How many times have you thought up an idea for a song or beat and not had any means of recording it? Well, perhaps you need a pocket sampler like the Roland Aira Compact P-6.
Roland has written an extensive article on the sampler, how it works, and how to get the best out of it which I recommend reading. If you’ve ever had or seen a SP-202, SP-303, or Roland’s own SP-404, you will recognise a lot of the features the P-6 has but in a significantly smaller form factor.
The idea is to craft as much as you can while you’re away from your main set up, and then you plug it in and flesh the draft out when you’re home/in the studio. Of course, there’s nothing stopping you making entire songs on this thing but the P-6 appears to excel in capturing those eureka moments with a lot of interesting extras.
And there’s a P-6 SampleTool program for macOS and Windows which allows you to edit and transfer samples between your computer and your P-6. You can clean up samples, trim them, normalise the sound levels, and make them smaller to maximise your sampling space.
I can’t seem to find an MSRP but I’ve seen pre-order prices range from £170 (€198) to £192 (with £189 in between). Check the tech specs below and see what you think. Will you buy one?
Update: Ricky Tinez made a video about it if you need an unbiased hands-on opinion
Tech specs
- 6 programmable pads (hence the name!)
- 64 user patterns
- 64-step step sequencer
- Up to 48 samples, with polyphony
- Max recording time per sample: 5.9–23.7 seconds (based on sampling rate of 44kHz to 11.025 kHz, respectively, in mono)
- Delay and reverb send effects
- LED display
- Internal mic
- USB Type-C connectivity
- 3.5mm audio in/out jack
- Expected battery life of about 3 hours
- Unit size: 188mm x 37mm x 106mm (W x H x D)
- Unit weight: 305g (0.67lb or 11oz)