New Roland "DANCE" hardware- AIRA TR-8, TB-3, VT-3, SYSTEM-1

[djshire]

Crazy speculative rhetorical thread.

So the same thing that is over on GS....

[ChiTown24]

Looks like the official launch will be on the 15th/16th of Feb, at something called 'Dancefair' in Utrecht, Holland. Mark your calenders

Here's a link to a competition for flights {from the UK}, hotel expenses, VIP passes etc to the event & AIRA launch:

http://www.roland.co.uk/Aira/Home/Competition

[ZenPunkHippy]

So ... a night of hardcore kick drums, Dutch style? Excuse me while I don't enter lol

[ChiTown24]

So ... a night of hardcore kick drums, Dutch style? Excuse me while I don't enter lol

hoho. you better get to the back of the not-entering line

You're joking of course, but Holland is small enough, and their rail system modern enough, that you could attend this thing for whatever seminars etc you're interested in, and bounce back to Amsterdam on one of the every-15-mins trains in about half an hour and in plenty of time to attend whatever type of club you're into

Crazy speculative rhetorical thread.

So the same thing that is over on GS....

I ventured over there... wow lots of poo slinging & trolling indeed

still, some guy did some photoshopping to straighten out one of the promotional pics, and documented some of the details he gleened.

I'm still feeling that it's a hybrid.

Spoiler alert! I have too much time on my hands today and decided to break down what's been put out there. This has all been derived from one picture and one video.

I did a little more tweaking. Should be higher resolution, a little less contrast, and a little more square. The knobs and slider caps are still hilariously long though, nothing to be done about that (click to enlarge):



So here are your sixteen buttons:
1. Bass Drum
2. Snare Drum
3. Low Tom
4. Mid Tom
5. High Tom
6. Rim Shot
7. Hand Clap
8. Closed Hihat
9. Open Hihat
10. Crash Cymbal
11. Ride Cymbal
(The above correspond with the labels on the sliders and knobs)

12. 8th
13. 16th
14. Vari 1
15. Vari 2
(The above are grouped under "Roll")

16. Mute

Along the top, ACCENT and REVERB are pretty clear, but I can't really make out the other two using this picture alone. They all have a "Step Select" button, and all have Level knobs. But we don't just have this picture, there's also that video of all the AIRA devices getting their blink on in the dark. In that video, you can see the label of the third knob in the third set is "Feedback" - and knowing that, I can actually make that out in the modified picture above. UPDATE: stevee0303 points out that the knobs probably say TAPE and FEEDBACK, and that the label looks like SPACE ECHO, which as a device is also featured prominently in the AIRA videos.

Four the fourth set of effects knobs -- In the video at 18 seconds in, you can make out labels below the two knobs - the first one says "Level" and the second "Chain" . Distortion would be a great option for the fourth parameter, but I don't really think "Chain" comes into play in any kind of distortion you'd see on a drum machine - but "sidechain" compression is a thing. And in the video, above the "Chain" knob, you can see the letters ANAL. Folks, I found the Analog on your AIRA, it's in the built-in compressor.

At this point, it's probably worth noting that "Decay" is marked below the knobs in the video at around 0:25, so the model in the picture must have a different faceplate than what's in the video. All of the instrument labels have been moved away from the green buttons and up to an area between the effects knobs and the instrument parameter knobs, and are black text on white labels, akin to what's on the 808. It looks like the green buttons have abbreviated labels - "LT" is visible in the video where on the photo it says "LOW TOM"

Aside from the bass drum and snare drum, each of the sounds obviously have three variables: Tune, Decay, and Volume. Snare has Tune, Snap, Decay, and something else that starts with either C or O. Bass drum appears to have Attack, Decay, probably Tune, and I have no idea what the last knob is labeled.

The knob under the tempo display is the tempo knob.
In the video, you can see the right-most knob under Tempo is labeled "FINE". I would gamble the first knob controls swing amount.

The button under the two knobs probably says "TAP"

The big knob surrounded by ten LEDs is most likely the track/pattern/kit/inst/misc select knob. I don't see much in the way of menu diving here, given that the only display is a three digit LCD, a la the Electribe. The LCD was green in the AIRA 'lab' videos but is red in the final product.

I have no idea what the ten LEDs indicate, other than tempo (probably).

The 909 homage video shows the back of the circuit board with power (wall wart), USB, MIDI IN/OUT, and a series of 1/4" jacks - 4-6(?) individual outs (Maybe TRS split, like on the Tempest), stereo L&R out, and headphones?

Now we're pretty clear on what it does. The important part is, how does it sound?

[Frantz]

Beatport calls the AIRA series "decidedly digital" (scroll to the end).



This demo sounds kinda meh to me.

[ChiTown24]

In a first for NAMM, the most whispered-about product was the only one you couldn’t actually see. Few reporters were allowed to glimpse the product(s), but those who did were truly impressed. And already, I’ve probably said more than my NDA will allow. While the AIRA series is decidedly digital, the consensus among insiders, myself included, is that Roland honestly has a hit on their hands. No, it’s not a Korg-style reissue of the 808 or 303 (but that would be damn cool, too). Instead, it’s a rebirth of the essence of those products, and next month, a world of producers will be absolutely blown away. Things just got real for Roland—and the rest of us. That’s all I can say for now.

Strange report... twice he refers to the fact he's under NDA, or is restricted in what he can say. And in the middle of that says the series is 'decidedly digital' ... makes you wonder what he's been told to keep secret, if those are the kind of details he's permitted to leak... subterfuge ?

anyway I'm still thinking hybrid and maybe the digital elements are sounding super duper. even if 100% digital - the interface already looks like a winner to me, a cheap price point will seal the deal. presuming it also sounds great of course.

[Kriminal]

Looks like the official launch will be on the 15th/16th of Feb, at something called 'Dancefair' in Utrecht, Holland. Mark your calenders

i said that on p16

[ChiTown24]

Looks like the official launch will be on the 15th/16th of Feb, at something called 'Dancefair' in Utrecht, Holland. Mark your calenders

i said that on p16

well done!

still, no harm in repeating the info {with precise dates and competition links} for the benefit of people who have you on mute

[kritikon]

All of the speculation by anyone vaguely journalist sounds like so much journalistic arselicking to me. You know, in the same way that mags like FM give 9.9/10 for every piece of crap thst comes out? It's just more Roland digital stuff. Only this time they spent more money on some names to say nice things about it.

[Kriminal]

http://www.sonicstate.com/news/2014/02/ ... =sonicnick

[ZenPunkHippy]

http://www.sonicstate.com/news/2014/02/ ... =sonicnick

Roland are milking this for all it's worth!

At 30 seconds the red LED numbers clearly read "101", and appear to be related to the keyboard model in the video.

Still reckon it will be all digital ...

[Gamma-UT]

I can't help feeling that with their gift for timing, the minute Roland launches these things the arse will drop out of the entire EDM and trap/rap markets.

[ZenPunkHippy]

the arse will drop out of the entire EDM and trap/rap markets.

One can hope

[Jim Y]

Meanwhile, the things they did publicly unveil at namm are obscured by the tumbleweed.
FA (Forgotten Already) workstations?

[Gamma-UT]

Meanwhile, the things they did publicly unveil at namm are obscured by the tumbleweed.
FA (Forgotten Already) workstations?

Only by people who believe that by touching the holy cloth of a genuine Roland fake-analogue drum machine their beats will suddenly become phat and their squelches tinged with the pure glow of acid.

The Fantoms seem to have done solid business so far and these new ones will probably do better than the Jupiters now that they've worked out that there are a bunch of people out there who still want do-it-all workstations with a bunch of decent sounds in them.