Pairing by MIDI-over-Bluetooth allows you to play your ROLI instrument wirelessly, and is different from normal Bluetooth pairing.
1. Put your ROLI instrument into Bluetooth pairing mode:
Seaboard RISE
- Unplug the Seaboard RISE’s USB cable.
- Press Power/Mode button at the bottom left to switch the Seaboard RISE on.
- The Power/Mode button will flash blue – it is ready for Bluetooth pairing.
Alternative method:
Press and release both Preset Switch buttons together to enter Bluetooth pairing.
- The Power/Mode button will flash blue – it is ready for Bluetooth pairing.
You can stop Bluetooth pairing by pressing the Preset Switch buttons together again.
BLOCKS
Make sure your BLOCKS are not connected via USB before pairing over Bluetooth.
Lightpad Block
Turn on the Lightpad Block while by pushing the power button once. A blue LED wave animation will show on the Lightpad's surface to indicate it is ready for pairing.
Seaboard Block
Turn on the Seaboard Block by pushing the power button once. It will automatically become ready for Bluetooth pairing.
Live, Loop and Touch Blocks (Control Blocks)
Push the two furthest left buttons to turn on the BLOCK. It will automatically become ready for Bluetooth pairing.
LUMI Keys
Push the power button once. A blue LED wave animation will show on the keys to indicate it is ready for pairing.
What about the Seaboard GRAND?
MIDI-over-Bluetooth was released after the Seaboard GRAND, so the Seaboard GRAND does not support MIDI-over-Bluetooth.
You may connect the Seaboard GRAND to a computer or certain synths via USB.
2. Pair your ROLI instrument with a device
Turn on Bluetooth
Switch Bluetooth on in the Settings or Preferences of the device you will pair to your ROLI instrument.
The macOS/iOS Bluetooth settings are not suitable to use as this will not establish a MIDI connection. Please continue reading for the steps for connecting as a MIDI device.
Pair with a macOS device
- Open Spotlight by clicking on the magnifying glass in the top-right of your screen. Type ‘Audio MIDI setup’ and double-click to open it.
- From the top bar, click: Window ➝ Show MIDI Studio. A new window will open.
3. Click the Bluetooth icon from the toolbar in the MIDI Studio window. **Older versions of macOS have the Bluetooth in a different area, see the second picture below**
4. Another, smaller window will open and automatically start scanning for nearby Bluetooth devices.
5. When the ROLI instrument is detected, click Connect.
6. After pressing Connect, the button will display Connecting for a few seconds followed by Disconnect.
7. Once the ROLI instrument is connected you will see a Bluetooth icon like the one below in the MIDI Studio window.
Tip: If your instrument is not showing on this list, please restart your Mac and try again.Pair with an iOS device (iPhone, iPad)
Pairing in the NOISE app:
- Download the NOISE app by ROLI and install it on your mobile device (if you can't find it, please check the minimum requirements).
- Open the NOISE app on your mobile device
- Open any Project then tap the Studio tab:
- Tap 'Connect BLOCKS'
- Select your BLOCK from the list of available devices
- After a few seconds, the menu will show ‘Connected’
- Tap the background to return to the NOISE app and start making music!
To pair to GarageBand for iOS, see GarageBand iOS: BLOCKS and RISE
Connect to the Bluetooth device in the app. Please note that not all apps are able to connect to a MIDI-over-Bluetooth device – check your app’s settings or input section for a Bluetooth button to find out if that particular app is able to connect.
What about Windows?
Although Windows has recently introduced some support for MIDI-over-Bluetooth, it is not yet adequate for use with the RISE, BLOCKS or LUMI.
We hope to see MIDI-over-Bluetooth functionality for Windows in the future, and in the meantime we recommend connecting via USB.
Need more help? Please check your device's compatibility and troubleshoot your Bluetooth connection.