Quickly and easily add an awesome variety of effects to your vocals with the Roland AIRA Compact E-4 Voice Tweaker. This ultraportable effect unit harmonizes, auto-pitches, vocodes, loops, and rhythmically glitches your voice (or any other audio source you feed into it) using intuitive button and fader controls that you can manipulate both for live performances and studio recordings.

Plug a microphone into the 1/4" input and use the level control to set the right gain for your voice; the 3.5mm headphone jack can also accept an inline headset mic. Then simply dial in the effect you want using the front panel controls. MIDI ports, sync I/O, and a class-compliant USB interface allow the E-4 to play nicely with DAWs, mobile devices, and, of course, other AIRA gear. The unit is powered via its USB port, which also charges the built-in lithium-ion battery. The battery allows the E-4 to operate for up to 3.5 hours on a single charge.

Vocal Performance Tool    Pitch and Formant Sliders    Auto Pitch, Harmony, and Vocoder    Scatter Knob for Rhythmic Effects    Reverb, Echo, Tempo Delay, and Chorus    24-Sec Looper with Unlimited Overdubbing    Class-Compliant Audio/MIDI USB Interface    1/4" Mic Input with Gain Control    Headphone Jack with In-Line Mic Support    USB Power, 3.5 Hours on Built-In Battery

The E-4 combines powerful voice transformer tools and standard vocal effects with a tactile interface that's meant to be played. This lean mean machine puts a treasure trove of high-quality processing in a go-everywhere gadget that's endlessly enjoyable and amazingly affordable.

By working the E-4’s inviting panel, you can go from traditional vocal enhancements, to punchy beatboxed grooves, to striking alien soundscapes—all in a single performance. Select different sonic shapers, trigger looper controls, cycle through Scatter effects, and tweak pitch, formant, and more in the flow.

Take your singing to the next level with automatic harmony effects. Set the key and chord voicing on the fly and bring head-turning flair to any song. And with Auto Pitch, you can dial in everything from subtle tuning fixes to the hard-tuned sounds heard in mainstream pop tracks.

Turn one voice into an entire orchestra using the 24-second looper. Overdub layer after layer with the E-4's effects to create wild, vocal-driven rides. Then slice and dice with the expressive Scatter knob, which chops your sound into colorful bits that you control with a twist.

Use direct-access tools to instantly change your vocal gender, conjure sounds from outer space, or transform yourself into a mechanical persona (good or evil is up to you). There’s also a powerful vocoder, which you can drive from a large pool of onboard synth waveforms, the E-4’s pitch functions, or an external MIDI keyboard for an endless variety of textures.

Connect a handheld mic to the front input for performing, or use a gaming headset or the inline mic on your earbuds to bring fresh vocal fun to your next livestream or podcast. Sync with other AIRA Compacts like the T-8 Beat Machine and J-6 Chord Synthesizer to expand your range. Or interface with computer DAWS, mobile music apps, and hardware instruments via USB-C or MIDI.

The E-4 creatively accentuates vocals anytime and anywhere. The lithium-ion battery provides up to 3.5 hours of power per charge, and the rugged build will support inspired magic and mayhem for a long, long time.

Related Questions and Answers

Q: 1. Does this unit output 23.97fps or 29.97 fps at 1080p ?

A: Sorry this unit only supports 50/59.94. You would have to do a signal conversion from those frame rates.

Q: 2. Can the Multi-view HDMI out be set any other output, like Program View (PGM)? The manual kind of shows it can, but doesn't specifically say if you can set the Program View thru the HDMI-out.

A: Yes, you can use it as another program out if you'd like.

Q: 3. Can this be connected to the MIC IN of a video camera to record the tweaked audio (with video)?

A: You could use a line-to-mic attenuator cable to take the output from the headphone jack on the Roland AIRA Compact E-4 Voice Tweaker and connect it to the mic input on the camera. You can use the Kopul ACH4-25MON Line-to-Mic Attenuator Cable (B&H # KOACH425MON), which has a built-in headphone tap to monitor the audio. To extend the length, you can use a standard aux cable like the Hosa Technology Stereo Mini Male to Stereo Mini Male Cable - 10' (B&H # HOSMMSMM10) in any length you prefer.

Q: 4. Would there be any problem connecting HD cameras via HDMI cables of 150+ feet? Some switchers I've researched have problems with this.

A: Actually, it is not the switcher but the signal that cannot handle long cable runs since HDMI becomes too weak after 30-50' or so. Booster cable can get this up to 100' but for longer runs we suggest signal conversion to SDI or Cat5/6 cabling. Please email us so that we can further assist you. provideo at bhphoto dot com.

Q: 5. how long does it takes to safely operate to avoid over heat the unit ?

A: In a climate controlled environment you should be able to operate this unit for hours without any offering heating issues at all.

Q: 6. Does anyone have overheating issue on this unit? Mine having lag / freeze / stuck problem here.

A: We recently spoke with Roland and they said that the returns due to defects have been minimal. I can attest that they are well made products. I will have to suggest that if you are out of the B&H 30 day return period that you contact Roland for service. Please see the following link. http://bit.ly/2oJIjGt

Q: 7. How to record the HDMI output in a computer to use it later with edius grass valley 6.55?

A: You can record the HDMI output using a capture device to record on your computer. I use Blackmagic's Shuttle Extreme and also UltraStudio Mini Recorder, but there are many others to choose from.

Q: 8. When I "mix" the 2 video sources, specifically: 1) live camera, and 2) words with chromatic (i.e. green screen) background, will the mixer remove the chromatic key background? How do you setup an input so that the mixer knows it has chromatic keying coming in?

A: The answer to this question is a little more complex than we can address here... For your convenience, I am providing this link for you, which will take you to our product page: https://bhpho.to/2SYPafQ Here you will find the product manual as a PDF which will open right on the page. If you go to Page 24 in that manual, you will find a very detailed breakdown on handling DSK effects and that should address your inquiry with precision.

Q: 9. Can this switcher be used with wirecast?

A: Although the Roland switcher can connect to a PC via USB with dedicated application for control, if you wish to bring in the program video output signal from the switcher into Wirecast on your computer, you will need to use a capture device. Examples of HDMI capture devices for PC are Magewell XI100DUSB HDMI USB 3.0 Capture Dongle or for Mac with thunderbolt, Blackmagic Design UltraStudio Mini Recorder Capture Device.

Q: 10. I would like to use a c100 with the roland. I don't plan on inputting 24p from the c100. Is there any other compatibility or quality issue that I should be aware of? Has anyone tried this to see if it works and have any opinion to share? The issue is the c100 is non refundable and I would not be able to return it if it doesn't work.

A: The Roland V-1HD Portable 4 x HDMI Input Switcher will take the Canon C100 and C100 Mark II signals of 1080p or 1080i at 59.94 and 50 with no issue. It will not take 24 or 25p. That is because there is little call for switchers to do cinema frame rates.