Let me introduce to you, the Seaboard Grand. What is this you say? Remember La La Land? Remember that one concert scene with John Legend? Now…do you remember that cray synth that Ryan Gosling was having fun with, you know, that big keyboard (if you were paying attention like I was…) with all that synthy noise and glitter? Well, he was using the Roli Seaboard Grand.
“He knew Ryan’s character was going to be in some sort of high tech musical act and he thought the Seaboard Grand would be perfect because it’s so cutting edge.”
–Time
Seaboard is the next-gen of futuristic keyboards! The silicone surface allows you to glide your fingers across the keys and depending on how you glide them, it changes the pitch and volume. This also allows you to create vibratos on the keys; something only live string instruments are able to do. The music experience just went up to a new level y’all!
Though it’s all cool and fancy, I feel like this would only be of good use for big live concert performances. Like…from La La Land. Still, I’d love to get my hands on them to experience and feel the feels of the touch-sensitive surface and glide my fingers across the board in musical bliss.
So in my search for the Seaboard Grand, I also stumbled across the rest of Roli’s (brand) high tech midi-controllers and gadgets.
(Roli’s Seaboard Block: $299.95)
First of all, I am really digging the ‘insta-like backdrops’ in this video, haha!
This cool music device is the Seaboard Block, which has just recently been released on the market this summer. It’s not as expensive as I thought, it’s half the price of my Microkorg XL.
The Seaboard midi-controllers come in various key ranges-five, from 24 keys ($299) to 88 keys (9k!), and each of the five synths come with over a hundred free sounds built into the key bank.
Now if you thought that was cool, watch this other cool gadget by Roli, (the brand!), ‘Lightpad Block.’ It’s only $179.95. Sweet. Now this, I want to play with! The different bg settings shows you how easy it must be to use on the go (like how they start the video using a child attempting to use).
The Lightpad Blocks enables you to create drum patterns and melodies and you can also have fun playing with it in live settings or recording. You’ll need to connect it to a ipad, mobile phone or desktop.
Yes. I’d love to use this in my uhm, future band! Haha. Yes, please. Any praise teams. want to try incorporating this into the sets? Hehe.
혼자서 잘 논다. 나도할레! 하하. (Sorry, there’s really not a good Korean translation for that but basically.. I want to try too! Haha).
Check out more of Roli here!
Once you’re at the site, you can view the different lines of high-end music products they have, from light pads, to the midi-controller synths, and touch blocks. Have fun exploring like I did! 🙂 Warning, once you’re there, if you’re like me, you may start Youtubing the the heck out of the different music products and lose sense of time.
*For featured photo credit, please contact mymusiccanvas@gmail.com (couldn’t find the photographer linked to it)
My music canvas 