I'm going to post this here in case it's helpful to anyone else - I got one of these this week and it sounds fantastic, but I couldn't for the life of me get it to play my midi from Ableton. I live near enough to Andertons to take it in and discuss it so went there this morning. I was assuming I was missing something or the unit was faulty. In fact, it needs you to go in to the menu and move the midi channel. It is bizarrely set to channel 3 by default (at least mine is). To fix the issue (and thanks to the guy at Anderstons today - I didn't get the dude's name but he was great) - do this: Turn it on - press shift and 15 to access menu - scroll to CH - select your correct midi channel (e.g. 1 instead of 3) - enter - exit x2. And you're away. Great customer service at Andertons today. One of my all time favourite shops in the universe.
Andy once again proving how good he is at demonstrating Roland products, and how cheeky chappy Jack at how he's brilliant at letting everything flow organically, and his passion is second to none. Also a stunning demo at the end by Andy, the S-1 looks AMAZING.
@@HOLLASOUNDS I think people just didn't get Jack and how he "played up" the slightly dim witted character, but he's far far from it. It's such a clever way of getting the most out of people, and having that "learning conversation" with the folks that come in.
@@mattierenton701 I think it was Jack who had the idea to do the channel like this, and Anditons decided to give him a chance. The company its self is very professional it's a good looking brand but it needed someone like Jack to come on UA-cam and make it fun. Jack's genuine excitement and joy, He loves music, loves gear.
I have to agree that having Jack playing a beginners mind set asking question that we would ask knowing nothing in music, while keeping the fun in the learning really makes this channel special. I know he knows music, but playing the devil advocate in some way present a learning opportunity for the viewer. I appreciate the tempo and pace of understanding the product. Let me put it this way, I didn't fall asleep half way like I do on most other channel.
Your videos on these devices have completely sold me on these! I bought the J-6 without even watching the whole video, it came yesterday and the family was having so much fun with it! I’ve actually decided to get the T-8 instead of the TR-8s just based on the fun and approachability of these devices. Thank you for your awesome review videos!
I got mine the week it was released. I had low expectations to prevent disappointment but man, I was wrong. It is just what I was looking for: a replacement for my Volca Bass and a Toraiz AS-1; both of which I HAD a love-hate relationship with (I’ve sold both of them). This little synth sounds surprisingly good and it’s easy to program. I was particularly sold by the fact you can change presets/programs on the fly without going out of sync (unlike the AS-1). Beware! It’s very small though.
and with the arrival of the Behringer Pro-800 a nice replacement for your sold Toraiz comes just in time! (as I was thinking up until recently of getting the Toraiz)
As a drummer who runs sensory percussion to control hardware synths, physical space is a limited resource. The number one complaint from folks with the AIRA line seems to be how small it is, but if you’re like me and NEED compact powerful hardware, this is the best of the 4 they’ve released yet. Can’t put mine down
An important finding, if you’re a Logic Pro user. Since Roland doesn’t seem to know this (May 2024), I will post this through my favourite electronica UA-camrs. Having owned the S-1 for about 5 minutes I began thinking about how I could integrate it into my UA/Logic Pro set up. USB-C connection to the Mac. First try resulted in the S-1 taking over completely, no access to UA. The Roland “support” site said that it wasn’t possible to use it with multiple audio interfaces! Accepting the challenge I created an Aggregate Device in the the Mac’s Audio MIDI set up, with the UA as master device. Let there be audio! The MIDI part was a brain twister though. Audio still working fine when I started the S-1’s internal sequencer. But no MIDI triggering the S-1. Double checking the MIDI setting on the S-1 revealed that I had adjusted the chorus, Cho, mistaking the o for a zero. The correct parameter is called CH. Why it wasn’t already set to channel 1 is anybody’s guess. Cool box, lousy support site, as usual. Roland, please fix your extremely slow and unhelpful site Thank you for sharing a helpful video.
This is not strictly for beginners at all. This thing punches way above its weight. That being said, it is accesible to beginners. I wouldnt exactly recommend it as a first synth. But if it becomes your first synth, that wont be a problem after a few yt videos and some study. I suggest watching some basic sound design videos, and basic synth concept stuff if you're totally new to it. Take the time to apply each of those concepts to the S1. Much of the basic synth functionality control is right there on the surface. No menu diving required. The deeper functionality of the S1 is not self explanatory. But the effort is worth it.
@@heres_the_sauce Every synth has its eccentricities. Even a "simple" synthesizer can be confusing. If I could go back and do it again, I would probably buy the Hydrasynth Explorer. It IS more complex than some "beginner synths" but it is also ridiculously powerful. The sounds you can make are amazing (just make sure you have "Warm Mode" switched on most of the time under the "Voices" menu). The price is absurdly low for what you get. Conceptually, the basic operation is pretty straight forward. The buttons and knobs that you need most are right on the surface. So you can make some useful sounds out of the box without too much trouble. You might be stumped by the modulation matrix at first, but that will pass with a few tutorials. I also like the Korg Minilogue XD. The sounds that come out of it are so beautiful, without a lot of effort. But it costs a little more. Also, there are one or two limitations ( e.g. no mod matrix). But they are limitations that can be overcome with a little patience and cleverness. And it has a digital oscillator section that will allow you to load new oscillators that you have purchased (see Tim Shoebridge videos). Good luck ! P.S. I just want to say that there are some really good virtual vst type synthesizers out there that will help you get up to speed. Check out Venus Theory and his recent review of free vst synths.
Please release a sampling drum machine in this form factor with the same class compliant capabilities of this guy. 350.00 all day long and most likely the best selling drum machine made.
Roland, please, please add pattern chaining. I know some EDM guys are not into part changes, but it would open up so much more possibiities for these..... (and yes, perfectly possible with the little pocket operators, so....)
Stupid question: can I hook a midi keyboard up to this so I can play it with normal size keys? New to synths and still learning. Right now I have a Yamaha CS and a 61-keys midi keyboard.
Will Roland correct the product defect of the S-1 having no MIDI Volume (CC07) support? All MIDI synths have supported this for over 40 years! Roland! Wake up! We no longer live in the89s!
The S1 sounds really excellent and the 64 step sequencer with motion is fun and inspiring. Sadly, I couldn’t get MIDI out from Logic or Ableton to work so I returned it. 😢
Had the same problem and live near enough to Andertons to take it in and discuss it. I was assuming I was missing something or the unit was faulty. Nope. It needs you to go in and move the midi channel. It is bizarrely set to channel 3 by default. To fix the issue (and thanks to the guy at Anderstons) - do this: Turn it on - press shift and 15 to access menu - scroll to CH - select your correct midi channel (e.g. 1 instead of 3) - enter - exit x2. And you're away. Great customer service at Andertons today. Don't ask me why Roland made this so difficult to find and resolve. 🤷♂️
@@CeruleanAscent The reason for the default MIDI-channel #3 is to not clash with J-6 (default ch=1) and T-8 TB-bass (default ch=2) and thus working out of the box with the rest of the range. It is all in the owners manuals, so not that much of a secret IMHO. Great that you got it working!
@@LudvigOlin jesus where in the owner's manual?! I looked everywhere trying to resolve that. It took the bloke at Andertons a while to figure it too. Honestly I sometimes feel like I have some sort of hardware learning disability 🤷♂️. The menu on the s1 is killing me 🤣🤣🤣. Makes a lot of sense what you're saying cheers amigo. I deliberately buy one thing at a time knowing it will take me ages to learn the damn things 🤣 anyway my s1 is working so happy days now I just need to work out how to use it! Have a good weekend!!
I have just got the S-1. Seriously, we are in 2023 an they still use those “way overdue” old type of displays. For Pete sake, take a couple bucks more and give us an OLED display. It’s simply to nerdy and frustrating to decode what the heck is written. And the fonts on the black rubber buttons are really hard to read. To small and the font color is to dark.
I kinda wanna sell my MC-101 and buy two of these, but I am wondering if presets can be saved. Right now i'm using the 101 as a sound design device and switching between presets using the clips for live performance. That's not good if I have to completely rebuild the sound when I want to switch. Would work fine as a bass synth if that's the case, though.
A question for the experts. *How do I connect devices with built-in sounds Directly to a control keyboard that has no sounds? *Which cables do I need? And what is the friend why? - I have: launchkey 25 mk Novation control keyboard and want to connect it for example: to CIRCUIT TRACKS. Or - for the Roland device / Roland Aira S-1 and use their sounds. Many thanks to the helpers.
I'm fixing to buy the S1 I think- and then add the rest as I go. I'm new to synths- played guitar most of my life though- and I understand basic theory. From what I can see, that's plenty enough to get started- and this looks like a great beginner's setup. Question- can I run this out to a standard powered FRFR cab- or do I need a DI box or something?
@@SpeccyMan I hear you- the shame is that band I play in has a Roland Juno synth that no one is using. It belongs to our bassist though- and I can't spend enough time at his house to learn to use it. And I'm not about to ask to borrow his synth- it's too expensive and I don't know enough about what I'm doing with it to feel comfortable. But it has the same 8 step sequencer the J6 has- only it's not just chords you can sequence. You can sequence bass, drums, chords, and/or melody. It's like having all four of these units- minus the vocal thingy- in one unit.
Sold mine. It’s def cool… and I made a bunch of tracks I like with it, but I am mostly working in the box these days and for me the options within the pc are better. If you buy just be aware… it is as tiny as it seems… I have big hands and didn’t love it (which I don’t blame Roland for).
I'm pretty sure he means when the rechargeable eventually dies? This was my main concern when I bought the E-4 Voice Tweaker last year. Luckily, you just unscrew 6 screws at the back, and the battery is held in a black plastic casing held to the back with an additional 2 screws. It takes an AS-553640 3.7V 850mAh Lithium-polymer battery that connects using the standard JST connector. Since this is the same range/form factor I assume that it uses the same battery.
Roland could’ve put a touchscreen on this little unit. It would’ve made things way cooler for editing but no they had to use a cheap four digit abbreviated menu. I guess you could get the same sounds out of a daw with less frustration., This unit is has very quiet and rich sound, quite clean without noise or hiss from its output. at the same time it’s function is hindered by a lack of its architecture. Ultimately disappointing for fast production progress
There are a lot of good synthesizers in 2023, and I can't think of anything with a worse interface than the S-1 and the T-8. They've created a form factor smaller than a Volca, and they're cramming twice as many controls as any Volca onto it. Maybe it's popular because it's the cheapest synth besides a Stylophone, but how's the customer satisfaction? When you get a discount version of a classic synth that's more difficult to use than the original, does that make you want to buy more Roland gear? I see a lot of people giving great reviews to the S-1, but none of those reviewers are ever going to use it again. It's only $200, but that's no excuse for having a $0.05 display on it. The 64x32 oled display on the Model: Cycles is a $1.50 part. An even better 128x32 oled display is $5. You could even show the waveform. How much less popular do you think the Monologue and Minilogue would be if they had a display this bad? If you're going to make people dive into menus the least you can do is give them a display capable of displaying characters. It's just brutal. People would gladly pay an extra $30 or $50 to get an S-1 with a less painful display.
@@kekethetoad JD-Xi has trash keys, little knobs, no ACB, ABM or zen-core, poor effects routing, no EQ per part and less effects overall, easily gets congested, extremely bad front panel, etc. Not even close to SH-4D's or MC-101's versatility and quality, very bad attempt at a groovesynth or groovebox. And then?
Wait.... Did Roland clone one of the greatest analogue artists and train him to work for them selling their gear? It's not jus me, right? This guy is a clone of Ed DMX/DMX Krew!!!!
…, kiss ass brand promotion. I appreciate how you guys are hired to sell these. maybe they’ll give you a free SYNTH for talking up this lackluster, hard to manipulate synthesizer. It sounds clean - I’m pretty impressed by its excellent sound. However, trying to control it is too much and way not ergonomic…too much effort trying to get to its abbreviations and functions. and dumb as hell display .
Dear Roland, we need a new killer plastic body synth, less menu diving - lots of controls - 4 & 5 octaves synth with multi engines/synthesis types for £699-£899. You are big enough to make this happen...
Its all fine until u realise that they are living off the old glory, nothing new or innovating, everything is based of something ancient with each time even fewer controls
Do you listen to music? How many new and completely different sounds and synthesis techniques are you heading these days? Audio in general had been stagnant for years vs. other mediums. It’s not just Roland, although they definitely have some work to do with their crappy displays and menu diving.
Just like Korg and Yamaha. Those three just do that all decade long. Additionally Korg may bust out something new and quirky along the way. Their money makers are rehashed old romplers and digital pianos with a sprinkle of improved piano samples along the way here and there. Not that anyone cares.
@@Iinoi33 These compact aren’t for everyone. They are for me though. I love battery powered compacts and they’re jus getting better. Synths like the S1 are great for people who want to do live sets or just add a synth to their production arsonel.
This is so disappointing. Roland has 0 clue. It's like a more limited version of System-8 where to not have a purposefully limited synth you have to play a game with a bunch of In-Game-Purchases for lame analog emulations. I want to see Roland focusing on inventing genius new kinds of synthesis. That idea has been put on the back burner at Roland at this point. ACB, ABM are again analog emulation platforms of reusable emulation code but they are not new kinds of synthesis. Roland is like Disney now, are they even capable of making something genius and new anymore? This is not that big of a deal, I've created plenty of new kinds of synthesis just coding random plugins. Roland is a big company and they can't even afford to have a parallel team working on an Area-51 synth with totally new synthesis that's not based on analog emulation, subtractive, wavetable, FM, etc. Using analog emulation inside certain parts of new synthesis algorithms can sound very good but that's not the important part, the important part was to make something highly harmonically correlated that is impossible to build in an analog synth without having an implausible gigantic $200,000 labyrinthine analog machine. But Roland keeps doing the same old noob stuff. They don't have someone who knows as much as me. That doesn't even make any sense. I think maybe their whole corporate structure is made up of middle management and approval by committee. Roland should be allowing inventors to spend some of Roland's money to create some masterpieces. This AIRA S-1 isn't a masterpiece, it's a watered down old technology for making corporate approved sounds. Just look at some of the Oscillator Mutants in something like the Hydrasynth, that is coming from 1 creator, it's not coming from middle management's approval. Roland doesn't really have idea leaders anymore, they have people who were polite and managed to not get fired. You're not gonna find someone like the equivalent of a young John Chowning building a hugely innovative new basic synthesis architecture at Roland. Just incremental noob stuff. Roland is dumb for not spending money once in a while to make something big. It barely even costs anything to do this, a few million dollars is not much. Salaries for a team of 10 for a couple years. Roland just doesn't have anyone who can lead that project. And apparently Roland doesn't have anyone who wants to. And if those people are working at Roland, they are being shut down.
Here’s an idea…just buy what you want from someone who makes what you want instead of telling someone who isn’t making what you want to make what you want.
He really didn’t have much to say in a negative way. This is the most powerful synth in this form factor. I hope Roland continues this trend with this line of gear. I use this in my portable set up outside the studio. The fact you can use it with just one usb c cable to iPad Pro enables you to use it inside a daw AND have another sound input available for a mic or other gear. Most versatile synth of 2023.
I can build you guys a new table that wont warp. I could even build it from your existing table which is gorgeous wood. we can plane it not stain it but oil it and make it very nice.
A good YT channel would have asked at this point why people should still buy the boutique version for twice the price when the S1 is the better synth in almost every aspect. Sure, it has a smaller form factor, but it's not less fiddly than the SH 01a.
Well I have only 3 normal synths in My set up and already running out of space, these Aira would add alot of capabilities and all 4 units together take up less space then one of My Synths.
- I sold my Red SH-101 and got a SH-01A, TB-03, TR-06 and TR-6S, and I might get one of these as the built in fx and motion recording are definitely a plus, i don't really like the colour or tiny knobs but I'd be controlling it from a Keystep37.
I'm going to post this here in case it's helpful to anyone else - I got one of these this week and it sounds fantastic, but I couldn't for the life of me get it to play my midi from Ableton. I live near enough to Andertons to take it in and discuss it so went there this morning. I was assuming I was missing something or the unit was faulty. In fact, it needs you to go in to the menu and move the midi channel. It is bizarrely set to channel 3 by default (at least mine is). To fix the issue (and thanks to the guy at Anderstons today - I didn't get the dude's name but he was great) - do this:
Turn it on - press shift and 15 to access menu - scroll to CH - select your correct midi channel (e.g. 1 instead of 3) - enter - exit x2. And you're away.
Great customer service at Andertons today. One of my all time favourite shops in the universe.
❤
Andy once again proving how good he is at demonstrating Roland products, and how cheeky chappy Jack at how he's brilliant at letting everything flow organically, and his passion is second to none. Also a stunning demo at the end by Andy, the S-1 looks AMAZING.
Jack used to get alot of hate when He first come on this channel but I would not watch this channel without Him.
@@HOLLASOUNDS I think people just didn't get Jack and how he "played up" the slightly dim witted character, but he's far far from it. It's such a clever way of getting the most out of people, and having that "learning conversation" with the folks that come in.
@@mattierenton701 I think it was Jack who had the idea to do the channel like this, and Anditons decided to give him a chance. The company its self is very professional it's a good looking brand but it needed someone like Jack to come on UA-cam and make it fun. Jack's genuine excitement and joy, He loves music, loves gear.
I have to agree that having Jack playing a beginners mind set asking question that we would ask knowing nothing in music, while keeping the fun in the learning really makes this channel special. I know he knows music, but playing the devil advocate in some way present a learning opportunity for the viewer. I appreciate the tempo and pace of understanding the product. Let me put it this way, I didn't fall asleep half way like I do on most other channel.
Your videos on these devices have completely sold me on these! I bought the J-6 without even watching the whole video, it came yesterday and the family was having so much fun with it! I’ve actually decided to get the T-8 instead of the TR-8s just based on the fun and approachability of these devices. Thank you for your awesome review videos!
This is great. Very Korgy approach from Roland. It is great to see these things happening
Sounds so good for it's size and price. Gonna have to snag one of these soon, always wanted an sh-101.
Pretty excited about these units,got an s1 on the way. They’re small,sound big,and are priced great. A win all around.🤘🏻
Congratulations on the first oscilloscope on your channel. 🍾
I got mine the week it was released. I had low expectations to prevent disappointment but man, I was wrong. It is just what I was looking for: a replacement for my Volca Bass and a Toraiz AS-1; both of which I HAD a love-hate relationship with (I’ve sold both of them). This little synth sounds surprisingly good and it’s easy to program. I was particularly sold by the fact you can change presets/programs on the fly without going out of sync (unlike the AS-1). Beware! It’s very small though.
and with the arrival of the Behringer Pro-800 a nice replacement for your sold Toraiz comes just in time! (as I was thinking up until recently of getting the Toraiz)
What a great time to be alive
As a drummer who runs sensory percussion to control hardware synths, physical space is a limited resource. The number one complaint from folks with the AIRA line seems to be how small it is, but if you’re like me and NEED compact powerful hardware, this is the best of the 4 they’ve released yet. Can’t put mine down
Yeah, I mean, that's literally their main selling point
@@kalebrosenberg8294 It it ACTUALLY their main selling point. 😉
An important finding, if you’re a Logic Pro user.
Since Roland doesn’t seem to know this (May 2024),
I will post this through my favourite electronica UA-camrs.
Having owned the S-1 for about 5 minutes I began thinking about
how I could integrate it into my UA/Logic Pro set up.
USB-C connection to the Mac.
First try resulted in the S-1 taking over completely, no access to UA.
The Roland “support” site said that it wasn’t possible to use it with multiple audio interfaces!
Accepting the challenge I created an Aggregate Device in the the Mac’s Audio MIDI set up,
with the UA as master device.
Let there be audio!
The MIDI part was a brain twister though.
Audio still working fine when I started the S-1’s internal sequencer.
But no MIDI triggering the S-1.
Double checking the MIDI setting on the S-1 revealed
that I had adjusted the chorus, Cho, mistaking the o for a zero.
The correct parameter is called CH.
Why it wasn’t already set to channel 1 is anybody’s guess.
Cool box, lousy support site, as usual.
Roland, please fix your extremely slow and unhelpful site
Thank you for sharing a helpful video.
WOW. A great tool for use with their SP404MK2 (which is stunning). Yes, Roland are on the up these days.
I have both of these now and I'm looking forward to integrating the two together.
I’ve been using Roland/Boss products for years.
I purchased the other three AIRA devices. Not disappointed!
This looks great. Definitely been looking for a synthesizer to add to my gear. Don’t know much about them tho.
Damn, I wanted the SH-4D now i want all of these too! It's gonna have to be one or the other.
I really liked this. Great stuff coming out of Roland.
Thanks guys, love the S1 tweak, and such a great video, respect.
Are the batteries user replaceable when they go bad?
Sounds big and rich, amazing from such a didi device… hats 🎩 off Roland
"Sounds big and rich"
The only synths that don't are most of the freeware VSTs made by random, lone individuals that no one talks about.
Yeah yeah, sounds cool. BUT I'm really interested in Andy's t shirt!
I really have to ask the question everyone probably has in mind: where can I find that oscilloscope app?!
app store
What’s it called?
Brilliant products of Roldmart, nice 👍🏻
So I'm getting a Roland AIRA S-1.
BTW, what's the name of the oscilloscope app? Tnx
Dang, this video has convinced me I think. This little synth is awesome!
how'd that work out for you?
This is not strictly for beginners at all. This thing punches way above its weight. That being said, it is accesible to beginners. I wouldnt exactly recommend it as a first synth. But if it becomes your first synth, that wont be a problem after a few yt videos and some study. I suggest watching some basic sound design videos, and basic synth concept stuff if you're totally new to it. Take the time to apply each of those concepts to the S1. Much of the basic synth functionality control is right there on the surface. No menu diving required. The deeper functionality of the S1 is not self explanatory. But the effort is worth it.
What would be a good first synth for beginner? I like this one has a battery so can use on the go...
@@heres_the_sauce Every synth has its eccentricities. Even a "simple" synthesizer can be confusing. If I could go back and do it again, I would probably buy the Hydrasynth Explorer. It IS more complex than some "beginner synths" but it is also ridiculously powerful. The sounds you can make are amazing (just make sure you have "Warm Mode" switched on most of the time under the "Voices" menu). The price is absurdly low for what you get. Conceptually, the basic operation is pretty straight forward. The buttons and knobs that you need most are right on the surface. So you can make some useful sounds out of the box without too much trouble. You might be stumped by the modulation matrix at first, but that will pass with a few tutorials. I also like the Korg Minilogue XD. The sounds that come out of it are so beautiful, without a lot of effort. But it costs a little more. Also, there are one or two limitations ( e.g. no mod matrix). But they are limitations that can be overcome with a little patience and cleverness. And it has a digital oscillator section that will allow you to load new oscillators that you have purchased (see Tim Shoebridge videos). Good luck !
P.S. I just want to say that there are some really good virtual vst type synthesizers out there that will help you get up to speed. Check out Venus Theory and his recent review of free vst synths.
very nice indeed. Might have to add one of these to my Volcas !
Please release a sampling drum machine in this form factor with the same class compliant capabilities of this guy.
350.00 all day long and most likely the best selling drum machine made.
You could have an MC-101 for that price.
@@manslaughterinc.9135 I’ve got a 707. Had the 101 bricked it. Not the same form though.
I want it in aria compact. It can be done.
Hi, what’s the name of the oscilloscope that’s used here, thanks!
Great device and a good companion for my T8. it would be good to see it hooked to a MIDI keyboard and explore the polyphonic capabilities.
Started using mine with a Launchpad and it is very nice
Is it possible to get the wiring and cable setup for connecting the 4 devices ?
Nice Yamaha CA-610 in the background.
Roland, please, please add pattern chaining. I know some EDM guys are not into part changes, but it would open up so much more possibiities for these..... (and yes, perfectly possible with the little pocket operators, so....)
Very funny finishing up mentioning the PO… 😂 But I totally agree 👍🏽
DRAW mode in the frequency domain - enter the FFT and it works out the waveform! That would be cool.
For some reason Roland decided to pack this full of features and make it cheaper.
I think Behringer is starting to get to Roland lol
And that is most definitely not a bad thing. Affordable gear benefits us all.
Stupid question: can I hook a midi keyboard up to this so I can play it with normal size keys? New to synths and still learning. Right now I have a Yamaha CS and a 61-keys midi keyboard.
Not stupid at all! Yes you can. 4 notes at once.
Genius start! More cameraman caveman noises, please! May I have a sample library of those fantastic noises?
Lol
we going into the future bois 🦾
Where do I get that Roland t-shirt? Oh man! 😍
I jumped in to the comments to ask this very same question 😎
Will Roland correct the product defect of the S-1 having no MIDI Volume (CC07) support? All MIDI synths have supported this for over 40 years! Roland! Wake up! We no longer live in the89s!
The S1 sounds really excellent and the 64 step sequencer with motion is fun and inspiring. Sadly, I couldn’t get MIDI out from Logic or Ableton to work so I returned it. 😢
Had the same problem and live near enough to Andertons to take it in and discuss it. I was assuming I was missing something or the unit was faulty. Nope. It needs you to go in and move the midi channel. It is bizarrely set to channel 3 by default. To fix the issue (and thanks to the guy at Anderstons) - do this:
Turn it on - press shift and 15 to access menu - scroll to CH - select your correct midi channel (e.g. 1 instead of 3) - enter - exit x2. And you're away.
Great customer service at Andertons today. Don't ask me why Roland made this so difficult to find and resolve. 🤷♂️
@@CeruleanAscent The reason for the default MIDI-channel #3 is to not clash with J-6 (default ch=1) and T-8 TB-bass (default ch=2) and thus working out of the box with the rest of the range. It is all in the owners manuals, so not that much of a secret IMHO. Great that you got it working!
@@LudvigOlin jesus where in the owner's manual?! I looked everywhere trying to resolve that. It took the bloke at Andertons a while to figure it too. Honestly I sometimes feel like I have some sort of hardware learning disability 🤷♂️. The menu on the s1 is killing me 🤣🤣🤣. Makes a lot of sense what you're saying cheers amigo. I deliberately buy one thing at a time knowing it will take me ages to learn the damn things 🤣 anyway my s1 is working so happy days now I just need to work out how to use it! Have a good weekend!!
Just but some midi din/trs cables. They were wired wrong, for midi at least. Had to rewire and replace the jack.
Nicely Nicely!
What is that oscilloscope app?
looks like the auSCOPE X app. Apple only unfortunately.
So by manipulating the oscillator, does it become an arpeggiator or a step sequencer?
6:46 Wait, no audio interface required? So is the audio going to sound clear?
I have just got the S-1. Seriously, we are in 2023 an they still use those “way overdue” old type of displays.
For Pete sake, take a couple bucks more and give us an OLED display. It’s simply to nerdy and frustrating to decode what the heck is written. And the fonts on the black rubber buttons are really hard to read. To small and the font color is to dark.
Can you play it while it's plugged into power? Or are you restricted to 4 hours of playtime between charges?
I kinda wanna sell my MC-101 and buy two of these, but I am wondering if presets can be saved. Right now i'm using the 101 as a sound design device and switching between presets using the clips for live performance. That's not good if I have to completely rebuild the sound when I want to switch. Would work fine as a bass synth if that's the case, though.
Maybe they will do a dedicated acid yellow one....
Cat keeper?
What do I use to connect the S1 to the iPad to run the auSCOPE X?
great video. can i control (and scale) the filter cutoff with the modwheel of an external midi keyboard?
A question for the experts.
*How do I connect devices with built-in sounds
Directly to a control keyboard that has no sounds?
*Which cables do I need? And what is the friend why?
- I have: launchkey 25 mk Novation control keyboard
and want to connect it for example:
to CIRCUIT TRACKS.
Or - for the Roland device / Roland Aira S-1
and use their sounds.
Many thanks to the helpers.
You need a midi cable
Hello 👋 , great vid... Does the S1 do MPE Midi please, Thanks
THis looks awesome! Btw what is the name of the oscilloscope app? Is it also free by any chance?
I'm fixing to buy the S1 I think- and then add the rest as I go. I'm new to synths- played guitar most of my life though- and I understand basic theory. From what I can see, that's plenty enough to get started- and this looks like a great beginner's setup. Question- can I run this out to a standard powered FRFR cab- or do I need a DI box or something?
That's the route I will be going. Just ordered the S-1 (the T-8 is out of stock right now) and will be adding the others later in the year.
@@SpeccyMan I hear you- the shame is that band I play in has a Roland Juno synth that no one is using. It belongs to our bassist though- and I can't spend enough time at his house to learn to use it. And I'm not about to ask to borrow his synth- it's too expensive and I don't know enough about what I'm doing with it to feel comfortable. But it has the same 8 step sequencer the J6 has- only it's not just chords you can sequence. You can sequence bass, drums, chords, and/or melody. It's like having all four of these units- minus the vocal thingy- in one unit.
What is the oscilloscope app on the phone called?
Tasty and good.
Как записывать звук на ПК?
I can see there is definitely a market for something like this, just not me. I like at least a "mid sized" interface and HATE any menu diving.
Sold mine. It’s def cool… and I made a bunch of tracks I like with it, but I am mostly working in the box these days and for me the options within the pc are better. If you buy just be aware… it is as tiny as it seems… I have big hands and didn’t love it (which I don’t blame Roland for).
Are the batteries replaceable?
Naw. It's rechargeable
@@ruffiankick So the devices themselves will be usable for only as long as the batteries can hold enough juice to survive a gig...
@@nekomatic yea but it can be powered just from the USB-C in the back I'm sure.
are the batteries
free?
I'm pretty sure he means when the rechargeable eventually dies? This was my main concern when I bought the E-4 Voice Tweaker last year. Luckily, you just unscrew 6 screws at the back, and the battery is held in a black plastic casing held to the back with an additional 2 screws. It takes an AS-553640 3.7V 850mAh Lithium-polymer battery that connects using the standard JST connector. Since this is the same range/form factor I assume that it uses the same battery.
Roland could’ve put a touchscreen on this little unit. It would’ve made things way cooler for editing but no they had to use a cheap four digit abbreviated menu. I guess you could get the same sounds out of a daw with less frustration.,
This unit is has very quiet and rich sound, quite clean without noise or hiss from its output. at the same time it’s function is hindered by a lack of its architecture. Ultimately disappointing for fast production progress
Let's start with a saw wave, never said at the start of a demonstration of a synth.😁
There are a lot of good synthesizers in 2023, and I can't think of anything with a worse interface than the S-1 and the T-8. They've created a form factor smaller than a Volca, and they're cramming twice as many controls as any Volca onto it. Maybe it's popular because it's the cheapest synth besides a Stylophone, but how's the customer satisfaction? When you get a discount version of a classic synth that's more difficult to use than the original, does that make you want to buy more Roland gear? I see a lot of people giving great reviews to the S-1, but none of those reviewers are ever going to use it again. It's only $200, but that's no excuse for having a $0.05 display on it. The 64x32 oled display on the Model: Cycles is a $1.50 part. An even better 128x32 oled display is $5. You could even show the waveform. How much less popular do you think the Monologue and Minilogue would be if they had a display this bad? If you're going to make people dive into menus the least you can do is give them a display capable of displaying characters. It's just brutal. People would gladly pay an extra $30 or $50 to get an S-1 with a less painful display.
What a great showcase! Jack you're the best, but pronunciation... Timbre = "Tam-bah".
Actually it's pronounced tambghuh
Now let's have all these combined into a JD-Xi 2.0! 😋
SH-4D, basically
@@Jason75913 sh-4d is trash abm, and it has the shittiest little pebble keys and tiny knobs etc. Not even close.
@@kekethetoad JD-Xi has trash keys, little knobs, no ACB, ABM or zen-core, poor effects routing, no EQ per part and less effects overall, easily gets congested, extremely bad front panel, etc.
Not even close to SH-4D's or MC-101's versatility and quality, very bad attempt at a groovesynth or groovebox.
And then?
@@Jason75913 a jdxi 2.0 based on acb tech with improved front panel amd keys would be good. abm is cringe.
Motion record on a volca works the same 😂 it couldnt be easyier
Wait.... Did Roland clone one of the greatest analogue artists and train him to work for them selling their gear?
It's not jus me, right?
This guy is a clone of Ed DMX/DMX Krew!!!!
Lol
Damn, JUNO-60 is older than he is, right? :)
My SH-2 is nearly as old as me, and I’m old 👀
Rolca
The best thing about Aira was that cute Ginger girl on the bed having fun.
…, kiss ass brand promotion. I appreciate how you guys are hired to sell these. maybe they’ll give you a free SYNTH for talking up this lackluster, hard to manipulate synthesizer. It sounds clean - I’m pretty impressed by its excellent sound. However, trying to control it is too much and way not ergonomic…too much effort trying to get to its abbreviations and functions. and dumb as hell display .
Jupiter 8 reissue.......
The vocoder is a gimmick. I actually have it.
These are awesome but honestly should be even cheaper. Maybe all four for $499 or something like that would be proper 👍👍
Bugger - that's another £150 gone...
Nick Batt would have asked if it could do PWM 😂
We all know 😉
Groove box? :(
Dear Roland, we need a new killer plastic body synth, less menu diving - lots of controls - 4 & 5 octaves synth with multi engines/synthesis types for £699-£899. You are big enough to make this happen...
Have a look at the Roland SH4D!
SH-4D + MIDI controller
😳 'PromoSM'
????
Its all fine until u realise that they are living off the old glory, nothing new or innovating, everything is based of something ancient with each time even fewer controls
Do you listen to music? How many new and completely different sounds and synthesis techniques are you heading these days? Audio in general had been stagnant for years vs. other mediums. It’s not just Roland, although they definitely have some work to do with their crappy displays and menu diving.
Just like Korg and Yamaha. Those three just do that all decade long. Additionally Korg may bust out something new and quirky along the way. Their money makers are rehashed old romplers and digital pianos with a sprinkle of improved piano samples along the way here and there.
Not that anyone cares.
This company has no idea, musical toys. What a Shame.
But isn’t that why people make music, cause it’s fun? They call it PLAYING an instrument. It’s ok don’t worry it’s not that serious.
@@Iinoi33 These compact aren’t for everyone. They are for me though. I love battery powered compacts and they’re jus getting better. Synths like the S1 are great for people who want to do live sets or just add a synth to their production arsonel.
This is so disappointing. Roland has 0 clue. It's like a more limited version of System-8 where to not have a purposefully limited synth you have to play a game with a bunch of In-Game-Purchases for lame analog emulations. I want to see Roland focusing on inventing genius new kinds of synthesis. That idea has been put on the back burner at Roland at this point. ACB, ABM are again analog emulation platforms of reusable emulation code but they are not new kinds of synthesis. Roland is like Disney now, are they even capable of making something genius and new anymore? This is not that big of a deal, I've created plenty of new kinds of synthesis just coding random plugins. Roland is a big company and they can't even afford to have a parallel team working on an Area-51 synth with totally new synthesis that's not based on analog emulation, subtractive, wavetable, FM, etc. Using analog emulation inside certain parts of new synthesis algorithms can sound very good but that's not the important part, the important part was to make something highly harmonically correlated that is impossible to build in an analog synth without having an implausible gigantic $200,000 labyrinthine analog machine. But Roland keeps doing the same old noob stuff. They don't have someone who knows as much as me. That doesn't even make any sense. I think maybe their whole corporate structure is made up of middle management and approval by committee. Roland should be allowing inventors to spend some of Roland's money to create some masterpieces. This AIRA S-1 isn't a masterpiece, it's a watered down old technology for making corporate approved sounds. Just look at some of the Oscillator Mutants in something like the Hydrasynth, that is coming from 1 creator, it's not coming from middle management's approval. Roland doesn't really have idea leaders anymore, they have people who were polite and managed to not get fired. You're not gonna find someone like the equivalent of a young John Chowning building a hugely innovative new basic synthesis architecture at Roland. Just incremental noob stuff. Roland is dumb for not spending money once in a while to make something big. It barely even costs anything to do this, a few million dollars is not much. Salaries for a team of 10 for a couple years. Roland just doesn't have anyone who can lead that project. And apparently Roland doesn't have anyone who wants to. And if those people are working at Roland, they are being shut down.
yeah xactly
Wrong...
Sick fairy tale, dawg
Here’s an idea…just buy what you want from someone who makes what you want instead of telling someone who isn’t making what you want to make what you want.
Maybe I'm getting to old for these kind of toys.
It’s only a toy in the hands of a child.
What’s the oscilloscope app he’s using ?
It is a Roland so we might see it in Bad Gear next time.
It's already on there, check out last week's episode. Curiously, he thinks that the S-1 is the best product Roland has released since 1990.
He really didn’t have much to say in a negative way.
This is the most powerful synth in this form factor.
I hope Roland continues this trend with this line of gear.
I use this in my portable set up outside the studio. The fact you can use it with just one usb c cable to iPad Pro enables you to use it inside a daw AND have another sound input available for a mic or other gear.
Most versatile synth of 2023.
Lol
So far it’s ticking aaalll the boxes.
All the kids that think Roland makes bad gear while listening to 808's and 909's pretty much all the time. 😂
This sounds excellent
Do i need this if i have an SH 4D? I kinda want it.
That's really cool, especially the jam at the end. Very neat.
I can build you guys a new table that wont warp. I could even build it from your existing table which is gorgeous wood. we can plane it not stain it but oil it and make it very nice.
I wish you guys would stop helping me spend my money🤣
"I see, but I also hear", love that!
A good YT channel would have asked at this point why people should still buy the boutique version for twice the price when the S1 is the better synth in almost every aspect. Sure, it has a smaller form factor, but it's not less fiddly than the SH 01a.
Cheer up
A knowledgeable viewer would understand that everyone enjoys different things 👍
Well I have only 3 normal synths in My set up and already running out of space, these Aira would add alot of capabilities and all 4 units together take up less space then one of My Synths.
- I sold my Red SH-101 and got a SH-01A, TB-03, TR-06 and TR-6S, and I might get one of these as the built in fx and motion recording are definitely a plus, i don't really like the colour or tiny knobs but I'd be controlling it from a Keystep37.
What’s the name of the oscilloscope app?
same question :)
Same question please
looks like the auSCOPE X app. Apple only unfortunately.
auSCOPE X made by auDSPr. Find it the Apple AppStore.