It's been two months since the Roland P-6 released with massive hype in a tiny form factor. Now that the dust has settled, it's time to take a deeper look at how this compact sampler performs in real-world use. In this review, we’ll break down the good, the bad, and the ugly, offering a balanced perspective on what this device really brings to the table and whether it's for you. You can watch my brutally honest thoughts while making a beat with the Roland P-6 here, or read my review below:
The Good: A Portable Powerhouse for Sound Design
Portable Ideation Station: What really stands out about the Roland P-6 is its ability to pack a ton of features into such a small, affordable device ($220). Despite its compact size, it offers an impressive array of tools for both beatmaking and ambient music production. It's essentially a portable idea station that can spark creativity at any moment.
Granular Engine: One of the highlights is the granular engine, which opens up a world of sound design possibilities. Whether you’re creating evolving textures or manipulating samples in real time, the P-6 delivers an intuitive interface for complex granular processing. The ability to manipulate pitch, grain size, and other parameters gives you endless options for shaping sound.
Sample Rate and Lo-Fi Effects: The P-6 also offers sample rate control, allowing you to experiment with high-quality, clear samples or degrade them for a lo-fi aesthetic. The Lo-Fi button adds another layer of grit and character, ideal for beatmakers who love the analog warmth but need digital flexibility. You can hear the difference when comparing two samples—one processed at a high rate for clarity and another at a lower rate for that nostalgic, gritty feel of old school samplers.
Per-Step Automation:
The per-step automation/parameter editing is another fantastic feature. This allows for intricate changes to individual steps in a sequence, making it easy to add variety and movement to your tracks. Whether you’re automating pitch, filter cutoff, or effects, this functionality brings a level of depth that’s often missing in similar devices.
Creative Workflows: As someone who enjoys both beatmaking and ambient music, the P-6 has found its place in my workflow as an ideation station. It pairs beautifully with devices like the SP-404 MK2 and can even function standalone for quick sketching/jams. The compact size makes it easy to take anywhere, whether you're working at a desk or out in the field. From there, I bring these ideas to a full setup like a DAW or combine it with another sampler and finish the tracks in there.
The Bad: Roland P-6 Limitations That Slow You Down
Short Sample Time at High Sample Rates: While the P-6 delivers excellent sound design features, its sample time at higher rates can feel limiting, especially if you’re working on more complex projects. The time you can record at higher sample rates is short (like 2-4 seconds short), which means you often have to get creative with workarounds—such as recording at a lower sample rate &/or pitching up samples before sampling into the P-6.
Tiny Knobs & Accidental Tweaks:
The tiny knobs on the P-6 can be frustrating, especially when you’re making adjustments quickly. The small size sometimes leads to accidental tweaks, which can throw off your whole workflow.
Step-by-Step Editing: Navigating the step-by-step editing process is a bit clunky and slows down the overall workflow. Every time you want to make changes to a single step, you have to hold that step down and move through each setting available on the "Granular", which interrupts the creative flow. While the interface is efficient for basic edits, more complex tasks can be time-consuming.
Sample Organization: Another downside is the limited space for resampling and organizing samples across multiple tracks. While the P-6 is fantastic for creating beats and ideas, its pattern limitations may leave you wanting more when it comes to performance-ready projects. The more tracks you make on the P-6, the less sample pads you have available for additional beats, and there's only 48 pads which can fill up QUICKLY.
The Ugly: Some Frustrating Design Choices
Menu Diving on a Tiny Screen: The 4-character display on the P-6 is definitely a hurdle for users who rely on intuitive interfaces. Menu diving to access deeper functions becomes an exhausting task, especially when you’re trying to quickly load samples or adjust layers during a performance. The small screen simply doesn’t give enough room for efficient navigation.
Inability to Edit Slices in Chop Mode: One of the most baffling omissions is the inability to edit slices in chop mode.
Reverb and Delay After Performance FX: The positioning of the reverb and delay effects in the signal chain is another frustrating element. As it stands, these effects sit after the performance FX, which makes it harder to use them creatively in a live setting. Having these effects placed earlier in the chain would make a big difference for performance-oriented users.
UI Challenges for Live Use: The user interface, while functional, isn’t ideal for live performances. If you’re used to more intuitive samplers, the P-6’s interface might feel cumbersome when you’re trying to perform in real-time. Despite its size and portability, the P-6 is more of a tool for ideation and sketching rather than a fully-fledged performance machine.
Who Is the Roland P-6 For?
Beginner vs. Experienced Users: For beginners, the P-6 may present a steep learning curve, especially with its workflow and menu diving. Devices like the SP-404 or MPC are likely better starting points if you're looking for a more straightforward experience. With that said, if you're willing to invest time in learning its many functions, this is one of the most feature packed devices on the market, especially given it's very budget friendly price. If you’re an experienced producer looking for a portable sound design tool with a unique set of features, the P-6 is definitely worth considering.
Standalone vs. Integrated: While the P-6 works great standalone, it really shines when paired with other devices like a DAW or other samplers. For standalone use, it offers a lot of creative flexibility, but it’s not as polished as other samplers when it comes to live performance and building on ideas.
Personal Experience: For me, the P-6 has become a fantastic tool for laying down quick ideas. I’ve particularly enjoyed layering it with ambient guitar loops and crafting lo-fi beats, which the granular engine handles beautifully. The sound design capabilities are so much fun and then moving those ideas into the DAW or SP404 I can finish them with ease.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the Roland P-6 has proven to be a powerful portable idea station. Despite its small form factor, it offers a fully-fledged granular engine and a wealth of sound design possibilities. The workflow can be frustrating at times, especially with the limited sample time and small knobs, but it excels as a sketchpad or creative tool when you’re on the go.
If you’re a beginner, this might not be the best starting point, but for those who want a compact, affordable sampler that doesn’t skimp on sound design potential, the P-6 is definitely worth checking out. It may have its flaws, but once you get past the menu diving and workflow quirks, it becomes a creative powerhouse.
What I'd Love to See Updated
Here’s what I’d love to see in future updates:
Adjustable chops/slice points
Multiple bus FX options
Reverb and delay positioned before performance FX in the routing (or at least provide it as an option)
Improved SP-404 MK2 integration for an even more streamlined setup
If you want to learn how to make the most of the Roland P-6, check out my Cheat Sheet & Quick Start Guide, covering everything from sampling/patterns, FX and more:
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