Thinking of moving from a Keystep to a Roli Seaboard?

The Lounge Other Gear
#1

I have a plain old Arturia Keystep and it does what I need it to do. I play a chord, the MIDI goes in to Ableton, and sound comes out of my hardware or soft synths. Great.

However I keep seeing Instagram videos of people playing these Seaboards and they look like a lot of fun. You can slide your finger around and make the synths go ooo-weee-ooo! However they cost a few hundred bucks and have less keys than my keystep. Will I even be able to get much out of these using my setup? Or do you need special “MPE” synths?

Also I will note my MIDI setup involves my keyboard going through my Digitakt (since that’s my sequencer for everything). If I recall Digitakt doesn’t pass through keyboard velocity or after touch, unless that’s been fixed…

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#2

I wouldn’t. I had a Roli keyboard and just playing chords is a pain.

If you want to go all in on MPE, but with none of the feedback of a piano keyboard, then it’s ok. But it’s definitely not a replacement for a Keystep. Keep both

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#3

If you are looking for a keyboard like MPE nothing is like the Osmose. It is like Piano 2.0, and has its own internal synth engine (from Haken).

The roli is good if you are looking for an instrument (not a piano) for independent XYZ output.

Going thru the digitakt may be a problem, it has to pass both MPE and polyphonic aftertouch (if thats what you want to use).

#4

Just so things are clear. A Keystep has either 32 or 37 keys, depending on the model. The ROLI Rise 2 has 49 keys and cost a lot more than a few hundred dollars. Perhaps you are talking about the recently announced ROLI Blocks keyboard ? It indeed has 24 keys and will be a few hundred dollars. It’s an upgraded re-release of the old ROLI Blocks. See my post on it.

Unless you are talking about a used ROLI, which i’d advise against.

So i assume you mean the new ROLI Blocks keyboard.

I also recall you posting about something like this a while back.

So you have Ableton Live which allows you to control it with MPE, and could be controlled expressively with an MPE controller.

If you have questions about HW or SW synths that are controllable by MPE, that is a separate question.

So I’d say it is reasonable to consider the new ROLI Blocks keyboard.

The suggestion above to compare this with the Osmose, while the Osmose is wonderful, seems way off from the direction you are heading with your question, considering that that keyboard synth is so much more expensive than a few hundred dollars, and isn’t setup as an Ableton Live controller.

I want you to take a look at the KORG Keystage keyboard controller over in this thread.. The 49 key version of it is more in line with your cost guidelines. just slightly above in cost, has more keys than your Keystep, is set up as a real controller with all those knobs, is set up to talk to Ableton Live, has the MPE and a poly-aftertouch keybed, AND as an added wrinkle is set up for MIDI 2.0, to help it stay current with future developments in that direction.

ADDED : Oh i forgot, the Keystage has this really powerful chord and chord arpegiation feature built in.

It could also be used as a plain MIDI controller to your Elekrron devices.

It may not be a fit but take a look.

What do you think SouvlakiPlaystation ?

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#5

Adding to what Jukka has said above, which is very sound advice, I have to say…

Frankly, it seems to me that you don’t really have any experience with MPE, as a protocol or as a performance tool, and that’s a concern. The Seaboard Block that you’re eyeing is extremely limited in scope and connectivity, especially if MPE is an afterthought to you. To which end, I think you’re likely to be disillusioned.

MPE requires an investment of time, on all fronts: i.e. playing the hardware, designing sounds, setting up the tech; what MPE is, how it works, and what you aspire to use it for… These things are not trivial.

If all you’re interested in is “sliding your finger around…”, you’ll soon realize that you’ve sacrificed too much of your established workflow. The bottom line is, a ROLI Block simply cannot replace your Keystep.

I say all this as a longtime advocate of MPE, who would love to believe that you intend to perform on this instrument to a virtuosic level. If that’s the case, then indeed, I urge you to take the plunge into the world of expressive control.

:wink:

Cheers!

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#6

You may also want to consider a Hydrasynth Explorer. 37 keys with poly AT, and a very nice subtractive synth engine with a ton of fun bells and whistles. Also a chord mode and arpeggiator mode that may be more powerful than the Keystep 37.

I’m using the larger Hydrasynth Keyboard to explore MPE. The core synth engine is powerful enough to make very interesting sounds on its own, in drone mode or with a more ordinary keyboard. Adding in PolyAT and a giant ribbon controller combines very well with such a nuanced synth engine.

If the current setup is computer, Keystep and Digitakt, then the small Hydrasynth Explorer could be a good replacement for the Keystep.

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How much “further” can a ROLI Rise take your playing?
#7

Wow, very informative. Thank you! And yes, I was talking about the newly released block M. Can’t believe you recalled my thread from so many years ago. Korg Keystage is something I glossed over and I think this looks like a great option.

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