Call me an insufferable millennial hipster, but I love cutesy, tiny instruments. When I discovered the Roland AIRA Compact Series, I just had to give them a shout out because these four machines are not only tons of fun, but surprisingly powerful and affordable.
All four AIRA Compact units can be used on their own or in combination with one another to create a commanding creative workstation. But they’re also pocket-sized, allowing you to take them to the park or even to bed (but never to your cubicle at B&H) to just lay down a few thoughts.
While AIRA’s Compact Series may not provide you with everything you need to fully produce your next viral album (though it certainly will get you on your way), these machines will give you that creative fix you need when time and resources are limited. I will admit, these are also powerful enough to act as competent live-performance machines, either as add-ons to your existing equipment, or as a music-creation centerpiece.
Roland AIRA Compact T-8 Beat Machine
If you’ve ever window-shopped for beat or groove machines, you’ve seen Roland’s stuff at the top of the list. Roland's TR range, which has been a staple for beatmakers since the 80s, is still going strong today with the TR-08 and AIRA TR8S, which are incredibly popular in the beat making world.
The Roland AIRA Compact T-8 Beat Machine could be seen as the adorable yet mighty little sister of the TR series, integrating all the classic sounds from the TR-808, TR-909 and TR606 drum machines with the modern functionality and tech of Roland’s latest high-end models. The sound coming out of this thing is damn good, easily making it one of favorite from the entire lineup
The T-8 makes it easy to flesh out ideas on the fly. You can expect six tracks of Roland’s classic drum sounds and one bass track featuring the iconic TB-303 bass tones. The sequencer allows you to create up to 64 user patterns with 32 steps each and accommodates real-time recording. You’ve got a ton of fun performance functions to choose from, like step loop, fill, probability, pattern shift, as well as a nice array of built-in effects like reverb, delay, overdrive and even sidechain compression.
That said, two features missing on this fantastic groove box are parameter recording and pattern chaining. So, if you’re performing, you’ll have quite a bit of knob twisting and button pressing to deal with, especially when paired with other AIRA compact machines. It would have been nice to free up my hands to play/navigate the other instruments while having my drum pattern sequence and effects already worked out. But hey, given that the package is already so small, you can’t have it all. At the end of the day, although it’s capable enough to handle, say, a killer house party, I think the T-8 might be designed with portability and playability at the forefront. That said, with respect to classic Roland sounds, you’re getting the real deal at a fraction of what you’d pay for a more advanced Roland machine.
Finally, like the rest of the AIRA Compact Series, you can connect the T-8 to your DAW via MIDI to enhance, or fully manifest your ideas into a completely fleshed out song. Or if you’re happy with what you’ve already got, just capture it as an audio track.
Roland AIRA Compact J-6 Chord Synthesizer
My second favorite AIRA Compact machine on the list is the J-6 Chord Synthesizer. Many find that chord building can be the most challenging part of realizing a song. The J-6 can take the legwork out of this composition process, while spurring ideas that will make you pretty proud of yourself. Roland provides you with 100 different chord sets catering to a variety of genres such as pop, R&B, electronic, techno, neo-soul and more. Within your selected style, you can also choose from a bunch of musical phrases and arpeggios. In addition, you’ll have multiple banks of beat and phrase styles. So, your compositions can be slow chord progressions or dynamic and rhythmic grooves.
Once you’ve made all your basic style choices, you can start building your pattern. If you’re feeling lazy, just choose from the 16 pre-made patterns. Or if you’re ready to start creating on your own, use one of the remaining six blank patten banks to lay down your concepts. A particularly neat feature is that the sequences can be quite long; with the 64-step sequencer, your chords can be as short as a 1/16th or as long as two bars.
Another great thing about the J-6 is that you’re not limited to chord creation, as you can play single or multiple notes manually if you choose. In fact, it doubles as a four-voice polyphonic synthesizer. And, if you want to switch to using full size keys, you can just connect it to an external controller via MIDI using USB or TRS connections. Take it a step further and connect the J-6 to the T-8 Beat Machine; now you’ve got yourself a strong music composition system.
Roland AIRA Compact E-4 Voice Tweaker
I know I said the AIRA Compact Beat Machine was my favorite toy from the lineup, but thinking about how incredibly powerful the E-4 Voice Tweaker is, both as a performance device and as a production tool, I’m now torn. Once you plug a dynamic mic into the E-4’s dedicated mic input, you’ll discover a vast range of sound possibilities.
Using the pitch feature, you can set your vocals at a fixed pitch in the key of your choice or you can use it for auto pitch correction. The auto pitch feature lets you select the degree of pitch correction, so you can have something very robotic or set it to a level that is more natural. You can even run a MIDI keyboard and use it to set the pitch as you’re singing.
You can also use the E-4 to add rich harmony to your vocals, adding chord structures like 3rds, 5ths or 7ths. Or use the formant slider to dramatically change the vocal depth and character of the incoming signal.
Then you’ve got the reverb slider, which can also be used to control other effects like echo, delay and chorus. Unfortunately, you can’t combine these effects, but let’s not place any unreasonable expectations on this machine as it’s already an overachiever.
Yet another essential feature is the classic vocoder effect, which lets you choose between a range of waveforms, adding even more creative opportunities.
Lastly, you’re presented with a large Scatter knob, which offers a whopping 190 presets of that digital, chopped up, looped vibe that can inject endless color to your performance.
When you’re ready to lay down your idea, you can use the recording function to loop and overdub on the spot. Surprisingly, the E-4 even has an adjustable low-cut filter so you can eliminate pesky low rumbles or interference while recording. In fact, for many musicians, the E-4 Voice Tweaker may turn out to be the most exciting machine out of the entire lineup.
Roland AIRA Compact S-1 Tweak Synth
The AIRA Compact S-1 Tweak Synth is the most impressively powerful and perhaps most complicated machine of the Compact series. In fact, it can pull off a lot of the same things as a more advanced polyphonic synthesizer, offering virtually limitless control and sonic possibilities. But because of its deep functionality, it’s the only unit of the bunch that might be initially challenging and sometimes frustrating to learn given the small menu screen. However, once you become well acquainted with it, you may find that the S-1 is the only hardware synth you’ll ever need. Don’t let its small size fool you.
Replicating Roland’s analog circuit behavior, the four-voice polysynth has a plethora of innovative sound design and performance tools to craft rich textures and vibrant sequences. Like the J-6, the S-1 features a 64-step sequencer but unlike the T-8 Beat Machine, you can actually record your parameter adjustments. Sequences can be created in real time using the metronome or by programming each step on the pads using a variety of approaches. The sequencer also boasts features found in high-end analog synthesizers, such as probability and substeps, which allow you create multiple note repeats or you can dive into every step individually and add up to four notes to each one.
To play with your tones, you can use the oscillator mix knobs to mix various waveshapes together and then shape the sound further with the filter, envelope, LFO adjustment, and control pulse width modulation. One of its most unique features is the ability to create brand new waveforms and chop them up to craft intriguing overtones and metallic sounds.
In addition, you’ll have a wide variety of effects to choose from, like delay and a variety of reverbs. One particularly notable and trippy treat is the D-Motion feature that lets you to change parameters by tilting the actual unit at different angles.
Other big features include the arpeggiator, live fills and the ability to transpose in real time. If you’re new to synthesizers and some of these parameters and functions are foreign to you, rest assured that you will hear what these controls can do once you get practical hands-on experience with this unit. In fact, the S-1 is a fantastic entry point into the world of analog synthesis.
Like the rest of the units in the Compact series, you can use MIDI to sync tempo, send start and stop commands and program changes to other machines in your collection. All the machines are class compliant so they don’t require drivers if you choose to connect them to your DAW.
Final Verdict
I’ll note again that the price of these machines is a major draw; some of us just can’t afford to throw down for a high-end groove box. So, being able to access a robust Roland machine and all of its classic sounds for 200 bucks is a godsend. At the end of the day, can you get the same results with AIRA Compact Series as you would from a larger, more advanced Roland device? Probably not. And given that these units don’t really offer true-blue song modes, the AIRA Compact series is somewhat limited to the extent which you can build a fully fleshed out track (although there are ways to work around this). However, if you’re just getting into music performance or you’re a veteran who’s tired of always taking the conventional approach, this fun, tactile creative experience is a not only a great way to get started, but a perfect excuse to liberate yourself from the confines of your home studio.
For more information about the Roland AIRA Compact Lineup, including additional features, specs, and highlights, be sure to check out the detailed product pages of each item. Or drop us a line below, and we’ll do our best to answer all of your comments and questions.
