Aside from going digital within the late ‘70s and then the rise of cheap electronic Casio keyboards in the ‘80s (blasting Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up in demo mode) the piano went principally unchanged till 2013 when Roli first revealed its squishy-keyed Seaboard Rise. Nine years later, Roli is introducing version 2 that addresses a few of the challenges of taking part in the distinctive instrument.

For those that’ve by no means had an opportunity to strive the Seaboard Rise in individual, describing what its keyboard appears like below finger isn’t straightforward. Instead of particular person keys to press, gamers are introduced with a strong panel of squishy rubber that includes delicate hills and valleys that may be pressed to play notes. But the place the Seaboard Rise distinguished itself from different digital keyboards is that the taking part in floor reacted to gestures, so the actions of fingers, both up and down every key, sliding from one to the subsequent, and even wiggling forwards and backwards (vibrato), produced distinctive sounds and results and allowed for performances that merely weren’t doable with a piano or a synth.

Unlike a piano or a synth, nonetheless, the keys on the Seaboard Rise are much less outlined, which may show difficult for musicians used to tickling the ivories. For the Seaboard Rise 2, Roli has upgraded the instrument’s Keywave taking part in floor with what it calls “precision frets” that are skinny raised ridges, like what you’d discover alongside the neck of a guitar, that are designed to assist performers get a greater really feel of the place their fingers are on a key, even once they’re not trying immediately down at them, and to assist guarantee a finger doesn’t by accident slip off one of many raised keys.

Other upgrades on the brand new Seaboard Rise 2 embrace an upgraded software program bundle with Equator2, Ableton Live Lite, in addition to Roli Studio, and a “burnished platinum blue aluminum chassis” designed to enhance the instrument’s sturdiness and premium look, in addition to the addition of a extra fashionable USB-C port which can be utilized for energy in addition to MIDI connectivity.

The Seaboard Rise 2 is out there for pre-order beginning immediately by means of Roli’s web site for $1,400, though the corporate warns the instrument could have restricted availability all through 2022, presumably due to the continuing provide chain points which were affecting the manufacturing of client electronics.