Roli Seaboard RISE

[saeidscorp]

Hi everyone!!

I just bought a RISE 49!! but probably with a big difference to other guys here... I bought a Seaboard RISE as my very first instrument! despite all the warnings recommending to start with a traditional keyboard, I was so in love with this alien-looking keyboard that I couldn't resist buying it. although I've only felt the weight of piano keys and have no skills in keyboards yet, I have some experience in digital audio, DAWs, synthesizers and some very basics of music theory. (I'm a computer programmer, sysadmin and music lover)

The moment I opened the package, my mind was blown! very sleek and stylish!! It's heavy and feels so nice and I can tell it's so resistant.
the squishy surface feels good. no need to describe the look and feel of the device, as others have done that greatly.

The first moments of playing it, my hand muscles felt a bit of tension. considering that I haven't practiced piano or keyboard at all, that makes sense. but the second day I got used to it.

I could easily register my RISE 49 and get to the My ROLI page to download the dashboard. but the Equator download failed 2 times and I gave up for the moment. (when our subscriber line gets up to work again, I'll try to download equator again)

I love it so much, but I encountered some problems when I was digging further into its surface, which I write in another post...

[SteveElbows]

Hi everyone!!

I just bought a RISE 49!! but probably with a big difference to other guys here... I bought a Seaboard RISE as my very first instrument! despite all the warnings recommending to start with a traditional keyboard, I was so in love with this alien-looking keyboard that I couldn't resist buying it. although I've only felt the weight of piano keys and have no skills in keyboards yet, I have some experience in digital audio, DAWs, synthesizers and some very basics of music theory. (I'm a computer programmer, sysadmin and music lover)

Welcome

I dont blame you - if the seaboard had existed many years before it really did, I'm sure it would have been my first keyboard too! Instead I ended up with various cheap controllers and keyboard attached to synths over the years, but they did not inspire me much.

I dont really have hardly any traditional keyboard skills yet either and thats partly because I have no real interest in this. I've always intended to use various roli devices in a quite different way, that has a pretty vague relationship to traditional keyboard playing. Partly because even if I try to learn traditional keyboard playing now I dont think I will be very good in my lifetime, and I would rather make a customised setup for my own weird purposes!

[Shabdahbriah]

Hi everyone!!

I just bought a RISE 49!! but probably with a big difference to other guys here... I bought a Seaboard RISE as my very first instrument! despite all the warnings recommending to start with a traditional keyboard, I was so in love with this alien-looking keyboard that I couldn't resist buying it. although I've only felt the weight of piano keys and have no skills in keyboards yet, I have some experience in digital audio, DAWs, synthesizers and some very basics of music theory. (I'm a computer programmer, sysadmin and music lover)

Welcome

I dont blame you - if the seaboard had existed many years before it really did, I'm sure it would have been my first keyboard too! Instead I ended up with various cheap controllers and keyboard attached to synths over the years, but they did not inspire me much.

I dont really have hardly any traditional keyboard skills yet either and thats partly because I have no real interest in this. I've always intended to use various roli devices in a quite different way, that has a pretty vague relationship to traditional keyboard playing. Partly because even if I try to learn traditional keyboard playing now I dont think I will be very good in my lifetime, and I would rather make a customised setup for my own weird purposes!

^^^ precisely my position as well, after having KB's/Rackmounts for 30+ years, I most enjoy sampling/recording, and manipulating 'sounds', which I have been doing since the mid-late 50's. Always desired to play keyboard, but my lounge/blues/jazz standards are higher than I can continue to aspire to, although I miraculously do touch the keys every once and a while, in the right place with more than two fingers, and it sounds cool, but if I don't record it, the moment is gone. So improvising/experimenting, and the spontaneity of seat-of-the-pants discovery. Annnnd then, all ambitions became... Eurorack.

[incubus]

Can't wait to see the same situation 3 months from now

The problem isn't that it isn't cool and awesome in design, the problem is compatibility and it doing what is "on the tin"

It's a lot of money if it doesn't work with your host and plugs in a completely phenomenal way.

[Shabdahbriah]

Can't wait to see the same situation 3 months from now

The problem isn't that it isn't cool and awesome in design, the problem is compatibility and it doing what is "on the tin"

It's a lot of money if it doesn't work with your host and plugs in a completely phenomenal way.

Absolutely. I ended up passing on the new Block, as I really want a brass or copper touch surface, if only for the steampunkerishness of it. So I am going to make my own, with some of the kits and bits available.

[deastman]

A brass or copper touch plate will never give you anything remotely close to the level of expression you get with a Seaboard. Sure, in eurorack you could combine Pressure Points and some FSRs to create your own expressive instrument (been there, done that!), but again, the actual playing experience will not be anything close to what you get with Roli.

Incubus- "what it says on the tin". That's an interesting one, isn't it? The Seaboard does what it promises, and does a great job of it. But until the entire rest of the world of music technology catches up, it will remain a bit of a niche product. Sure, you can use it in a simplified mode which works with all other synths, but that isn't why we bought one, is it? Roli is certainly doing their part, offering free licenses of two different DAWs, two robust synth, and two iOS apps. I don't see any of the MPE developers going to such lengths to ensure the success of the standard (mostly because they don't have the same level of VC funding behind them).

Saeidscorp- do be sure to download Equator and Strobe 2. These are the synths which best make use of the Seaboard's full capabilities right now.

[incubus]

Can't wait to see the same situation 3 months from now

The problem isn't that it isn't cool and awesome in design, the problem is compatibility and it doing what is "on the tin"

It's a lot of money if it doesn't work with your host and plugs in a completely phenomenal way.

Absolutely. I ended up passing on the new Block, as I really want a brass or copper touch surface, if only for the steampunkerishness of it. So I am going to make my own, with some of the kits and bits available.

You're saying you have a little roger linn in you?

[incubus]

A brass or copper touch plate will never give you anything remotely close to the level of expression you get with a Seaboard. Sure, in eurorack you could combine Pressure Points and some FSRs to create your own expressive instrument (been there, done that!), but again, the actual playing experience will not be anything close to what you get with Roli.

Incubus- "what it says on the tin". That's an interesting one, isn't it? The Seaboard does what it promises, and does a great job of it. But until the entire rest of the world of music technology catches up, it will remain a bit of a niche product. Sure, you can use it in a simplified mode which works with all other synths, but that isn't why we bought one, is it? Roli is certainly doing their part, offering free licenses of two different DAWs, two robust synth, and two iOS apps. I don't see any of the MPE developers going to such lengths to ensure the success of the standard (mostly because they don't have the same level of VC funding behind them).

Saeidscorp- do be sure to download Equator and Strobe 2. These are the synths which best make use of the Seaboard's full capabilities right now.

Here's where I was coming from: It seems to me that there are an awful lot of complaints about compatibility here. I'm not going through every thread to double check it all, but that's the impression I've gotten.

Nothing more to read into, if it DOES work, then cool, but that is what I was referring to.

And to piggyback that, if it's too advanced, that should be a concern too because the industry has NO INTENTIONS of catching up.

[werp]

I've ordered the Roli Blocks version with the magnetic connectors for other Blocks. Seemed like a cheap way to get in. It ships with the Equator player. I haven't a clue whether it has shipped or not yet. There was some kind of hold up.

[BONES]

It might be a cheap way in but I don't think it is a good value one. I think, if anything, it will make you see the potential but frustrate you with the limitations. We shall see, though, and I'd be very happy to be wrong about it, although it's not a device I could own (because I don't have anything that runs iOS).

It's a lot of money if it doesn't work with your host and plugs in a completely phenomenal way.

That's not really true. It works quite happily with the standalone version of Equator, which is how I am using it. i.e. I think of it as a separate hardware instrument, not like a controller keyboard. That felt obvious to me just from playing it for 10 minutes in a shop. It never felt like something I would use within my host, but alongside it in my larger set-up. I mean, as well as the Rise, I also have a brand new black KeyStep which I would not have bought if I thought the Rise would be a good general controller. (I already had an eye out for a used Rise 25 when I bought the KeyStep, so I knew I would eventually have both.)

Here's where I was coming from: It seems to me that there are an awful lot of complaints about compatibility here.

I think most of that is simply buyer's remorse from people who didn't do their due diligence before spending their money. It's the old "decide in haste, repent at leisure" thing.

[werp]

It might be a cheap way in but I don't think it is a good value one. I think, if anything, it will make you see the potential but frustrate you with the limitations. We shall see, though, and I'd be very happy to be wrong about it, although it's not a device I could own (because I don't have anything that runs iOS).

It's a lot of money if it doesn't work with your host and plugs in a completely phenomenal way.

That's not really true. It works quite happily with the standalone version of Equator, which is how I am using it. i.e. I think of it as a separate hardware instrument, not like a controller keyboard. That felt obvious to me just from playing it for 10 minutes in a shop. It never felt like something I would use within my host, but alongside it in my larger set-up. I mean, as well as the Rise, I also have a brand new black KeyStep which I would not have bought if I thought the Rise would be a good general controller. (I already had an eye out for a used Rise 25 when I bought the KeyStep, so I knew I would eventually have both.)

Here's where I was coming from: It seems to me that there are an awful lot of complaints about compatibility here.

I think most of that is simply buyer's remorse from people who didn't do their due diligence before spending their money. It's the old "decide in haste, repent at leisure" thing.

I very much doubt I'd be interested in purchasing a proper Rise. They're very expensive over here with import duties and other local taxes. I figure this would be the best way to see/feel what the fuss is all about...I'm very fussy about tuning so I'd have to quantise everything in order not to go mad...I think I'd have to get my fingers surgically lengthened as well...I'd probably prefer the Linnstrument tbh...however...I'm also trying to convince myself that I don't actually 'need' a Matrixbrute as well...
I should sell my rarely used Solaris before I do anything silly.

[BONES]

I got mine for Au$859 delivered, from StoreDJ's eBay shop. It was a one-off opportunity as StoreDJ was doing a EOFYS and eBay sweetened the deal with a single day of an extra 15% off. I might have ended up with a Block otherwise but I thought it was a good buy so I grabbed it. Who are you getting yours from? Nobody locally seems to have them in stock yet, although most have them for sale on line.

[werp]

I got mine for Au$859 delivered, from StoreDJ's eBay shop. It was a one-off opportunity as StoreDJ was doing a EOFYS and eBay sweetened the deal with a single day of an extra 15% off. I might have ended up with a Block otherwise but I thought it was a good buy so I grabbed it. Who are you getting yours from? Nobody locally seems to have them in stock yet, although most have them for sale on line.

Direct from Roli wherever they are...

[SteveElbows]

Roli are based in the UK and also have an office in the USA. I dont know how they handle international shipping.

To give some clues about timescale, I am in the UK and ordered a seaboard block from their website on June 23rd. I got bored of waiting last week and contacted their support, who estimated that, based on the position of my order in the queue, it will ship this coming Thursday or Friday.

[Jace-BeOS]

It's not the user expectations that concern me. It's the owners who have defective units. Multiple defective units. That's what concerns me.

If this device doesn't succeed in doing exactly what it claims (and we've seen the function change from the original presentation, in the microtonal area, according to posts here), it just compounds the chicken & egg problem of expressive controllers not being supported by other products (because there are not enough expressive controllers to support a model for expressivity like this)...