ROLAND AIRA COMPACT - a portable mini synth setup with J6 Synth, T8 drum machine and E4 vocal FX

This is the new Roland Aira Compacts series with the J-6 synthesizer inspired by JUNO 60, T-8 drum machine & bass synth inspired by 808 and 303 and an interesting vocal processor called E-4. In todays video I explore what they can do and can't do. Thank you to Roland for sponsoring todays video.
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CONTENT:
00:00 Intro
00:30 Song demo using only Aira Compacts
02:07 Sound demos, Setup, Build Quality, I/O
06:42 J-6 Synthesizer Explained + Limitations
12:38 T-8 Drum Machine Explained + Limitations
21:22 E-4 Volcal Processor Explained + My first impressions of it
25:56 Final Thoughts & Who is it for?

[@BoBeats]

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[@ToyKeeper]

I was totally unprepared for Bo singing soulfully while staring straight into the camera. In my sleep-deprived state, nearly hallucinating after an all-nighter, that was super trippy.

[@ToyKeeper]

Roland: Hey, those Volca things are neat. Bo: *FLIPS HAIR AND SINGS EXISTENTIAL METAPHORS DIRECTLY INTO YOUR SOUL* Internet: ... *_blink_* Internet: I ... um ... uh, I was just passing through for coffee, but, uh... I think I'm gonna need to sit down and process what just happened.

[@jasonfnorth]

I love seeing more of your creative side in your videos Bo!!! It really helps demonstrate what’s possible with the gear too. You rock man!

[@MegaCadr]

I’ve wanted something like the T-8 for ages… can’t believe Roland made it! Thanks for the great video!

[@martinlymer9535]

If you have an iPad check out Pure Acid

[@MegaCadr]

@@martinlymer9535 I have it and it’s great. Have just wanted something without a screen that was small. I had toyed with a diy setup based on a Teensy, but this is pretty much exactly what I want.

[@damian-henderson]

Korg drum or beats are better, been around a while.

[@BsYtHandle]

Thanks Bo. Enjoyed the way you integrated your process into the review. Very helpful. I like the format of the Compacts. The T8 seems to be simply there for a beat rather than to explore what a drum machine does. I enjoyed the J6 and E4 very much. They sound inspiring.

[@aptudo]

Hey, Bo, you ventured out of your comfort zone and did a *great job* demoing the capabilities of E-4! I genuinely like how you used it and how it sounded.

[@BoBeats]

Thank you Rob!

[@magnuseriksson8081]

Thats what I think too, and I really appreciate that a lot.

[@OneDay8516]

Thank you SO much for showing the audio routing!

[@stevenaustin4591]

Ive just found these now. Im impressed with the sound quality. I'll have to add the J-6 and T-6 to my wishlist, hopefully I'll be able get em before 2023 :)

[@rodmorrison47]

I'm really liking the J-6. Very cute and useful. Roland are giving me GAS in the morning!

[@DrMuse-on2dx]

As always nice demo thanks.

[@Timbobs]

Nice touch with the sip from the cup to explain why the continuity of the cup placement changed 😄👌

[@MatsMorlund]

EXCELLENT Demo, Bo❗️

[@BTB88]

Hey man, honestly, I loved hearing you sing! Keep it up.

[@albedo0point39]

Really like these. The mix through addresses that external mixer issue that the volcas have always had.

[@suga4all]

Bo really went ham on that vocoder thing. Nice to see someone having so much fun with gear. I will for sure get one 👍😆

[@Frakaphoto]

excellent demo! brilliant !

[@dlinnoedlinnoe]

All I can say, we live in really great times! Very exciting to see appearance of more and more new very small but very capable devices! And so great that it's Roland, otherwise those could be TE toys with 5x price :)

[@Oooo-bi7bi]

Your through to the next round, with that heartfelt voice. These look good. Not sure I need one, but great to see.

[@lo-firobotboy7112]

Roland-flavoured Volcas!...Cute I find these more appealing than the Boutique line, especially the T-8.

[@BoBeats]

I actually like them more than the boutiques too. Even tho they arnt as powerful.

[@lo-firobotboy7112]

@@BoBeats While they definitely nod back to other instruments, Unlike the boutique line these feel new and more unique.

[@joho7029]

Amazing sounds you get out of these little machines. But wait............. your voice, cool touch BO! Again a serious lovely tutorial, amazing how you get pure magic out off the instruments. Keep up this work, its great.

[@benjaminbrodie9801]

J6 synth looks like a Pioneer Dave Smith AS-1 had a baby with a Casio 320. Awesome review Mr. Bo. Keep up the great work.

[@raulgorgulio9834]

Love the design. I don't see T8 or J6 in my setup, but they look soooo tempting... Physical buttons instead of touch panels, ease of use, compact size and overall aesthethics easily turning all these devices into objects of desire. E4 is another story... When I first saw it, I thought that E4 is the least interesting one of them, but your video just sold it to me - awesome demonstration of it's capabilities (and awesome singing too)! If it's possible to sync E4 with MC-101, I think it will find a place in my gear collection someday

[@alecsbuga]

That’s a dope song. That vocoder sounds dope too. Way cleaner than the Microkorg or Mininova ones

[@Tiger.Arcade]

Great work as always Bo! I think this video really highlights the main features of these mini synths. My favorite may be the E-4 as I don’t have a vocal processor and I can see that being used with its reverb for some live setups. The drum machine T-8 is gonna be really popular I can already tell. I also could see myself messing around on that for some straightforward beats. The J-6 probably appealed to me the least but that’s just my taste. I have no need for another compact synth when there are great options already out there. Perhaps for the loyalists out there. Overall, $200 each is not that bad! Seems to match what’s already out there for mini synths but they are gonna have some tough competition still with the Volca’s and Behringer’s new mini synths.

[@roryjineffect]

Especially because you can get two JT4000s, a VS, and a OB mini for the cost of just the J6. The E4 def caught my attention most, but the J6 could be fun to get ideas with arpeggiated chords to use on other synths, like an expensive scratch pad.

[@neverislandsongs9171]

I loved hearing you sing! Please, do it more!

[@BoBeats]

♥️

[@TB12710]

Thank you. 😊

[@petedako]

Good one! Nice singing, Bob.

[@KristianWontroba]

Great vocal jam!

[@kekethetoad]

Now they just need to combine them all plus 37 or 25 key mini keyboard, and maybe the option for a couple more plugouts, to make an Aira-xi!

[@trublurider]

The music in this review - I like it. It's soulful and humorous - nice!

[@BoBeats]

Thanks!

[@tonalaxis]

These look like so much fun!!

[@northriver8673]

Thanks for sharing - more gear to play with and get creative.

[@urrrccckostan]

For me this is exciting to add to my backpack setup. I ride my bike to locations in nature and compose stuff. The six batteries each required per Volca is exhausting to deal with. The built-in battery is a great idea.

[@ianmorton1799]

I know this might not be what you meant about the volca batteries but rechargeable batteries were s game changer for me and I actually enjoyed the volcas more after I invested in some. The upfront cost is well worth it

[@longlostrobots8146]

Some great lyrics . I just lost a great friend and that jam did the trick . Thank you

[@BoBeats]

♥️

[@lundsweden]

Wow, the new Roland Volca range!

[@EaselCat]

All these tiny synths are so cool.

[@tomadeney8860]

Nice to hear your song (in swedish?) - love the way the vocal machine open up vocal possibilties for pretty much anyone

[@camlong89]

I definitely want to get the J6 and T8 to pair with my Volca Keys, Kick and Bass.

[@sknaut24]

great vibes bo, imagine what roland could be if you would be involved in their product development and not only presenting them!

[@BoBeats]

Thanks!! I am not sure how good I would be at that but I appreciate the vote of confidence

[@motherbox1564]

I DEFINITELY need that drum machine its Acid House in one box and would totally save me a lot of space I've been chasing that 303 sound for a while

[@Gainn]

Do the J-6's chords trigger from an external midi source? Would make it a tasty addon for mono sequencing devices (Elektron gear, Polyend tracker etc)

[@JorbLovesGear]

Bob SLOW DOWN THIS IS SO MANY NEW THINGS. 😅 The mix-in jacks are great, one of the best features of the boutiques. Sounds great to me

[@Jason75913]

just like the Juno-DS' "audio thru"

[@jmoffitt36]

Pre-ordered the J-6 and Volca FM2, I know they will play nice together. The Flow/Chord sequencer looks so cool and easy. I'd get it even if the synth engine sucked to control other gear. Of course the engine doesn't suck sounds quite good. To be honest I'm glad its simple. Just want something for quick live on the fly progressions/harmonies.

[@ianmorton1799]

I was literally thinking about almost the same pairing, except I have the og volca, faults and all, it actually has some unofficial firmware that makes it better than the fm2 imo

[@milo6046]

@@ianmorton1799 Could you develop your thought on this unofficial firmware ?

[@AndrewPRoberts]

The t-8 looks like so much fun

[@apislapis]

Many thanks Bo. Your demo has made me change my mind about the E-4. I assume that you can change the reverb as the demo I previously heard had a terrible slapback sound on it, which reminded me of a cheap Realistic Electronic Reverb that I bought in the 1980s. Cheers.

[@ZOE-SEQ]

Bo I didn‘t know you have such a beautiful singing voice. Omg, it‘s really nice. 🥺💜 The Rolands look cool af too.

[@BoBeats]

Thank you!! ♥️

[@genepozniak]

Wow! I think that may be the best vocoder I've ever heard (or maybe it's just your skill...or both? ;-) ). Also very cool to hear someone singing in Swedish. ❤

[@basbub223]

Great clip, thanks. I am new to this but looks so easy and affordable so thought to order. However with all the cables, gosh... What is needed in addition to this little nice friends? 4 times 3,5 jack/line and a mic?

[@pareshmota]

Very nice product

[@MattGreerMusic]

Nice that they made the vocoder to actually carry the notes this time. It's a huge hassle to get the VT-3 to play like a real vocoder. Probably going to trade that for this one as a small vocoder for live gigs is still something I can make use of. And I agree that it's very intelligible sounding. A lot of digital vocoders sound cool but are also difficult to tell what people are actually saying through them. This one is clear. The Boutique VP-03 is the same in that way and I use it a lot. Really dug that little synthpop tune, Bo.

[@schmapps1]

What do you mean by ‘carry the notes’?

[@luisgarciarios4988]

Hello! Great video and thanks, is it possible to have two or more J6 to have independent patterns per synth and sync them? Regards!

[@leelayz]

Hi …So nice of you to have made this comparison. So I recently got the T8 as my first drum machine. I am a guitarist trying to create a lofi jazz music (where previously I will take drums samples from splice and then compose jazz chords and solo on top of it). I wanted to get away from the DAW and got this box. I also have the SP404MK2. I played around with the T8 for a day learning and creating and within 24 hours I felt I could not use this for my regular music production because the sounds felt very acid/techno focussed. I was trying to create jazz and bossanova drum patterns. Also, I felt I can’t time-stretch the same note say over the (e,&,a) like I could on a DAW. I was struggling to understand how to do this and could not find a way. It felt like each beat tightly snaps to the pads and they can’t be extended or clubbed. If I want the same best on both 1 and e, and I place them on both then they are separate best and not the same beat over both of them. Which makes the beats very rigid. I tried decay and ascent on the notes but they are not able to solve the problem. Was there something I missed here? Anyway, I have now scheduled a return for the T8 because I felt limited with the sound. Instead I ordered, the volca drums and the volca sample 2, because I did not know which one will solve my problem (I will return one of them) I basically want to create rock/blues/jazz type on drums on this. Or even if that’s not fully possible, create beats which are not fully acid like the T8, but something where I can play ambient, post rock/indie rock type of guitar on top of it. Will you have any recommendations on how I should approach this ? And also among the T8, drum and sample2, which one will be the ideal one for me to pair with my sp404mk2 ? BTW, I had a lot of fun with the T8 for the 24 hours it was with me. I was pretty productive and also did a acid/techno ish live set :) So returning it felt bad in way. But I felt it was not going to help me create the type of sound I was chasing.

[@Lazer_puppy]

i just want the T8 and the E4 to use with my minilogue that shit would be dope. The J6 is tempting but I can get all those sounds from my minilogue and a good reverb pedal

[@MichaMaschiene-jd8wd]

Roland Juno , T8 , nice Toys with Volca kick🎉

[@RamonPalonski]

Do you know if it is possible to trigger chords with midi single notes on the J6? I want to do exactly that with my midi bass pedal. I used a Circuit in sequenzer mode for that, but it needs to much tweaking for using it live.

[@goldenlion8123]

DOPE STUFF..

[@MyOneManBand]

I would love to know of I can feed the j-6 a single midi note from an external keyboard and have the j-6 play a chord based on the chord sets? I've not seen it explained in a demo or the manual how external midi is handled....having this option available is an absolute must buy for those of us with tons of cool sequencers that can only play monophonic lines....imagine this with an old school EXS using the mono ribbon controller to send notes that get turned into full chords here....I was literally just looking to see if a scale aware chord synth was available anywhere....

[@RosssRoyce]

9:42 actually, if I understand this unit correctly, you CAN record melody forming single notes per step too! Thanks for nice review!!

[@BoBeats]

Yes, technically you can. But it won’t be a great experience. Sorry if I was unclear. You can have a single note per step. But it will make for very static melodies/basslines

[@Pulse2AM]

Thanks for the video! Is there a way to know what chord is being played by the J6? Does it output the midi notes? You could tell that way I guess.

[@KaosEngineering]

Hey Bo, thanks for sharing this with us. I'd like to add a Dreadbox Typhon, thus, please how can I connect it with the T-8 to sync both and maybe run audio through the Typhon. I want to bypass completely the use of a mixer in this setup, or maybe use a small one like Gemini M101BT or a 402VLZ4 for example. In the future I'd probably add a Moog DFAM. It's a good setup for improvising Techno and also want to make it the simplest setup possible. Keep it coming bro

[@Rafix-drummer]

Roland AIRA Compact T-8 J-6 Beat Machine Is it possible to record directly to the computer? And what should be connected and how? Do I need to connect to a sound card first? And the sound card for the computer? Thank you.

[@audreyazwell]

not for me but a great video and demo as usual Bo!

[@davidpope5457]

I have a T-8, but when I sync it to volcas or pocket operators the T8 plays at half the tempo. Is there a setting somewhere on the T-8 to fix this? Thanks

[@RJ_Eckie]

The E-4 looks like a clear successor to the VT range. I got the VT-4 vocal transformer recently and it’s very cool and capable - and has very similar features to the E-4. The cool thing about the VT-4 is that it’s accessible on the surface, but extremely capable under the hood. You can go in with midi sysex messages and tweak a massive amount of parameters that aren’t accessible with the knobs. If the E-4 has these as well I might look into upgrading. (The only big issue I’m seeing is the lack of an XLR mic input, which the VT series does have.)

[@schmapps1]

Can you briefly sum up what kind of midi sysex fun you can do, and how to go about doing it? I have a VT-4 as well and I haven’t dived under the hood really yet

[@RJ_Eckie]

@@schmapps1 I have yet to get really into it. I wish they had put it on regular CCs because I’ve not worked with sysex before. Anyhow this is what I remember: compression settings, noise gate settings, reverb settings, delay settings, specific controls for each of the up to 4 harmony voices including male/female voice (and many more - I don’t remember)

[@schmapps1]

@@RJ_Eckie thanks

[@anonymous_friend]

Did you notice the hiss from his E4 in the video? Does your VT-4 sound cleaner?

[@RJ_Eckie]

@@anonymous_friend Sorry I don’t have it hooked up right now so I’m not quite able to do a comparison. I would like to add to my original comment that the E4 is a decidedly simpler device, that Roland markets more as an ‘instant jam’ box, opposed to the more seriously feature-filled VT-4.

[@oo7799]

Do you know if it is possible to sequence patterns? Like make it play multiple patterns in a row and loop them?

[@Andor.]

kinda want the J6 to just use it as a sequencer, some really cool patterns

[@stevecaldwell7500]

I pre-ordered a T8 and a T6 but I'm not too sure how I hook them up can you explain on a video how you hook one into another not using a computer

[@tomfenn7149]

I think Roland are on to a winner with the T8. Okay the X0X/303 combination has been done to death, but hell, that T8 thing is SOooo cute!!

[@damian-henderson]

They have just copied Korg, who have the Korg Drum & Korg beats and other volca's, both with great sound and drum gas allot of versatility.

[@tomfenn7149]

@@damian-henderson I don’t think they have. If anything, Korg 'copied' Roland ((I think it gets silly when people blame companies for 'copying', as there is really only so much one can go with the development of any electronic instrument), seeing it was Roland who originally developed the Groovebox thing. Also, you can’t deny that the 606 and 303 were the precursors to the whole Volca thing too. Miniaturisation of electronics as well as incorporating computers has just made the whole evolution of such inevitable.

[@damian-henderson]

@@tomfenn7149 Not at all, I am in the game of Pro audio and work with sales of both Roland and Korg, and been to both offices, it's a marketing game, Korg made huge sales on their Volca's, and Roland naturally followed suit, it's a normal marketing strategy,.

[@damian-henderson]

@@tomfenn7149 It's not about precusors, we are talking about ultra mobile mini machines, that Korg went into in a mini format, which Roland, have copied.

[@tomfenn7149]

@@damian-henderson honestly mate, that's really silly talk. Roland single-handedly invented the whole groovebox phenomena starting with the MC-303 in 1996, and Korg 'simulated' the sounds of those on their Volca range. Hell, Korg even 'ripped off' (if you like) the Buchla Electric Music Box with the Volca Modular. Should we not buy the modular because of that?? The TB303 and the TR606 were essentially and for their time, "ultra mobile mini machines". If you really want to argue over semantics, we may as well conclude that everybody 'copied' the experiments of Raymond Scott as well as the RCA Music synthesizer developed back in the 1950's, including the late great Dr Robert Moog himself lol!

[@thethrillofnoskill4521]

T-8 J-6 and a kaoss pad mini S2 haha what a pocket set up haha ☺️

[@MyOneManBand]

Another question I can't fathom...are all chords only in relation to C... So , for example if I pick major chords ...am I always going to get the C as major, D as minor , Enas minor F as major etc....or is there a "root" select step too,. So that for instance if I want to play in G major... Then using the same example above..G would now be a major chord, A minor, B minor C a major etc...

[@AndrewTSq]

Lol, your demo is like 1000x times better than Rolands own demo-video!. When I watched Rolands video I was like.. what is this crap, lucky I watched this video also, cause the modules sounds nice when you played them :)

[@user-sx2iw2hq3l]

J6 is most interesting of these little boxes. How could I make skips through notes? Thank you

[@MrTableDesk]

Is there a midi on on the J6? Would it be possible to sequence it using the Keystep Pro?

[@alejandrovega5492]

Hi! Thanks for the video! I have a question; What would be a more complete "starter pack" (trying to create Techno / House beats , This Aira compact Kit, or Roland T6s ? Thanks again! 😄✌

[@alejandrovega5492]

Bo? :(

[@ToyKeeper]

Bo: _I am not even here now. I don't know where I went._ Me: Superbooth. You went to Superbooth, you lucky bastard. :P

[@FuZZbaLLbee]

T-8 is all you need for an acid party 😋

[@actorjohanmatsfredkarlsson2293]

Fin låt Bo

[@thatdopesauce1413]

If I was to plug one of these into a mic and have it plugged into a speaker would it come out through the speaker?

[@Sarahbuildsstepsequencers]

Can you sequence notes on the J-6?

[@Madmohawkfilms]

Any idea if there’s an editor yet for the J6? Thanks Bo

[@KenKthulhu]

Can they send midi to each other? Which one is the source in your set up? Can they midi send to another machine like TR8s?

[@foolishness6261]

Does the J-6 allow me to create and enter my own chords?

[@arjunsajeev]

Can we save presets in order, say for a live set ?

[@patrikknoerr9777]

Great. New stuff for upcoming BAD GEAR episodes :)

[@XHALE303]

lol, they try to stay nr1 as most featured brand.

[@FuZZbaLLbee]

They tick all thé boxes 😋

[@TheGreatPanicker]

Where is the cord that is in the mix out slot going, a speaker? Do these devices have a internal speaker?

[@BoBeats]

No speaker

[@markwoodson2020]

That E-4 is going in my Circuit Tracks setup. I can have full vocals in my jams!!!!!!!!

[@88Fitzy88]

Same! As soon as I saw it I went immediately to try and buy one for my circuit

[@kannjanichtsein7700]

Tung synt! I like!

[@schmapps1]

For the J-6, I am very surprised there is no way to activate that juno chorus sound? Is it at least “built in” to some of the presets?

[@leftovernoise]

Yes, the chorus is already built in to many of the presets

[@Aven_Ultra]

What mic did you use for the E4??

[@magnussonsimon]

does the e-4 looper sync with midi?

[@NathanChisholm041]

These are necessary for beginers! Ive been making music since 1997 and own three the S-1 j-6 t-8 and have had a ball making music with them. And the Volcas are horrible I took mine back as they sounded weak and mushy sounding especially the drum machine. These Rolands kill the Korgs and sound much better. cheers...

[@FuZZbaLLbee]

Is the Swedish song ready in time for the European song festival? 😀 Seriously sounded very nice

[@stevenaustin4591]

question - can you use a MIDI keyboard to control them, for extended keyboard range etc?

[@BoBeats]

Yes! I tried the j6 with a 49 key keyboard and no issues

[@stevenaustin4591]

@@BoBeats sweet! :)

[@internalreality]

that is so freaking cool, that J6 SOUNDS SO FAT, also your presentation was amazing. lovely singing bro

[@BoBeats]

Thank you!

[@celiacasanovas4164]

Hey Bo, if you were looking for a basic acid machine with an accessible sequencer, would you rather get the T-8 or a second-hand TB-3? I have a TR-6S so I'm not interested in the drum machine aspect, although I guess it'd be nice to have. As for the J-6, it sounds really amazing. I wonder if there will eventually be a software editor to access the full engine.

[@BoBeats]

Tb-3 for sure

[@celiacasanovas4164]

@@BoBeats thank you Bo!

[@DamianoPistoia]

Nice idea but too small controls, live situations could be really difficult to manage✌🏻

[@RJ_Eckie]

The volcas have standard sized knows that you can buy caps for, for cheap, which makes them much easier to use and read. Maybe Bo can confirm whether this is the case for these as well? Also - midi controllers!

[@scottmcauley1435]

Bo would love to see you use the T-8 with a some volca's

[@Mars_Monkey]

Is there a pattern control from the vocal device?

[@BoBeats]

No

[@OttosTheName]

To me the T-8 and J-6 are very appealing on their own, but the combination seems a bit odd to me. The T-8 by itself seems like a lot of fun, but if I would add a bass to the J-6 I think I would rather take a Model D clone, Bass/Mono Station, SE-02 or a Volca Keys or Bass. Something with at least a second oscillator and a bit more variety in sound. I just like a heavier bass. And when I make acid I don't think chords add all that much. But I'm considering getting both, just for very different scenario's. T-8 to sequence a Model D clone and for the drums and then a J-6 would be a super sweet 3 machine setup for me. Hmmmm I may have just sold me on these boxes.

[@davidbanner9001]

Who is this new vocalist? Sign him up!