NOISE Reviews

by Zabadabdoodop

The first 20 minutes was spent attempting to register - evidently their registration and login services are not very sturdy.

Next was getting into the experience and attempting to register products. Evidently, the perils of having bundled software with your product is that you don’t want anyone other than the very first owner to have access to it. So I’m not able to update the firmware on the hardware until I contact their customer care and prove to them that I’ve bought it AND that I have the keys to the bundled software. Amazing experience. Thanks!

Based on the first 30 minutes I’ve spent attempting to deal with their Byzantine “new user onboarding” - I will not be surprised when the rest of this product fails to meet even the very lowest standards for function.

by Leom187

NOISE would probably get 4 or 5 stars if it weren’t for the built in keyboard/playing surface. The pitches are arranged in stacked rows where each row increases in pitch left to right, until you reach the end of the row where you must go back to the beginning of the next row to get the next highest pitch. This requires two axis of movement just play the pitches, ON TOP of additional movement to vary the sounds. This is absolutely not ideal on a touch screen at all where fingers tend to want to slide in one direction. This makes for a tedious jamming experience as you must always watch your fingers carefully. Now you could use the Seaboard layout, but that layout lacks scale lock ability, another important aspect for jamming on a touchscreen. Please developers, i implore you, either add scale lock ability to the Seaboard layout, or change the square grid to a simple left to right, linear pitch arrangement with adjustable key width and range. Where x is pitch and y changes the sounds. There is simply too many axis of movement to keep track of on the square grid to truly lose yourself in the jamming process. I’m really not keen on paying for any of the GREAT sounds you’ve crafted if I’m not able to play them with ease. See iKaosillator or Animoog for examples.

by Samsjamz

The controller is awesome unfortunately NOISE attempt is not.
I try to come back and use this program but is like a bad relationship.
No librarian function. STILL. The real question arises when these same issues have been shown since NOISE was introduced and no fixes. Meanwhile they are creating more sound packs to sell which further exacerbates the librarian inadequacies.
Exporting files are for ableton live or raw loops which are ok but if they are implementing this app in garage band why not load loops created in this app into gb in the loop screen?

When considering the purchase of the sound packs please realize that :

As an app the quantization is basic - no choices there
this app will not work in the background on iPad.
this app will not work connected to a desktop via usb.
The purchased sounds will ONLY work within this app. (See above)
My biggest problem is that the performance of the keyboard is vastly different between the desktop and Idevice. There is no direct method to control the functions when using Bluetooth except by using NOISE, it is not the best implementation.
My biggest issue is no piano mode within NOISE. Can you say frustrating?

by D_*_p

There are things I like about the Roli this app app, Lightpad Blocks & Control Blocks I will say the “Bluetooth aspects of them have proved to be completely unreliable and for the most part unusable. I am returning the loop, touch & live blocks as getting them to connect is rare and the few time I was able to connect on an older iPad that isn’t the iPad I need to use because of limited space...the devices aren’t really useful as you will still need to go to the iPad interface to adjust many of the functions anyway...making these devices sort of pointless. The Lightpad Block is cool but joy “DO” have to exert a bit of force to make a sound even the quietest sound. I guess I got too used to playing on the iPads surface which is more responsive but grossly lacks the touch nuances you get from the Lightblock. I’ll keep the Lightpad and return the the other little devices. Overall I’m very disappointed with this gear.

by Sophie 🤍🖤

I really like NOISE, I do, but most of the screen isn’t visible when recording songs. I can’t see any of the buttons at the top or bottom (this includes settings and the exit button), and I can’t see the left side of that is unless I have something overlaying the screen. The concept feels like I can get used to it and learn how to record amazing songs, but I don’t know how to do that without seeing parts of the screen. I’ve tried to reset NOISE , but it doesn’t work. I can see the rest of the screen when not trying out the functions, but i’m not sure what the point is if I can’t access most of the song area. I gave it 2 instead of 1 because the parts that I can see work really well.

by Neumuzik

Because the developer does not warn customers up front who are purchasing the new SWAM stringed orchestral instruments and saxophones that “…these packs are not currently supported in the iOS AUv3 plug-in of this app…” there is a chance you may feel cheated, AS I MOST CERTAINLY DID.

I should’ve known the deal was too good to be true. $10 for each of these SWAM packs (which go for more than $100 each for the desktop versions) should’ve tipped me off, but it’s really the responsibility of the developer to provide this information BEFORE customers hit the BUY button. Not happy the way this was handled and I’ll be requesting two refunds.

Feb. 2018 Update: Apple issued refunds for both in-app purchases. If the developer updates the SWAM instrument packs so they can be used as plug-ins for GarageBand in any capacity, I’ll consider rebuying.

by JC. Music

This is a great concept for an app and would pair well with making music on the go, the only unfortunate part is that it doesn’t quite work to well anymore. I have the latest IPad Pro and everything is up to date in terms of software and hardware yet the application continues to crash. I may be able to play on one instrument at a time but when I go in to record a beat that I’m making it will completely crash. I have tried to uninstall the application but with no luck. While yes it can be limiting I think it makes for a great set up for on the go and I mean really on the go. For those who don’t like how limiting it can be, there is a large library of software and soundpacks available from ROLI on their website and I must say these work really well. If you really want to utilize your blocks or any seaboard for that matter to its full extent I would highly recommend getting ROLI software such as Equator 2 or ROLI Studio Player. These make up for NOISE, if you’re thinking about taking your experience to the next level or just want your seaboard to work and be able to make music with it then I say download the pc software.

by Sgranlund

Why do all these pro companies who develop amazing sounding synth engines fail when it comes to NOISE . Hire someone to make a good app for you. Stick to sound development and get an iOS music app developer to make an app for you
The sounds are great. The pads are fun and intuitive. The rest of NOISE is painfully weak. To turn on an arp you have to click a screen which oops out and covers your playing area pads. Too many steps to do basic things. Kills the creative process which would come so easily by the playability of the pads. Even worse on the hardware that’s why I never use it. Too much effort to do anything productive. That said it sounds great so I use with a 3rd party daw....AUM

by ALIENCACO

I regret to inform the devs about this but there is an awful issue that I have found that has nothing to do with my device, other than the lack of functionality for the rotational function to use the seaboard function. It will not rotate and screen lock is off and the phone still slows rotation of other apps. It is a pestilence that I hope can be fixed as I have spent almost $50 on NOISE for just sounds alone. Other than that there have been cases of songs I’ve made being randomly removed or deleted. It is a great app and I will continue to use it but I must ask for dev help with this issue. I miss my seaboard

by FrostyJudas

App is a lot better since the last update. It doesn’t sound as clicky as before in iPhoneX. Also the effects session omitted in last versions is finally present.

Still, its presence is not very practical since it needs to be pressed continuously to function. It needs a “hold” button or to be recorded as a performance.

Also, a master performance recording feature is a must. It’s omission diminishes NOISE unnecessarily. NOISE is the face of the company, it needs to be taken seriously as its brilliant hardware counterpart.

by Watthefawaffle

NOISE is great and i use it all the time, its very easy to understand and fun. BUT it needs a lot of improvements. One thing i’d change is how many glitches there is. Imagine being so close to creating your first song but suddenly it sounds like someone keeps messing up your headphones (and no i wasn’t wearing headphones) and it just stays like that. I WAS SO FRUSTRATED. MY FIRST SONG, GONE. Anyway the next thing i would improve is the amount of sounds you can play at a time, i just think its bothersome to only be able to play 4 sounds, though it is reasonable. And since i have the attention span and memory of a goldfish i forgot my final reason and im bored so sayonara~

by Geo66

They seem to have dropped support for this app and NOISE isnt working on my IOS devices anymore (Audiobus 3 uses still work thankfully). I really want to be able to build my own drumkits using library of downloaded sounds, alas this seems unlikely... seems they've moved on and IOS apps aren't likely to be expanded for more customized use of their controllers (which are truly awesome) seeing this app hasnt gotten updated for years and no new soundpaks released for a long time (btw I dont want to recreate a cheezy Pharrel song...just....no, is a waste of sounds ...its maddening to have a few good drum sounds in the pak then accidentally hit the “Happy!” vocal sample....arrrrg). Love Roli 2 years ago...but now concerned before I buy a Lumi controller.

by Ganjacopter

NOISE has some awesome features; the sounds, the ability to save projects in the cloud, I don’t need to use the charging cable with a camera adapter to use it. However, there are a lot of things that need to be improved. Firstly when I connect my light pad/loop block to NOISE it will read offline for both devices or they completely disappear from the connection list. Then when you back out there is a message saying there are too many devices connected.

There is no way to easily find your favorite sounds so the user has to scroll endlessly. There should be a favorites section for each instrument or sound.

There needs to be a way to have more control over the sound; EQ, compression tools should be added. When I think of NOISE, I think of it as a light version of Garageband or FL studio mobile. Perhaps if a user has a Roli block or seaboard they gain access to more tools?

I like NOISE a lot and it has potential but it needs a little more love. Keep up the good work Roli team!

by ResiliAntMonk

Things we need:
1. Better sound organization: I want to make groups of sounds so I don’t have to scroll forever during a live performance
2. Effects controls: I can control effects using my Rise, but I can’t otherwise and the effects choices do not save
3. More tracks and track options: panning is a must, and better abilities to start and stop a loop, easier methods of changing a loops length. Sometimes I accidentally trigger a loop and can’t stop it
4. More quantization control: swing amount, different subdivisions of quantization
5. Inter app audio: don’t understand why this still isn’t a thing
6. Better build quality in the Seaboard block. I’ve played a few mismanufactured boards and the rubber can easily peel off
7. Maybe a sound controls block to bring the Rises effects control to the blocks

What I love:
1. Hardware responsiveness: how my phone has less latency with a seaboard and a block than my brand new MacBook Pro is mystifying.
2. The new light block is SUPER rad. Very responsive and expressive.
3. Cheap, dope sounds (for the most part) the SWAM stuff is especially insane although I wish I could make it polyphonic
4. I can use my phone to perform live interesting and expressive electronic music: it changes the game

by Leon0008

this app has evolved over it’s history, changing some useful and clunky features for new ones. Many are awesome such as the effects filters and 5D technology being used. It’s not perfect and has lost support via updates, but still capable in live settings or for bridging to other audio applications. Ultimately, my favorite use for this app is importing the sounds and some capabilities of this app into Cubasis. You can assign presets and have a number of instruments at once, not to mention the recording and looping capabilities of Cubasis. LUMI is not currently supported via this app, so I would guess an update to this app is coming.

by Amdenis

The Roli hardware is great, and once the bugs are substantially squashed in the apps and firmware I will be world class. Although a lot has been fixed in the past year, some issues remain.
Still, once you figure out how to work around the current issues, the Roli boards and pads allow you to make music like nothing else I have played.
One thing... Roli needs more fundamentals and creative exploration tutorials. I would hire on interns run by an instructional designer familiar with Roli and music. You could do it with a university to grant credits, write some grant proposals and help many find the joys of music, while exploding your market. I and others have done this sort of thing before— it works.

by Bloqmacr

NOISE is great. I got a Seaboard block and the sounds I can get out it through NOISE are incredible. I can even record loops and perform a whole song with it!
It’s lacking some key features that would make it a breeze to use:
• Filtering/Searching sounds. You get a fair share of free sounds and it’s a nightmare to scroll through every single one to try to find a good bass to go with your track.
• Ability to stop a loop mid-playback. It’s really easy to tap the wrong thing. It’s really hard to undo it.
• Changing which track is being controlled by which controller should be done from the track as well as the controller.
• More options for number of bars per loop and at least 3/4 apart from 4/4.
• Play-once trigger option apart from just loops.
I understand some of these make development of NOISE more complex so I wouldn’t mind paying extra for these “pro” features, but then again my Seaboard Block was $300...
I hope people are working on some of these!

TL;DR: Great app, specially if you have the hardware. It has a lot of potential and room for improvement.

by Phyzeyes

I really like NOISE for what it is. I can do things with this that I can’t even approximate with any other programs or instruments. That said, I have given up trying to use my song maker kit with it. It disconnects constantly, and tells me there are too many blocks connected after I link only one, usually the light lock. I have never been able to use my ROLI kit and the added live block successfully except plugged into my desktop Mac. the set up is not intuitive and constantly disconnects. I have powerful wi fi streaming connection,100mbps that’s not the issue. ROLI sent me to their support pages which have never resolved it for me. So, I’m only using this to make ableton clips and loops. Still I’ve only begun to explore its numerous packs and sounds.
NOISE gets 4 stars and I’m being generous. I would give it 5 if my $600 song maker kit would stay connected. Please ROLI, there are kinks in this brilliantly conceived soundscape tool. Keep updating please.

ok I found out that the kit parts must be separated to link each with NOISE . Roli continues to inspire, and with Studio Player and studio drums I can play in Ableton and Logic Pro x. My only frustration is in not having the ability to keep groups of sounds in a folder where I can easily plug the selected voices into the new song. Some sounds work well together. Instead of having to search for the same sounds over and over. But, roli rules emotive sound expression, thank you

by PSexNYC

I’m four months into this app and am having a blast. I’m a guitar player, studying scales when I was gifted a ROLI Beat Makers Kit. I Bluetoothed the Kit to the this app App and have discovered NEW Ways to make Music. The list of Scales available in this app are a Blessing. Their Layout and locations of Root Notes, mirrors my Guitar Neck...Excellent Feature.
But, there are a Random Ghost Notes that continue to Sound Out during Live Play. To disengage the unnecessary Ghost Note, I have to Stop the Live Playing Performance or change the instrument.
Also, saved projects do not maintain their BPM when played back. After playing it’s first Full Measure, the BPM jumps to 120. This is happening on EVERY saved project.
And, sometimes, a saved project will load and play but without Sound. I have to Quit the this app App, Restart my iPhone, reopen the this app App and reload that particular saved project to resolve the issue.
Other than that, I Luv this app and how NOISE and ROLI Blocks are helping me understand Scales, Intervals and Music better. Great Job guys!!!
And that 5D Expression of the Blocks with this app......Outstanding!!!!

by CherokeeBLood

Could Roli improve certain aspects of this app and add some much needed features? Absolutely. However, I think it’s easy to focus and get caught up on the small things and miss the overall picture. With the things that this app needs to work on, overall, NOISE is absolutely incredible. Period. I’ve written an entire album using this app exclusively, other then some added guitar,key and vocals tracks. Sounds huge. It’s an incredibly intuitive app. You can bend notes and do things a regular midi keyboard can’t do. You can play it more like a guitar then a keyboard. The added effects took it to another level. If they added 6-8 channels rather then 4 and added more sound packs, that would be the icing.
Get past the initial discouragement period and soak NOISE in. I’ve bought Many virtual instrument apps and Nothing comes close to what this app can do. I’ve got the tracks to prove it;-)

by Anythingmac

I found NOISE when I was 11. I had melodies flying around in my head I could never record, and I had to accept that as a fact. Anyway, I decided not to play games at CostCo, and activate NOISE.
I opened it, and pushed. It was LOUD, and it sounded freaking awesome. I turned down the volume and messed with it for a while, not even looping, just making sounds with 1-3 fingers, changing the effect. The 3D touch was just magic.

Four years later, I found it on my device. I still had notes in my head but it was a 2D touch device, and the notes were still a lockbox, stuck inside my voice.

I found I liked the sound of the arpeggiator, the loops, and the 2D touch.

I tapped some colored buttons together... and let the melody go free.

I can’t ever get that release on GarageBand.

There is just so much power that is so easy to play with on the Lightpad screen.

It’s just divine.

I use it for all my film scores now instead of the premade stuff.

I love how accessible it is to anyone teenage with a melody in their mind who’s ****-bent on playing music.

Thank you ROLI, NOISE is a gift. So immersive and expressive and yet free.
If you can’t play music, don’t let anything stop you- click that get button, open it, hum a melody, and then go for it.
The 5D Expressions pack it comes with is more than enough for any amateur.

by MACKSBOOKisintheAIR

This is from Korg iKaossilator category but its much way much above, being able to control much more and get much close to your idea with the ability to write jazz styles with acoustic instruments its just fantastic! It has professional sound quality and the ability to control parameters of sounds with just slides, there is no app like this one, at least from all the music apps i bought since iPhone 4s came out, really NOISE is one of a kind. Only a-few things i miss that i found useful in many apps;
1. The ability to lower the metronome volume or the option to play only when recording.
2. To edit every pattern after recording. So many times i get to almost the way i want it but only one kick or note in the beginning or at the end its off the line and i need to re-record from the beginning. Being able to edit the pattern or set to a smaller number of quantization will save the original ideas i get when i start to record something. The more i re-record the more i slide away from the original idea but whatever what you do with NOISE it sounds cool :)
3. This one is not the most important but i think people will appreciate it — the ability to play with a midi keyboard that haz a joystick. To play a note and control the sound parameters with the joystick it sounds cool.