ROLI Airwave

Last updated: 26 October 2026

What the Airwave actually is

Physically it is an arch. A weighted base sits behind or under a keyboard, and a slim rectangular frame rises off it, 369mm tall, with the camera looking down at your hands. It is 221mm wide and 122mm deep at the base and it weighs 812g, so it is a desk object rather than something to carry loose in a bag.

The camera does hand tracking rather than face or body tracking. It follows finger positions in three dimensions above the keys and turns those positions into MIDI. ROLI call the underlying technology ROLI Vision, and the musical part Spatial Expression.

Two products in one box

ROLI sell the Airwave twice, on two pages, to two readers. The difference matters when you are deciding whether to buy one.

For creators, it is a controller. Connect it to a ROLI Piano, a ROLI Seaboard or any other MIDI keyboard and you get gestures ROLI name Air Raise and Air Tilt among others. Air Raise adds intensity as the hand comes up, which is the conductor gesture. Air Tilt works like turning a knob without a knob. Both are continuous, and both are yours to map to whatever you like.

For learners, it is a teacher's eye. Paired with a ROLI Piano or Piano M and the ROLI Learn app, it puts your own hands on the screen as you play, so it can tell you that you used the wrong finger rather than only that you hit the wrong note. ROLI quote a teacher's line about it in their own marketing: "Basically, 100 percent of your time when you practice, you're going to practice correctly now."

Same hardware, same £299. Which one you are buying depends entirely on what is in front of it.

The ports do more than you would expect

There is a headphone socket and a class-compliant audio interface built in, so the Airwave is the thing you plug your headphones into rather than a box that only sends data. A 3.5mm pedal input takes a sustain pedal, with a 6.3mm dongle in the box because most piano pedals use the larger jack. Two USB-C ports handle data and power, and a magnetic port connects ROLI's own hardware without a cable running across the desk.

The 65W power supply is the tell that this is not a bus-powered accessory. It needs mains, and the block is multi-region, so it travels if you do.

What ROLI's bundles actually save you

The Airwave appears in six of ROLI's eight bundles, and five of those six save nothing at all. The prices are the exact sum of the parts.

Only the Seaboard 2 pairing saves money, and ROLI mark that one with a 15% badge. For every other combination, buy the keyboard first, live with it, and add the Airwave later at exactly the same total.

The 20% referral, and its conditions

ROLI's refer-a-friend scheme runs through Mention Me and our link gets a new customer 20% off, which ROLI's own landing page calls its best introductory offer. It is not a click-and-save code: you enter an email address on ROLI's site and they send the voucher.

The discount is for a first order only. You must be new to ROLI and over 18, the voucher lasts one month from issue, and it cannot be combined with another discount code in the same order. Requesting a refund on that order cancels the reward. Mention Me process the data.

On a £299 Airwave that is £59.80 off, bringing it to £239.20. Because it applies to the whole basket, it works on a bundle just as well, so it does not change which combination is the cheapest route to the same kit.

Get 20% off your first ROLI order

Buying it in the UK

ROLI sell it directly and there is no first-party ROLI instrument on Amazon UK to compare against. What Amazon carries under ROLI's name is cases, covers and third-party power adapters, most for products ROLI stopped making years ago. None of it is the instrument, so buying direct is the route.

Free shipping and free 30-day returns apply, and the warranty runs two years. A camera-based instrument is exactly the sort of thing to try inside a returns window, because whether gestural control suits you is not a question specification sheets answer.

Honestly, the reservations

Three things to weigh before spending £299.

Desk space and light. It is a 369mm arch that has to sit behind your keyboard with a clear view of your hands. On a crowded desk that is a real constraint, and a camera needs the room lit.

The learning side needs a subscription. Paired with a ROLI Piano for lessons, the useful configuration is Airwave plus keyboard plus ROLI Learn at £8.33 a month. Price the whole thing rather than the box.

Gestural control is a taste. Waving a hand to shape a sound is expressive for some players and a gimmick to others, and nobody knows which they are until they try it. The 30-day return exists for that.

ROLI Airwave FAQs

What does the ROLI Airwave do?

It tracks your hands above a keyboard with a camera and turns their position and movement into musical control data, which ROLI call Spatial Expression. Paired with a ROLI Piano and the Learn app it does the opposite job, showing your hands on screen so the lessons can correct your fingering.

How much is the Airwave in the UK?

£299 direct from ROLI, with free shipping, free 30-day returns and a two-year warranty. A first-time buyer using a referral link pays £239.20.

Do you need a ROLI keyboard to use it?

Not for the creator side. ROLI state it connects to ROLI Pianos, ROLI Seaboard or any other MIDI keyboard. The learning features are the part that expects a ROLI Piano or Piano M, because those have the light-up keys the lessons drive.

Is a subscription required?

Only for ROLI Learn, the lesson service, which starts at £8.33 a month. Using the Airwave as an expressive controller needs no subscription, and ROLI Studio comes in the box.

What is in the box?

The Airwave, Airwave Player and ROLI Studio software, three USB-C to USB-C cables, a 65W multi-region power block, a sustain pedal dongle, a USB-C magnetic adapter, a quick start guide and a two-year warranty.

Can you buy the Airwave on Amazon UK?

No. Amazon UK carries no first-party ROLI instrument. Searching ROLI there returns cases, covers and generic power adapters, most of them for discontinued models, so buying direct is the only sensible route.

Does it have a headphone socket?

Yes, a 3.5mm TRS headphone output, and it works as a class-compliant audio interface, so it can be the only thing between your keyboard and your headphones.

More from CoolCuration

• ROLI Seaboard M: the five-dimensional controller the Airwave adds another five dimensions to.
• ROLI Piano M: the light-up keyboard the Airwave turns into a lesson.
• Gifts for technology lovers: the full guide, for people who want the new thing to actually be new.
• Analogue Pocket: another object that treats old hardware and new manufacturing as one problem.
• Service guides: plain figures on subscriptions, including what the second year costs.

Prices, stock and offer terms change. Everything here was checked on 6 September 2026 against ROLI's Airwave page for creators, the Airwave page for learners and the ROLI creator collection, which carries the full price list. The referral terms come from ROLI's own offer terms, administered by Mention Me. This page contains a referral link and CoolCuration may earn a reward if you buy through it, at no extra cost to you. Read our affiliate disclosure.

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