KVR Audio

prismprocess · Post by **prismprocess** » Sat Sep 09, 2017 8:20 am

BONES wrote:I assume you're not going to run ClearType either, right? Wouldn't want to find out there is no good or valid reason to waste a fortune or hamstring yourself by sticking with Mac, eh?

I dunno about anyone else but I did have configured ClearType previously. Anyway, I did try to give it another go to see if anything changed and it didn't really for me. The font is still way to small and is not rendering clearly. If they could put a magnifier (like in Strobe 2) it would be better. Either that or fix the font to a better, more readable state.

Jax Pok · Post by **Jax Pok** » Sat Sep 09, 2017 11:41 am

prismprocess wrote:
Jax Pok wrote:Still stuck trying to install the Firmware update on my Roli Block the Seaboard Block arrives on Monday.

The Roli Block works in Ableton in Windows 10 but to use it as I want I need Dashboard but Dashboard wont work until I do a firmware update on the Light Block. On Windows version of Dashboard a firmware update cannot be done over a USB cable.

Do I need the CME WIDI BUD to update the firmware?
See this page......

viewtopic.php?f=102&t=445951&start=585

.......there is a software means to connect them over bluetooth on Windows figured out by SteveElbows.

Thanks I will need to buy a more upto date bluetooth for that and upgrade to Windows 10 anniversary I will see if my sisters imac can cure it.

saeidscorp · Post by **saeidscorp** » Sun Sep 10, 2017 3:14 pm

So after a while of playing with the Seaboard, I think I have enough to share some thoughts

First of all, after contacting ROLI, and sending a video of my aforementioned "issues", they said these all are normal and expected behavior!! The considerably higher sensitivity of pressure and velocity in some spots of every keywave *is* normal. Even they said the misbehaving spot between the middle C and the B key before is the joint of two RISE 25s that are internally linked to form a RISE 49!!

Quite a disappointment for me, but also a relief that my unit is not faulty.

However, being someone who just started music with a non-traditional keyboard, I had mixed feelings.
I tend to get a bit "classically trained", but free to try out different things. So I started some piano lessons with playing some of my favorite piano pieces with both hands; Some of them were playable on a 49 keyboard (the range of bass and treble clefs), some need just one more octave. But I liked the keywaves. They do not feel like real keys on a keyboard, instead, they feel better IMO. Only more precision and care is required in order not to hit the wrong keys.

String patches, horn patches, synth stabs, basses, ... both in equator and other synths feel extremely natural on the Seaboard.

Overal I'm very happy with my purchase even though I'm not using it at its full potential most of the time. (it is designed for that right?! options for adjusting sensitivities is one sign

)

(and an irrelevant note, I use Linux, Bitwig 8-Track and Tracktion Waveform with Equator and ROLI Dashboard running fine via WINE emulator (although they insist it's not an emulator

) )

I would love to hear from you guys some advice on how to learn a fair amount of music theory while developing playing skills, as I don't think my current approach of piano playing would be logical.

Jace-BeOS · Post by **Jace-BeOS** » Sun Sep 10, 2017 3:18 pm

So instead of making it more consistent, they're just going to call it "normal"?

Jax Pok · Post by **Jax Pok** » Mon Sep 11, 2017 3:38 pm

Just got my Seaboard Block it works in Windows 10 and Ableton Live. Still got to rely on my sisters imac to do the firmware updates for the light and controller blocks though.

tapper mike · Post by **tapper mike** » Tue Sep 12, 2017 4:38 am

This thread will never die.

Jax Pok · Post by **Jax Pok** » Wed Sep 13, 2017 5:09 pm

Just got my CME MIDI BUD it does not work with Roli Blocks through Windows 10, Widi Plus ap shows all my blocks but the Roli Dashboard doesn't show any connected.

TOYZ · Post by **TOYZ** » Thu Sep 14, 2017 2:36 pm

saeidscorp wrote:First of all, after contacting ROLI, and sending a video of my aforementioned "issues", they said these all are normal and expected behavior!! The considerably higher sensitivity of pressure and velocity in some spots of every keywave *is* normal. Even they said the misbehaving spot between the middle C and the B key before is the joint of two RISE 25s that are internally linked to form a RISE 49!!
Quite a disappointment for me, but also a reliecf that my unit is not faulty.

Can anyone confirm if the above two bolded bits are true? And perhaps comment to what extent this is an issue while playing?

I've been through the entire thread and I think I have seen different opinions on whether or not the Rise 25/49 exhibit note rounding even on the 'ribbon' areas above and below the key waves. Can someone confirm that at least these two areas do not exhibit any glissando effect (that cannot be turned off)?

Also, do these ribbon arreas 'intelligently' round the note when you stop sliding (like the Continuum)? If not, is at least the case the any rounding and other intelligent stuff is done on the PC/Mac in software and not by the SeaBoard firmware? I have developed my own pitch rounding software for use with a Doepfer R2M ribbon controller and it would be great if I could adapt that for use with the Seaboard but I'll need to be able to get the 'raw' position and pressure readings from the device.

Incidentally, looking at these two videos it appears as if the Grand and Rise behave differently when it comes to rounding, the Grand seems to round to 1/4 notes instantly whereas, as far as I can tell from the second video, the Rise 25/49 does not round, or at least not audibly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQ5qxNc7uXk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P14JcRyJCEI

I'm seriously considering getting a Rise 49 but I still have a VAXmidi to assemble and a TouchKeys sensor set to put on a keyboard (possibly the VAXmidi) so I should really do that first, but I'm seeing stuff being done with the Rise that really makes me want one.

SteveElbows · Post by **SteveElbows** » Thu Sep 14, 2017 5:03 pm

prismprocess wrote:
Jax Pok wrote: See this page......

viewtopic.php?f=102&t=445951&start=585

.......there is a software means to connect them over bluetooth on Windows figured out by SteveElbows.

My method was for connecting windows apps that are not midi bluetooth aware to the rise using standard bluetooth LE controllers like the one built into my motherboard. I dont expect my method to help with firmware upgrade issues.

SteveElbows · Post by **SteveElbows** » Thu Sep 14, 2017 5:26 pm

moonchunk wrote: I also have been thinking about this for a long time. I believe I have a solution in which both Roli's ordinary customers, and those that understand and want to work with microtonality, can be satisfied with the same implementation. Mind you this is an advanced subject and the average person is going to think we're nuts for caring, but we're not. Contact me, Roli, we can work it out.

I'm not convinced they will reach out and implement this. Hopefully, maybe one day, but I dont think it will come soon enough for my microtonal tinkering desires.

I am going to go and remind myself whether developers have access to raw x & y from the device. I believe they do, but I need to make sure I didnt misremember. Assuming they do, then it is well do-able to write an app that spits out the microtonal midi you desire, with the main barrier being tedium rather than difficulty - will have to write entirely new code to do all the midi/MPE stuff and ignore all the built in stuff that does that.

Jax Pok · Post by **Jax Pok** » Thu Sep 14, 2017 6:17 pm

Well managed to update the firmware on the seaboard and light block using my sisters Imac but it wont connect the control blocks they have to be updated over Bluetooth the other two could be updated over usb. Imac 2015 doesn't like Bluetooth with roli. At least after a week I'm nearer to getting it all working. Think I'll do what Roli support said and send them all back to them so they can update them over their iPhone.

SteveElbows · Post by **SteveElbows** » Thu Sep 14, 2017 7:19 pm

OK plenty of dev options with the seaboard block: littlefoot scripts on the device, or write something with the sdk to run on a computer, or avoid their sdk/JUCE and do it the manual way by figuring out the sysex messages that represent touch events.

I let a friend borrow my seaboard rise and they dont live locally, so I cannot check that device at the moment. If someone with a rise who is interested in the microtonal stuff fancies checking, use a midi monitor to see if the seaboard rise sends a lot of sysex messages when the rise is touched - if it is anything like the seaboard block then it needs an app to put and keep it in the right mode in order to get the sysex messages representing touch events. For example the blocks dashboard puts the seaboard block in this mode so when I run that app the sysex flood can begin, so hopefully the mechanism is the same for the seaboard rise and it will send a lot of sysex when its own dashboard app is running.

SteveElbows · Post by **SteveElbows** » Thu Sep 14, 2017 7:19 pm

Just to clarify that running the dashboard isnt the only way to get the seaboard block in sysex sending mode, its just the easiest way to check before I've written any code myself. Hoping its true for the rise as well.

Jax Pok · Post by **Jax Pok** » Thu Sep 14, 2017 7:46 pm

I'm all fixed thanks for the help guys got the iMac to connect using Bluetooth by watching this Video thanks all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0ZnvzBC7kA

prismprocess · Post by **prismprocess** » Fri Sep 15, 2017 8:27 am

Jax Pok wrote:Just got my CME MIDI BUD it does not work with Roli Blocks through Windows 10, Widi Plus ap shows all my blocks but the Roli Dashboard doesn't show any connected.

Remember to close the WiDi Plus app before trying to connect to Blocks using the Dashboard (if that's what is used).

Roli Seaboard RISE