It almost seems like a daily occurrence that new analog synths and studio tools are brought to market, and it can be tough to keep up with all the different offerings music producers are presented with.
And as technology is pushed further and further forward, often, the price tags on these devices are more approachable than ever.
With a $199 price tag, the Aira Compact T-8 Beat Machine is a feature-packed little drum box that does a lot with its small design. And with a name like Roland attached to it, a brand famous for their genre-defining 808 drum machines of yesteryear, it can be easy to feel that $199 starts to burn a hole in your pocket. But before you run to your nearest online store for this thing, let’s dive into what we like the most about this drum machine and what we weren’t that crazy about so that you can make an educated decision on whether it’s suitable for your studio.
Learn More About This Synth While Supporting the Magnetic Team Through Our Partnership With Sweetwater Here.
What Is The Roland Aira Compact T-8 Beat Machine?
Roland is responsible for some of the most iconic drum machines in the entire industry, including the classic 808 and 909. These drum machines and bass synths can be heard on some of the most iconic records from the past three decades, and you can hardly throw a stone in this industry without somebody sweating these sounds.
While the Roland Aira Compact T-8 Beat Machine is nowhere near the same as the classic 808, the color palette and basic controls give off at least a whisper of reminiscence and almost make you feel like you can tap into the sounds and feels of the original drum machine.
This small and portable drum machine gives you all o the basic sounds, including kick drums, snare drums, tom drums, and more, and allows you to sequence them out on the grid.
It’s fast and intuitive and can give you fun and playable results reasonably quickly, which is why we think it is one of the best drum machines for those looking to dip their toe in the realms of hardware to see if it’s for them.
My Favorite Features Of The Roland Aira Compact T-8 Beat Machine?
This tiny little drum machine was packed with features. And with so many other micro devices on the market today, these features made The Roland Aira Compact T-8 Beat Machine stand out from the different options and make it a serious contender.
Your Get The Best Of The Best
Now, I’ve spent a lot of time talking about how the Roland Aira Compact T-8 Beat Machine feels like a smaller, dumbed-down 808, but that’s not the full story (and I mean this in a good way).
Because after spending a few hours playing around with what this little drum box has to offer a bit deeper, it feels more like it pulls its sounds and inspirations from different drum machines through the ages. I love the front-panel controls that feel identical to the 303, the kick and tom feel more 909’y, and other similarities.
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Again, this further proves that this drum machine is the perfect little budget drum box for those looking to dip their toe into the analog world and see what they like and don’t! It casts a wide net and does many things pretty decently, which is exactly what entry-level producers are looking for.
There’s A Ton Of Customization
You won’t see all of this at first glance, which I will discuss later in this article, but this thing has a fair amount of customization and tonal shaping of the drum sounds in the machine.
The ASDR envelopes are the most apparent modulation and shaping parameters, but there are also overdrives, velocity hits for ghost notes, and sidechaining! It was imposing just how much functionality was hidden (sometimes fairly deep) in this thing.
It’s A Great Gateway Drug
I see this as an entry-level drum machine for budding producers to see if the analog gear is right for them. And in that regard, this thing is insanely awesome.
It has just enough features to tease you into diving headfirst into more premium drum machines and makes the analog world even more accessible and exciting. The more people who get into hardware gear, the better, and if these entry-level budget drum machines are the solution for that, then I am all for it.
What I Wasn’t Crazy About…
No synth at this price point will be perfect. I would be hard-pressed to find any synth or drum machine on the market that is entirely devoid of faults. Here are a few things that stood out to me that weren’t my favorite.
Menu Diving
On the surface, this little drum machine is straightforward to use. But suppose you are looking to get the absolute most functionality out of it. In that case, you will have to memorize some intricate menu-diving options that require convoluted buttons to open up features such as flams, ratcheting, and probability.
Now, I am sure once you get this complex menu’s muscle memory and workflow down, this thing will be even more of a breeze to whip up quick and intricate beats. But know that it might take a while and require a lot of manual referencing to do this (which might not be what you want to do with a device at this price point).
It’s Not Super Musical
This little drum machine allows you to record beats and bass all in one, which is fantastic!
But after toying around with this machine for a few days and watching a handful of far more accomplished producers than myself do the same on YouTube, the music itself never sounded like stuff I would play in a club or my own DJ sets. Perhaps it’s just me or the music I am used to playing, or maybe I have far from mastered this synth, though, so take this with its grain of salt.
At the same time, I should note that this was also really fun to play with. Not every single release you lay down needs to be ready or used in your next track. Sometimes making music for music’s sake is enough! And that’s what this little drum machine does in spades.
Specs On The Roland Aira Compact T-8 Beat Machine
- Type: Bassline Synthesizer and Drum Machine
- Internal Sound Engine: Yes
- Pads:16 x Step Buttons
- Sounds: ACB-modeled TR Drums, ACB-modeled TB Bass
- Sequencer:7-track, 32-steps, 64 Patterns
- Effects: Delay, Reverb, Overdrive, Sidechain Compression
- Analog Inputs:1 x 1/8″
- Analog Outputs:1 x 1/8″ (mix out/headphones)
- MIDI I/O:2 x 1/8″ TRS (in, out), USB
- Other I/O:2 x 1/8″ (sync in/out)
- USB:1 x USB-C
- Power Source: Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery / USB bus power
- Height:1.42″
- Width:7.40″
- Depth:4.17″
- Weight:0.68 lbs.
Learn More About This Synth While Supporting the Magnetic Team Through Our Partnership With Sweetwater Here.
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