Always been interested in one of these to enliven tactile iPad noodling.
Al last they seem to have enhanced the squishiness. Still not sure how easily they will work with other apps than Noise.
I just want to buy it since its practically my name, Roly. LOL
Just got a secondhand 1st gen Lightpad Block for cheap, mostly to see how it works with Max.
I had low expectations, but it looks really versatile, even to the point of being able to send images and video to the LEDs on the block (obviously it scales to 15x15 and looks a bit washed out but hey! it works). I’m getting back into developing the nanoloop clone sequencer I started in puredata last year (starting from scratch though, rather than trying to port it from pd) so this actually looks like it’ll be very useful. I’m already considering buying another one 
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they looked interesting , the early ones dropped in price very quickly but a friend liked his , hooked them up to his modular . he ordered direct but i pointed him to ones that were half price off ebay so he bought two (this was a while ago ).
their initial price seemed high imo.
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Yeah, the M model is $329AU, too much for me. The original has been reduced to $200 at my local store which is borderline. I think I’ll keep an eye out for more secondhand models 
as long as they still function correctly, I don’t have a problem with buying secondhand. Roli were very quick to respond yesterday when I wanted to transfer the registration but couldn’t get in contact with the original owner—they replied within 5 minutes!
I also bought a secondhand “developer kit” last week for 80 euros. It includes the old lightblock and a developer control block which you can basically program to send any midi cc:s. I’ve never used Max, but sending pictures to the lightblock sounds amazing.
In all I’m very impressed by the build quality, usefullnes and the “otherness” of these things. They feel like they were sent from the future or smthng. I’m looking to add a seaboard block in the very near future. I’m hoping to achieve a small footprint midi controller for taking with me to the summer cabin or the beach, but also to a gig. (Last gig I played with our band I had an Octatrack and an iPad and I mostly touched the screen feeling like a complete fool. Hopefully having a proper controller will make this setup feel like a musical instrument.)
I know this is a really old post but I’ve just ordered a roli seaboard block to pair with my a4 and I was wondering how you got on with this? There isn’t a great deal of solid info on the forum regarding this. I assumed the dashboard would save the settings to the block……I hope so! Also wondering how you found mapping the parameters and if it was very hard to control as opposed to using equator patches? Any musings on this subject would be appreciated!
This bundle has been on sale for a while:
$50 off the combined cost of a Seaboard Block and Touch Block
Would primarily use with iPad but might also try it with Yamaha MODX, which is advertised to be USB class compliant, and whatever other hardware gear I have that can respond to USB MIDI.
ROLI is teasing a new ( “Back to the Future” ) product and it looks like it is the ROLI Seaboard Block 24 key, perhaps reengineered like their RISE 2 has been. ( thread )
Reveal November 1st.
Of course this is plastered all over their main website.
ROLI is not dead. ( thread )
Will they redo something like the regular BLOCKS Lightpad too ??
Today there has been an official announement it seems.
https://www.gearnews.com/roli-seaboard-block-m-the-mini-squishy-mpe-controller-is-back/
Looks interesting.
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It now has a MIDI output, which is rather useful and could be considered a natural feature for a MIDI controller.
Yeah, not such a bad idea!
I would like to give one of these a try sometime.
Yeah. But 2,5 (!) mm TRS
For full size midi it would have to either be twice as thick or have some weird blob on it to house the socket.
I think it’s ok but I won’t be buying one.
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I am not criticizing TRS MIDI. I even find TRS MIDI very practical for small devices. But the standard size for TRS MIDI is 3.5 mm and not 2.5 mm like this Roli device.
Looks good to me.
From the GearNews article they say :
The velocity curve has been improved, giving a more natural feel. It’s been made slightly more robust for more confident gigging. There are more settings in the customisation to tweak the MPE control exactly to your liking. And you can change presets directly from the keyboard.
Definitely a good move to add the MIDI connector. We’ll see what else they provide with their DNA connector.
Would be an interesting and super expressive controller with a Eurorack system through something like the Shuttle Control from Endorphin.es.
Some people freaked out over the idea of pre-ordering ( the Rise 2 ) from Roli, so i expect they still feel the same. I’m not bothered, but t is a pretty long pre-order lead time though, SynthAnatomy says :
$349,95 USD/£299.95 GBP or 349,95€. Shipping starts in March 2024 to the US, Canada, UK and Europe.
Wait there is no Bluetooth midi? Wow that’s a bummer
Can bluetooth MIDI perform well in an MPE controller where “expression” and feedback are so important? True question.
The picture looks fairly disconnected, but that may be marketing shenanigans more than a promise of bluetooth midi ofc
I had one of the short smaller ones a while back. It had bluetooth midi which worked great, I’d be surprised if they took it out.
I think if I got another one, I’d get more keys. The 24 one was great for travelling with but too small for me. Also I found the black keys very hard to see in the dark/low light, I just like working at night in dim light.
I think their keyboards really shine if you have a bigger one you can setup in a studio and really master the nuance it provides. It was very enjoyable to play.
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Hi guys,
Does anyone owning a Roli Lightpad Block M (the second version) can confirm it works on Mac OS Ventura (intel)?
Thanks in advance
Philippe