ROLI shared this video intro to their Expressive Virtuoso soundpack, a preset library that they say is “tailor-made for highly nuanced interaction with Seaboard RISE 2“.
The 40-preset soundpack is a blend of resonant acoustics and eclectic electronic sounds. In the video, ROLI’s Marco Parisi demonstrates his favorite sounds in the collection and how they can be played expressively.
Pricing and Availability
Expressive Virtuoso is available now for $40 USD.
This attempted reinvention of the piano roll is insulting and, as a pianist (and it as a keyboard), it’s horrendous to play. It’s not a logical extension of the instrument, it’s like covering your keyboard in Play-doh. This ain’t the future.
Expressive E OSMOSE is a far smarter development.
I’m actually deeply disappointed by what I’m hearing from the new Expressive E OSMOSE. I had huge hopes for that instrument, very hyped for it, and would have liked to have got one somewhere down the line. However, after checking out all the videos that have been posted by owners using it on YouTube, I’ve yet to find anything that sounds any way of decent quality. Something has gone seriously wrong there, they all sound terrible.
The ROLI I always saw as a cheesy gimmicky thing, and the guy doing the demos in the video giving his over the top melodramatic delivery was always a big turn-off. However, here’s the key thing, when you listen to the audio output of both the OSMOSE vs ROLI, the OSMOSE is just not there, all the video demonstrations I’ve listened to are all garbage. The ROLI seems to be much more expressive, but you’d have to get a Haken Continuum if you wanted a truly esteem instrument. I’m so disappointed.
It’s all right showing a video holding down one note or a chord and showing off its super fine control over volume and vibrato, but when it comes to playing highly emotive expressive music, the video examples I’ve heard have been trash. I really wish this wasn’t the case, I’m quite shocked. The concept of the OSMOSE was fantastic, but I’m not hearing it live up to its hype. I hope I’m mistaken on this.
If you’re arguing that the audio output of the Osmose is ‘garbage’ compared to the Haken Continuum, you might want to learn a little more about the audio engine of the Osmose!
You sure it’s the sound, and not the inherent limitations of the keyboard over the continuous flow of notes on the Continuum, Linnstrument, et cetera? If you want the best expression / microtonal way of playing, you need string layouts, not keys. The Osmose adds expression to keyboards, but can never overcome and do the other current offerings do.
Synthesizers never intended to be the reinvention of piano… never heard, before you, that seaboard aims this. Tomato is tomato, orange is orange. Insulting is preconceit. Long live the changes right? It’s inevitable, like shit music or ideas, but that’s the only way to learn.
This company is perennially in millions of dollars of debt, and private equity keeps throwing them millions of dollars. There is 0% chance of return on investment in this niche market w/ the way they operate. This is likely another desperate money grab. How are they still in business?
Plus they don’t allow independent review of their gear
You’ll notice that almost all Roli reviews and PR are done in-house
Anybody can buy and review anything.
Expressive instruments are niche and require practice to be able to use effectively, which is why Youtube synthfluencers would rather hype fake scandals or make flamethrower organs.
Yeah sure they can – that would be a personal review
The Seaboard does not require practice to use effectively – far from it
If you find a nice patch you can just noodle for a long time – it’s far more intuitive than playing a regular piano. Especially if you’re not a trained musician
But in any case on Day 1 of a product release it’s totally normal to see a bunch of reviews and/or demos of said product on youtube by various synthfluencers. Whatever your opinion of these youtubers, it’s good for the consumer who gets to watch a lot of demos and make a better informed choice
Not so for Roli – all the Seaboard 2 stuff was in-house Roli demos only
Probably because they know that besides a slight change in colour that the Seaboard 2 is the exact same product as the Seaboard 1 and that facts like that would have been laid bare if they gave the Seaboard 2 to reviecwers
I am delighted with the instrument. Expressiveness on this instrument is unattainable for the Expressive E OSMOSE. Sounds excite me. When I compare both instruments, I get the feeling that the team around Roli is in a higher league. The Seaboard RISE 2 sounds amazing. If I can just make sure that the material of the keyboard and the company Roli are durable in the long run… I’m all in.
Its been interesting to see MPE develop. You can have a mix of odd controllers like you do with synths, from the Sensel Morph to ROLI. There’s been more miss than hit, keeping it in the boutique category.
The Osmose is the breakthrough approach, neatly offering a very familiar playing surface with a powerful engine. Programming it under the hood is a convoluted road to madness, but that matters far less than the fluid playing experience. Once you’ve heard all of the presets, you’ll see how comprehensive they are. Its new territory.
I’m just glad that we are finally getting to a point of critical discussion regarding these technologies. There has definitely been a deficit in the realm of Roli content across the web, but I just purchased one myself and have a decent amount of the presets that they offer on their website, which absolutely have an incredible amount of expression embedded within them in terms of variable play styles and note modulation, et cetera. However, I’m definitely curious to see more come out about all of this technology as a whole and to see where Roli goes as a company.