System-8 contains emulations of some of Roland’s most iconic synths.
Roland has introduced the latest member of the AIRA family as part of its 909 Day celebration, the massive System-8 synthesizer.
The synth looks like a much larger version of the AIRA System-1 from 2014, but under the hood it’s much more powerful. As well as having eight voices of polyphony instead of four, the new velocity sensitive keys make it better for adding expression.
The synth also has a new polyphonic step sequencer, vocoder and arpeggiator, and inherits the CV/gate outputs seen on last year’s System-1m, meaning it can connect to modular synths and classic analog gear.
Probably the most enticing aspect of the System-8 is Roland’s decision to bundle software emulations of the classic Jupiter-8 and Juno-106 synths with the hardware. The System-8 will also support Roland’s previous Plug-Out synths, which include the System-100 and Promars.
There no word on when the System-8 will be released, but according to Synthtopia it will cost $1499.
The System-8 is just one of over 30 new products launched by Roland on September 9, which include new versions of the classic TB-303 synth and TR-909 drum machine.
Read next: Roland AIRA modular review
