Roland’s colourful AIRA Compact instruments deliver classic TR, TB and Juno sounds
These new releases are ultra-portable, perfect for developing ideas on the go
Image: Roland
Roland has announced the release of the AIRA Compact lineup, a series of ultra-portable instruments that includes the T-8 Beat Machine, J-6 Chord Synthesizer, and E-4 Voice Tweaker.
The brand says these AIRA Compact instruments are easy to learn to bring musical power to everyone from beginners and hobbyists, to experienced producers.
The new line up recreates the authentic voices of Roland icons, including the TR drum machines, TB-303, Juno series, VT effects and more using Analogue Circuit Behavior (ACB).
Each model is pocket-sized and features a ready-to-go panel to jump-start your creativity, yet onboard lithium-ion batteries are set to provide hours of continuous use per charge.
The T-8 Beat Machine offers sounds from the TR-808, TR-909, and TR-606. The six-track drum sequencer features the famous TR-REC workflow, enhanced with deep tools like step loop, pattern shift, probability, and others.
For those just getting started into their music production journey, the J-6 Chord Synthesizer could be a good place to start. It enables new creators to get work with up to 100 chord sets. Styles and variations are also available as well as dedicated filter and envelope controls, and the ability to add polish with customisable delay and reverb effects.
With the E-4 Voice Tweaker, creators can combine advanced voice transformer tools and standard vocal effects with a hands-on interface. Pitch and formant sliders can change the vocal gender or even create robot voices. Auto Pitch, automatic harmony, and vocoder processors are included, along with reverb, delay, and other effects. There’s also a built-in 24-second looper to make new creations with simplicity.
Users are able to bring compositions to life with one single unit, but the ability to connect and sync multiple AIRA Compacts together aims to open a new world of production abilities whilst keeping the set up small. It’s also possible to interface with computer DAWS, mobile music apps, and hardware instruments via USB-C or MIDI.
Each new offering on the AIRA Compact line up is currently retailing at $199.99, you can find out more here.
