Sophie Solomon is an internationally renowned violinist and composer. She’s also a music educator, and has been working with MPE innovators ROLI for nine years. We asked Sophie about the advantges of MPE, and how products like the ROLI Piano M are eduacting the next generation of electornic musicians…

In terms of Roli’s product development history, did Roli develop their MPE synth software at the same time as the hardware?

Yes, our Equator MPE synthesiser is a limitless hybrid synth that was developed specifically for the Seaboard and includes over 1400 synth sounds that have been designed to maximise the expressive nature of the instrument and the five dimensions of touch (Strike, Press Slide, Glide, Lift).

How do key players find the transition from a traditional weighted keyboard to Roli’s silicon surface?

It definitely takes a bit of getting used to, but after some experimentation it soon becomes second nature. I find that when I play the piano, my desire to add extra feeling means I often press into the keys or try to vibrate my fingers from side to side as I would on the violin, so it’s amazing to play on the Seaboard which allows so much intuitive expressiveness.

You’re a violinist – how close to the natural vibrato, portmanteau, and other string techniques can you get on a Roli instrument?

The Seaboard is amazing for exploring string-like expressiveness. Vibrato and glissandos are especially effective. Obviously there’s no match for the very specific number of variables that go into making a specific sound on a violin, say, (bow pressure, left hand positioning, finger pressure, vibrato and so on). However, I think the expressive potential of Seaboard opens up a new dimension of possibility for composition.  It’s particularly interesting when adding string section sounds as it brings a level of feeling that much harder to achieve with regular samples / synths.

Would you recommend a Roli keyboard product to a person who had no previous keyboard experience?

For someone with no previous experience, I might suggest starting with ROLI Piano M,our light-up keyboard that teaches you how to play piano.

As a music educator, can a product like ROLI Piano M help a student learn?

ROLI Piano M has light up keys and a companion app that teaches students the building blocks of music with fun games and exercises as well as guiding them step by step to get started on the piano. It’s a really bite-sized intuitive way to learn. Motivation is so important. So many learners give up because they don’t see the progress they hoped for. ROLI Piano M helps you to stay engaged to practise regularly and also makes practice fun with streaks and rewards for keeping regular.

As a composer, how has an MPE-enabled instrument like the Seaboard changed your workflow?

It definitely allows for a much more intuitive, expressive, musical experience with less need to use the mouse and fiddle around in post-production.

What’s your favourite thing that you can do with MPE that you couldn’t achieve easily before?

Definitely using MPE to instantly create really expressive string ensemble sounds.  I also love the duduk, an instrument that requires a lot of pitch bend to play, so am always happy to be able to explore expressive solos with the duduk sound in Equator.

Who are some musicians that are producing new and innovative work with Roli products?

There’s so many it’s hard to pick.  You can check out some of our amazing ROLI Creators and the amazingly creative ways they’re using our products here: https://roli.com/stories?tags=artists

As a composer and electronic musician myself, who hasn’t purchased a controller with MPE yet, why do you think I should?

It will bring so much freedom and expression to your workflow! There are so many possibilities to explore and it is very liberating.  You’ll appreciate being able to play expressively and add new dimensions to your creativity without being too tied to a mouse and screen.

Roli has chosen a direct-to-market distribution model in Australia. What’s the advantage over a more traditional importer/retailer arrangement?

We like to be more directly connected to our customers and to have a more real feel for the market.