Iona
by AIR Music Technology · Synth · 80s monosynth emulation
Not rated yet
Iona recreates a classic '80s monosynth in the style of the Roland SH-101, with a 128-step sequencer and arpeggiator.
It adds lo-fi, delay, reverb and EQ effects, and costs $149.
Best for: Bass, Keys & Synths, Sound Design. Genres: Electronic & EDM, Hip-Hop & Trap, Pop.
Keywords: monophonic, 80s, hardware emulation, sequencer, arpeggiator, drum machine, vintage, basses, analog, classic, leads, simple, airy, heavy, inspired by, lo-fi, preset-driven, retro, skeuomorphic, sound design, subtractive, tempo-synced.
What it does
Iona is AIR's "faithful recreation of your favorite '80s monosynth", for DAWs and MPC/Force systems. It models a single-oscillator mono synth from the techno and acid house era, and news coverage at launch identified it as a Roland SH-101 recreation.
- Sound sources: pulse, sawtooth, sub oscillator and noise, mixed as on the original, with the original VCO pitch range and modulation controls.
- Pulse-width modulation: driven by the LFO, the envelope or a manual slider.
- Filter and envelope: a vintage-style filter with envelope, LFO and keyboard tracking, and an ADSR envelope that can also drive the VCA; portamento is included.
- LFO: tempo-syncable, with nine waveshapes, routable to pitch, pulse width and filter cutoff.
- Sequencer and arpeggiator: a 128-step pattern sequencer with a graphical editor and transpose/shift, plus a built-in arpeggiator.
- Effects: bit-crushing Lo-Fi, a retro delay, reverb and EQ, all on the front panel.
- Presets and skins: 100+ factory presets and five colour skins (grey, red, blue, white and yellow), saved per preset.
The current version is 1.0.0.30, and a 10-day desktop trial is available.
Source: AIR Music Technology product page
When to use it
Iona is a focused one-voice instrument, so it competes less with big synths and more with other SH-101 takes such as TAL-BassLine-101. Diva and Hive 2 can cover monosynth basses too, but compared with those full polysynths Iona has far less to learn and a pattern sequencer they lack. It is much less deep than the free Vital, but with Vital you would have to build the sound and sequence yourself. Iona's selling points are the 128-step sequencer, the arpeggiator and MPC/Force support, which make it a quick choice for acid lines, basslines and simple leads, especially on an MPC.
- Best for: basslines, acid-style sequenced riffs and simple mono leads.
- Genres: techno, acid house, electro, hip-hop and synth-pop.
- Look elsewhere if: you need polyphony, more than one main oscillator or complex modulation; Diva or Vital cover more, and AIR's own Jura handles poly pads.
What producers say
Early reaction on the MPC Forums was mixed: users liked the sequencer and sound, but many questioned the value of another single-oscillator mono synth.
- MPC Forums thread (October 2025) one user called it "another gem", and others picked out the built-in step sequencer and preset saving compared with hardware.
- Criticisms: some found the SH-101 design "quite limited" and the launch price not worth it, and planned to wait for a sale.
Where to buy
- Best Service: $149
- AIR Music Technology: $149 (list price from KVR Audio; airmusictech.com shows prices only in its shop)
- PluginFox: $149
- AudioDeluxe: $149
- Plugin Boutique: $149.99
Tutorials and reviews
- We Got An SH101 For MPC! New IONA Plugin Overview
- Air Music Tech - IONA NEW SH-101 VST Plus Roland Comparison and Behringer MS-1 Wild Card
- IONA Walkthrough // Akai MPC Plugin // SH101 Recreation
- IONA Synthesizer by Air Music Technology (No Talking)
- Air Music Tech - IONA Full Review and Sound Demo on the Akai MPC Key 37, sounds freaking awesome!
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