This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I had read many summaries and reviews about the ROLI Seaboard Rise before purchasing, and one recurring theme I found was that, for pianists, it was like learning a new instrument. I have to say, I didn't feel that way at all. The way the different methods of input affect different parameters of the sound is very intuitive. It all just makes sense, and it didn't take me very long to feel like I was altering the sounds exactly as I wanted to. Also, even though the "keywaves" feel like squishy foam, they are very responsive. It takes just the lightest tap to trigger a note.
Equator, the synth software built to be used with the Seaboard Rise, sounds fantastic, and is easy to set up, but it is a little hard to use once you are in there. I've worked with a few different software synths before, and this one doesn't seem to work how I want it to. Maybe my knowledge on synths is too limited to make that judgement completely though. It did, however, show up in Logic immediately, unlike my Komplete plug-ins at the moment...
All in all, I'm very excited about owning the Seaboard Rise, and I believe it is fairly priced.
