ROLI Airwave: 10 Wild Workflows for Expressive Control

The ROLI Airwave is introduced as a controller designed to elevate expressive keyboard performance and unlock new sound design territory. The video wastes no time, jumping straight into how the Airwave’s gestural controls can be mapped to various keyboard patches, giving players the ability to shape sound in real time. This isn’t just about velocity or aftertouch—gestures like air raise, tilt, and flex are leveraged to manipulate parameters that would otherwise require menu diving or multiple hardware controls.

Sound design gets a unique twist as the Airwave is shown building patches where gestures bring in different harmonic layers, almost as if the performer is physically playing the overtone series. The workflow here is direct: assign gestures to sound engine parameters, then perform. The video emphasizes how easily the Airwave integrates with VSTs, suggesting a flexible architecture for layering and modulating digital synths with nuanced, continuous input.

The Airwave’s creative potential is pushed further as the video explores advanced arpeggiator manipulation and modular integration. Using custom Max for Live devices, the Airwave can scan through arpeggios in a harp-like fashion, demonstrating how gestural control can create new performance gestures for digital instruments. This is not just a MIDI controller—it’s a workflow enabler.

Perhaps the most striking example is the integration with modular synths via MIDI-to-CV conversion. By pairing the Airwave with the Univer Inter module from Noise Engineering, the video shows seamless mapping of Airwave gestures to control voltages, enabling expressive, visually engaging modular patches. This bridges the gap between the digital expressiveness of ROLI’s ecosystem and the tactile, voltage-driven world of Eurorack.

Midway through the video, viewers are invited to participate in a contest by sharing their own wild MIDI control ideas for the Airwave. This challenge is a clever way to crowdsource new workflows and inspire experimentation, reinforcing the Airwave’s role as a platform for creative exploration. The manufacturer’s openness to community input suggests a flexible, evolving approach to controller design.