The Rise Of A New Instrument

 

Sept 10, 2015

London, United Kingdom – R​OLI, an a​ward­-winning​ technology company pushing the boundaries of music creation, today announces the Seaboard RISE, a universally accessible music-making device that empowers musicians to do more with a keyboard than ever before.

The Seaboard RISE is a next­-generation musical instrument. Traditional keyboards are a dominant tool for music makers worldwide, but their expressive range is frustratingly limited. Playing on the Seaboard RISE’s supple, sensor-­loaded, c​ontinuous surface,​ musicians shape notes with unprecedented expressiveness, modulating the character of sound in real time with simple movements of the finger. 

their fingertips an affordable and accessible tool that lets them create authentic instrumental simulations in real time.​Combined with its strengths in creating fresh new sound interactions, the Seaboard RISE is truly a breakthrough for both musical performance and production.”

The Seaboard RISE builds on the technologies of the award­winning S​eaboard GRAND,​which CNN called “​the piano of the future”​ and S​ound on Sound​ called a “​bold, groundbreaking new instrument”​that “has capabilities and a character that nothing else quite matches.” Since its debut, leading artists including luminaries such as J​amie xx, ​J​amie Cullum,​ and A​. R. Rahman​ have composed, produced, and performed live with the Seaboard GRAND.

Like the Seaboard GRAND, the Seaboard RISE features patented S​EA Interface ​technology, which remodels the keyboard as a pressure­sensitive, continuous surface that responds to even the subtlest gestures. Selling for $799 (£599) and designed to be portable, the Seaboard RISE is the first truly accessible next­-generation music controller.

Jordan Rudess, Grammy­-nominated keyboard virtuoso, member of Dream Theater, and Head of Music Experience at ROLI, commented, “The Seaboard is not only making waves in the music industry. It is poised to be the most significant evolution of a musical instrument in the last 300 years. I’m personally excited about the release of the Seaboard RISE, and beyond my own obvious passion I expect to see it fully embraced by music makers everywhere.”

The Seaboard RISE is now available for preorder on w​ww.roli.com​ and at select music stores. It will ship and be available in store at retail outlets globally from October. To see and hear the Seaboard RISE, watch the video at​ www.roli.com. 

 

 

 

About ROLI

 

ROLI is a design­-led music technology company based in East London. ROLI makes hardware and software products designed to increase the bandwidth of interaction between people and technology. The company’s SEA Interface technology, first used on the Seaboard GRAND, enables polyphonic pitch bend, vibrato, and per­-note dynamic changes on a continuous keyboard surface. The company has raised $16.5 million to date from prominent investors - including Universal Music ­- in North America, Europe, and Asia. It is a leading company in London’s fast­-growing technology cluster.