Roland has so far launched 4 synths in its Aira compact series: the S-1 Tweak Synth, T-8 Beat Machine, the J-6 Chord Synth and the E-4 Voice Tweaker. You can find out about he range here on Roland’s website. They have been designed in a compact form factor and to all play nicely together. Today we are going to take a look at the Roland Aira Compact T-8 Beat Machine. Which, as the name suggests is a small drum machine, but what it doesn’t suggest is that there is also a TB-3 Bass synth in the same package too.
Sizing Down
Well first and most obvious thing is the small footprint. Check it out compared to the Arturia Drumbrute, its tiny. So that is great if you want to take it on holiday or on a train, and it runs off rechargeable usb-c too, but how does the size impact the usability?
Where as the Arturia Drumbrute is classic one knob per function analogue drum machine, that the space affords, the T-8, like most compact devices is digital and all the more interesting stuff is a shift key function away. This of course reduces the immediate playability of the device, especially when you dive into the menu and the retro 4 character LED display leaves you guessing what the menu options might be. “HtnP” (Open HiHat Tempo Sync) or “dr.SE” (Delay to Reverb Send) and 40 other similarly hard to decipher Menu options, have you reaching for the manual, or ignoring the parameters which is a shame as they can open up some interesting sonic possibilities.
Even the Mutes require a shift key press, unless you first open up the Menu on Mute mode, which is conveniently the first menu option.
Drumming Down
So how do the drums sound. Well they are based on classic TR-606 and TR-808 tones. You get Bass Drum, Snare, Hats, Tom and Handclap. There is only limited editing capabilities. If you want a Roland Drum machine with more sounds and sample loading, then you should be looking at the larger siblings like the TR-6 or TR-8s. Entering the sounds into the classic TR sequencer is easy enough, as is playing around with the levels and a single tone control, providing you have small hands, as the knobs and buttons are tiny.
All about that Bass
Probably my favourite feature of this machine is the addition of the TB-3 style bass synth, which with MIDI connectivity can be played externally. There are classic cutoff, resonance, pitch, decay and envelope controls plus the addition of some excellent Delay and Reverb really adds to the fun factor of this device. Its simple enough to get a simple pattern going and then start playing around with those acid bass lines.
Pocket Sized Drum Fun?
So the size-to-fun ratio is immense. But you may find that you find the devices limitations annoying and yearn for a deeper machine, or perhaps an easier to use one. Value wise, for such a low price point, you cant really expect too much. So in summary, the T-8 does deliver, especially if paired up with a J-6 or S-1 for portable jamming fun, but in a DAWless studio setup you would probably be better off investing in a larger device for both easier use and a wider variety of sounds.
Bonus tip – for using the device make sure to check out this guide from Roland on getting to know the T-8.