Roli

The problem with beginner instruments is many players outgrow them quite quickly. The ROLI LUMI Keys Studio is perfect for this problem as its modular design means you can upgrade it at any time. The colorful lights also manage to offer an appealing way to learn songs and these features mostly perform admirably. You will feel the sting of that price tag, but it sets a great foundation to work off. ROLI LUMI Keys Studio Edition Review: Price and availability(Image credit: Future / James Bentley)Coming in at $249 from the…

If the musicians in your life are anything like me, they’ve plunged headfirst into significant debt in their relentless pursuit of the gear to fuel their artistic aspirations.Inspiration Behind the Reality-TV Style for The Hunger GamesThat can make holiday shopping difficult, but fortunately for those on the hunt, there’s always more: that holy grail guitar pedal, the eye-wateringly expensive tube amp, or just one more synthesizer. Whether it’s that elusive holy grail guitar pedal, the one-of-a-kind synthesizer that…

I am, primarily, a guitarist. Dabbling in keys and synths has always felt a bit unnatural from a physical standpoint. A keyboard doesn’t respond the way a fretted instrument does. This isn’t surprising, nor is it a bad thing. It’s just not what I’m used to. The better part of a decade into my journey with synthesizers, I still find myself wiggling my fingers as if it’s going to create vibrato, or trying to “bend” one note while keeping the other rooted to create shifting harmonies. I’ve tried my share of MPE (MIDI…

The goal of the Roli Seaboard is no less than to inject some soul and virtuosity into digital music, by giving keyboard players the ability to bend and slide notes like guitarists and cello players, to vary volume as easily as a sax player does with breath pressure, and to make filter sweeps and other expressive digital controls part of the physical playing of the instrument. Digital instruments can be monstrously flexible; Roli strives to make them intuitive and natural to play, unlocking new frontiers of music…