Roli Lightpad Block Manual page 9

4.1 Learning How to Play the Lightpad Block
Once connected to NOISE, you can play the Lightpad Block and hear NOISE responding to 5D
Touch. The surface of the Lightpad Block mirrors the NOISE display and can be used to play
NOISE.
Each NOISE preset features a grid layout, colour palette, and demo phrase associated with it.
The demo phrase is a musical demonstration of what can be achieved with BLOCKS. It can be
accessed by pressing the 'Learn' icon for each preset to see and hear the phrase being performed.
As the phrase plays back, the notes which are being performed appear simultaneously on both
NOISE and the Lightpad Block. The corresponding pads illuminate and each of the notes are
displayed as a circle of light that expands and contracts respectively as more or less Press is
applied. Glide and Slide articulations are simultaneously displayed as light trails.
4.2 Five Dimensions of Touch or 5D Touch
The Lightpad Block is a multidimensional instrument that lets you modulate sound through Five
Dimensions of Touch. NOISE is optimised to respond to these dimensions of touch. Through
simple movements and gestures, you can shape sound easily and discover new modes of
expression. The icons below depict the Five Dimensions of Touch on the Lightpad Block. The
Five Dimensions of Touch are:
Strike: The velocity and force with which a finger makes contact with the Lightpad Surface.
This dimension of touch corresponds to MIDI velocity on a standard keyboard.
Press: The pressure applied to the Lightpad Surface after the initial Strike. The Lightpad Block
responds to each moment of continuous touch, transmitting minute variations of pressure to
sound. This continuous pressure-sensitivity allows for swells, fades, and other detailed
expressions.
Glide: Horizontal left and right movements on the Lightpad Block surface. Glide movements
bend and adjust pitch as naturally as on a string instrument, allowing effects such as vibrato and
glissando, all on a polyphonic basis. Glide is typically assigned to pitch.