Music startup Roli has filed for administration and is reforming as beginner-focused Luminary - The Verge (fwiw, not vetted, just passing on…)
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Anybody expecting a “re-unification”??
Hoping things work out better here. And for Geist.
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Geist - another favourite of mine.
Lot’s of companies going under. Not good for most.
Neil.
Whoa. Well, they were putting everything into those light up controllers, and they didnt really set the world on fire. They didnt seem to have a clue how to deal with their hardware and software.
I never understood how a company could be so full on invested into a product that is for tapping out beats and not have it paired/used in conjunction with the drum software they own. It seemed like a perfect pairing waiting to happen, tho sadly the Roli Blocks arent that great for tapping out beats on (IMHO).
What a strange way to do business.
Anyone want my Roli Block? I got it bstock, its slightly broken, and now likely has no software support 
EDIT: Personally, I’m looking for a BFD/KMI Bop Pad collab
From here ROLI files for bankruptcy and reboots as Luminary - gearnews.com
“In ROLI’s most recent filings to June 30, 2019, it reported pretax losses of £34.1 million on revenues of £11.4 million. The costs were put down to high salaries and manufacturing. Doing a little bit of Googling people were talking about ROLI’s losses over a year ago so perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise. I also noted that CEO of Fxpansion Angus Hewlett who became VP Engineering and Head of Sound Synthesis when Fxpansion was acquired by ROLI in 2016 moved on in April of this year.”
Yikes.
Until KMI deals with its (very basic simple) issue with its boppad usb port, I remain uninterested. I own one and (besides other issues) managed a clunky DIY solution that allows relatively problem-free use but I wouldn’t play out with it.
Thats a shame. I’ll look up about the USB issue. Sounds like its a common enough issue to require an update. Part of my interest in it is its rugged out door aspect, but if the USB port is an issue, that kinda ruins all that, makes it not so good for throwing in a back pack and using out in the wild.
Thats a real shame. Maybe I’ll keep my Roli Block for now
Thanks for the heads up.
I thought those Seaboard keyboards looked kind of neat. Too bad they didn’t really go anywhere. I suppose the chip shortage might have been the nail in the coffin.
I never got good at Geist. I like Strobe2. It’s easy enough to use and sounds good. I didn’t get very far with Cypher. I mostly use Arturia for synths. I’m not much of a sound designer. I think more about notes than sounds.
I’m just glad that BFD is out of that situation. It was not good.
The comments I’m reading, it sounds like a nightmare, and not good at business. It sounds like a comedy scene from the series Silicon Valley.
The Seaboard’s dont sound like they stand up to regular use, which is a shame. The Roli Block doesnt really have any decent sensitivity over anything I’ve got from Arturia, and dont offer anything extra except MPE which is kinda irrelevant for my use. It was a bit of a dud purchase. Tho it is small enough to use on the move.
Surprising nobody, right?
I wonder what company they will sell the Seaboard to, if any. Lots of interesting products just end up abandoned, and only held as patents for future lawsuit profit…
I was interested, but the user experiences I read about showed Roli wasn’t interested in making it reliable or consistent. Plus, the thing requires software. I do not buy hardware that can become a useless lump of trash as soon as the software isn’t supported on the OS you are pushed to update to…
