Superbooth 21: Expressive E showed its innovative MPE controller & Synthesizer Osmose to the public for the first time, here is an in-depth first look.
Two years ago, Expressive E announced Osmose, a MIDI MPE keyboard, and Synthesizer that promises to take the expressivity to a new level.
The development took a long time but it is slowly coming to an end. A final release date is still pending. Journalists and the regular audiences alike could finally play it for the first time at Superbooth 21.
Expressive E Osmose
Osmose is a MIDI MPE controller and a full-featured Synthesizer in one. It uses a patented A.K.A. mechanism where each key can deliver 3 dimensions of control with polyphonic pressure, aftertouch, and pitch control. Plus, you get an inspiring MPE arpeggiator, pressure weighted portamento… giving even more options. Unlike in other MPE controllers (Seaboard, Linnstrument …) you get this expressivity built into a classic keybed. Thus, piano and keyboard players can benefit from this creative extension right away
Osmose is also a fully-featured Synthesizer with tons of synthesis power. It comes with Haken Audio’s powerful EaganMatrix sound engine featuring virtual analog, FM synthesis, physical modeling, and more.
Expressive E Osmose First Look
The first touch is special, unusual, but also familiar. Sounds strange, but that’s how it is. Osmose feels like a classic MIDI keyboard, but if you go deeper, the magic comes out. How you can move sounds in different directions, articulate them … is spectacular. Every key is a sonic experience.
I don’t like the word, but what Expressive E is developing here is game-changing. It will make composing a lot more expressive and deeper. Soundtrack composers will have a lot of fun with this, I’m sure. I did an in-depth first look of the Osmose at Superbooth 21. You get all information, background info, tech dive-ins, sounds, and answer to questions from the community.
Expressive E Osmose will be available in Q4 2021/Q1 2022 for 1799€. Those who pre-ordered two years ago will continue to benefit from discounts of up to 40%.
More information here: Expressive E
To be honest, it looks like another mix match of a controller ?♂️ What is it’s feature that meets the needs of serious music producers ?
to be honest, you need to experience the Osmose yourself to judge it. It’s something completely different. For me, the three dimensions of expressivity speak for themselves. You can not only play the notes but also bend parameters with each note…Musicians always search for new ways to interact with sounds. That’s definitely here the case for me. Plus Osmose is a complete multi-engine Synthesizer (VA, FM, physical modeling…). Serious music producers is a funny word, I prefer sonic explorers 😉
It’s not meant to “meet the needs of a producer”, it’s meant for musicians.