So, I got my RISE 49 yesterday and i am not sure if I like it or not. I wish I would have a breath controller and leap Motion to compare which I like best.
Build quality is definetly great, it's nice and heavy, doesn't move on the table.
As I am coming from the piano I first loaded a piano patch - and it doesn't compare to a piano in any way than by it's look. The dimensions to a paino keyboard are different and kind of uneven (my guess is that between e/f and b/c the spacing is different than on the piano but I am not sure). I need to get used to that.
For some reason the sustain pedal from my Kawai MP5 doesn't work at all. It just doesn't do anything but send lots and lots of MIDI data. I have no clue what is going on. The support hasn't answered to me yet with a solution.
Right now i am trying to figure out the best way to use the capabilities of the Seaboard.
For solo instruments (tested with Friedlander Violin):
I can see, why it could be an awesome device. The way vibrato works by just wiggeling the key is really cool. The bending over octaves, too. I think these two parameters are the best and most usable for me right now. It has to be said though, that one has to hit the keys precisely, otherwise a bending is applied and the note detunes. Up to a point that might add realism, but you'll need some practice for sure.
What I really can't bring to life is expression. There would be 4 ways to handle it by the board itself as I see it: slide (move up and down on a key), aftertouch, one of the 3 faders or the X/Y pad.
Slide: with slide if I want to play very loud I have to reach between the "black notes". The space is very small and because of the vibrato handling of the board the tone is detuned as soon as I touch another key. So not usable for me.
Aftertouch: Nice idea but in reality it is very difficult to control the amount of pressure so the expression get's very "wobbly". To be somewhat playable the range of the midi data has to be quite limited so it's more of an accent thing.
Faders/X/Y pad: Would be the go to, as it's close to the regular mod wheel. My Problem with it: I have to apply some pressure to Change the value of it. Therefore it's unpleasent to use for me. I feel like I can't use it smoothly, as it looses touch every now and then when I don't press enough.
The X/Y Pad is the same deal. In Addition I can't get with it to very quite or very loud, as it seems to loose sensibility towards the edge.
For Ensemble patches (tested with Spitfire Symphonic Strings):
Vibrato obviously doen't work with whole sections (wobbling one key), so I used the slide function (up and down on one key) to control the vibrato of the patch. And I have to say I really like that. As I come back down on a key before changing notes the problems from expression doesn't apply here. I like. The octave sliding is also a nice effect but it appears to be very FX like on Ensemble patches and not too realistic. But nice to have nevertheless.
Expression is the problem again for the same reasons. It's even worse: because the room is backed into the samples, it jumps around like crazy from one note to another. So a slider would be the only workable solution, but they aren't that "touchy" as described above.
For synths: I guess awesome in very way. I am not a synth guy, but the vibrato alone makes them more "real".
Right now I am not decided if I want to hold onto the board or not. The best thing for me is the vibrato (oh and the playability of percussion sounds, a lot better than on my Kawai). But that alone doesn't really make it worth the pricetag.
I imagine a breath Controller might be a nice addition, as it solves the expression part. However a Leap Motion is as good in the vibrato department (in my imagination from what I have seen in the videos on youtube) as the Seaboard and it costs around 900€ less.
So again, i would love to try that. Seaboard or Breath Controller + Leap?