ROLI Songmaker Kit Studio Edition: The Complete Kit for Creators, Includes Seaboard Block Midi Controller Keyboard, Lightpad Block Drumpad and Loop Block DAW Control

My son loves it. He's off to uni studying music so knows his stuff. It fits into his college bag with his launchpad stuff so it's one he takes everywhere. He has several larger midi controllers that can't be transported so well so this is a nice addition to his collection. The software is pretty confusing if you've never used it before. I remember trying to figure out the software when he first started out with midi controllers, you tube helps and you have to be patient. It comes with is own software but also works with ableton, reason, logic and it also works well with garage band.

The first thing I noticed when taking the Block out of its box was its excellent build quality; it feels like a solid, premium piece of kit. Setting it up was super easy, and it paired instantly with the NOISE and ROLI Play apps on the iPad (both of which are intuitive and simple to use: great for having a bit of fun but it also seems like you can use them to create something more complex). The ROLI Play app has a great tutorial to get used to the 5D touch so it’s worth starting with that. The Block itself is very responsive to touches, and it’s easy to get used to the different ways of playing. It’s versatile: I’ve also used the Block as a drum pad on Ableton Live. Configuring and customising the Block as a drum pad is easy to do in the Blocks Dashboard, and there are a couple of ‘Easter eggs’ in there too, which kept me entertained for longer than I’d care to admit. It’s a shame the Block isn’t compatible with more Android devices, but this wasn’t too much of an issue for me. Overall this is a great product, and I’m looking forward to seeing what I can create with it in the future.

ROLI Lightpad Block M - Super Sonic SurfaceI bought this product as I am a drummer and I’m interested in combining digital software with performance, as well as composing my own stuff. I really like the Roli Lightpad Block M as it’s a very interesting product in terms of the different types of sounds and effects you can create from simply the way you press and move on the pad. The Pad itself has an intriguing ribbed rubber surface that is thicker than the original Lightpad Block, so it’s more sensitive to your touch, which creates more modulation on the sounds. Also, if you drag your finger whilst holding a note it changes the pitch and harshness of the note, so there’s lots to play with, and for me the drums sound nice and punchy. The product is quite easy to use, especially with some useful training videos if you download the ROLI PLAY app to get you started, so it doesn’t matter if you’re a musician or not it’s pretty fun to use.However, I realised afterwards that I bought the product from a non-authorised Roli dealer from Amazon, who had already activated the product from its serial number, so I couldn’t even register it. I had to email Roli support proving my payment, then they wiped the records clean and I was able to activate it.Moving on, with the Block it advises to download an app called NOISE which works as a loop station to record sounds from the block. You connect your phone to the Block via Bluetooth, which sometimes took a struggle to connect, and then you can record a multitude of sounds including drums, synths, acoustic instruments and more. The app itself took me some time to figure out, but once I watched some videos on YouTube I started to understand it.Overall it is an exciting product that is very portable and useful for anyone who want to create their own music. It’s easy to use and great fun. If I had more money I would buy more blocks so you can attach them together to have more sounds, and if you own a Roli Seaboard then you pretty much have your own home studio. Worth the buy.

I bought 2 of these blocks.They both didn't work. I contact Roli support after following their online support and other users work arounds. Seems like these products don't work for a lot of people.I emailed Roli as nothing seemed to make the product work.2 weeks went by and no response. I told Amazon and they refunded me straight away. Great service by Amazon.Roli took a month to reply they basically told me to do everything i told them i already done and to read the same material i already read off their website.When i told them that i returned the product a they never replied they said: "Thanks for letting me know, sorry that the steps didn't work for you and that you needed to return the products".Probably best to stay away from this company. Ive spent at least £500 with them and thats all they could say. Awful. I couldn't even give a star bout this review page said i have to, The star is really because Amazon saved any credibility this company has. Music companies don't normally behave like that.

Brilliant product and beautifully made. Roli are a great British company.Link it to an iPad (Roli Noise App, Garageband, Groovebox or Cubasis) for a new experience in sound manipulation and control. Needs practice to master, but worth the effort.Delivered on time. Highly recommended purchase.