is a mini rhythm factory, with six tracks of TR drums plus a TB-303 bass track.
Features:
- Portable rhythm and bass machine with genuine Roland sounds
- Six rhythm tracks with sounds from the influential TR-808, TR-909, and TR-606 drum machines
- Bass track with sawtooth/square waveforms and hands-on controls derived from the TB-303 Bass Line
- Analog Circuit Behavior (ACB) technology faithfully recreates the tonality and behavior of vintage Roland instruments
- Classic TR-REC drum sequencer with 64 user patterns and up to 32 steps each
- Advanced rhythm programming with probability, sub step, last step, and velocity
- Real-time recording and powerful performance features like step loop, mute, fill, reload, and pattern shift
- Color and process sounds with delay, reverb, overdrive, and sidechain compression
- Comprehensive connectivity with audio, MIDI, and sync I/O plus AIRA Link
- Class-compliant USB-C audio/MIDI interface—no drivers needed
- Lithium-ion battery with up to 4.5 hours of operation per charge
- Sturdy construction and high-quality rubber pads
- Connect to other AIRA Compacts and standard MIDI devices with optional BOSS TRS MIDI cables
Roland T-8 Audio Demos:
The J-6 Chord Synthesizer
The J-6 is a “portable synth toolbox”, featuring a four-voice JUNO-60 synth engine based on Roland’s circuit-modeling technology. While tiny it features audio, MIDI & AIRA Link connectivity and 4.5 hours of wireless operation.
Features:
- Portable song creation machine with professional Roland sound and features
- Create with 100 chord sets spanning classic and contemporary music genres
- Add arpeggios and rhythmic phrases to chords via nine styles with 12 variations in each
- Programmable chord sequencer with 64 user patterns and up to 64 steps in each
- Four-voice JUNO-60 synth engine with authentic sound realized through Analog Circuit Behavior (ACB) technology
- Includes 64 ready-to-play synth presets derived from the original JUNO-60
- Filter and envelope controls for shaping synth sounds in real time
- High-quality delay and reverb effects with customizable settings
- Comprehensive connectivity with audio, MIDI, and sync I/O plus AIRA Link
- Class-compliant USB-C audio/MIDI interface—no drivers needed
- Lithium-ion battery with up to 4.5 hours of operation per charge
- Sturdy construction and high-quality rubber pads
- Connect to other AIRA Compacts and standard MIDI devices with optional BOSS TRS MIDI cables
Roland J-6 Synthesizer Audio Demos:
The E-4 Voice Tweaker
The E-4 Voice Tweaker is a compact voice effect that lets you harmonize, auto-pitch, vocode, loop, and glitch your voice.
Features:
- Vocal performance tool with powerful voice transformer effects
- Instantly shape the sound with pitch and formant sliders
- Advanced vocal effects including Auto Pitch, harmony, and vocoder
- Dial up unique rhythmic effects with the Scatter knob
- Process the sound output with high-quality reverb, echo, tempo delay, and chorus effects
- Low-cut filter and noise gate to eliminate unwanted sounds
- 24-second looper with unlimited overdubbing, undo/redo, and automatic BPM detection
- Supports external MIDI control of pitch, harmony, and vocoder functions
- ¼-inch mic input with wide-ranging gain control
- Headphones output with support for an inline mic
- Comprehensive connectivity with audio, MIDI, and sync I/O plus AIRA Link
- Class-compliant USB-C audio/MIDI interface—no drivers needed
- Lithium-ion battery with up to 3.5 hours of operation per charge
- Sturdy construction and robust controls
- Connect to other AIRA Compacts and standard MIDI devices with optional BOSS TRS MIDI cables
E-4 Voice Tweaker Audio Demos:
Pricing and Availability
The Roland AIRA Compact series devices are available now with a street price of around $200.
The T-8 looks like the highlight of this trio. A portable battery powered TR-style drum machine with built-in 303 for under $200? Very cool.
Roland has obviously spent some money on industrial design, too.
I actually find that one the least interesting of the three. The cool thing about the synth one isn’t the synth but the fact that it can send the progressions, chords and arps as midi
I honestly thought from the look of their website that you would be able to load different instruments from the 606, 808 and 909
But you can’t. The kick is hardwired to 909 and the snare to 606 etc…
It’s also stereo only over usb and no individual outs making that end of things also a bit redundant
A complete and resounding meh from me
It’s a $200 entry level instrument. Not sure why you’re expecting individual outs and sample loading.
it is just pretty one note is all. If you want to compare them to volcas – the volca drum is a much more versatile and interesting option. The thing about these, the volcas, the behringers and even larger options like the sonicware liven are all interchangeable in that they are all easily sync’able via cv, battery powered – so they all have their uses in building a portable setup. Any one of these really needs to prove itself more useful in the ecosystem. I have all of the liven units and the volca drum and given the option between the beat machine and either of these (bass and beats from liven is really useful that way) I would choose either first. you can even in a portable setup run off a powerbank and for not much more get the same and a lot more versatility out of a model:samples.
Not samples – ACB algorithms
I would expect a watered down version of what the TR-8s can do
They used the 909 kick in the demos, but I couldn’t find it written anywhere definitively that it’s hardwired. Did you find it written somewhere?
The manual only mentions the possibility to select one of two “low toms” and either a “clap” or one of two other “toms”.
Oh, thanks, I see what you mean. I thought there must be a way. But that’s not mentioned. Weird limitation if it can’t do a standard 808 kit.
loopop review on Youtube has it all
I’ve searched every review and the manual and still can’t work out if playing the j-6 via midi…
Would a single note on an external keyboard allow you to playback the chord (the same as how an internal key will deliver a chord) , or just a single note (more like a a regular tone module)…if the former then this is a day one purchase for me…if the latter, then that’s huge fail
These look like lots of fun! About time that Roland start playing the Volca game.
Roland does Behringer doing Roland… again…… AND its actually available for sale…. so thats interesting
If we never bought into tiny gear, we would still be able to use human hands to operate them. Starting to see a tiny gear trend now with Teenage Engineering taking the Iron Throne. Did the volcas start this? Inexpensive tiny music gear?
No poor people who don’t have unlimited space did
Oh this is the first Roland device that needs no drivers.
A step in the right direction.
Korg – releases Volcas and changes the game
Roland – “We should release a worse version of those 10 years later”
I don’t recall a volca vocal looper/processor….
How much more can you water down the old roland retro sound ?
Design the Future! Make new Synthesizers, Drum Machines and Grooveboxes!
i’ll probably give the t-8 a closer look once the start shipping.. would be a nice addition to a self-contained/powered picnic table set-up underneath the boughs of an old shady tree.
tbh, wasn’t that jazzed about the e4 at first… but after a little thought, i could totally see it making its way into a lot of guitarists’ gig bags.
I’m so glad they aren’t chasing after ghosts.