To save an offline copy of this manual, click the Print icon above then choose 'Save as PDF' as the Destination.


To search this manual, press cmd+F (Mac) or ctrl+F (Windows).


September 2024


TABLE OF CONTENTS


Introduction

Thank you for choosing Seaboard M. We’re excited to have you join a worldwide community of ROLI creators who are unlocking new ways of expression on their music-making journey.

Despite its compact size, this instrument enables infinite musical discovery, allowing you to play any sound imaginable and express yourself with unprecedented freedom. With 10 hours of wireless battery, you can play and perform on the Seaboard wherever and whenever inspiration strikes.

You may already be playing your Seaboard M and discovering its creative possibilities. This comprehensive Creator Manual explains the details about your Seaboard M to ensure that you get the most out of it.


Seaboard M is a multi-dimensional MIDI controller whose touch-sensitive interface opens up new possibilities for musical expression. While most conventional keyboards offer one dimension of touch to control sound (initial velocity, or what we call Strike), Seaboard M offers five dimensions of touch, or 5D Touch for short. These can be mapped to a variety of sound parameters. ROLI Dashboard adds another layer of expressive control, allowing you to tune the touch responsiveness of the keywaves to match your personal preference in real time.


On the next page we have included a short list of terms specific to ROLI instruments. We will refer to these terms throughout the Creator Manual.


Support and Feedback

We want you to have the best experience possible with our instruments and would love to hear your feedback. Should you have any questions, experience any problems, or just want to say hello, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.


The easiest way to reach us is to send a support enquiry from roli.com/support.



Glossary of Selected Terms 


DNA Connectors: These 6-pin connectors carry power, data, and serve as magnetic attachment points for connecting multiple Seaboard Ms together so they function together.


ROLI Dashboard: An application for modifying and customizing the internal settings of ROLI hardware instruments, making it easy to use with third-party digital audio workstations and synthesizers. (See “ROLI Dashboard Creator Manual” for more information.) ROLI Dashboard is also used to configure the behavior of Seaboard M's side-button.


ROLI Studio Player: The ROLI Studio software suite is a comprehensive platform for creative potential, offering inspirational features such as Smart Chords, Multi-Layered Arpeggio, and Macros, all specifically tailored to enhance musical output and production. ROLI Studio Player provides a curated selection of 400 distinctive sounds and presets sourced from ROLI’s powerful sound engines. ROLI Studio Drums is the perfect MPE beat-making companion. This separate plugin within ROLI Studio has 15 drum kits, each with 16 distinct and highly controllable parts.


The Five Dimensions of Touch (5D Touch): The feature of real-time control and modulation of sound through the basic movements of Strike, Press, Glide, Slide, and Lift.


  • Strike: The velocity and force with which a finger makes contact with the keywave surface.

  • Press: The pressure and continuous touch applied to the keywave surface after the initial Strike.

  • Glide: Horizontal left and right movements on the keywave surface.

  • Slide: Vertical movements up and down the keywaves.

  • Lift: The release velocity or speed of liftoff from the keywave surface.


Keywave: A wavelike element of the keywave surface that corresponds to a single key on a standard keyboard. Each of the Five Dimensions of Touch can be accessed on a single keywave.    


Keywave surface: The entire playing surface including all keywaves and the ribbons above and below them. The keywave surface corresponds to a keyboard. 


MPE: MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE) is a protocol for using standard MIDI messages to communicate with and enable the operation of multidimensional instruments such as the Seaboard 2 (previously RISE 2), Seaboard M (previously Seaboard Block M, and Piano M (previously LUMI Keys 1/SE). MPE enables independent, per-note control of multiple sound parameters such as pitch and timbre.


Seaboard M: The Seaboard M pairs the powerfully expressive keywave surface of the Seaboard 2 with the portability and modularity of the original BLOCKS product family. It includes 24 keywaves as well as lower and upper octave switches. Multiple Seaboard Ms can connect together to create an extended playing surface.


USB-C: USB-C is the specific type of USB connector used on the Seaboard M and Piano M. There is a female connector on the Seaboard M and a male connector on the included USB-C-to-USB-A cable.



1. Getting started

1.1 Charging


You should charge your Seaboard M as the first step before proceeding. When connected to a suitable power source, the Seaboard M can charge additional Seaboard Ms that are connected to its DNA connectors.

Plug the included USB-C cable into the Seaboard M and plug the other end of the cable into a USB 3 charger or a computer with a USB 3 port. 

  • First connect the Seaboard M to a USB 3 power source (like an iPad charger or Macbook USB 3 port) with the included USB-C cable.

  • Connect additional Seaboard Ms via DNA connectors to begin charging it.

  • For fastest charging times, turn the Seaboard Ms off during charging.


The Seaboard M requires 5 watts of power to run and charge the battery efficiently. Adding more Seaboard Ms via the DNA connectors will increase the demand for power, so we recommend using a higher output charger such as an iPad charger (10–12 watts) or a higher output USB 3 charger.

Please note that when charging via a computer that you must use the ROLI-supplied USB cable to connect to the host computer. When using a laptop computer please make sure that it is plugged into a wall outlet and has its sleep feature disabled. 

Note: Please do not use an iPhone charger to charge Seaboard M, as it is not a compatible charger.


1.2 What’s in the box?

  • Seaboard M

  • USB-C cable

  • 2.5mm TRS to MIDI Dongle

  • Quick start guide

  • Warranty information


1.3 System Requirements

MIDI-over-Bluetooth

Seaboard M supports MIDI-over-Bluetooth and connects to any compatible MIDI-over-Bluetooth enabled iOS or macOS device and app. The Seaboard M must be in pairing mode to do this. 

ROLI  Dashboard

ROLI Dashboard is a free desktop application available within ROLI Connect to all registered creators. ROLI Dashboard allows you to customize the behaviour of your devices – including the Seaboard M – so that you may easily use it with third-party applications.

ROLI Dashboard is also used to configure the behavior of Seaboard M's side-button. By default, you can change preset by holding the side-button and pressing the <> octave buttons. It’s possible to configure this button to change MIDI Mode too.

To use ROLI Dashboard, your computer should meet the following minimum specifications:

  • Mac OSX 10.11 or later

  • Windows 10*

  • Minimum RAM: 4GB

  • Recommended RAM: 8GB

  • Processor: 2.5GHz Intel Core i5 or faster

  • For Bluetooth connectivity: OSX 10.10+

ROLI Studio

The Seaboard M comes with ROLI Studio Player, which includes over 200 presets optimised for the Seaboard M's 5D touch. ROLI Studio Player also allows you to control the most important aspects of each preset, using the 5 macros. Smart Chords lets you choose a scale and specify a chord shape per note. Multi Layered Arpeggiator features three fully controllable layers for achieving complex arpeggiations. There are also four effects slots with corresponding XY pads, 18 premium effects: filters, distortion, delays, reverbs. ROLI Studio is compatible with macOS and Windows, and can be used either as a standalone application, or as a VST3/AU plugin in a DAW (digital audio workstation).

1.4 Product Registration and Setup

Once your Seaboard M is charged, it’s ready to make music. 


  • Go to: roli.com/start

  • Download ROLI Connect

  • Log In or register an account

  • Connect your Seaboard M via USB to register your device

  • Download your software and sounds



Updating Firmware


To update firmware, click the “Updates” button in the top-right corner in ROLI Dashboard.



2. Hardware

2.1 Connections and Specifications

The Seaboard M includes an expressive playing surface (the keywave surface), 2 octave switch buttons, a power button, a mode button, a USB-C port, 6 DNA connectors, and wireless Bluetooth connectivity.

2.2 The Keywave Surface

The Seaboard M features a continuous, elastic, silicone surface divided into 24 keywaves. Following the order of notes on a standard keyboard, the keywaves represent the same pitches and intervals found on a piano. The touch-sensitivity of the keywave surface allows tactile control of parameters such as pitch, volume, and timbre, all on a polyphonic, per-note basis, through simple, intuitive movements. The keywave surface is sensitive even to gentle pressure, and strong force is not required to maximize its expressiveness. While made of durable silicone, the keywave surface should not be pinched, stretched, or pounded. 


2.3 Controls

Power Button 

The power button is located in the centre at the front of the Seaboard M (marked by the arrow in the above diagram). The power button turns the Seaboard M on and off and contains two independently controlled LEDs indicating battery status & connectivity status. The left LED displays current battery level: green for full, yellow for medium, and red for low. The right LED displays light blue when in Bluetooth pairing mode, dark blue when connected via Bluetooth, and off when connected via USB.



Side Button




ROLI Dashboard is also used to configure the behavior of Seaboard M's side-button. By default, you can change preset by holding the side-button and pressing the <> octaveM buttons. It’s possible to configure this button to change MIDI Mode too.


Octave Shift Buttons

In the left and right corners of the Seaboard M's upper ribbon are buttons that switch octaves to extend the range of the controller. Pressing the right octave shift button once raises the Seaboard M's pitch by an octave, and pressing the left octave shift button once lowers the Seaboard M's pitch by an octave. The current octave shift can be any one of 6 octaves, giving a single Seaboard M a possible range of seven octaves (84 notes).


2.4 USB Connection


The USB-C port connects to a USB 3 charger to charge the Seaboard M. When connected by the USB-C port to a computer, the Seaboard M acts as a USB MIDI controller. It is USB-powerable, and its battery will charge when connected to a computer that itself is plugged in to AC power. 


2.5 MIDI Out

Connect to your hardware instruments with MIDI out.



The following settings are found in ROLI Dashboard:


  • MIDI Port Forwarding — If on, MIDI messages received via USB or Bluetooth, will be forwarded to the MIDI out port.

  • MIDI Port Throttling — This smooths the rate that MIDI messages are sent out via the MIDI port. This can improve compatibility with older hardware. 


2.6 DNA Connectors



DNA connectors magnetically link multiple Seaboard Ms and share power and data across multiple devices. DNA connectors are on the right and left sides of the Seaboard M (marked with arrows in the image above). With DNA connectors, you can connect multiple Seaboard Ms to make an extended playing surface customised to your needs.


2.7 Bluetooth Connection

The Seaboard M transmits MIDI-over-Bluetooth to compatible devices.


To connect your Seaboard M to a macOS device via Bluetooth:


  1. Press the Seaboard M's power button to enter Bluetooth pairing mode – the power button’s right LED will be light blue.

  2. Open Audio MIDI Setup from the Utilities folder inside Applications.

  3. Click Window ➝ Show MIDI Studio.

  4. Double-click the Bluetooth icon.

  5. A new window will open and scan for nearby Bluetooth devices.

  6. When the Seaboard M is detected, click “Connect.” The Seaboard M power button’s right LED will now display dark blue indicating that it is connected via Bluetooth.


These instructions are for Mac OSX 10.10+


What about Windows? Although Windows has recently introduced some support for MIDI-over-Bluetooth, it is not yet adequate for use with the Seaboard M or Piano M. We hope to see MIDI-over-Bluetooth functionality for Windows in the future, and in the meantime we recommend connecting via USB.



3. Playing the Seaboard M 

3.1 Five Dimensions of Touch or 5D Touch

The Seaboard M is a multi-dimensional instrument that lets you modulate sound through five dimensions of touch. Through simple movements and gestures, you can shape sound easily and discover new modes of expression. The icons below depict the Five Dimensions of Touch on the Seaboard M and its accompanying software. The Five Dimensions of Touch are:  


Strike: The velocity and force with which a finger makes contact with a keywave. This dimension of touch corresponds to MIDI velocity on a standard keyboard. 


Press: The pressure applied to the keywave after the initial Strike. The keywaves respond to each moment of continuous touch, transmitting minute variations of pressure to sound. This continuous pressure-sensitivity allows for swells, fades, and other detailed expressions.  


Glide: Horizontal movements from side to side on a keywave and left right movements  along the ribbons. Glide movements bend and adjust pitch as naturally as on a string instrument, allowing effects such as vibrato and glissando, all on a polyphonic basis. You can even bend two (or more) notes in opposite directions, gliding up and down at the same time. Glide is typically assigned to pitch, but it can be assigned to other sound parameters. 


Slide: Vertical movements up and down a keywave. Slide is assigned to various expressive parameters in ROLI Studio Player. For example, an upward movement can open a filter that turns an organ sound into a brassy sound, while a downward movement can close the filter. Your initial point of contact with the keywave, no matter where this point is, becomes the basis for sound modulation on the Y axis above and below that point. 


Lift: The release velocity or speed of liftoff from a keywave. Lift is assigned to various parameters in ROLI Studio Player depending on the preset. For example, a rapid lift can create a lingering resonance, a hard pluck, or the “key-off” sound of vintage keyboards such as electric piano and “clav.” 


3.2 Playing Techniques

You can apply playing techniques associated with keyboard, string, and electronic instruments to the Seaboard M. Playing techniques include: 


Strike and hold: Strike the keywave and hold for a duration without adding any additional movement.


Glide vibrato: Pressing into a keywave and holding the point of your finger there, wiggle your finger from side to side. The pitch-modulation effect of vibrato will widen as you widen the arc of movement of your finger. 


Glide glissando : Move your fingers along the pitch ribbons at the top and/or bottom of the keywave surface. Glide bends can be up to two octaves long in either direction.


Continuous Press modulation: While sustaining a note, increase and decrease downward pressure on the keywave to modulate the note. A typical use would be to add tremolo (amplitude or volume modulation) to the sound.


Legato bend: Press and continue to hold any note on the keywave surface with one finger and play another note a half-step above or below with another finger 


Slide modulation: After striking a note, move your fingers up or down the keywave to modulate the note. A common application is to raise or lower a filter cutoff frequency in order to make the sound brighter or darker, but again, any modulatable parameters in NOISE are fair game.


Slide vibrato: After striking and holding a note, Slide your fingers up and down the vertical axis of the keywave rapidly. This will have a repeating modulation effect on whichever parameter(s) Slide is assigned to modulate in the active  preset.


3.3 The five MIDI messages of the Five Dimensions of Touch

The Seaboard M communicates its dimensions of touch by using standard MIDI messages:


Strike sends note-on messages in addition to velocity 0–127.

Press sends channel pressure (aftertouch).

Glide sends pitch bend.

Slide sends MIDI CC 74. 

Lift sends note-off in addition to release velocity 0–127.


See the next section, “Working with Other Hardware and Software,” for more details on assigning the Seaboard M's MIDI messages to other applications.


4. Working with Other Hardware and Software


In addition to ROLI Studio, the Seaboard M is compatible with any electronic instrument that can receive MIDI and produce sound in response. It transmits MIDI on up to 16 MIDI channels simultaneously, enabling polyphonic pitch bend and the other expressive modulations available via 5D Touch. 


The receiving instruments that you use must be multi-timbral for you to experience the full expressive capabilities of the Seaboard M. They should have a pitch bend range of at least +/- one octave and be able to respond to aftertouch. 


Note: a multi-timbral software or hardware instrument is one that can play multiple sounds at the same time by using multiple MIDI channels. Here, we’re using those extra channels for note-by-note expression as opposed to different sounds.


4.1 Multidimensional Polyphonic Expression (MPE)

The Seaboard M supports MPE (multidimensional polyphonic expression), a protocol for using standard MIDI messages to communicate with and enable the operation of multidimensional instruments such as the Seaboard M and the Piano M. MPE-capable devices can control multiple parameters of each note independently such as pitch, timbre, and other nuances when used within MPE-compatible software like ROLI Studio. MPE accomplishes this by spreading MIDI data that pertain to each note across a range of MIDI channels and reserving one channel (usually the lowest) for global MIDI messages such as program change, pedal state, and fader positions. These global messages affect all notes equally. Since each note gets its own channel, it’s effectively its own sound “program” – even though you still see a single preset on-screen – and thus can be pitch-bent, filtered, and otherwise modulated independently of other notes.


Please refer to the ROLI Dashboard Creator Manual for information on MPE and how to alter the MPE settings for the Seaboard M.


4.2 Working with Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs)

The Seaboard M can be used with any digital audio workstations (DAWs) and is especially expressive when used with an MPE-compatible plugin such as ROLI Studio Player or Equator2. Because the Seaboard M transmits standard MIDI messages, it is also compatible with any other software instruments which you might also use in your chosen DAW. 


In many DAWs, a single track can receive multiple MIDI channels from the Seaboard M and send the MIDI data to a multi-timbral synth like ROLI Studio Player or Equator2. Other DAWs are limited to a single channel per track, so configuring your project to take full advantage of the Seaboard M's dimensions of expression is not a uniform process. It depends on the DAW. 


You can find detailed guides about working with most DAWs on our Support page at support.roli.com. If you do not see your preferred software on the list, get in touch with the Support Team through our Support page.


4.3 USB MIDI Class Compliancy

The Seaboard M is a USB Class Compliant device. It can be connected directly to other USB Class Compliant devices which receive MIDI data and produce sound in response, without the need to download and install special drivers.


Although the Seaboard M does not have traditional five-pin DIN connectors, it lets you connect to hardware that requires these connectors. One option is to connect to a computer and transmit MIDI via a MIDI interface. Or you can connect a USB MIDI Class Compliant device that converts MIDI over USB to traditional five-pin DIN connectors. 



5. Care and Maintenance

5.1 Caring for your Seaboard M

Basic care and attention will protect your Seaboard M and help it stay in optimal condition for years to come. Avoid excessive force on the keywave surface, and try to keep the Seaboard M away from direct sunlight, sharp objects, liquids, and especially oils – including greasy fingers after eating food. 


To clean the keywave surface you may use damp, bleach-free, oil-free cleansing wipes. Do not use any abrasive cleansing agents on the Seaboard M or its keywaves.


When not in use, it’s best to store the Seaboard M horizontally, as in normal playing position.


If you anticipate not using your Seaboard M for three months or longer, we recommend that you take the following steps to ensure its functionality:

  • Keep it fully charged when not in use.

  • Store it in an environment with low humidity and a temperature between 10-25℃.

  • Keep it away from corrosive gas. 


To protect the health of the lithium polymer battery, we recommend you charge your Seaboard M every six months at the minimum.



6. ROLI Support

6.1 ROLI Connect and ROLI Knowledge Base

Manuals and other resources via ROLI Connect should help answer initial questions about your Seaboard. Visit our Support page at roli.com/support for a wider range of resources that should help answer questions about the Seaboard and its software. The page includes frequently asked questions, tutorial videos, and guides for connecting the Seaboard with third-party plug-ins and DAWs. 


6.2 ROLI Support Team


Contact the ROLI support team directly on roli.com/support for any questions. You will receive an answer within 24 hours. Our support team is here to help you. 









Appendix

Power Supply

Power for the Seaboard M is supplied from either an internal lithium polymer battery (3.7V, 2000mAh), an external USB power source (such as a plug-in adapter or laptop) or via the DNA connectors. Circuitry ensures selection of the correct power source (if a USB source is present this takes precedence).

The presence of an external supply (either via USB or the DNA connector) will automatically begin to charge the internal battery, assuming sufficient current is available from the source.