General
The Aira line-up brings legendary old Roland synths, such as the TR808/909 and the TB303, into the 21st century. Roland's System 100, 100m and 700m deserve a name-check. These synthesizers were monstrously huge, semi-modular or completely modular and came fitted with extensive walls of knobs, faders and cables to produce the legendary, vintage Roland sound. The Roland System-1 Plug-Out synthesizer is the youngest member of this Aira System family. Don't be fooled by its compact housing: this digital synthesizer is way more elaborate than you'd think at first glance.
The Sound of the Roland System-1
At heart, the System-1 is a four-voice synthesizer with four oscillators for each voice: osc1, osc2, sub and noise. With the added benefit of a ring modulator and an oscillator sync function, the number of sound options is enormous. The synth has an LPF-type filter, switchable between 12dB and 24dB mode and an additional HPF filters out any extreme bass tones. An ADSR envelope is present for filter as well as volum while an LFO can modulate pitch, filter and volume. A reverb effect adds the necessary acoustics to your sound and, if that's still sounding a little boring, the delay and crusher effects provide the additional flavour you might be looking for. The System-1 synthesizer is easy to operate and follows the popular design principle of many sound designers: one function per knob.
Plug-Out
Based on the features mentioned above, the System-1 would already be a great synth. There is more, however! The System-1 is fully adapted to current requirements and is able to easily interact with your DAW. By switching to Plug-Out mode, you have acces to soft synth controls (which Roland are gradually introducing and adding to) with your DAW. Think of a software version of the SH-101, for instance. The beauty of the System-1 is that the synth is able to host these plug-ins as well. Simply load a Roland plug-in into the System-1 and take it on the road with no laptop needed! Naturally, this plug-out mode invalidates the polyphony of the System-1, as the specifications of the plug-in take priority.