[4] It has what the manufacturer calls "5D technology" which consists of five types of responsiveness to player actions: "strike", "glide" and "press", front to rear movement "slide" sensitivity, and release–velocity "lift" (RISE keyboard only).

There are three Seaboard models: the small minikey BLOCK (24 keys), the RISE (25- or 49-key versions), and the GRAND, an 88-key keyboard with an onboard sound engine.

Effects units in Equator include ring modulation, EQ, chorus, delay, reverb, bit crusher, and distortion.

[8] Seaboard is designed to work with non-Seaboard music software programs such as Ableton Live, GarageBand, and Native Instruments' Kontakt, among others.

With the glide fader set to higher positions, a palm gliss produces a true glissando, and moving between two notes while maintaining pressure creates a trombone-like microtonal pitch bend sound.

As the faders have a range of positions, a variety of intermediate response effects are possible, such as having a small amount of pitch bend.

Users must install a software suite, including a utility program called ROLI Dashboard for RISE and the company's synth engine, Equator.

The performer can create crescendos and obtain a breath controller sound that resembles a bowed string or wind instrument.

The Seaboard digital keyboard's creator, Roland Lamb was "...inspired by waves", in particular by the way that they are "...both continuous and separated into discrete sections — the peaks and troughs".

[9] Lamb sought to design a digital keyboard that allowed performers to play "individual notes, but also explore the spaces between them."

Lamb believes that the current world of music-making is "problematic if not broken," with people failing to properly address the need for versatile digital instruments.

Lamb notes that critics made the same comments about his Seaboard designs; he thinks that in time, musicians will become more comfortable using the soft-surfaced instrument.

[13] Paul Miller's review of the BLOCK for Verge callis it "...multi-dimensionally expressive, a little hard to learn, and now available in a much more portable and affordable" format.

[14] Miller states that with the free Seaboard app, the "...hardware just makes the controls more accessible, expressive, and tactile.