Continuum Fingerboard, LinnStrument, Seaboard Rise - Expressive instruments

Together with The Tuesday Night Machines kzbin.info and a representative from Roli, we had a chat about 3 different expressive instruments.
The Continuum Fingerboard by Haken Audio, with its integrated synth engine the Eagan Matrix. The LinnStrument by Roger Linn, an expressive controller with an alternative note layout. And the Seaboard Rise by Roli, with its signature bumpy soft keyboard.
Continuum: hakenaudio.com
LinnStrument: rogerlinndesign.com
Seaboard Rise: roli.com
Support me here: www.patreon.com/cuckoomusic
My online store: store.truecuckoo.com
My T-shirt store: t-shirts.truecuckoo.com
Thomann: thomannmusic.com

[@Raxerm]

I love how you were able to smoothly give way for another to take over the lead. Beautiful showcase of hardware and your collective musicality.

[@davidschwartzguitar]

I love, LOVE my Linnstrument. If you’re a guitarist, there’s no better MIDI controller. Additionally, I have to say that very few individuals provide better customer service than Roger Linn.

[@BevisFriend2010]

Did you try the Instrument 1 ? I wasn't a huge fan tbh, I ended up going for Roli stuff. I have an old Boss drum machine / guitar synth, made for guitarists in the early 90s which is handy as the buttons are laid out like frets. Really useful as a midi controller because of the guitar layout. The sounds are a bit old but you can pick them up for about £40. It's a Boss Dr-5. I use Smart Chords on the Roli seaboard. It frees up your fingers. Equator 2 is a pretty good synth tbf. Roli's software has improved loads too. They aren't so IOS heavy these days. I use Windows 10 & Ableton 11.

[@discophone_6214]

That concerto was so cool. You defenitely need to more of these!

[@truecuckoo]

🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@p.muller1682]

Yes, indeed. I rewinded and taped it onto my kaosspad mini :-)

[@PickLost]

Jesus Christ that jam was so good. I wish all gear/software demo were that good.

[@tuesdaynightmachines]

Yay! Thanks for hosting the video, Cuckoo! So cool to have those three instruments playing together in one video 🤘 And also thanks to Heen for whispering the scale we were playing in to me at the beginning of the jam. Haha! Bit of a fail there on my part 😆

[@jaredmaly5161]

I want to touch a Continuum so badly

[@marcusmurky5876]

That jam... I could listen to you guys play for days. Bravo. (Now off to buy a lottery ticket in the hope of winning so I can buy one of these devices!)

[@truecuckoo]

Fingers crossed!! 🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@dewbluezero]

Thank you Cuckoo and team! Wonderful! Love and appreciation!

[@reckon104]

Thanks for doing this video guys. I enjoyed both the conversation and the playing. I own and love the linnstrument and dream of having a continuum someday. In the meantime I have to settle for videos like this. Thanks again for posting. Your enthusiasm and positivity are contagious!

[@synthshoot1026]

20:00 I just talked to my self and said "play some thing" and cucko jumped in and said "play some thing". Reading my mind!!.

[@Strages_Powers]

nice interview re, I met the roli representative in Sydney, really nice guy and he sold me on the rise, I bought the first one in Sydney. MPE is lovely

[@godders7594]

A very enjoyable and informative video, but seriously the last 5 mins was amazing....thank you

[@rambharat35]

The beautiful jam of yours at the end gave me goosebumps .......wow

[@kaislate]

Could you guys all get together more often?? That was really nice. I would enjoy watching / listening to more sessions with all of yous. Maybe livestream?

[@pshimmons]

Such awes0me discussion but even better music! :) Thanks guys!

[@jericho2x2]

beautiful jam at the end. well done!

[@MariaJose-24]

Haken Continnum Fingerboard was basically the first MPE standalone machine love the synth Egan Matrix

[@abraxas1]

what a great comprehensive review of three great instruments. should help anyone trying to figure out if they will fit their needs.

[@TechnoNates]

that jam's just amazing

[@cfsalvo]

Fantastic. From start to finish I was intrigued to learn how each worked and to hear the differences between. The ending, blown away.

[@grandmasterjo1]

Brilliant. Haken. And brilliantly priced. Hope to see a separate video on the Haken soon. The construction the workflow the presets the synthesis the engine. 👍👍👍

[@jorgeramos8553]

That final jam was beatiful

[@hern19]

Really cool to see you two working together 👍

[@truecuckoo]

Thanks! Glad to hear that. It was great hanging out.

[@KillzbeatzUZ]

Woooow the final,... The featuring that's awesome, dope instruments like this feeling

[@tahnaiyarussell]

Thanks for making this video, I very much enjoyed the whole thing.

[@peen2804]

Super cool and no egos seemed they all appreciated the other hardware the roli guy seemed to like the linnstrument. Just wholesome (: no “well the 1 I like is the best hurr durr”. The performance at the end was actually awesome

[@kingslaphappy1533]

Lovely demo, very much enjoyed watching it.👍

[@truecuckoo]

Thank you so much!

[@N3orion]

Film scoring ad hoc right there. Love the interplay.

[@MariaJose-24]

A R Rahman Indian Mozart he plays is continuum fingerboard with a holistic expression when he immerses into it he plays for 3+hrs

[@truecuckoo]

Yeah he’s the best!

[@bricelory9534]

Coming here after learning about the Osmose....what beautiful music! Cuckoo, I can tell you have spent a lot of time learning your instrument - what a beautiful performance! Absolutely magnificent all around. What an exciting time to be in music, as the performative nature of acoustic instruments is getting married to the uniqueness and customization of electronic ones. I'm excited for coming generations of talent raised on instruments like Continuum or Osmose!

[@insanity54]

I was hoping for a jam and I got it. Bravo!

[@BoombapArt]

Damn, sounds very inspiring this fingerboard🔥 Nice video 👊🏻

[@truecuckoo]

Thank you!

[@jbowmanmusic]

Great to see Felix and Cuckoo together on this, these are all interesting instruments. I find it interesting that they are considered "expressive" though - I think in the right hands a harpsichord or organ can be supremely expressive - you can do a lot with "note on / note off" ;-) The jam is great!

[@stefan1024]

That jam was nice and sweet.

[@KoolteethDeBlog]

So nice to listen to this, very cool instruments!

[@JumpingCow]

That piece was so wonderful.

[@seanchristophersynthesizer6999]

Great video! I'm trying to decide what MPE device to use with my Baloran The River, so this video really helped. :)

[@Colarocker]

Beautiful jam!

[@ProfessorSynth]

Nice stuff from Heen, great guy.

[@skunchtv]

the fingerboard definitely seems like it sounds the best... and accessible, but with a price tag to match. thx for vid!

[@truecuckoo]

Thanks! Yeah I also think the Continuum is at a different level than what most other manufacturers and developers are doing at the moment. To me it is at a crossing point between acoustic and electronic instruments, where most others are more clearly in the electronic music side of things. The Continuum has got this same precision and “physical presence” that acoustic instruments have. I feel like I have developed a physical bond with my Continuum, the same way as with an acoustic instrument. It’s really special.

[@SynthAddict]

nice comparison and sharing of ideas like the NAMM events, the jams are always the best part :-) Cuckoo, hope you can make it to the SF Bay area sometime you and Jexus have the best synth videos

[@playgroundofsound7683]

Cuckoo u r becoming a legend bro!!! So wild to see u grow into something so well known and respected. I hope to see u make some music for some Hollywood movies some day. Thanks for everything I'm really happy for you! God bless

[@truecuckoo]

🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@yongamusic]

Wow, such a beautiful jam!

[@truecuckoo]

Thank you! It’s when you jam together you can reach a higher place!

[@yongamusic]

cuckoomusic True. But in this case it worked out especially well. I’m mesmerized bij the Continuum. Some saving up might be appropriate..

[@SydneyDunk]

Fantastic!

[@AndEcho]

Super cool video! Thanks! I love my Linnstrument and I really hope it catches on sales wise.

[@NakulKrishna]

AndEcho man I love pad based isometric layouts. Have you had issues with it? I’m thinking of going for the linnstrument 128 as I don’t feel my seaboard block is for me.

[@AndEcho]

nakul krishna No issues at all. I have the 128 and I’ve never regretted not getting the bigger brother.

[@NakulKrishna]

AndEcho that’s great to hear, I’m going to go for it. It’s not too finicky to set up with daws or 3rd party plugins? I mean any more than other mpe instruments

[@AndEcho]

@@NakulKrishna No its not. Basically plug and play.

[@NakulKrishna]

AndEcho cool, thanks a lot! Going to start saving up.

[@holografik3327]

beautiful ending ! awesome

[@ridvankornaz]

yes yes oh yes :O) we need some more jams :) awesome

[@hudahekizzy8402]

Nice collab by people who know how... awesome.

[@marknesium]

The Continuum is in it's own league! Unfortunately price-wise, too! :D I like the layout of the Linnstrument, got my eyes on it!

[@patrickbodine1300]

The Continuum is tops on my list of things to purchase when I win the lottery. Just sayin'...

[@marknesium]

​@@patrickbodine1300 actually got myself a Linnstrument a few days ago and I love it!

[@louadmurphy2587]

Continuum is a beast. The sensitivity and expressiveness of an acoustic instrument + unlimited versatility in term of sound if you are enough creative with patches you create for it. It's way more than a controller and the amount of research and technology behind this thing justify the price.

[@SzilvayPeter]

What a jam at the end!

[@TommyGreen333]

Such a sick jam!

[@darrenirwin]

awesome jam

[@christopherlynch4347]

Cool jam at end

[@ThomasHerlofsen]

Someone shouls hire them for soundtrack work. Awesome.

[@GaryR55]

The layout of the Continuum reminds me of Thumbjam.

[@JohnSmith-pn2vl]

what a wonderful video :)

[@KamilaSisu]

It would be nice to feel the power of Seaboard Block in this video too... It's smaller version, yet still very very powerful 🔥 🤩 🔥

[@kirill2525]

its kinda dumb imo, you pay 300$ for a remote and their block wich is kinda a half assed. id rather get the keossolater

[@HeartcoreMitRA]

@@kirill2525 Can't get enough of playing my block. It's awesome that you can carry it with you and play in any place just with your phone and small JBL-like speaker. The sounds is awesome and control is great!

[@grproteus]

wow the jam at the end sounds great. Got some Journey vibes at 29:00.

[@macronencer]

Instruments that sing! Very cool.

[@alexandrakaidan-berry9647]

I had an arduino! My ex wouldn't buy me parts at the time so I gave it up! Thought I would inherit my mom's programming skills!

[@ReNewSelf]

Super cool demos!!! One should also include Geoshred among these....

[@MRSMITHENTOP]

You deserve a lot more subs

[@FanaticDrummer]

I have no idea why Haken Audio wont approach a major company like Native Instruments or vice versa to mass produce the Continuum Fingerboard at half the price point. it blows the seaboard away and if Haken doesnt get it out there someone else is going to knock them out which is finally happening over 15 years later. I’ve always wanted one, and a half board for $2k is totally reasonable. Not $5k. Eventually touch screen controllers will become more frequent and more mesh options will be available for less than the Continuum. They need to get with a big player or Native Instruments (who just got a 51mil investment mind you and I would much rather see control it) and bring this to the masses. Polyphonic is the future of midi controllers. It has been since 2005 but no one wants to take charge now that the tech is caught up. These companies are sleeping on a gold mine. Whoever grabs this (concept) will change the game just like Roli attempted to do with a lower priced product (because the design was cost effective) but it feels inferior to a fingerboard. People want and need this, but not for $5k, which is why its still unknown. If someone does buy it out, you’re welcome lol. I need to be a shark lol Products exist out there that need to be refined and then capitalized on, like all great inventions or ideas were. Honestly Native Instruments would be the perfect investor to take over the Continuum. Full integration with their software and custom polyphonic instruments which would open up a whole new world for them. I mean come on, they would kill the game if the continuum was $3k or less with FULL support of the Matrix integration into Kontakt. Im a drummer but always wanted a continuum as a second instrument. I would love to get one if they were more reasonably priced instead of being custom ordered from a small company. Its a genius instrument, it just needs to grow.

[@truecuckoo]

At least now they’ve just started collaborating with Expressive-E with the new Osmose keyboard alternative with the same Continuum sound engine. That has been met with huge enthusiasm. I hope that this collaboration will eventually see a refresh to the Continuum and bring it to the factories to make it more affordable and refined in the process. When I’m meeting the two companies it’s what I tell them every time... 🙏🏼

[@kirill2525]

idk i dont really like the haken, i just like the seaboard much more. its not flat lol controlls seem better and i just like how the whole thing is. i cant decide between the linnstrument and the seaboard

[@shitmandood]

I'd love to have all of those.

[@Doctormix]

Wow

[@Eidraify]

So so nice

[@thoughtFormMax]

Slide over so Roli guy can fit! Great discussion and jam :)

[@adiariel6726]

very very cool jam! wish i could afford a CONTINUUMIN

[@kabood777]

cuckoo man, great informative video, thank you so much!

[@truecuckoo]

Thank you so much! Glad you liked it.

[@kabood777]

@@truecuckoo 👍❤😊👌

[@ruxiwang9571]

the future of midi!

[@compfox]

Stange idea of Thomann, to use this 50s`s abandoned house for studios.

[@DG-ss1gc]

If you lean to guitar , get the Linn , it can be later it many ways but it’s default I believe is in 4ths , like a guitar.

[@cheyennefiennes8302]

I can’t wait for you to get in a fender bender watching iPhone 17 titanium practice videos

[@tranceangel7480]

This is really awesome. The Continuum sounds amazing and it reminds me of Chinese traditional music. Can you please put a link to the cartoon you made with the background music. I love cartoons and that one looks great. Thanks!

[@truecuckoo]

Thanks! This the animation I made: Tindra´s Light - kzbin.info/www/bejne/hYHYdZtsYryaY9E

[@crimsun7186]

Continuum Fingerboard, LinnStrument, Seaboard Rise - EXPENSIVE instruments.

[@aardvarkmindshank]

Cool.

[@peen2804]

Seabords are so ridiculously attractive

[@marizuokereke7347]

Great video. Is your animated story available to watch?

[@oneatekay8910]

That jam thooo.

[@andersgenell1306]

Solstickan ftw!

[@Nightmare1up00]

Jam at 26:00 ...Its beautiful....listen

[@honer777]

If only roli build quality was the same level as the rest of those

[@Planthier76]

Hi, I'm currently considering a setup for microtonal music production and would love to get your opinion. My idea is to use the Lumatone for its precise microtonal harmonic capabilities for just intonation and 31 EDO. For the more expressive and individual parts, I'm considering either the Linnstrument or the Continuum. I'm looking for an instrument that can add maximum expressivity (like a violin or trumpet) but also be capable of handling different microtonal intervals. What would be your advice or recommendations on this? Do you think one of these instruments (the Linnstrument or the Continuum) would be better suited for this type of setup? Thanks in advance for your help!

[@jamesdonnelly8888]

Instant instant like

[@lewisjones6952]

What animation software you use that was sweet

[@stanz7193]

Is there any one that you can just plug and play with NO computer or midi host ect?

[@JeffCfreeradiorevolution]

Could I use the Continuum as a Cat Scratch pad too?

[@tuesdaynightmachines]

Oh geez, I’m sweating just from reading this. Imagine seeing your cat with an innocent face in front of your scratched-up Fingerboard 😅

[@truecuckoo]

I’ve heard that Edmund Eagan’s cats sometimes try to get his attention by subtly scratching the continuum, haha.

[@FunkTree]

Linnstrument all way, but guy who operates linnstrument is NOT prepared

[@ssfnathotmail]

wish i had these- sensel morph gets me close for $200!

[@cheyennefiennes8302]

God I love you

[@FanaticDrummer]

I feel like the Roli guy was totally into the Fingerboard. Who isn’t? lol

[@JeffCfreeradiorevolution]

Damn.. I’ll take all 3... just gotta rob a couple banks!

[@thisjustin77]

lol atleast save up and buy the roli seaboard. its worth it

[@epic454545]

beautiful sound on fingerboard!!!!really want to know what vst is it~~~!!

[@s3th3d]

"yeah, yeah" cit.

[@truecuckoo]

🤣

[@adriandonal]

Someone send the continuum to Ryuichi Sakamoto please, he will create masterpiece album with it :D

[@OliverBusse]

Please freeze the last part on a track and publish it!

[@solidoxx]

Wow cuckoo was SO stoned :))

[@truecuckoo]

Not sure why you’re jumping to conclusions, my friend. If you knew me, you would’ve known that I’ve never done any form of drugs or even been drunk in my whole life. That’s just who I am. No offence. But you don’t know me, so you’re jumping to conclusions… based on what exactly? Your own experiences?? This session was a very nice meeting between the three of us. And I think we all remember this day very clearly.

[@solidoxx]

@@truecuckoo Sorry, didn't mean to offend, you just seemed that way to me, obviously based on my personal experiences. Didn't mean to imply it wasn't a nice session, looks like it was, I definitely enjoyed it. Keep up the good work!

[@kaislate]

Wait.. there were Roli representatives alive in 2019? I thought they were all Order 66-ed. RIP.

[@cheyennefiennes8302]

How many of you work at apple