Rethinking the UI Design of a (Musical) Keyboard [Video]

The user interface for a piano, or synthesizer, are the keys. Players control the power of the note by the force with which they strike the key.

Digital musical instrument manufacturer Roli dates this design to roughly 1700, and reckons it’s due for an upgrade. Here in 2024, they’ve designed an alternative UI for keyboards.

Their Seaboard Rise 2 eschews hard piano keys for 49 soft, embossed silicone ridges.

The idea is to multiply the player’s ability to affect notes by a factor of five, in essence by increasing the keyboard’s tactility:

1. Strike to sound a note at different velocities.

2. Press to deepen sounds, such as simulating the effect of breath on a wind instrument.

3. Glide from side to side to bend pitch, creating a vibrato effect.

4. Slideup and down to add brightness, texture, or depth to …