Not too impressed with ROLI right now....

[dlandis]

I received a notice when I opened Dashboard this morning that a new version was offered. I installed it and it basically wiped Blocks out of my computer. This clearly has something to do with the Roli Hardware driver. If one goes into the hardware drive folder the ROLI folder and clicks on the driver, it does start, but then one must open Dashboard, set it back to MPE, close it and reopen it again, then....it works. What a mess. I filled out a support ticket at ROLI and was told that they'll get in touch with me by July 6. Since this may be due to COVID-19, I'm not sure how to feel about this part, but the rest of the story is frustrating, all the moreso because Blocks were working great and smoothly in both Waveform and Bitwig until this, um, update.

I'm posting this as a warning. BTW, I'm on a PC running Win10 Pro. Not sure if this is affecting Macs or not.

[gesslr]

I was hugely enthusiastic about ROLI when they first launched. Their hardware and software updates have been nothing but huge headaches consistently for me. Equator is a nice synth plug-in is about the best I can say for them.

[dlandis]

Hi gessir,

I agree with you. Still, when the hardware works as you want in the DAW of your choice, it can be so cool, right? However, the tech person I spoke to when I first had a hassle updating Connect from 1.12 (if I remember correctly) a couple of months ago, while very nice, seemed a bit out of her depth when dealing with my issue. When I asked her about deleting all of the ROLI apps and reinstalling from scratch, she told me that was too complex. We never did get the update worked out, but at least Studio Drummer and Studio Player still ran. After Dashboard 4.13, neither will run under Connect, but weirdly both run in Bitwig.

I did find a work-around for the issue I described regarding yesterday's Dashboard update (assuming that Dashboard 4.13 has installed at some level):

(I'm on Win10 Pro, 64 bit [this last, needless to say].)

1) As ROLI suggests somewhere, go to: C: Program Files>ROLI>ROLI HArdware Driver and double-click on the ROLI Hardware Driver.exe file to open it. It will open a window on your desktop and look like nothing happened, but it is running at this point. At this point, I pinned it to my taskbar to make life a bit easier.You will have to turn this on now every time you want to use your ROLI hardware.
2) Open ROLI Dashboard 4.13. Click on the images of the various ROLI Hardware you have on your system (I have Seaboard, Lightpad, and Touch Blocks). Configure them the way you like (I have Seaboard configured to MPE Mode). If you're like me, you will have to do this now every time you want to use the ROLI hardware; apparently, it will not save your config upon closing anymore.
3) In Bitwig, go to Settings, then Controllers, and make sure that your config hasn't changed there: mine did upon doing the Dashboard 4.13 update. Seaboard totally disappeared, but Lightpad was still there. I reconfigured the controller to reflect this change and had to configure both the MIDI input and out to Lightpad for full utilization. Cypher 2, for example, only repsonded to about one half of the pitch bend until I did this. Other soft synths were fine.

I hope this helps someone.

[ThomasHelzle]

Roli is completely demented in the software realm.
I'm running Windows 8.1 x64 and the previous update of the dashboard dropped support for that OS.
But you would never know, since the update is offered when you open dashboard, you can download it and it starts to install but then fails with a useless error message about a driver.
Now if I would drop the support for an OS I supported before, I would first inform the user about it, would of course check the OS version BEFORE offering the installer for download or start it. And if the installer fails it could simply tell me that my OS is not supported and where to get the last working version.

And of course the Firmware updates can only be installed with the latest version...

The Roli Connect software is the same mess, it installs on Windows 8.1 without a hitch, but then doesn't work when one tries to run it - it only shows an icon in the task bar but no GUI.

I personally have totally given up on them.

Cheers,

Tom

[sl1914]

Some Roli software requires Windows10. I think their installer should check Windows version in your computer and if it's too old, say what the required version is.

[ThomasHelzle]

Yeah, in the meantime they do.
But at first they silently dropped support for Windows 8.1 from the Roli Dashboard and only delivered garbage when trying to install the update.
Since Windows 8.1 has support until 2023 and was supported before, I don't understand why they would drop it already.

Live and learn.

Cheers,

Tom

[Zacchino]

I sold my Roli Seaboard a long time ago.
Now I have eyes on E-Expressive Osmose.

This is the concept I had in mind. A real keyboard that could vibrato when wiggled.

And if wiggled alot it would orgasm, and give me some change.

[BobDog]

Roli are good at getting funding, for me that's about it.

My seaboard is falling apart after a couple of years of fairly minor use, less that 50 hours I would guess.

My only hope is that when it all goes to the pan FXpansion will survive in some form as they are nice guys with some quality software.

[Rivanni]

Since Windows 8.1 has support until 2023 and was supported before, I don't understand why they would drop it already.

Windows 8.1 falls under the same lifecycle policy as Windows 8, and reached end of Mainstream Support on January 9, 2018 so it's not strange Roli dropped support.

Extended Support for businesses ends on January 10, 2023. Not the target for Roli.

[ThomasHelzle]

I get regular security updates all the time and it's not as if there are any serious issues with Windows 8.1, actually there are way less than with Windows 10 and it's silly constant shifting. That's the main reason I stay on 8 and could be a good reason for Roli to continue supporting it - I can't imagine it's much of an issue if your drivers already run on 8.1 anyway.

But it fit's the overall picture of Roli I'm getting from day one so no surprise there.

Cheers,

Tom

[polishbroadcast]

Battery failed in one one of the 2 blocks I bought, and the membrane started peeling up with barely any use on the Seaboard Block. Getting firmware updated was a nightmare. I eventually had to create a workaround that I had to tell support about.

Avoid at all costs. Not worth your time or money.

[daily patcher]

I’m honestly surprised I haven’t seen more threads like this. I’ve owned a Roli Block and a Seaboard Block and I sold both of them pretty quickly after the purchase once the novelty wore off. Doesn’t take an engineer’s eye to realize these things will be a nightmare to own long term.

I’ve been enjoying the Touché much more instead & can’t wait for the Osmose to ship. I need a little more tactile feel than just mushing my fingers around

[granted]

[WasteLand]

I received a notice when I opened Dashboard this morning that a new version was offered. I installed it and it basically wiped Blocks out of my computer. This clearly has something to do with the Roli Hardware driver. If one goes into the hardware drive folder the ROLI folder and clicks on the driver, it does start, but then one must open Dashboard, set it back to MPE, close it and reopen it again, then....it works. What a mess. I filled out a support ticket at ROLI and was told that they'll get in touch with me by July 6. Since this may be due to COVID-19, I'm not sure how to feel about this part, but the rest of the story is frustrating, all the moreso because Blocks were working great and smoothly in both Waveform and Bitwig until this, um, update.

I'm posting this as a warning. BTW, I'm on a PC running Win10 Pro. Not sure if this is affecting Macs or not.

i am little bit confused, about this thread. (and people who have bad experiences with roli, that is a pity, i don't know how roli did it before (explain in a new paragraph), but not talking about these problems).

i own the roli seaboard block, about a week, and bought a second hand roli lightpad M.

the roli dashboard version seems to be: 4.3.0.
roli connect version is: 1.0.12

windows 10, by the way, 2004 version.

one remark about windows 2004 version: it seems to "reset", or delete or make some information unaivable, all my controllers, are recognized as if, they weren't installed (didn't check the device manager if they were all gone, perhaps it was something else. perhaps reactivation, in another).
but in device manager, all usb stuff, that has power management was reset to, have power control, i changed that.

so, no problems with dashboard and roli connect.

or is your problem, that roli connect isn't running. my roli connect runs automatically.

anywhay, roli blocks work as expected.

i worked first on my laptop (secondary studio..), now it is where it supposed to be; my studio.
it fits, just. my tables are full with controller and monitors (sound and 3x vision...).

i had to connect them seperately, because my usb hubs, are 2.0, so not enough power i think, but i must guess, roli does not specify how much they draw.

this works perfectly in reaper 6.x and cubase pro 10.5.

bitwig, which i bought, a few days ago..., so i am on 3.2.3.
also works, but one thing does not work; when setting the lightpad m to "rise controller". which is handy for example, softube modular and cypher 2 (i bought it in sale, also..). don't use the players, i want sounddesign..

i start somewhere in the above sentence anew; in bitwig the lightpad M does not work as "rise controller", when connected seperately. in reaper and cubase it works.

one thing that is now problematic in all DAW's, the lightpad support for several unfiltered audio plugins, they by pass, in a way dashboard. it is somewhat erratic. it first worked only in bitwig, after a while (!!), then in reaper, never in cubase (reaper/cubase, when disconnecte/reconnect lightpad M, it works).

but this the bitwig thread; lightpad M does not connect with the "roli lightpad" module in the unfiltered audio plugins and lightpad M will not serve as a "rise controller", which makes it useless for softube modular and cypher 2.

but everything else works. when lightpad M is in a MPE mode it works.

[gesslr]

Well reading this thread is very informative. I recognize all of the issues here (poor software, poor quality control, ineffective help staff). It’s a shame too as these software issues weren’t really there when it first rolled out. The stuff worked fairly well and simply. Then it all went to sh*t as they got more ambitious with their software.

The hardware updates drive me especially insane. I won’t bore you with details except to say that I have one or two of those little button control blocks that no one at Roli can figure out how to update And so now are essentially bricks. Oh, and one of the techs advised that I get rid of my two square blocks and purchase the new ‘M’ versions instead. (Working on a naming scheme that makes sense would help too.)

Oddly enough the mini keyboard block (seaboard?) has been the least problematic, but I too am going to move on to an Osmose.

They had such a good thing going, but didn’t pay attention to the basics...