Kaivo is a synthesizer plugin from Madrona Labs that supports MPE instruments like the Lightpad and Seaboard Blocks. This guide will show you how to set up Kaivo to respond to the Lightpad and Seaboard Blocks's 5D Touch.


ROLI Dashboard Settings

  • Connect your Blocks and launch ROLI Dashboard. 
  • If you're using a Lightpad Block, load the "Note Grid" app and then click the "Edit" button.
  • Ensure that the MIDI Settings in ROLI Dashboard are set as shown below.



We have selected:

  • MIDI Mode: MPE
  • MPE Zone: Lower
  • No. MIDI Channels: 15
  • Pitch bend range: 24 semitones (note: this is different from ROLI Dashboard's default range of 48, as Kaivo has a maximum pitch bend range of 24)


Setting Kaivo to Respond to the Seaboard

Kaivo is a plugin rather than a standalone application, so you'll need to load it within a digital audio workstation that supports multiple MIDI channels per track (for example, Bitwig, Cubase, or Logic).


Once you've loaded Kaivo into a DAW that supports multiple MIDI channels per track, open up Kaivo.

  • Click on the Settings icon and change "Input protocol" to "MIDI MPE."
  • Under "KEY" change bend to match ROLI Dashboard's pitch bend range, 24 semitones, so that Kaivo responds accurately to Glide.
  • after ("aftertouch") receives the Press dimension of touch.
  • vel receives the Strike dimension of touch.
  • y is by default connected to MIDI CC74 when Kaivo is in MPE mode and thus responds to the Slide dimension of touch.
  • Kaivo does not respond to Lift (release velocity).

Now you can assign these sources to modulate the parameters of your choice in your Kaivo preset.


If you'd like to use the Lightpad Block and the RISE Controller app or other MIDI CC app with Kaivo:

  • In Kaivo, set mod cc# to the MIDI CC number in ROLI Dashboard of the controller you'd like to use. For instance, the default CC number of the left Touch Fader is CC107, so you may simply set mod cc# to 107.
  • x is by default connected to MIDI CC73 when Kaivo is in MPE mode, so to use the X axis of the XY Touchpad simply in ROLI Dashboard assign the X axis of XY Touchpad to CC73. If you'd like to use the Y axis, you may use its default value in ROLI Dashboard, CC114, and assign Kaivo's mod cc# to 114.
  • Connect the mod and x modulation sources to the destinations of your choice.


A Kaivo preset edited to respond to the Blocks' 5D Touch and the RISE Controller's XY Touchpad.

Kaivo presets can be processor-intensive, so if you hear glitches make sure that your DAW's buffer size is set high enough.