ROLI's administrators were appointed on 20 October. Its website and Discord are now offline, and customers have no word on refunds. If your Seaboard still powers up, the apps, firmware and accounts around it are the parts most likely to disappear first, and you can save some of them today. This guide covers what is known, what to back up, how to chase an unfulfilled order, and how to decide between keeping, selling or switching.
What is reported, and what is not
The reported facts are few. According to MusicTech's report, ROLI emailed customers on 2 November to say two insolvency practitioners were appointed joint administrators on 20 October. The report names Damian Webb and Joe Barry of RSM UK Restructuring Advisory LLP as joint administrators of Luminary Roli Limited. It also says the ROLI website is offline with all products unavailable, and the company's Discord server is offline too.
Customers on Reddit and other forums describe missing orders, no refund information and no delivery dates. One user says they have waited since October 2025. The report adds that ROLI went into administration once before, in 2021.
Everything else is unknown, and nothing below fills those gaps with guesses:
- Whether refunds will be paid, and to whom.
- Whether the administrators will sell ROLI's assets, and whether a buyer would keep supporting the products.
- How long companion software downloads and firmware servers will stay up.
- Whether any specific unit (Seaboard Block, Lightpad Block, Airwave) works fully without the company's apps. MusicTech's report only says the ecosystem depends heavily on companion apps for connecting and configuring settings.
None of this guide comes from hands-on testing. Where a step depends on how your own unit behaves, test it yourself today.
Do this today: protect your current setup
Work through these in order. None of them cost anything.
- Download every installer you can still reach. Open any ROLI download page or in-app update link that still loads and save the full installers for your operating system. Include standalone apps, plugins and any sound packs you own. Copy them to an external drive and to a second location.
- Copy what is already installed. Look in your Applications or Program Files folders and your plugin folders (AU, VST3, AAX) for ROLI items. Copy those folders too. An installed copy is no substitute for an installer, but it may save you if the installer is gone.
- Save firmware, if you can find it. Firmware usually arrives through a companion app, and MusicTech's report does not say whether the files can be extracted or stored. Do not factory reset or re-flash anything just to test this. If your unit works now, leave its firmware alone.
- Record serial numbers and order details. Photograph the serial label on each device. Save order confirmation emails, invoices, payment receipts and any support ticket numbers as PDFs. You will need them for a refund claim, a dispute or a resale.
- Screenshot settings and presets. Capture your pressure, glide and slide mappings, MIDI and MPE settings, and any custom presets. Export preset files where the app allows it. If the app dies, the screenshots show you how to rebuild the setup in a DAW or synth.
- Test the hardware without the app. With the app closed, plug the unit in and check whether your DAW or synth sees it as a MIDI device and whether MPE data arrives. Do this while the software still works, so you know your fallback. Note the result in a text file next to your backups.
- Freeze the machine. Hold off on major operating system upgrades on the computer that runs your ROLI gear until you have a working backup. Consider a full disk image. Old drivers and apps are the most fragile part of this chain. This is an inference from MusicTech's point that ROLI gear depends on companion apps, not a documented ROLI limitation.
- Bounce what matters. Record MPE performances as MIDI with MPE data, not only as audio. MIDI clips can drive another controller's synth later.
If you are waiting on an unfulfilled order
The reports describe orders ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars, with no refund guidance. Waiting quietly is not a strategy, so take these steps in parallel. For more on this, see read about massive xl upgrade: is it worth it for massive x owners?.
Contact your payment provider first
Call or message your card issuer or payment provider (PayPal, a finance company, a bank) and ask about a dispute for goods not received. Dispute windows are limited and vary by provider, country and payment method, so ask for the deadline in writing.
In some countries, paying by credit card gives extra protection. Ask your issuer whether that applies to you, and do not assume it does.
Register with the administrators
The administrators named in the report are the proper channel for company-level claims. Search for RSM UK Restructuring Advisory LLP and the entity name Luminary Roli Limited, and look for a creditor information page or contact address. Send your order number, payment proof and contact details.
Customers with unfulfilled orders are often treated as unsecured creditors in insolvencies, which usually means a slow process and uncertain recovery. That is general background, not a statement about this case, so confirm it with the administrators or an independent adviser.
Decide whether to wait
If your payment provider offers a dispute and the window is closing, file it. A recovered payment beats a product that may never ship, or may ship with no software support. If you paid by a method with no recourse, register your claim, keep your records, and treat the order as at risk.
Keep, sell or switch: a decision table
The table covers units you already own. Software-dependency risk is a judgment drawn from MusicTech's point that ROLI's gear relies on companion apps. It is not a tested result. This pairs well with our guide to moog model 112 vs 210: which synth amp fits your rig?.
| Use case | Software-dependency risk | Keep if | Sell or switch if | Main tradeoff | |---|---|---|---|---| | Live | Higher. A failed app, driver or OS update mid-set is costly | Your rig is locked down, tested offline and you carry a backup controller | You need a unit you can reinstall or replace with certainty | Expressive playing versus no vendor support if something breaks | | Studio, DAW-based | Moderate. You can record MIDI and move on | Your unit sends clean MPE to your synths with the app closed (test it) | The unit needs the app running to work, or your OS is about to change | Existing workflow is intact, but resale value may fall as news spreads (inference) | | MPE-only workflow (sound design, patches built around one controller) | Highest. Your sounds and mappings depend on one device | You have saved presets, installers and MIDI recordings | You cannot rebuild your sounds on other hardware | Switching costs time to remap, but waiting costs more if support ends | | Waiting on an unfulfilled order | Not applicable yet | You can afford to wait and your payment is protected | You can still get a refund through your payment provider | A refund now versus a device with uncertain support |
The practical call: if your unit works offline in your DAW and you have the backups above, keep using it and stop buying anything ROLI-related. If you need it for live work, add a second controller before you rely on it again. Sell only if the device sits idle. Used prices could move once the news spreads, but that is an inference, not a market observation.
MPE alternatives to check
This article quotes no figures for any alternative. Treat the list as a shortlist to verify against each manufacturer's own product and support pages.
Also read: context: best stem separation tools for sampling: how to choose
Controllers worth checking include the Expressive E Osmose, Roger Linn Design's LinnStrument, Haken Audio's Continuum, Embodme's Erae Touch and Sensel's Morph. Check each one for current availability, because company health matters as much as specs after a collapse like this.
What comes from documentation (verify on the maker's page): MPE support, supported connections (USB, MIDI, CV), power requirements, dimensions and weight, software requirements and supported operating systems, and warranty terms.
What needs hands-on verification: key or surface feel, pressure and slide response curves, latency in your DAW, how well your favorite synth handles its MPE data, and long-term durability. Spec sheets cannot answer these. If you can, try a unit in a shop with a return policy.
What to expect next
Expect slow, partial news. Administrators typically report to creditors on a schedule, so a creditor update may arrive before any answer about refunds or product support.
MusicTech's report mentions a new user-run Discord server aimed at free and open-source workarounds. It may produce usable tools, but treat them as unofficial until they have a track record. Keep your backups in two places, check your dispute deadline this week, and revisit the keep, sell or switch decision once there is real news on the company's assets.
