Tag Archives: ROLI

NAMM 2025: ROLI discover 49 keys!

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The big reveal from ROLI is a 49-key version of the LUMI Keys, now known as the ROLI Piano M. Price is $599 USD/€599 (RRP) with a very limited-time introductory price of $399/€399. First orders will ship in May.

Add color to your musical ideas with four octaves of full-sized, semi-weighted keys, each with per-key pitchbend, polyphonic aftertouch, and vibrant Brightkey illumination. ROLI Piano is MPE-ready, perfectly portable, and designed to inspire. Add Airwave, and you can even play the air above your keys – seriously. [ROLI]

ROLI made a few additional improvements in addition to 49 full-size, full-throw keys:

  • Sustain/expression pedal input
  • MIDI OUT (3.5mm TRS)
  • USB-C class-compliant MIDI
  • Diminuitive size: 27.5″ x 8″ x 1.8″ (mm x 200 mm x 45 mm)
  • Light weight: 7.7 pounds (3.5kg)

Basically, you get an MPE-compatible MIDI controller for not a lot of money. This might put a dent into Keith McMillen K-Board Pro sales.

49-key ROLI Piano and Airwave [ROLI]

Not to pick on ROLI specifically, but I have a thing against any keyboard shorter than 49 keys. Look, I play real music. I need Middle C and two octaves above and two octaves below. This minimal range lets my left hand wander a little bit and my right hand can play most melodies within range of the human singing voice.

The LUMI Keys (mine is a “Keys”) has 24 keys. Right off the top, forget two hands. No matter where you put Middle C, there’s a chance that you will run out of keys. Because LUMI Keys is designed to snap together, it is missing the C above Middle C, too. I can’t count the number of times my pinky finger is flapping in the breeze because that C key isn’t there.

I will give credit to ROLI for rolling out a longer 49-key keyboard with full-sized keys. My LUMI keys has the short scale (Stretto, 5.5″ per octave) keys. At this point, I adapt to mini-keys when necessary. Still, I prefer full-size keys (either synth- or piano-width).

I wish ROLI well. Recently, I bought a 48-key Novation Launchkey Mk4 and love it (review on the way). I’ll be keeping the ROLI LUMI Keys for MPE experiments and for occasions that require extreme portability and built-in Bluetooth MIDI.

Novation and Klevgrand

Novation and Klevgrand have something in the works, thanks to their new partnership agreement. They are teasing new software designed specifically for Novation controller users. March 2025 is the target timeframe. [As we used to joke in software development, “Is that the beginning or the end of the month?”]

Novation already bundle a few Klevgrand plug-ins with Launchkey. (I still need to get to them!) Klevgrand’s user interface (UI) is super clean and tidy, so I’m looking forward to the fruits of their collaboration. If you are a Novation user, keep your eyes open and look for offers and activations later this year.

Floobydust

CME realize that their greatest asset is their software. Thus, they announced the C2MIDI Pro USB5-pin MIDI cable with filtering, routing and mapping smarts. The U6MIDI PRO, WIDI Master and MIDI Jack are in daily use, here. I just say, these guys know this domain and produce reliable, affordable MIDI products. The C2MIDI cable will sell for $29.99, shipping February 2025.

Studiologic have announced the SL Mk2 controllers: SL73 Mk2 ($500 USD) and SL88 Mk2 ($500), and SL88GT Mk2 with acoustic-weighted keys ($1,000).

Behringer are showing the BX1 DX1 knock-off, the PRO-16 Sequential Circuits re-do, and the JT-16 Analog Polyphonic Synthesizer.

Copyright © 2025 Paul J. Drongowski

NAMM 2025: ROLI teaser

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ROLI piano teaser

ROLI are teasing a “Bigger, Brighter, Smarter, piano of the future” to be announced on January 23: AI-generated Pianoception advertisement. 👎

ROLI will be offering “early-bird deals”. Hmmm, I smell crowd-sourced money to finish product development. I hate to be so darned cynical, but c’mon.

There is even an adminition “to check your spam folder” for the offer. Yeah, cuz your teaser and promotional copy read like spam? “Early batches are going to be moving fast, and we know you’re going to love this. Keep your eyes peeled — we don’t want you to miss out.”

I like ROLI. They’re spunky. But jeez, fire your copy writer. I hate spunky. 🙂

ROLI will also be promoting ROLI Piano M as a learning tool and the ROLI Airwave controller.

Copyright © 2025 Paul J. Drongowski

October 8th — How’d that turn out?

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Ableton Move

Ableton Move is a new portable, stand-alone “music creation” surface. Move has four tracks (drum, sampler, or synth) and a step sequencer. Move has audio input and output (3.5mm), built-in WiFi, 64GByte internal storage, built-in speaker and microphone, and an OLED screen (128×64 pixels). Control gizmos include 32 pads with polyphonic aftertouch, 9 touch-sensitive endless encoders and 16 multi-function buttons.

Ableton Move

Like its competition (Yamaha SEQTRAK), Move is loaded with 1,500+ preset instruments, samples and drum hits. Three instruments are preloaded: Drift, Wavetable and Drum Sampler (plus Melodic Sampler).

Each track has up to two (insert) effects with two more for the Main Track. Effects include everb, Delay, Saturator, Chorus-Ensemble, Phaser-Flanger, Redux, Channel EQ and Dynamics.

Interesting — to me and other nerds — is the 1.5GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A72 within. Wisely, Ableton included a USB-A port which means you can hook up your class-compliant controllers to Move. I wish this kind of “HOST” capability was standard everywhere on planet Earth.

Ableton Move is 313.5mm wide, 146.3mm deep, 34mm high. That’s 12.4 inches by 5.8″ for you English types.

Of course, Ableton Live Intro is bundled and Move knows about Ableton Live (and vice versa). With portability and integrated sound-making, I could see the Ableton Move becoming the prefered low-end Ableton Live controller. I have a boatload of mini controllers. At $449 USD, I could see Ableton Move replacing them all, even if I never do the on-the-go beat-making thing.

ROLI Airwave

If you ever wanted a Theremin, maybe a ROLI Airwave?

ROLI Airwave

The ROLI Airwave lets you wave your hands about like The Amazing Kreskin, the mentalist. It connects to ROLI Piano M (formerly known as “Lumi Keys”) or ROLI Seaboard. Airwave supports gestures:

  • Air Raise: Raise your hand up or down.
  • Air Tilt: Turn your hand (rotate your wrist).
  • Air Glide: Move your hand left/right over the keys.
  • Air Slide: Move hands front to back over the keys.
  • Air Flex: Change the angle of your wrist.

Put your hands in the air like you just… Oh, never mind.

The gestural thing is kind of neat. It would be cool to conduct a virtual orchestra, not just play keys. The tech is called “ROLI Vision”: “Airwave uses infrared cameras and ROLI Vision technology to reliably track all 27 joints in each of your hands at 90 frames per second. The data is converted into MIDI in real time, giving you incredibly precise control of your musical expression.”

ROLI Airwave is $299 USD and pre-order is available. And there are bundles.

Connectivity specs:

  • 3.5mm TRS Headphone Output
  • 3.5mm TRS Pedal input
  • Two USB-C ports (data and power) plus a magnetic USB port for ROLI hardware
  • Class compliant MIDI over USB and class compliant audio interface

Copyright © 2024 Paul J. Drongowski