Superbooth 2025: Expressive E Osmose 2.1 is a free firmware update for the MPE synth featuring new effects and support for Loris Synth resynthesis.
The Osmose is one of the most innovative synthesizers and MIDI controllers of recent years. This is because it features a newly developed 3D keybed, which, in addition to note on/off, velocity, and polyphonic aftertouch, can also capture gestures (such as shakes and strums), turning them into MIDI data.
The synth has been on the market for a few years now, and the engine continues to grow with every free update. Ahead of Superbooth 2025, Expressive E has released firmware 2.1 for the Osmose. It’s one of the most exciting firmwares the developers have released to date.
Expressive E Osmose 2.1
The new firmware 2.1 for the Osmose Synthesizer is a free update for existing users. Once updated, you can benefit from major new features on the synthesis side and workflow enhancements.
Expressive E Osmose 2.1 is based on the EaganMatrix DSP engine 10.52 update, which has been available to Haken Audio product users since March. Now it’s also being used in Osmose 2.1
New EaganMatrix Synth Engine Feature
The new update adds a new analog-inspired pulse-width modulation (PWM) oscillator to the synth engine. This could only have been a feature request from Nick Batt of Sonic State, or are there other people who love even more PWM sounds?
Then the mangling options have been expanded and improved considerably. The synth engine (EaganMatrix) now features two new, distinct 24dB ladder filters: one based on a transistor and another on a diode characteristic.
Per voice, it also now hosts a bit crusher, a Tanh non-linear distortion/saturation, and a new pitch shifter using delay. To make the sounds more beautiful and high-quality, the developers have completely reworked the end-of-chain global effects algorithms.
Alongside updates for the existing effects, you can explore a new lush-sounding, extra-long reverb, and a drive mode for the existing compressor to add extra spice to your sounds. Expressive E says that the new Osmose 2.1 is the most significant DSP update, tailored for analog-style sounds.
There is one downer. These new synthesis features can be tweaked only through the EaganEditor computer software, not on the hardware. Good news, there are also new features on the hardware.
New Hardware Features
In standalone mode without the attached EaganMatrix editor, you can explore three new additions in your Osmose. First, you can experiment with 80 new presets with fine-tuned macros, reflecting the rich and warm new analog-style sound of the engine update.
Further, the new tanh saturation is available in the synth tab, which can be adjusted to add subtle to very prominent saturation. Also, here, you can find the new long reverb, featuring a specific convolution model and longer diffusion settings.
Another welcome update is the upcoming new overlays for the EaganMatrix editor, simplifying its workflow. Instead of a single, uber complex editor, they are introducing a suite of specialized editors, each designed for specific types of instruments. Electric pianos, guitars, wind instruments, and analog synths—each gets its own dedicated interface.
For example, the new virtual analog editor will offer traditional controls for oscillators, filters, envelopes, and LFOs. I would have preferred a completely new editor without the MaxDSP structure, one that clearly and straightforwardly offers everything, without requiring a degree in higher mathematics. At least we now get something simpler, finally.
There’s more exciting new stuff for the Osmose, but you need to be open-minded to dive deep into the Eagan Matrix engine.
Loris Synth Support
Earlier this year, Christophe Duquesne, one of the developers at Haken Audio, released the Loris Synth, a standalone resynthesis software for the EaganMatrix engine. It’s a $89,99 separate purchase or a free LE version to try out, but it’s worth it for anyone who wants to experiment deeply with sound.
Loris Synth, a software developed for Hans Zimmer and the film Dune 2, allows you to build new additive banks from samples for the EaganMatrix’s additive synthesis. You load the samples, whether vocals, drum loops, or other sounds, into the software.
In the next step, it analyzes your samples using various methods, which turn them into additive partials. Up to 40 additive analyses grouped into 4 decades can be imported into the EaganMatrix.
From these analyses, you can craft new patches in the editor, which can then be imported into the Osmose hardware. This add-on engine significantly expands Osmose’s sound spectrum.
At SynthFest France, Christophe showed me how to create new, expressive additive sounds from vocal samples. Very fascinating, by the way: the second GUI in the picture is one of the new overlays that will also arrive in the EaganMatrix editor.
First Impression
If you add Loris Synth to the new Osmose 2.1 update, it’s the biggest leap Osmose has made so far. The additional additive power is honestly very nerdy stuff, but it expands Osmose with very unique, original additive synthesis sound capabilities.
Without it, the new Osmose 2.1 remains an impressive, comprehensive update that enables many new sonic manipulations. Thanks for the update!
The Expressive E Osmose 2.1 firmware update is now available for free download. The new overlays for the editor are coming soon. Loris Synth is available on the Apple Mac App Store and Windows Store for $89,99. A free Loris Synth LE version is on the Haken Audio website.
More information here: Expressive E
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Thomann
Hi! With all these changes, I would like to understand if the old presets will still sound the same.
the old features are still there so yes