ROLI today releases a new edition of the Songmaker Kit that features an extraordinarily deep integration with GarageBand for macOS, the production software that has opened up music creation to millions of music makers. The Songmaker Kit together with GarageBand makes the two function as a plug-and-play studio.
Until today, to set up a hardware studio or stage kit capable of creating beats and melodies as well as mixing involved a huge amount of complexity and usually resulted in lots of cables. Keyboards, drum pads, and mixing and production controls — the components of a complete music studio — are now available in an affordable wireless kit that isn’t much larger than a laptop and works right out of the box. With the Songmaker Kit GarageBand Edition, the bedroom studio has truly become a backpack studio.
Roland Lamb, founder and CEO of ROLI and inventor of the Seaboard and BLOCKS, said: “ROLI’s mission is to empower everyone to experience the joy of music making. Our Songmaker Kit GarageBand Edition is another big step towards realizing this mission because it will enable a much wider audience to quickly and easily set up their own complete studio solution. And I’m also excited because it will make a unique gift for young people who are already using GarageBand and want to take the next step.”
The Songmaker Kit GarageBand Edition allows music-makers to:
● Start creating in minutes: Detailed onboarding films provide guidance from the moment of unboxing. Project templates — in styles from rock to hip hop — help learners make a first track quickly.
● Compose and create easily: The kit is a seamlessly integrated environment of hardware and software. So music-makers have everything they need to make a track — from sounds to recording and editing tools — with one easy workflow.
● Be more musically expressive: The touch-responsive surfaces of the Lightpad Block and Seaboard Block bring unparalleled expression to the hundreds of sounds available in GarageBand.
● Perform with GarageBand: For the first time music-makers can perform live with GarageBand, which now has a deep integration with hardware controllers.
● Access Logic: Songmaker Kit GarageBand Edition works seamlessly with Logic Pro X, the professional recording studio on the Mac. Skilled electronic musicians can now enjoy all the benefits of the kit’s all-in-one studio solution.
The Songmaker Kit is a popular configuration of ROLI BLOCKS, the modular music creation system that launched in November 2016. The kit centers on two controllers: the Seaboard Block and the Lightpad Block.
Based on the piano keyboard, the Seaboard Block enables more musical expression on a soft surface that responds to pressure and other movements. Based on the drum pad, the Lightpad Block allows the same touch-responsive control of sound and can also be configured to launch loops, mix volume levels, and control other production features. The Loop Block — the third Block in the kit — provides faster control of recording and production.
The Songmaker Kit includes a huge suite of software including Equator, Cypher2 Player, and Strobe2 Player. Music-makers can now access specially selected sounds from Equator, ROLI’s premier sound engine, directly in GarageBand’s preset library.
The Songmaker Kit GarageBand Edition is now available worldwide at apple.com, select Apple stores and ROLI.com for $599.95 (£549.95, €599.95). Watch Introducing the Songmaker Kit GarageBand Edition to learn more about a plug-and-studio that brings more expression to a huge audience of macOS music-makers.
