How the Intuitive Seaboard GRAND Keyboard Revolutionizes Music Creation

by Carolyn Heneghan

Imagine a keyboard in which you can control everything from pitch and timbre to volume and vibrato, straight from the keys without having to control any knobs, buttons, or recording software. London-based tech design company ROLI has found a way to use touch-sensitive interfaces to create one of the most intuitive playing experiences a musician could ever dream of—the Seaboard GRAND.

The heart of this device is the SEA Interface, ROLI’s patent-pending platform technology used to build pressure-sensitive touch interfaces, which ultimately allows the keyboard to function in its unique design. With this technology in place, the keyboard enables the musician to bend and control the basics elements of sound manipulation directly from the keyboard’s rubber “keys,” or “keywaves,” as they’re called by the company.

Not only does this amplify the possibilities of straightforward keyboard music, but these sonic abilities could allow a Seaboard player to more naturally mimic the sounds of other organic instruments straight from the keyboard—a function not previously available from other standard digital keyboards.

An Award- and Investment Backing-winning Musical Device

With Seaboard’s SXSW debut came the first-place award for the event’s prestigious 2013 SXSW Music Accelerator. Evan Lowenstein, emcee for Accelerator, said, “The Seaboard is clearly the brainchild of a passionate visionary who found a way to capitalize on digital technology to open up a whole new world of possibilities for musicians.”

In response, Ronald Lamb, CEO of ROLI, said, “We’re thrilled to have won the SXSW Music Accelerator. ROLI is building new bridges between music and technology, and since SXSW brings together these two worlds in a unique way, gaining this recognition here is a tremendous validation of the remarkable work of the whole ROLI team developing the Seaboard.”

More recently, the Seaboard GRAND won the product category of the Design Museum’s 2014 Design of the Year Award.

In addition to being award-winning, ROLI and its Seaboard GRAND received a notable sum of investment backing by major companies and individuals. Just last month, ROLI secured $12.8 million Series A financing. Backers include the leader of the investment, Balderton Capital (investors for LoveFilm and Kobalt Music Group), Universal Music, FirstMark Capital (investors for Pinterest and Shopify) and Index Ventures (investors for Sonos and SoundCloud).

Clearly, this revolutionary device has turned the heads of music and media investors, and ROLI plans to use some of the money to advance its endeavors, as the Seaboard GRAND is only the first in a line of music hardware and software products that the company plans to develop.

Seaboard GRAND Specs, Features and Price

As for specs, the keyboards come with three continuous pedal inputs (1/4”), two balanced audio out jacks (1/4”), a stereo headphone out mini-jack (1/8”), 9-12V DC power in and volume control. They run on OS X 10.7 and above, and they can be controlled via MIDI and MDC. Features include Equator sound design and control mapping, continuous touch curve control, pitch curve control and rounding, real-time visual feedback, firmware updates and free upgrades to future software releases.

The Equator sound engine itself has a few unique features as well. They include FM and subtractive synthesis, multi-layer sample playback, user-definable envelopes, a comprehensive modulation matrix, independent dynamic voice control and effects, including delay, distortion and equalizers.

As expected, this product does not come for the price of a more traditional electronic keyboard. For the Seaboard GRAND Studio version with 37 keywaves, it currently comes at a price of $1,999, but for a limited time, after which it will increase to $2,999. The next step up, the Seaboard GRAND Stage with 61 keywaves, goes for $2,999 for a limited time, though once the keyboard is more broadly available, it will rise to $4,499.

And finally, the massive Seaboard GRAND Limited First Edition with a key range of A0 to C8, runs at a firm price of $8,888.88. Only 88 keyboards of this edition will ever be produced, and each will be engraved with the name of a single key, in honor of the traditional piano keyboard.

These prices come with a two-year full warranty on all Seaboard parts and expert support on-hand for setup and compatibility issues. Learning materials are also available through the ROLI website.

How This Device Can Change the Music Industry

So the question now is, why do such musical bigwigs as SXSW and the aforementioned investors, including Universal Music, believe in the abilities of the Seaboard GRAND?

Being able to intuitively control all the basic elements of sound right from the keyboard itself enables players to do much more than they could using other digital keyboards. It allows them to push the envelope of digital sound creation and take it into new directions not before envisioned or thought possible. Combining this keyboard with organic instrumental sounds and beyond will also revolutionize the future of digital music production as it stands today.

The device itself is not the only factor in its success—the hardware that makes the design possible will also be a crucial part of digital music development. The Equator sound engine, for example, can be applied to a limitless number of instruments and 3D devices. Also, the patent-pending, pressure-sensitive touch interface is a foundation for more keyboards and other instruments and devices that can benefit from such a powerful technology, which extends far beyond just musical instruments.

Clearly, the Seaboard GRAND has been recognized for its abilities and potential to propel the music industry forward, as well as any other industries that could harness its groundbreaking technology. While the keyboard may be financially out of reach for some, the sounds it can create, once also out of reach, might be just enough to make the investment worth it.

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