Roland AIRA Compact T-8 BEAT MACHINE | Ultra-Portable Rhythm and Bass Machine with Genuine Roland Sounds | TR-REC Drum Sequencer | Six Rhythm Tracks | Built-in Effects | USB and MIDI Connectivity

This is an example of a success as far as I'm concerned. For 200 dollars I can plug this right into a port on my R20 and add drums and synth base effortlessly to any song. No, it doesn't have a full 808 or 909 or any full X0X kit. It has a piecemeal combination of them. So you won't be using it to exactly duplicate some classic. But if you make your own new song, and want that feel, it's there. The 303 section is surprisingly good and complete. The stock patterns are surprisingly good also. I found 3-1 and two hours disappeared with me modifying it, then turning it into a monstrosity. I like a device that can do that. Make time disappear because it's fun to use. I love that I can recharge it with usb. I've had it die on me once, but i had been using it nonstop noon to midnight. Twelve hours of stopping and starting it, putting it down to edit tracks, picking it back up. That's pretty impressive. I'm hoping they are very smart and release an Aira T-7 that just has the 707 samples on it. I'd love that. It's the only thing I'm missing in my music. I couldn't justify spending double on the TR-6S. But if you want all the classic Roland drum machines, and aren't content with an amalgam of all of them, that's your best choice. If you just want to add some 80's to your songs, this is perfect. And again, it has a great 303 if you love those sounds. Most people do and don't know it. It's weird when a music product is good enough to use for production, but also inexpensive and convenient. Great work Roland. I'll probably end up replacing it at some point for a newer better one like I used to do decades ago with their drum machines, and I'll put this one on ebay for some promising new musician. If you are a youtuber looking to add a little DnB to your videos, this is probably the least expensive route that will sound this good, and be this easy to learn.

Portable, small and very user friendly, limited sounds but nice to make beats on. Especially the tb303 sounds

Right now I'm in the middle of traveling out of my country for a few months, so I needed something portable that I would still enjoy back home. Been using it on planes, trains, outside, inside. Been a while since I had so much fun with a synth. + Small, portable and easy, just charge it, and it will last you for a decent amount of time, get a battery bank, and you are set for some LONG rides. + The drums are super fun to mess with, and they sound pretty good! + The bass synth is not deep, but it's more flexible than I expected, and with the tuning knob it can even take a lead sound! + The sequencer goes quite deep, and even has side chaining built in! (For drum machine beginners like me, it means you can make drums quiet down when a specific drum plays (for example, quiet everything whenever the kick hits) + This synth alone can sound like a whole beat, sometimes I found myself forgetting I have other synthes around since the drums + bass have a pretty full sound. And now for the neatpicks - honestly a part of me wishes they added 2 more drums to this machine, and turn the bass into its own device, like the s-1 If they replaced it with a bell+cowbell section, and maybe a clap or something, I feel like it'd be a more full drum machine (but a less full all rounder). - the device is deceptively hard to learn fully if you have no experiance with drum machines. The manual has almost 40 pages. - I buttons are a little too squishy for the size, i always end up with unregistered presses when I try to quickly punch in drums into the sequencer mid beat, just too small to be both soft AND comfortable. ---- Overall, for the price it's a no brainier, I recommend it to anyone who needs a budget drum machine, but might need portability. You'll easily make your first beat in minutes, and then slowly uncover how to utilize it well. I managed to teach a kid almost 4 years old to use it on a surface level! Her beate weren't great tho.

I own several hardware synthesizers, including the full size TR-8s. While there's nothing as nice as a full sized synth setup, taking a large box with a power adapter out and about isn't exactly fun. The T-8 appears that it will be a nice addendum to my collection; one that fits into a guitar case, charges with the same USB-C cable as my cell phone and laptop, can use an external 5 volt solar charged battery, and produces a reasonably good range of classic Acid House thunks, snaps, and twangs. Easy to take on the road, and affordable enough that if it gets destroyed, stolen, or lost at the party, or eaten by a grizzly bear at the camp site, it can be replaced with minimal grief. No, this is not as flexible as a TR-8s, and if you're looking for that sort of capability in a portable package, the TR-6 is only $150 more. However, for sitting around and drinking beers (or whatever it is you're into) with your friends, this unit will surely provide amusement and frivolity, even when plugged into a medium grade portable speaker. Roland finally got the power supply right on one of their devices with the internal lithium battery. The one thing that is disappointing is their failure to apply any paint to the control knob, which means, out of the box, you will want a good overhead light source in order to see what you're doing. Nevertheless, lots of fun, and if you have another portable MIDI device, great accompaniment for a synth or looping pedal. Potentially, this unit could be a good friend for an adventurous busker who can acquire a durable, correctly sized hard case. This device is quite small and, I imagine, more than a little delicate, so buy it the treasure chest it deserves and take it into the wild.

Excelente dispositivo electrónico, para el precio y si sabes bien su funcionamiento puedes divertirte creando tus patrones. Compralo si estas empezando o si no quieres gastar en algo mas profesional y que a lo mejor no vas a necesitar tanto, si quieres algo mas profesional y con mas parámetros a manipular existen otros dispositivos como la roland tr-8s

By far my fav AIRA compact. Of all the Compact line this one is the most immediate and fun to endlessly mess around with. It's essential for any 303 fan (the acid is surprisingly good sounding). The random note generation feature is a great touch to get inspiration flowing.

Cool unit for the well healed and the uninitiated. Had alot of fun using this unit.

Lo uso como caja de ritmos (groove box) en composiciones y arreglos, un gran acompañamiento rítmico con sonidos modernos, lo acoplo al procesador de efectos logrando locuras espectaculares de electro jazz, electro blues y cualquier cosa que se me ocurra... explotando la imaginación y la creatividad musical.

If your interested in electronic music, I would recommend this. Easy to get started, with plenty adjustable parameters to keep it interesting. Slightly limited with the variety of drum sounds, but I find it helps keep it more focused on the beat, and not endlessly tweaking things. A perfect start to what will probably be a long time passion.