Roli Seaboard RISE

[incubus]

First off, I hope everyone understands I was joking about ... you know who

Second, deastman, I can totally see that happening to a ton of people!

[Cinebient]

Well, I'm sold. If Jordan Rudess uses it, then I want it. I collect everything of his, including cookies.

But he was not invited on Keyscape launch?!?
Beside a few issues the Seaboard is a fantastic controller.
I'm not a good player but i find it better to play on it than on normal keys.
I'm coming from touch-screens so i may be biased here.
I just think the editing software (dashboard) is still too limited for personal settings and was never bug free from the beginning (for me).
I also would buy a 49 key (i just have the 25) if it had 2-3 more sliders for midi cc and an iPad/iPhone app for editing too.
Otherwise it is just fantastic to play with after getting used to it.
Good keyboard players disagree for sure but i won't go back to normal keys now.
I even tryed to make glides and slides on a normal keyboard because i already missed it

I agree that an iOS dashboard app would be a welcome addition.

I've had the same experience that after playing the Seaboard for a while, I find myself trying to wiggle the keys of a regular midi keyboard to create vibrato. I've even felt the urge to do that on a computer keyboard!

Me too. I often test sounds via my computer keyboard and always wiggle them now.....
Maybe someday it will work

[SteveElbows]

Greetings, new user of the seaboard 25 here, had it nearly 2 weeks.

I love it. But I cannot believe how bad the bluetooth is, that bit not fit for purpose at all (or I have a faulty unit). Nor am I impressed by the companies lack of forum and the length of time that seems to pass between software updates.

Apart from that I love it to bits - a very decent implementation of the sort of thing I first got to try with the Eigenharp Pico years ago. Without some of the terrible design flaws of the Eigenharp (mostly software horrors and insane/doomed user config paradigms on the Eigenharp)

Although since I want to get into Max a bit it seems the timing of my purchase was off and I missed out on a free year of Max 7. Never mind.

I'm very happy about MPE spec, and at least there are a handful of iOS apps that now work with this to varying degrees (Mostly Animoog, Model 15, the three Wolfgang Palm apps, Thumbjam).

I am also happy to report that the new lightning->USB 3 dongle camera connection kit that Apple came out with offers a nice solution to Roli connectivity - it's not cheap but it enables me to connect the Roli to the iPad without using a powered hub or getting errors about too much power being consumed. And the ipad is charged at the same time.

[Keyless]

But i still can't get a microtonal pitch inbetween a semitone with an initial touch. Microtune the keywaves etc. Such an instruments shouldn't be limited to western scales only.
It's always quantized to a equal 12 tone.
I already wrote Roli support about this and a lot other things i could imagine.
They think about these things....bla bla....
So maybe in a (far) future.
Multi-touch screens are still far ahead of possibilities....well, beside tactile feedback of course

I purchased a Seaboard GRAND Stage model as soon as they started shipping, around March 2015. At that time, the Seaboard did indeed provide microtonal pitch in between semitones with an initial touch! In fact, I used that feature to great effect. When the Rise model was introduced, that capability was not included, undoubtedly because it made the instrument much easier to play in tune. I felt a bit smug that my Seaboard GRAND did not have that limitation. Alas, a major update to the GRAND model was introduced a little over a month ago (1st update in over a year!). Guess what? the microtonal capability was removed! It now conforms to the Rise spec in that regard. I was pretty unhappy about that and contacted ROLI tech support to let them know. It took several emails before the tech guy understood what I was talking about. He said he would discuss it with the developers to help find a "solution" for me. Apparently, the developers he talked to also had no idea what this was about, cause the tech guy got back to me saying he thought that maybe there was something wrong with my GRAND instead. Huh?? I'm still kind of dumbfounded! They had forgotten about this initial capability???

Here's what is going on: Currently, initial touch resets MIDI pitch-bend messages to zero. When my GRAND had microtonal capability, MIDI data for pitch-bend on initial touch corresponded to finger position. Simple as that. There is no technical reason they can't bring this feature back right away.

I urged them to consider including this microtonal capability as a selectable option in a future update. Of course I'm just one person. Companies generally don't do anything unless a certain threshold of customers start requesting the same thing. I know one musician who purchased a Seaboard Rise model a few months ago, and I discussed it with him. He also had no idea what I was talking about and was not interested in my cause. Anyway, I urge you and all Seaboard users who are interested in microtonal capability to pleas contact ROLI and request this feature as an option!!! I would like to stress that this is not some esoteric thing that you'll never need. You might be quite surprised how playing between the notes can be quite effectively used with normal playing technique. I have videos to prove this. Please request this feature! Thank you!

[pdxindy]

But i still can't get a microtonal pitch inbetween a semitone with an initial touch. Microtune the keywaves etc. Such an instruments shouldn't be limited to western scales only.
It's always quantized to a equal 12 tone.
I already wrote Roli support about this and a lot other things i could imagine.
They think about these things....bla bla....
So maybe in a (far) future.
Multi-touch screens are still far ahead of possibilities....well, beside tactile feedback of course

I purchased a Seaboard GRAND Stage model as soon as they started shipping, around March 2015. At that time, the Seaboard did indeed provide microtonal pitch in between semitones with an initial touch! In fact, I used that feature to great effect. When the Rise model was introduced, that capability was not included, undoubtedly because it made the instrument much easier to play in tune. I felt a bit smug that my Seaboard GRAND did not have that limitation. Alas, a major update to the GRAND model was introduced a little over a month ago (1st update in over a year!). Guess what? the microtonal capability was removed! It now conforms to the Rise spec in that regard. I was pretty unhappy about that and contacted ROLI tech support to let them know. It took several emails before the tech guy understood what I was talking about. He said he would discuss it with the developers to help find a "solution" for me. Apparently, the developers he talked to also had no idea what this was about, cause the tech guy got back to me saying he thought that maybe there was something wrong with my GRAND instead. Huh?? I'm still kind of dumbfounded! They had forgotten about this initial capability???

Here's what is going on: Currently, initial touch resets MIDI pitch-bend messages to zero. When my GRAND had microtonal capability, MIDI data for pitch-bend on initial touch corresponded to finger position. Simple as that. There is no technical reason they can't bring this feature back right away.

I urged them to consider including this microtonal capability as a selectable option in a future update. Of course I'm just one person. Companies generally don't do anything unless a certain threshold of customers start requesting the same thing. I know one musician who purchased a Seaboard Rise model a few months ago, and I discussed it with him. He also had no idea what I was talking about and was not interested in my cause. Anyway, I urge you and all Seaboard users who are interested in microtonal capability to pleas contact ROLI and request this feature as an option!!! I would like to stress that this is not some esoteric thing that you'll never need. You might be quite surprised how playing between the notes can be quite effectively used with normal playing technique. I have videos to prove this. Please request this feature! Thank you!

+1

[Cinebient]

But i still can't get a microtonal pitch inbetween a semitone with an initial touch. Microtune the keywaves etc. Such an instruments shouldn't be limited to western scales only.
It's always quantized to a equal 12 tone.
I already wrote Roli support about this and a lot other things i could imagine.
They think about these things....bla bla....
So maybe in a (far) future.
Multi-touch screens are still far ahead of possibilities....well, beside tactile feedback of course

I purchased a Seaboard GRAND Stage model as soon as they started shipping, around March 2015. At that time, the Seaboard did indeed provide microtonal pitch in between semitones with an initial touch! In fact, I used that feature to great effect. When the Rise model was introduced, that capability was not included, undoubtedly because it made the instrument much easier to play in tune. I felt a bit smug that my Seaboard GRAND did not have that limitation. Alas, a major update to the GRAND model was introduced a little over a month ago (1st update in over a year!). Guess what? the microtonal capability was removed! It now conforms to the Rise spec in that regard. I was pretty unhappy about that and contacted ROLI tech support to let them know. It took several emails before the tech guy understood what I was talking about. He said he would discuss it with the developers to help find a "solution" for me. Apparently, the developers he talked to also had no idea what this was about, cause the tech guy got back to me saying he thought that maybe there was something wrong with my GRAND instead. Huh?? I'm still kind of dumbfounded! They had forgotten about this initial capability???

Here's what is going on: Currently, initial touch resets MIDI pitch-bend messages to zero. When my GRAND had microtonal capability, MIDI data for pitch-bend on initial touch corresponded to finger position. Simple as that. There is no technical reason they can't bring this feature back right away.

I urged them to consider including this microtonal capability as a selectable option in a future update. Of course I'm just one person. Companies generally don't do anything unless a certain threshold of customers start requesting the same thing. I know one musician who purchased a Seaboard Rise model a few months ago, and I discussed it with him. He also had no idea what I was talking about and was not interested in my cause. Anyway, I urge you and all Seaboard users who are interested in microtonal capability to pleas contact ROLI and request this feature as an option!!! I would like to stress that this is not some esoteric thing that you'll never need. You might be quite surprised how playing between the notes can be quite effectively used with normal playing technique. I have videos to prove this. Please request this feature! Thank you!

+1

+100

When it was there before i don't get why they removed it. Just give us a damn choice here
So it seems they go the consumer way (like Apple) to grow but left niche users alone.
There is so much more i would like to do in the dashboard.
Since it's software it should be possible....like tuning each keywave to my personal needs. Splits etc.....
How i said.....some apps offer much more here for less money!! But i want the tactile feedback!
But the other options are crap or more expensive.
I love the Seaboard but those limitations are really annoying. Could i hack the dashboard software?
Maybe they should hire more musicians and less tech experts as well!

[deastman]

I just want to say that I've been using my Ride with my iPad Air v1 over Bluetooth, and I've never experienced stuck notes or any other problems with it. Maybe I'm just not a fast enough player?

[Cinebient]

I just want to say that I've been using my Ride with my iPad Air v1 over Bluetooth, and I've never experienced stuck notes or any other problems with it. Maybe I'm just not a fast enough player?

Or you have one of a few working devices called Ride
Sometimes it works for a while but it mainly breaks if i make polyphonic pitch bends.
I already replaced mine one time and won't go trough it again.
I mean Support is great but mostly doesn't can help much!

[Keyless]

But i still can't get a microtonal pitch inbetween a semitone with an initial touch. Microtune the keywaves etc. Such an instruments shouldn't be limited to western scales only.
It's always quantized to a equal 12 tone.
I already wrote Roli support about this and a lot other things i could imagine.
They think about these things....bla bla....
So maybe in a (far) future.
Multi-touch screens are still far ahead of possibilities....well, beside tactile feedback of course

I purchased a Seaboard GRAND Stage model as soon as they started shipping, around March 2015. At that time, the Seaboard did indeed provide microtonal pitch in between semitones with an initial touch! In fact, I used that feature to great effect. When the Rise model was introduced, that capability was not included, undoubtedly because it made the instrument much easier to play in tune. I felt a bit smug that my Seaboard GRAND did not have that limitation. Alas, a major update to the GRAND model was introduced a little over a month ago (1st update in over a year!). Guess what? the microtonal capability was removed! It now conforms to the Rise spec in that regard.

Here's what is going on: Currently, initial touch resets MIDI pitch-bend messages to zero. When my GRAND had microtonal capability, MIDI data for pitch-bend on initial touch corresponded to finger position. Simple as that. There is no technical reason they can't bring this feature back right away.

+1

+100

When it was there before i don't get why they removed it. Just give us a damn choice here
So it seems they go the consumer way (like Apple) to grow but left niche users alone.
There is so much more i would like to do in the dashboard.
Since it's software it should be possible....like tuning each keywave to my personal needs. Splits etc.....
How i said.....some apps offer much more here for less money!! But i want the tactile feedback!
But the other options are crap or more expensive.
I love the Seaboard but those limitations are really annoying. Could i hack the dashboard software?
Maybe they should hire more musicians and less tech experts as well!

As someone with much experience with this, I can provide an answer as to why the removed it. When I got my Seaboard GRAND Stage last year (long before this feature was removed from my instrument), it was fairly difficult to play in tune. I had to practice for months to be able to consistently play it in tune. If you played a chord, for example, if just one finger was slightly off target, it sounded out of tune. I didn't mind, because that is the way it supposed to be! So I'm certain that ROLI made the decision to change the way it responded, such that initial touch always quantizes to the nearest half-step, because users were having this trouble. This current version does indeed make it much easier to play in tune. They made this part of the Rise spec from the beginning, so Rise owners have no idea what was once possible, and I'm sure a lot of users don't care. What ROLI apparently didn't realize, it that there are worthy players out there who do care (and yes, that does indeed remind me a lot of Apple)! It should be very easy for them to provide these two methods as two selectable options in the Dashboard. Once you've actually experienced the incredible musical possibilities presented with initial touch position determining pitch (as has been possible on almost every continuous pitch instrument throughout history), having that feature removed is unbelievably frustrating!

As for your desire to create "splits": That ability is already there for the most part. Within Equator, you can use the "Keytracking" parameter. Within a computer DAW, you can use multiple instances of the same or different instruments and assign each to a restricted key range! Problem solved. Your welcome!

[Cinebient]

But i still can't get a microtonal pitch inbetween a semitone with an initial touch. Microtune the keywaves etc. Such an instruments shouldn't be limited to western scales only.
It's always quantized to a equal 12 tone.
I already wrote Roli support about this and a lot other things i could imagine.
They think about these things....bla bla....
So maybe in a (far) future.
Multi-touch screens are still far ahead of possibilities....well, beside tactile feedback of course

I purchased a Seaboard GRAND Stage model as soon as they started shipping, around March 2015. At that time, the Seaboard did indeed provide microtonal pitch in between semitones with an initial touch! In fact, I used that feature to great effect. When the Rise model was introduced, that capability was not included, undoubtedly because it made the instrument much easier to play in tune. I felt a bit smug that my Seaboard GRAND did not have that limitation. Alas, a major update to the GRAND model was introduced a little over a month ago (1st update in over a year!). Guess what? the microtonal capability was removed! It now conforms to the Rise spec in that regard.

Here's what is going on: Currently, initial touch resets MIDI pitch-bend messages to zero. When my GRAND had microtonal capability, MIDI data for pitch-bend on initial touch corresponded to finger position. Simple as that. There is no technical reason they can't bring this feature back right away.

+1

+100

When it was there before i don't get why they removed it. Just give us a damn choice here
So it seems they go the consumer way (like Apple) to grow but left niche users alone.
There is so much more i would like to do in the dashboard.
Since it's software it should be possible....like tuning each keywave to my personal needs. Splits etc.....
How i said.....some apps offer much more here for less money!! But i want the tactile feedback!
But the other options are crap or more expensive.
I love the Seaboard but those limitations are really annoying. Could i hack the dashboard software?
Maybe they should hire more musicians and less tech experts as well!

As someone with much experience with this, I can provide an answer as to why the removed it. When I got my Seaboard GRAND Stage last year (long before this feature was removed from my instrument), it was fairly difficult to play in tune. I had to practice for months to be able to consistently play it in tune. If you played a chord, for example, if just one finger was slightly off target, it sounded out of tune. I didn't mind, because that is the way it supposed to be! So I'm certain that ROLI made the decision to change the way it responded, such that initial touch always quantizes to the nearest half-step, because users were having this trouble. This current version does indeed make it much easier to play in tune. They made this part of the Rise spec from the beginning, so Rise owners have no idea what was once possible, and I'm sure a lot of users don't care. What ROLI apparently didn't realize, it that there are worthy players out there who do care (and yes, that does indeed remind me a lot of Apple)! It should be very easy for them to provide these two methods as two selectable options in the Dashboard. Once you've actually experienced the incredible musical possibilities presented with initial touch position determining pitch (as has been possible on almost every continuous pitch instrument throughout history), having that feature removed is unbelievably frustrating!

As for your desire to create "splits": That ability is already there for the most part. Within Equator, you can use the "Keytracking" parameter. Within a computer DAW, you can use multiple instances of the same or different instruments and assign each to a restricted key range! Problem solved. Your welcome!

Sure, i know i can do such things via extern midi FX and so but i just would like to set it up in the Seaboard itself. So it would work across different DAW's, tools, devices with one set-up. And it would be even better if i could switch setting f.e. via the patch change buttons.
It's for sure not the world's end but for an innovative growing company i think i want more than Apple's way to stay "save" for consumers.
I also hope they make someday another Equator update
But really, i love my Seaboard (even when i sometimes hate it)!

[pdxindy]

What ROLI apparently didn't realize, it that there are worthy players out there who do care (and yes, that does indeed remind me a lot of Apple)! It should be very easy for them to provide these two methods as two selectable options in the Dashboard. Once you've actually experienced the incredible musical possibilities presented with initial touch position determining pitch (as has been possible on almost every continuous pitch instrument throughout history), having that feature removed is unbelievably frustrating!

I would be fine if it was even an option that was hard to get to!!

[Cinebient]

So i had now several longer playings without disconnected bluetooth.
It happens when i use the aftertouch events or pitchbend (mainly this).
When i turn it off and use it as "normal" keyboard it seems to work fine. Also the latency is usable.
Maybe the midi trafic is too high otherwise?

[Apababa]

Hello!

I just opened the dashboard for the first time and it said there was an update for the seaboard rise 49 OS. I installed the update and after installation only first half of the seaboard keywaves seem to be working. (Updated from version 1.1.2 to 1.1.5)

Has anyone else had this kind of problem? I left a message in Roli support but of course they are not working on weekends.

[deastman]

Yikes! That doesn't sound good. There is probably a calibration routine which needs to be run, but that's just a guess. I won't be updating mine until I hear that it works okay. Please let us know what you hear back from support.

[Cinebient]

Hello!

I just opened the dashboard for the first time and it said there was an update for the seaboard rise 49 OS. I installed the update and after installation only first half of the seaboard keywaves seem to be working. (Updated from version 1.1.2 to 1.1.5)

Has anyone else had this kind of problem? I left a message in Roli support but of course they are not working on weekends.

I had several problems with a few updates (their software part needs better work!).
I gone back to an older version and it works.
I have a bit trouble with the sliders now. When i turn them off and switch from the expressive mode to the midi learn they go back to a default setting. Only when i do it again it works....strange things.
You could try to reset your Seaboard in the dashboard and/or connect to an older version (if you saved it).
So i love the Seaboard but have very mixed feelings about the software developement