Get a ROLI Seaboard for free… on your iOS device

The Seaboard that you can afford.
The Seaboard that you can afford.

ROLI's Seaboard controller hardware might be pricey, but the company's new Seaboard 5D iOS app can be yours for free.

Seemingly a replacement for the old Noise app, which is now being used as the software component of ROLI's Blocks platform, Seaboard 5D emulates the interface of the hardware and enables you to tweak sounds using "five dimensions of touch". Specifically, you can strike, glide, slide, press and lift.

The pressure sensitivity is only available to those who have a 3D Touch-equipped iPhone 6 or 7, but the app will work in a more limited way on other iOS devices. 25 sounds are supplied and you can add more via optional soundpacks. The app is compatible with both the Seaboard and other expressive controllers.

Seaboard 5D can be downloaded now on the Apple App Store.

ROLI Seaboard 5D features

  • Tweak your sounds with onscreen macro controls and XY Touchpad
  • Vary the size of the onscreen keywave surface to suit your screen and preferences
  • Octave shift buttons and an onscreen sustain pedal add depth to real-time performance
  • Control Five Dimensions of Touch: Strike, Press, Glide, Slide and Lift
  • Purchase Soundpacks in-app and build your collection of sounds
  • Recreate the Seaboard RISE experience on the iPhone 6s and make the most of its new 3D Touch feature
Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.