Introduction
The Roland AIRA MX-1, designed specifically for electronic musicians and DJs, serves as a dynamic mixing console that elevates music production. Providing both power and creativity, this console offers seamless control over multiple instruments and effects. Its design facilitates ease of use and versatility, boasting 18 channels for effortless manipulation of various sound elements.
Design and Controls
- The MX-1 boasts a compact, intuitive layout with 18 channels, allowing easy access to tweaking sound elements.
- LED indicators for each channel simplify monitoring, making it user-friendly for beginners and pros alike.
- Faders and knobs are responsive and well-placed, ensuring efficient and precise adjustments.
Performance and Connectivity
- This mixer operates like the heart of a setup, effortlessly integrating various instruments and effects.
- It offers USB connectivity for synchronization with computers and DAWs, enabling flexible production workflows.
- Able to sync with other AIRA gear, offering a cohesive music production ecosystem.
Effects and Sound Quality
- The MX-1 delivers exceptional sound quality, ensuring clarity and depth in audio output.
- The built-in effects, including filters and beat FX, offer a wide range of creative options.
- Transitioning between effects and instruments is seamless, enhancing the overall performance experience.
Pros
- Intuitive and user-friendly design.
- Versatile connectivity options.
- High-quality sound output and effects.
- Seamless integration with other AIRA equipment.
Cons
- Limited channel count for larger setups.
- Learning curve for users new to complex mixing systems.
Conclusion
The Roland AIRA MX-1 is a powerhouse for electronic music enthusiasts, offering seamless integration, quality sound, and a user-friendly interface. While it may have limitations for larger setups, its creative potential and versatility make it a valuable addition to any studio or live performance rig.
Mauricio Maiste –
First of all it is not only a mixer you can use it as an audio interface with 8 simultaneous channels at up to 96/24bit. Second you can use the mixer in 4 different and very usefull modes specially if you use ableton live. 1) as a normal mixer with added effects and DJing functionality (cue, timed effects a filter per channel), 2) as a midi controller, 3) as a digital mixer for your DAW where you can map each chanel of your DAW to a channel output in the mixer, 4) ableton mode is the same as #3 but with added funcinality to launch clips and scenes. I have had 2 years with it and everything works perfectlly, cant say the same for my behringer mixer.
Steve Briggs –
It makes a great mixer/dac/add. Integrates with laptop well. But I’m not sold on the beat or master effects and haven’t found a good use for the built in sequencing. Wish aux send/return could was also routed to computer.
Cary _ –
This thing is amazing. It’s just a beast. I’m controlling eight different synths with it.
djmann1999 –
The button are small but the sound is big.
KDub –
Insanely useful mixer/audio interface/control surface whether you have AIRA gear or not. Step sequenced FX make it like a new kind of musical instrument that also happens to be a mixer. In that mode it’s like an All-Audio-In groove box. Effects settings (type, timing, level/mix) are easy to alter while the machine is running.
cayman –
The Roland AIRA system as a set of instruments is fundamentally flawed. If you were thinking that being a family of instruments from one manufacturer would complement each other you would be mistaken;The System-1 & 1m have NO sequencers.The System-8 has two FOUR bar sequencers but cannot sequence either of the above.The TB-3 has SIXTEEN bars of sequencing and can sequence the 1’s but is monophonic.The Mixer (MX-1) has ONE bar of sequencing but has no ability to EQ nor compress. It has a variety of bizarre plugs on the back but not enough for all the AIRA family. It has send and returns via RCA jack (!) but the AIRA modular FX are too wacky to compensate for the lack of reverb and delay on the ‘mixer’The AIRA modular FX are AIRA in name only, and the expensive box Roland charges to put all four in block the units’ external ports so you cannot save settings to PC. You can still use the app to send settings but you’ll have to dig up an old smart device because Roland stopped updating the app years ago and it barely works on a compatible device of Android or iOS.The original drum machine has TWO bars of sequencing (two bars on a drum machine, really?) and only 16 memory slots.The updated drum machine has EIGHT bars and 128 slots for kits and patterns but has no eq, so if you send all the channels you can out of the outputs (7) you can eq them on a mixer BUT you will now have excluded scatter from the signal flow (when I discovered this I removed it from my setup and boxed it and put it in a cupboard).Although the MC-707 is not an AIRA it is on its micro-site and does have AIRA link but has no input ports on the back! You CAN eq instruments through it but you’d be pushing it to do two as there is only one external in (you can also try ‘returning’ another). You are limited to TWO physical MIDI output ports. If there were 4/6/8 AIRA link ports on the back you could MIDI, eq, compress and send all your AIRA’s to master reverb and delay which begs the question – why can the MC707 do all this but has no convenient ports when the MX-1 is the only AIRA with ports but can do nothing that a mixer can??? Oh, the MC-707 has EIGHT bars of sequencing – were all these instruments designed on different continents and the the ‘development’ teams forbidden from communicating from each other?
Steve –
I’m writing this review because sellers have this way overpriced for what it is… This unit really is only a milti-channel send/receive realtime DAW mixer with an added standard effects beat machine that illuminates with pretty colors… It’s not worth more than $350…but sellers have decided to get greedy and collude the price of it up to $600 or more… Do your homework because much better units can be bought at the price they are asking for this…
Steven Brown –
This thing is awsome.
Sr. Daniel –
No es para todos los públicos…Intentaré ser lo más justo posible, partiendo de la base de que creo que es un MUY buen producto, al que se le notan los años en algunas cosas (creo que es de 2015-16) y que creo que a muchas personas les encantará tanto como otras lo odiarán.DISEÑO: discotequero como toda la serie AIRA. A diferencia de la TR-08 no tiene el borde en verde pero se parece. Mucha lucecita, modo demo con colorines (se puede quitar). Lo PEOR y que me ha molestado muchisimo: el start/stop parpadea. SIEMPRE. No para. Para el estudio me pone nerviosísimo.CONSTRUCCIÓN: no es toda de aluminio como las maquinas de Elektron pero se ve bien acabada: plastico duro y aluminio anonizado en el frontal… Se ve sólida, al igual que los faders y botones, que son MUY ruidosos y de “click” (los step secuencer y el start/stop suenan muchísimo).FUNCIONALIDAD: la ventaja que tiene es que puedes engancharle “de todo”: tiene 18 entradas que puedes calzar a canales de Ableton, entradas analógicas, stereo, una digital, los USB (4) para cacharros AIRA… Hace las veces de interfaz de sonido (grabar y salida a monitores) y tiene unos FX por canal o en general con una rueda de control muy… discotequeros. Para directo están chulos, pero a muchos les parecerá “demasiado”.CONEXIÓN CON LIVE: a nivel de canales y eso perfecto (modo EXT): puedes asignar canales, mutear, grabar, tocar los sends… El modo live lo veo un poco básico, aunque puedes asignar por proyecto los diferentes CC a funciones.PORQUE NO LA PONGO MEJOR NOTA:-No tiene faders motorizados-Los faders son de recorrido muy corto-Para grabar una sesion en live va anclado al master, si tienes monitores o tienes un knob para ajustarlos o revientas el volumen para que se grabe a un nivel decente-El step secuencer y los efectos no me acaban de convencer.-Si no tienes cacharros AIRA, los 4 ultimos faders solo te valen para canales de Live (que tampoco está mal).-Lo del parpadeo del start/stop me parece que desconcentra mucho.-Una pantalla tipo Push para los efectos y ajustes se echa en falta, tiene los tipicos menus en una pantalla de 3 digitos y no hay quien se entere a veces.QUE ESTÁ BIEN:-Tarjeta de sonido integrada-Con maquinas AIRA, integración sencillísima por USB.-18 in/outs entre fisicas y virtuales.-Buena construcción-Integración con Live básica, pero útil.En resumen, según lo que busques la vas a ADORAR o no tanto, pero al coste que tiene es un buen equipo, pero como digo no para cualquiera. A ver si pronto hay una MX-2…
OKportugal –
Very happy, works great, looks good, does the jobIf you have bought other Roland AIRA gear then this is an excellent mixer to go with them… I have the Roland AIRA TR-8, TB-3, Korg Volca Sample, Korg Electribe 2 (EMX2) and run Traktor Pro 2 as well as Ableton Live. The mixer acts as an 18in/18out soundcard with good ASIO drivers allowing me to stream 18 channels in and out of Ableton and record clips directly off my live gear. The effects are great for live use but for studio use you will probably be using VST effects in your DAW on each of the channels anyway.Roland have done a great job with this unit for live use but for studio you may find this to be a little noisy. There are definitely better studio digital mixers on the market b(Presonus im looking at you).Even though it has 18 channels in (or 9 stereo) you only really have 3 stereo inputs and the 4 aira link USB ports so you’ll need to be clever choosing your hardware audio gear that you want to hook up to it. I’m glad I got it and its inspired me into making music again with hardware… sometimes a bit of limitation is what brings out creativity and I find hardware offers me this limitation while giving me hands on freedom to create.