Roland jumps into the portable groovebox market with the new AIRA Compact line. But are these boxes really that good?

In recent years, the market for mini-synths, drum machines and samplers has really taken off. The most visible is Korg’s Volca series, cute little boxes the size of a paperback book that pack some seriously big sounds. Now Roland has joined the bandwagon, adding some interesting features while still keeping the idea of a portable, fun device. These are slimmed down and modified versions of the existing full-size AIRA line. But who exactly are these boxes for?

“I was skeptical when my neighbor invited me over to show off his shiny new Volca beats machine. It’s for amateurs, I thought. But I was amazed at how fast and intuitive it was to use. It reminded me that making music doesn’t have to be a long intellectual exercise. It can be fun,” musician, TV composer, and former university music professor Daren Banarsë told Lifewire via email. “The Aira series, however, seems more interesting to me. They have retro sounds that can really be useful in a song.”

There are three AIRA Compacts so far, each costing $199. There’s the T-8 Beat Machine, a combo drum machine and bass sequencer; the J-6 Chord Synthesizer is a tiny Juno synth with a built-in chord player; and the E-4 Voice Tweaker is a vocal effects box with a built-in looper. It’s the only one that doesn’t look like it’ll be sitting on the shelf after a few weeks.