pads on my push 2 are yellow by now. Not sure what is the best way to clean them.
Necroing this thread to see if anyone has any recent experiences with the Seaboard Block. I loved using Pressure Points when I had my modular, very expressive, and feel like I could have a similar experience using a Roli and Bitwig.
Anyone have any recent experience with Seaboards (Block in particular), good or bad?
Those are all good points, although I didnāt mind the texture of the Seaboard when I tried it out at a store in September.
I think the only way Iām going to really know if the Block is for me is to try one out. Thereās nothing out there quite like it, so I might as well give it a chance and return it if Iām not happy with it!
Could be great, could be trrrible. 
For some reason I canāt quote your post. Anyway, thenā āIt takes practiceā comment makes a lot of sense. And time will tell if Iām able to get proficient with it within 30 days I think so, but time will tell.
I hope that we see more affordable MPE controllers in the future, or at least key-like controllers that have additional modulation possibilities than what we have right now. Iām really looking forward to experimenting!
The keybed on Arturia MicroFreak will have MPE and polyphonic aftertouch support. Itās obvious that it will offer a completely different feel than the seaboard, but itās worth thinking about it and you get a digital hardware synths for the same amount of money.
I will buy both the seaboard block and the Arturia MicroFreak in the future because both products seems to be really nice.
Hey, do you have now any experiences with seaboard and MicroFreak that you can share?
Thanks!
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I never bought the MicroFreak but I bought the Seaboard Rise 25 second hand. And I am not satisfied with that one. It stopped working over USB so the only way of using it is over Bluetooth and if that stops working the unit is useless. The slide dimension has also stopped working and the preset buttons donāt work. I can still use it, but Iām not pleased with it and canāt sell it to get my 450Ā£ back. I do not recommend it because it feels like a premium product that you pay a premium price for but you will get a product that doesnāt work like it should.
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You should reach out to Roli and tell them about these issues, they are usually pretty good at dealing with hardware failures / quality issues.
I own a Roli Seaboard Block, and I love my unit. It works flawlessly and being what it is, it adds a whole other dimension of expression to my playing.
I should probably do that. I just get pist off by looking at it. But I will give it a try and see what they can do. Thanks for the tips.
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Hereās the Rise controlling a Matrixbrute. I think itās a great pairing because of how on the Brute you can assign the aftertouch to whatever control you want. Here I have slide and pressure bringing in different oscillators that are tuned to a triad, makes for a very dynamic thing to play with.
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Iām thinking about picking up a 2nd handed Rise 25.
However, I keep reading negative costumer experiences regarding faulty USB connection and poor batteries. And keys double triggering and other key/silicone related issuesā¦
How bad is it?
Also, Roli products are removed from the Apple Store. Roli is millions in debt and apparently their costumer service appears to be dead.
Unfortunately there isnāt any alternative to these boards in the same price range. A Continuum is way too expansive as is the Linnstrument. The JouĆ© stuff I donāt really care for
Iām just putting this out thereāand I totally understand that people can only afford what they can afford, and thereās certainly no shame in thatābut if youāre serious about expressive playing, get a LinnStrument or a Continuum (depending, of course, on which interface makes more sense to you). Yes, theyāre expensive, but they are robust, undeniably purpose-built, and properly supported.
That said, if youāre just a hobbyist, making an exploratory decision purely out of curiosity, then get a Seaboard Block and see for yourself. I mean, within that context, at that price point, what have you got to lose?
Cheers!
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The unit itself? Thatās why I ask.
If the thing starts showing weird behavior after 1 year and if those batteries blow up after 4 years, Iām not willing to invest my time in learning to play it really.
As I said, thereās no alternative. And since Roli is millions in the negatives, these instruments might end up as waste in 6 years, as all phones and laptops with batteries do. Since thereās no alternative on the market, you canāt replace it with something else.
The internal fixed battery is really holding me back.
The Block I already played with and while it is okay, the keys are too small and the unit is too light. Its either the Rise or a Continuum. The latter is way too expensive. Im not even considering it. The Linnstrument seems to be too narrow to play and reminds me of a Push which I didnt like at all as a playable instrument. So the Rise is really the only one Iām interested in
not sure what will happen with Roli going forward. If you are worried about support, this is not the right time to buy a Roli device.
EDIT: Re sensor/silicon issues. I have two Seaboard Blocks and have no issues at all. I do know of users who had issues with older versions of the Rise though. But to my understanding Roli improved the responsiveness / durability in later production runs. My second Roli Seaboard I bought last Christmas, and not only is it firmer than my other (older) one, but itās better built (no loose bits around the edges) and the surface material is slightly different (easier to slide on).
Woah, happy I read this. Been thinking of getting one for a while but then I rather wait for the gas to burn out or if it donāt, look into the continuum.
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My advice is DONāT BUY ONE. I bought a Seaboard Rise 25 second hand and now the USB port doesnāt work and I emailed Roli about this in April and with no answer. I have emailed them 3 times without any reply. I will sell mine as soon as possible and hope for the best. Feels like I have wasted ā¬450 for a āPremiumā machine that doesnāt work like it should.
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I have a rise 49. Itās a great bit of kit, but as I use ableton it doesnāt get the use that it should.
I wouldnāt recommend it to new buyers at the moment, as already said the company is in trouble and I worry about long term support.
Itās a shame as mpe is only now starting to gain a bit of momentum. I hope the next ableton update will include it.
What does a broken Rise sell for ? (Obviously it depends on the problem.)
To balance out some of whatās been said here, and over on Reddit ā there are enough Rise devotees in the world, and enough of a base of equipment. that even if the worst was to happen and ROLI went belly up, and the crystal ball is cloudy on this, there will be other people that will move in to provide repair service.
AND many Rises will just continue to work.
One scenario on continued repair, and a common one, is a defunct company sells off the data and technology of repair, and spare parts, often to the group of workers that are currently doing that work, or to a third group that is already well experienced in repair ā and life goes on. The Rise is a bit of a black box, but it is valuable enough that there will be a repair market, even if repair people must work out the procedure themselves. People that specialize in repair are an amazingly capable lot.
So if you are seriously committed to learning to use, and using the Rise, i say be aware, and go forth.
On the other side of things there are other alternatives to consider beyond the aforementioned Haken Continuum and Roger Linn LinnStrument. Haken is right now in collaboration with Expressive E in the development of the Osmose.
And another top quality MPE / Poly-aftertouch keybed is in the ASM Hydrasynth. The Hydrasynth, used only as a controller, is not as fully dimensional as the four alternatives, but is fully responsive and expressive in MPE and Poly-aftertouch and instantly familiar to anyone who uses a conventional keyboard, as well as being cost competitive for this use.
I would expect other wonderful products in this market space to be arriving in the coming few years.
ADDED: And since JouĆ© was already mentioned as an alternative one should also consider the Sensel Morph with itās MPE.
Just get a local electronics place to repair it. Not enough people do this in this day and age. I recently had a set of monitors repaired, feels great to get new life out of them. Iād suggest a USB port is a very simple fix for an electronics repairer.
I donāt think thatās an option as these boards are difficult to open. The Block at least. Theres a video on Youtube.
Roli also doesnt do battery replacements.
I have no problem soldering in and out replacements or fixing a dead psu or something. Its just a matter of getting the right part and having the correct screwdrivers.
If you drop these units for a repair in your local repair shop, theyāll be like āwhat the hell is this?ā