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.

I first used this with a friend who is very well versed in music and synths, and happened to have one of these. I bought this via friends recommendation after having a jam session for and getting lost in the music with him for like 2 hours. This thing is loaded with features, and has lots of great tutorial videos online of how to use utilize all of them. Needless to say, you can produce some pretty awesome stuff with this. Not to mention the kids love playing with this, and it keeps them off the TV or some other screen. Lots of fun and features. Highly recommend.

I’m gonna say. This is a cool product. I may have kept it if I got it for $159. However it’s overpriced to competitors. I also wasn’t sure I would use often. If you into making digital music this is pretty awesome.

I'm really happy with my purchase, this thing is so fun to play, Im really getting addicted to it The great: 1) No computer involved. Nor even a power source is needed. Just plug it before using it, so it charges the internal batt, and then you are good to go. Just plug your headphones to it, or plug the output to the input of a Bluetooth speaker (aux-in required in the speaker) 2) Sound quality is perfect for my uses. Not sure how close to the real 303 and 808 is, but for this price point, I'm really happy with how it sounds. 3) Versatile. Compact. Lightweight. 2in1. 4) fun. Addictive. Not so great: 1) knobs are small for my big hands. Everything seems a bit too small. 2) I wish it had a bigger display with more info. Veredict: I highly recommend it if you are in a budget (yes, I trully feel I've got something valuable) and need to have these classics covered as much as possible.

I'll admit, I bought this as a glorified metronome. Something to make practicing bass more interesting. With a 3.5mm M-M Hosa audio cable, the T-8 plugs right into the aux port on my Fender Rumble 25. And it does the trick, keeping my mind on the beat. But instead of the boring old tick, tick, tick of the metronome, I have all the iconic sounds of 80s new wave at my fingertips. Want to practice to the pounding of a New Order Blue Monday bass drum? No problem. Punch it in. Like those 808 hand claps? It does that too. The lights on the sequencer provide a nice visual indication of the tempo as well. Does it do other stuff? Sure, lots more. My teenager had the Donkey Kong theme going with synth bass in a matter of minutes. If you want to spice up your practice routine or just goof off, this is an amazing little device. I looked at some of the clones from other brands, but if you consider the T-8 is like having an 808 drum machine and a 303 bass synth stuffed into a single box the size of a paperback novel, you can't beat it. Big sound. Quality feel to the controls. Nice price.