The Roland System series offers the System-8 large workstation synth, the smaller System-1 keyboard synth & the System-1m rack - All three derive their sound from Roland's proprietary analog modelling technology of the time which Roland called Analogue Circuit Behaviour (ACB) which is the basis of all the analog modelling products in the Aira range & was introduced by Roland around 2014 and uses DSP calculations to model the original circuit behaviour of their classic old synths & drum machines.

All three 'System' synths are physical hardware synths with a very competent synth engine. This compact System-1 keyboard unit delivers 4 note poly, but don't worry, due to the Oscillator modelling these can create super-saw, super-square & super-triangle waves meaning a single oscillator can deliver big massive layered sounding patches per voice.

So the System series have a really good VA synth engine intheir own right, but the special trick of these Aira 'System' synths is they can work with Roland's 'Plug-Out' software. The System-1 can host it's own synth engine and ONE other Plug-OUT classic Roland modelled synth engine, and you can switch between them at any time. When you switch to a Modelled classic Roland synth Plug-OUT engine, any controls on the physical hardware unit that are NOT mapped to that synth's engine parameters automatically black out so it is easy to see & use properly labelled controls to shap, edit & control the vintage engine model.

The Plug-Out series models classic old Roland synths and these hardware units can act as hardware controllers for those models when they are hosted in any DAW, however the actual model software can be transferred to the hardware unit after which it's internal DSP runs the model without any requirement for a host computer. This means the physical synth can then be taken on the road to gigs or to sessions hosting the required software model of whichever classic Roland Plug-OUT synth has been loaded. Clever!

The SYSTEM-1 can host & control the various Plug-OUT plugin and/or host & run the engine models internally. Models available include: JUPITER-8, JUNO-106, JX-3P, JUNO-60, SH-2, SH-101, PROMARS, SYSTEM-100, and many others, but when running on the System-1 they are only 4 note poly due to the limitation of the DSP engine, however this still makes it a very powerful system.

These System series Aira synths are absolutely worth looking at as they can be had cheap now and they do sound VERY good being top-drawer Roland kit not so long ago.‍

The System-1 like the other System units functions as 24-bit USB audio interface when connected to your DAW.

The System-1 was £479 on release in 2014 and can be found on ebay for a bit less than that.

old dancetech listing text

Roland System-1 PLUG-OUT Synthesizer - AIRA, 25 keys without velocity, Analog Circuit Behavior (ACB) technology, 4 voices (System-1 Mode), 8 user memories, Access to plug-in versions of legendary Roland synths that can be hosted in the SYSTEM-1 itself.

Four oscillators, Oscillator colors create continuous waveform changes from simple to complex, All parameters can be controlled with physical knobs and sliders with LED indicators.

Advanced arpeggiator with Scatter function, Scatter jog dial offers 10 different phrase variations with dynamic, real-time control over 10 stages of depth.

-12 dB and -24 dB filter types with independent high-pass filters, Tone knob for easy tonal balancing, Crusher knob for modern edge, Integrated delay and reverb effects, Tempo syncing for LFO and delay, keyboard with 25 normal-sized keys, 6 Arpeggio types, USB jack to send and receive both audio and MIDI data, including MIDI clock information to sync with external devices and other AIRA units

Connectors: Phones jack: Stereo 6,3 mm phone type, OUT (L/MONO, R) jacks: 6,3 mm phone type, Pedal (hold) jack: 6,3 mm phone type, Pedal (control) jack: 6,3 mm TRS phone type, MIDI (IN, OUT) connectors, USB port: USB type B (Audio/MIDI), DC In jack, supported Formats for Roland Plug-Out Software Synths: AU (Mac) and VST-3 (PC) only! Includes power supply, Dimensions: 472 x 283 x 70 mm, Weight: 2,4kg