Anyone know how useful one of those Seaboard Rise keyboards would be with Omnisphere? And would it be more complicated to setup than a traditional keyboard? I'd love to play with one one of these days and it seems like Omnisphere would be the perfect synth for it.

I have zero experience with the Rise, but from everything I've read about it, there is a software layer between the keyboard and the DAW that interprets the signals getting generated. It uses polyphonic midi to basically isolate each note into a separate midi channel to capture the performance for each note separately (aftertouch, bend, velocity, pressure/expression). Not sure what happens if you try to use more than 16 notes at a time, though that shouldn't be a big deal.
 
So, the software layer lets you then configure what gets sent to the DAW. My understanding is that in order to get the most out of the keyboard, any VSTi would have to have the same patch on all 16 midi channels to react to the performance. I believe you can also map midi channels to zones on the keyboard to setup splits.
 
There is a lot of midi data generated, but for really expressive lead parts, it should be great. For standard chordal stuff, I'd be inclined to use a regular keyboard.
 
Regards,
Dan

Hey guys, 
 
Omnisphere works exceptionally well with all of the ROLI Seaboard products, including the RISE.  Any multi-timbral soft synth will work, but I think Omnisphere is the most useful, aside from Equator, which is the ROLI synth.  
 
Dan is correct in that there is a "Dashboard" that you run when you hook the instrument up.  Within the ROLI Dashboard, you would choose for the instrument to function as a "multi-channel" controller and specify that range of channels.  In the case of Omnisphere, you would choose for it to run on channels 1-8 since that is the maximum that Omnisphere can run simultaneously.  For other synths (like Kontakt or Synth Squad), you could use more.   If you aren't in multi-channel mode, you can't bend a note in one hand without it effecting whatever you're doing in the other, just like a pitch wheel on a regular controller.  There is also a single-channel mode, which is actually the best thing to use when selecting your sound on Omnisphere.  Otherwise, if you are running on multiple channels, only one out of every few notes will actually sound since by default, Omnisphere is only running on a single channel and only when that one channel lines up will you get response.   So even though you won't get the full effect of polyphonic pitch bend, it helps you select.  
 
Once you've chosen your patch within Omnisphere, you would need to do two things to get it to work properly with the Seaboard.  First, you need to change the pitch bend range to +/- 12 semitones.  That's how the instrument functions properly with all of the bending and glissandi.  Once you've done that, click on "Clone all parts" and it will then copy that one channel to the remaining 7.  Then you would switch back to Multi-Channel mode within the Dashboard and you're good to go. 
 
Now, Omnisphere has a great edit mode and one of the big draws of the Seaboard in my opinion, is the natural approach to poly aftertouch.  Within the edit mode, assigning Aftertouch as your source to various targets (volume, open/close filter, LFO speed, etc.) works fantastically well.  Depending on your DAW and your CPU capabilities (keep in mind, running all of this stuff on 8+ channels simultaneously can be a CPU drain), you can load multiple instances of Omnisphere and add atmospheres or textures that only trigger with heavy aftertouch.  Really cool stuff!  Just don't forget to clone the parts if you make any changes because within Omnisphere, you are only editing one channel at a time until you clone it.  
 
Hope this helps!  Feel free to get in touch if you have other questions!
Neil
 

Hello, 
 
hey Ndelson, thank you for your great instructions. 
 
I still can't get the pitch bend to work right. 
I put the values for bend in the system window of Omnisphere to -12 to 12, but i need to slide 4 semitones on my Seaboard to achieve 1 semitone in pitch bend. Therefor, it doesn't work right to slide down to the next note. 
 
How can I get this to work ???
 
help is very much appreciated !!!!

You'll want to be sure that the Pitch Bend settings in Omnisphere and in the Dashboard match up.  The RISE Dashboard (as opposed to the GRAND Dashboard) actually defaults to +/- 24 semitones, so you actually have two choices:
1. Change the range in Omnisphere +/-24
2. Change the range in the Dashboard to +/- 12 (the range is located in towards the bottom on the screen in the middle)
 
One of the other things to remember when using Omnisphere with the RISE is to turn off the MPE setting.  MPE only works with Equator, I think.  Once that is off, make sure the Channels are set from 1-8 for Omnisphere and you've set the other settings to Poly Aftertouch (not Channel Pressure).  
 
I think I gave some misleading info earlier in the thread because I was relatively new to the RISE, having used the GRAND until then.  The GRAND only allows for +/- 12 until the software is updated, so I was just used to using that setting for everything.  Equator for RISE, however, doesn't function properly unless you're set for +/- 24, so it's just easier to switch back and forth between Equator and other Synths if you leave it at 24, assuming the other synths support 24.  
 
Hope this helps!  Please reach out if you have other questions or contact ROLI's fantastic customer support.  You can set up a call with them any time and they'll help you more than I can!   They have NYC offices now, so you can talk with them in EST instead of London time, which is great. 
 
Best,
Neil 
 
 

Hey man, 
 
thanks for your amazing answer. That works now.
 
I will contact Roli for further stuff - 
 
if you still have a little spare time, do you know how I can possibly assign CC Commands manually in Omnisphere? Because when I use the "learn …." function it is constantly confused by all the mixed up signales that come through when I want to assign a volume knob to aftertouch for example ….. I am trying for hours and hours to find a solution :( ^^ but anyway - thanks for your great support !!!! 
 
 
all the best , Leon!

Sure-- no problem! 
 
Are you trying to assign Aftertouch as the source or are you trying to use the sliders to control the level of those parameters?  
 
The first thing is pretty straightforward, using whatever source you want (Aftertouch, pitch bend, CC 74 (slide), etc.) in the edit window.  I can walk you through that if you'd like. 
 
To use the sliders, I THINK you can see which CC is affected within the Dashboard, then have that CC act as the source for whatever target you want to modulate.   I'm away from the instrument right now, so I can't check that for sure, but it's worth a try.  
 
For instance, I know that I can modulate using "slide" (vertically moving on the keywaves) by setting CC 74 in the user CC section of Omnisphere.  I'm not sure if you can use multiple CCs at a time, but I don't see a reason why not. I've just not tried that, specifically.  If that doesn't work, let me know and I'll try when I get home.  If I can't figure it out, definitely ask to schedule a call with the NYC office.  I'm sure they'll be able to get in touch on Monday or Tuesday.  
 
Best,
Neil 
 

Well thank you, the problem is that I can't enter the code for "aftertouch" - I can just actually DO an aftertouch and then it is interpreted as CC 74 - slide …. damn :D :D well this is not so important anyway - would be nice to be able to control an actual volume knob with aftertouch ….
 
the only big question now - because this thing is amazing - will the 49 keys version work with the pitch bend limit of 24 in Omnisphere O________O     ???? :D :D :D

To answer the last question, yes, the 49 will definitely work with the 24 semitones.  From what I understand, it's the exact same thing as the RISE, just bigger.  The GRAND models are different in that while they CAN function as a controller, there is an internal computer which allows you to ditch the laptop and just plug in and play.  
 
As for the Aftertouch not working, it's possible that you have Channel Pressure on instead of Poly Aftertouch.  
 
Here's a pic of what I did to have Aftertouch control the volume. The harder a press, the louder it gets.  

 
I'm working on using the sliders to control volume inside omnisphere.  It should do it automatically if you're in Midi mode (hit the power button one time...the sliders will light up in the middle and the light on the power button will be light blue).  Then the first slider is automatically assigned to CC07 (channel volume). 
 
Take care!
Neil 
 

I am thinking about purchasing the Roli Rise for use in some of my Sonar projects. From your experience was there any additional latency problems with the extra software running..plus the Equator VST? It looks and sounds awesome but nothing is more frustrating than programs not playing nice between one another. Any experience you can share would be greatly appreciated