A few weeks ago we teased at a leaked photo of an upgraded version of the classic Roland TR-808. Not much was known about the new drum machine other than a statement by Roland engineers that implied the instrument would be getting a facelift for the next generation of electronic artists. We now know that the new AIRA will be four unique instruments including the new TR-08 drum machine, the VT-3 Vocal Transformer, the TB-3 Touch Bassline, and the System-1 Synth.
The new technology driving these instruments is called Analog Circuit Behavior that is a, “modeling technology that emulates analog sound.”
Roland Engineer Yasuyuki Watanabe explains:
“With this project, we really focused on analog instruments. However, this does not mean we only wanted to reproduce the analog gear, rather that we wanted to create a new technology to produce new electronic instruments. We wanted to create the next step in electronic music, and I believe that with ACB technology we just might have succeeded.”
TR-08 Drum Machine, the VT-3 Vocal Transformer, the TB-3 Touch Bassline, and the System-1 Synth.
Roland Aira TR-08 Drum Machine
Roland Aira VT-3 Vocal Transformer