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Quickly and easily add snappy basses and expressive leads with the 4-voice Roland AIRA Compact S-1 Tweak Synthesizer. Inspired by the legendary SH-101, the S-1 Tweak Synth is a potent micropolysynth with futuristic wave manipulation, onboard sequencing, and a range of unique performance features. Create lavish tones with oscillator, envelope, filter, and LFO sections, adjust effects with dedicated knobs, and dive into deeper design tools with quick combo button presses. The bottom section of the panel features 26 multifunction pads, providing access to a keyboard with a two-plus octave range, a step-sequencer interface, and a wealth of creative options to spark fresh ideas.
Quickly and easily add snappy basses and expressive leads with the 4-voice Roland AIRA Compact S-1 Tweak Synthesizer. Inspired by the legendary SH-101, the S-1 Tweak Synth is a potent micropolysynth with futuristic wave manipulation, onboard sequencing, and a range of unique performance features. Create lavish tones with oscillator, envelope, filter, and LFO sections, adjust effects with dedicated knobs, and dive into deeper design tools with quick combo button presses. The bottom section of the panel features 26 multifunction pads, providing access to a keyboard with a two-plus octave range, a step-sequencer interface, and a wealth of creative options to spark fresh ideas.
A Powerful Sound Engine
Push beyond classic waveforms (square, saw, sub, and noise) with new custom waveshapes that you draw yourself (Osc Draw), and Osc Chop, which unlocks even more harmonic potential with the ability to cut waveforms into sections for a labyrinth of metallic timbres.
You can use the noise oscillator as an independent riser to add sweeps and pulsing sound effects. Add shimmering dimension with lush choruses derived from the iconic JUNO and JX-3P synths, introduce spaciousness and movement with manual and tempo-synced delays, and envelope sounds with studio-grade reverb effects and a variety of adjustable parameters.
Sequencing and Performance Features
With its 64-step sequencer and 64 patterns, the S-1 is made for on-the-spot music capture and song development.
Motion recording, probability settings, sub steps, and other features like velocity, shuffle, and portamento are also available to bring sounds to life.
A unique D-Motion controller creates compelling sound changes simply by moving the synth, while the Step Loop function is perfect for live fills and on-the-fly rhythmic improv.
There's also an onboard arpeggiator and the ability to transpose patterns to instantly add harmonic richness to jams.
At a Glance
Ultraportable polysynth inspired by the legendary SH-101
Authentic SH-101 sound driven by Roland’s evolving Analog Circuit Behavior (ACB) technology
Craft all-new tones with powerful oscillator drawing, oscillator chop, and riser tools
Mono, poly, unison, and chord modes, and four-voice polyphony
Square, sawtooth, sub, and noise oscillators
Hands-on panel with familiar synth controls for instant sound shaping and live performance tweaks
Onboard keyboard with two-plus octave range
64-step sequencer and 64 patterns for on-the-spot song creation
Advanced programming tools including motion recording, probability, sub step, last step, and velocity
Easy-to-use arpeggiator with eight phrase types
D-Motion feature for controlling pitch, mod, and other parameters by physically moving the S-1
Color and process your sounds with a variety of delay, reverb, and chorus effects
Comprehensive connectivity with audio, 3.5mm MIDI Type-A, and sync I/O plus AIRA Link
This is my first real synth after using vsts all the time. And I am in love with it. It's great for serious beginners and I can see experienced musicians really benefiting from it.
The menu system is a labyrinth, could have benefited from a proper screen like arturia products instead of the dot LED thing.
Overall, I think I am going to keep this handy wherever I go.
Great first synth.
By Yinka
Rated 4 out of 5
Date: 2024-12-01
I've been playing around with free software synthesizers for a little while and have been hesitant to spend money on a hardware synth, but given the price and the breadth of features and great reviews, this seemed like a no-brainer. While it's compact, you still get a very usable 2 octave keyboard and a lot of control knobs that provides a significant amount of adjustments without the need to dive into menues. The oscillators sound great, and the filters are also pretty amazing for the size and price. The one thing that is not ideal is the display, which have very few characters so the readout is somewhat obtuse, so you really need to refer to the manual to understand what many of the menu titles mean. Also, while it is a little difficult to operate if you have big hands like I do, it's still quite manageable and it's a very fun experience compared to software synths where you have to deal with controls via a mouse, which makes on the fly adjustments difficult and sometimes impossible.
See any errors on this page?
I saw videos of people using Roland S1 and Roland ...
I saw videos of people using Roland S1 and Roland T8. I have de Akai MPK mini, is it possible to use S1 with this Akai?
Asked by: Gustavo
The only way to control the AIRA Compact S-1 with the Akai MPK Mini is via a computer using USB midi.
