CHECK OUT AIRA COMPACTS HERE EU: bit.ly/3ynon2w US: imp.i114863.net/0J5LjP US: bit.ly/3ob1kVy UK: tidd.ly/3MIHQBT *Affiliate links support the channel at no cost to you, regardless of what you buy If you like my videos and want to support them check: www.patreon.com/bobeats
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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 :)
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
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.)
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
@@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)
@@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.
simplicity doesn't mean it has to be just for beginners - i love the idea of a battery powered clutch of x0x sounds and can see a place for the t8 in my studio. but.... no automation of knob moves puts it below volca par imho. that said, ill prob still get the t8
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.
I notice the official Roland press release details the T-8 as having 'TB-303-style bass' as opposed to saying that it has a built in TB303. Are we looking at the same scenario as with the MC303 back in 1997 which was promoted as being able to replicate the original TB-303 but only used samples for which you could apply cutoff and resonsance and generally sounded nothing like the TB-303. Cheers!
@@BoBeats Awesome, I actually really like the look of the T-8. Despite owning a TR8, TR9, TB3 and TB03 I love the idea of having something small and portable that mixes all those machines...!
Gives me JD Xi vibes which were not good. Nothing wrong with what is on offer, just something I would personally not use. Still, it looks fun and that's all that matters,
"It's very easy to create a small dawless setup" - Yes, but these are EXPENSIVE. Three of these are easy 600€, which a beginner won't pay. I'd rather pay for a Microfreak or maybe even an NTS-1
Kind of odd that they combine a 909-style snare with 808-style hihats on the T-8. Since the sound generation is based on analog modeling, it would have been rather obvious to provide a few different sounds to choose from at least, wouldn't it?
@@BoBeats I do not understand this enthusiasm for the E-4 model, the TC Helicon Perform Ve is really innovative and is sold at the same price, there we have a real competitor but which is superior.
Haven't watched yet but nothing I've seen has convinced me the j6 is a proper poly synth...if you can't play single note melodies, it's not really, functionally a proper poly, and it you can't tweak patches or build from scratch, it's not a proper synth. Hoping this convinced me otherwise because I'd love to be surprised
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.
Ahhhh Roland are expanding the Volca competition... Good 👍 But they made the same stupid mistake with using rubbish 7 segment LEDS instead of a nice little $2 OLED screen !
secret link. If you want to hear Underbara Vinterland its on Spotify. Its from a different life: open.spotify.com/track/16s84srTpBh4fWf4u62rLL?si=FRd7pzhnTeW3SJi5fe92bQ&context=spotify%3Asearch%3Abobo%2Bmarika%2Bunderbara%2Bvinterland
I mean I agree that polyphony would go a long way on the Elektron devices, but comparing a small plastic preset player to a twelve track semi analog sound design and sequencing power house may not have been the most fair comparison that’s ever been made in synthtube land?
@@RJ_Eckie yeah, it's ironic that a twelve track semi analog sound design and sequencing power house can look weak in comparison to a small plastic preset player :)
@@AlekseiDroganov you don't need a mixer for these as you can chain the audio I'd just love a mini performance mixer hehe Was hoping for one with the same form factor as the tr-6s mc-101
@@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.
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
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.
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.
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 :)
I'd like to like them, but I think they seem a little too basic for the price. Better get some of the more feature-rich big brothers. These will compete with Korg's mini-synths and with the upcoming Behringer Micro-synths, but the latter with beat these with their promised 49 and 99 euro prices. So much choice out there nowadays! The intro took the word cheesy to whole new level, though :-)
I think you kind of missed the point of the J-6 as a chord progression and idea generator device. Plug it into your DAW or dawless setup of choice using a simple USB cable and use the J-6 to generate new music ideas with zero music theory knowledge. You mention the midi connectivity in passing in the end, but this I think is the key selling point. Those 64 presets are just included to make it truly standalone so you can generate ideas on the go, I don't think Roland was even remotely trying to create a synthesizer here, so seeing that as a con is sort of missing the point, IMHO. That said, I agree it should have the ability to save those music sketches in song sort of song mode!
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.
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
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 :)
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...
No pattern-chaining for the T-8? Real songs need more than just 32 steps. That's very disappointing. Even the original TB-303 & TR-808 could chain patterns, and they were released more than 40 years ago...
Luv this boxes (better than Volcas) but sound to « housy », big regret would buy them with more « saw » arp synth ba strings etc sounds. Made for clubing/techno/acid…
J6 when you change the sound, the parameters from the potentiometers are no longer the same and you can't make the connection from one sound to another.....all the new range has this handicap , no one asked for the rotary potentiometers, but still you can't get over that serious problem.... it's a joke from Roland
@@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.
@@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,.
@@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.
@@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!
The Volcas are dead. Long live the AIRA Compacts. The absence of parameter-locking/automation and the very limited sound design capabilities aside, these look like A LOT of fun. Do they ship with 3.5mm-to-5pin din MIDI adapters? I sold all my pocket operaters and am in the process of doing the same with my Volcas but these little boxes look and sound so tempting.
The Volcas are the classic, I opted for sequencing them externally. Never gonna sell mine. Def not keys, bass and drum. Want to her better sampler than Volca sample, but will keep IT anyway for sidechaining my compressor.
Anyone understand why the E-4 isn't the V-4? isn't the naming convention of the other two from the TR and JU series respectively? and the E-4 is clearly a "descendant" of the VT series? LoL whut?
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.
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
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Nice touch with the sip from the cup to explain why the continuity of the cup placement changed 😄👌
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.
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.
😂
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.
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.
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.
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
That’s a dope song. That vocoder sounds dope too. Way cleaner than the Microkorg or Mininova ones
Really like these. The mix through addresses that external mixer issue that the volcas have always had.
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!
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 :)
Hey man, honestly, I loved hearing you sing! Keep it up.
Wow, the new Roland Volca range!
9:42 actually, if I understand this unit correctly, you CAN record melody forming single notes per step too! Thanks for nice review!!
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
The music in this review - I like it. It's soulful and humorous - nice!
Thanks!
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.)
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
@@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)
@@RJ_Eckie thanks
Did you notice the hiss from his E4 in the video? Does your VT-4 sound cleaner?
@@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.
EXCELLENT Demo, Bo❗️
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
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)
The t-8 looks like so much fun
Great. New stuff for upcoming BAD GEAR episodes :)
lol, they try to stay nr1 as most featured brand.
They tick all thé boxes 😋
excellent demo! brilliant !
simplicity doesn't mean it has to be just for beginners - i love the idea of a battery powered clutch of x0x sounds and can see a place for the t8 in my studio. but.... no automation of knob moves puts it below volca par imho. that said, ill prob still get the t8
Absolutely right
Can you control the T8 parameters via MIDI?
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.
That E-4 is going in my Circuit Tracks setup. I can have full vocals in my jams!!!!!!!!
Same! As soon as I saw it I went immediately to try and buy one for my circuit
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?
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.
Bo would love to see you use the T-8 with a some volca's
I notice the official Roland press release details the T-8 as having 'TB-303-style bass' as opposed to saying that it has a built in TB303. Are we looking at the same scenario as with the MC303 back in 1997 which was promoted as being able to replicate the original TB-303 but only used samples for which you could apply cutoff and resonsance and generally sounded nothing like the TB-303. Cheers!
Its acb technology, so its not sample based. To my ear it sounds like their prev boutique 303 with less functions n features
@@BoBeats Awesome, I actually really like the look of the T-8. Despite owning a TR8, TR9, TB3 and TB03 I love the idea of having something small and portable that mixes all those machines...!
The TR 8 is a lovely ACID toy
Totally
sorry - noob here. What microphone did you use there?
I didn’t understand the foreign lyrics but it was actually really sick 🤷🏾♂️💫
Tung synt! I like!
Does the J-6 allow me to create and enter my own chords?
T-8 the big winner.
That does sound like a Juno-60
All new gear we want,but do we really need it ? probably not😀
More Bo Swedish rapping please
Gives me JD Xi vibes which were not good.
Nothing wrong with what is on offer, just something I would personally not use.
Still, it looks fun and that's all that matters,
"It's very easy to create a small dawless setup" - Yes, but these are EXPENSIVE. Three of these are easy 600€, which a beginner won't pay. I'd rather pay for a Microfreak or maybe even an NTS-1
No argument from me. Theres alot to choose from.
Life is expensive, peasant.
Kind of odd that they combine a 909-style snare with 808-style hihats on the T-8. Since the sound generation is based on analog modeling, it would have been rather obvious to provide a few different sounds to choose from at least, wouldn't it?
I agree. Its a little weird that we dont have complete kit. But I dont know if there are technical limits tied to acb
@@BoBeats As both the TR-08 and TR-09 use ACB I can see no technical restrictions to be honest.
I love this little toys but 199€ for each it’s really too expensive 🤨
I think for the vocal E-4 its fine. Not much competition. But yes the synth & drums are a tad pricey
@@BoBeats I do not understand this enthusiasm for the E-4 model, the TC Helicon Perform Ve is really innovative and is sold at the same price, there we have a real competitor but which is superior.
These are really nice but are more expensive that Volcas.
Haven't watched yet but nothing I've seen has convinced me the j6 is a proper poly synth...if you can't play single note melodies, it's not really, functionally a proper poly, and it you can't tweak patches or build from scratch, it's not a proper synth. Hoping this convinced me otherwise because I'd love to be surprised
You can play single note melodies. The sequencer however isnt built for that. But you are right: its a very limited poly synth. Very limited.
👀👍❤
My volca broke
Roland-flavoured Volcas!...Cute
I find these more appealing than the Boutique line, especially the T-8.
I actually like them more than the boutiques too. Even tho they arnt as powerful.
@@BoBeats While they definitely nod back to other instruments, Unlike the boutique line these feel new and more unique.
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.
Thank you Rob!
Thats what I think too, and I really appreciate that a lot.
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
just like the Juno-DS' "audio thru"
Ahhhh Roland are expanding the Volca competition... Good 👍
But they made the same stupid mistake with using rubbish 7 segment LEDS instead of a nice little $2 OLED screen !
@AlgoCompSynth by znmeb which pleased the Roland execs
secret link. If you want to hear Underbara Vinterland its on Spotify. Its from a different life: open.spotify.com/track/16s84srTpBh4fWf4u62rLL?si=FRd7pzhnTeW3SJi5fe92bQ&context=spotify%3Asearch%3Abobo%2Bmarika%2Bunderbara%2Bvinterland
I love the sound of Swedish being sung😌
Jag väntar förväntansfullt på den andra du sjöng. Tung synt.... riktigt tung ;)
It's funny that compact $200 device has polyphony and the recent $1000 Elektron Syntakt doesn't.
yeah, give us a poly digital machine on the syntakt please
I mean I agree that polyphony would go a long way on the Elektron devices, but comparing a small plastic preset player to a twelve track semi analog sound design and sequencing power house may not have been the most fair comparison that’s ever been made in synthtube land?
Indeed!
It would be nice if they could update the firmware on the cycles too!
But hey, gotta sell new machines instead!
@@RJ_Eckie yeah, it's ironic that a twelve track semi analog sound design and sequencing power house can look weak in comparison to a small plastic preset player :)
@@vitaliistep Not having polyphony doesn’t make it look weak. It just makes it not have the one feature that is most important to you personally.
Bo: _I am not even here now. I don't know where I went._
Me: Superbooth. You went to Superbooth, you lucky bastard. :P
Look cool, can we have miniature mx-1 hehe
I have the same question about we need to buy mixer separately.
@@AlekseiDroganov you don't need a mixer for these as you can chain the audio I'd just love a mini performance mixer hehe
Was hoping for one with the same form factor as the tr-6s mc-101
For real there are extremely few mixers on the market for these kinds of setups! Especially affordable ones
Teenage Engineering has a tiny little mixer. A really affordable one at that!
@@TheMCCraftingTable You’re not talking about the TX-6 are you? 😭
The Planet is dying...we need more battery powered shenanigans!
I’ve wanted something like the T-8 for ages… can’t believe Roland made it!
Thanks for the great video!
If you have an iPad check out Pure Acid
@@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.
Korg drum or beats are better, been around a while.
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!
Nice to hear your song (in swedish?) - love the way the vocal machine open up vocal possibilties for pretty much anyone
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
kinda want the J6 to just use it as a sequencer, some really cool patterns
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.
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.
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 :)
I'm really liking the J-6. Very cute and useful. Roland are giving me GAS in the morning!
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.
Is the Swedish song ready in time for the European song festival? 😀
Seriously sounded very nice
I'd like to like them, but I think they seem a little too basic for the price. Better get some of the more feature-rich big brothers. These will compete with Korg's mini-synths and with the upcoming Behringer Micro-synths, but the latter with beat these with their promised 49 and 99 euro prices. So much choice out there nowadays! The intro took the word cheesy to whole new level, though :-)
Yepp! Tons of choice
I think you kind of missed the point of the J-6 as a chord progression and idea generator device. Plug it into your DAW or dawless setup of choice using a simple USB cable and use the J-6 to generate new music ideas with zero music theory knowledge. You mention the midi connectivity in passing in the end, but this I think is the key selling point. Those 64 presets are just included to make it truly standalone so you can generate ideas on the go, I don't think Roland was even remotely trying to create a synthesizer here, so seeing that as a con is sort of missing the point, IMHO. That said, I agree it should have the ability to save those music sketches in song sort of song mode!
T-8 is all you need for an acid party 😋
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.
I hope someone compares the E-4 to the VT-4. They seem similar.
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
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 :)
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...
No pattern-chaining for the T-8? Real songs need more than just 32 steps. That's very disappointing. Even the original TB-303 & TR-808 could chain patterns, and they were released more than 40 years ago...
Speaking volume and music volume are pretty out of whack FYI. Having to ride my volume control to hear you speak or not blow out my speakers
Luv this boxes (better than Volcas) but sound to « housy », big regret would buy them with more « saw » arp synth ba strings etc sounds. Made for clubing/techno/acid…
I loved hearing you sing! Please, do it more!
♥️
J6 when you change the sound, the parameters from the potentiometers are no longer the same and you can't make the connection from one sound to another.....all the new range has this handicap , no one asked for the rotary potentiometers, but still you can't get over that serious problem.... it's a joke from Roland
Interesting, but you lost me at "four voices". Did Roland learn nothing from peoples' ire at the Boutiques? :P
Thank you SO much for showing the audio routing!
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
Could this be any more vanilla?
No.
- Fair play to you Bobeats 👏 subscribed.
Your through to the next round, with that heartfelt voice. These look good. Not sure I need one, but great to see.
Is there a midi on on the J6? Would it be possible to sequence it using the Keystep Pro?
I definitely want to get the J6 and T8 to pair with my Volca Keys, Kick and Bass.
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!!
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.
@@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.
@@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,.
@@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.
@@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!
The Volcas are dead. Long live the AIRA Compacts. The absence of parameter-locking/automation and the very limited sound design capabilities aside, these look like A LOT of fun. Do they ship with 3.5mm-to-5pin din MIDI adapters? I sold all my pocket operaters and am in the process of doing the same with my Volcas but these little boxes look and sound so tempting.
The Volcas are the classic, I opted for sequencing them externally. Never gonna sell mine. Def not keys, bass and drum. Want to her better sampler than Volca sample, but will keep IT anyway for sidechaining my compressor.
*buy better sampler
No midi adapters no
Bruh i'm not selling my volca keys, nor my volca bass 😅
I think the keys' sequencer is very underrated
@@jaydeepalmer I'm keeping my Volca Modular and Volca Drum because they're excellent and I can't find anything better than them on the market in the
Bo really went ham on that vocoder thing. Nice to see someone having so much fun with gear. I will for sure get one 👍😆
Busy week for you! And it's only Tuesday.
Roland Juno , T8 , nice Toys with Volca kick🎉
does the e-4 looper sync with midi?
I thought of the mini jam collection too - I occasionally use the filter, but the others were too clunky, and literally made of cardboard!
Yes. They overpromised and underdelivered. Unfortunately. Very cool concept!
Same. I still use the little filter sometimes but don't really touch the others anymore.
Some great lyrics . I just lost a great friend and that jam did the trick . Thank you
♥️
T-8 is a Roland Timbre Wolf minus the howling
Can you sequence notes on the J-6?
Anyone understand why the E-4 isn't the V-4? isn't the naming convention of the other two from the TR and JU series respectively? and the E-4 is clearly a "descendant" of the VT series? LoL whut?
i probably get an E4 to plug into my MC707
It reminds me of the new Amber Heard to Johnny Depp mode!
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.
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
@@ianmorton1799 Could you develop your thought on this unofficial firmware ?
not for me but a great video and demo as usual Bo!
Can we save presets in order, say for a live set ?