It’s a keyboard, with parts of a hammer-style motion. But it surely’s additionally gestural, with per-note articulations. And now, it’s greater than only a preorder idea. Expressive E’s Osmose is right here, full with artist backing from Paris to LA to Chennai India, Jean-Michel Jarre to Flying Lotus to A.R. Rahman.
And yeah, that’s A.R. Rahman of Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours fame and the likes of J3PO and Tarik Azzouz (suppose Jay-Z, DJ Khaled, and many others.).
The story thus far
However artists apart for a second – the Osmose actually is one thing particular. We’ve seen expressive, per-note articulations on MPE-compatible devices/controllers. For grids, there are glorious decisions just like the Linnstrument. For steady contact areas, you’ve gotten the Madrona Labs Soundplane (at present a little bit arduous to get) and the Haken Continuum (simpler) and the Joué (good different to the discontinued Sensel Morph).
But when your arms have keyboard chops, decisions have been harder. Positive, there was the much-hyped ROLI Seaboard and household, however these occupied a sort of controller uncanny valley. There’s a keyboard structure, relatively than a totally fluid floor or grid. However you don’t get keyboard motion, which to an skilled participant makes these extra like taking part in a mattress pad than a piano.
The Osmose was, from the beginning, one thing completely different. It owes its lineage extra to among the early experiments in augmented keyboards than the present era. The thought – start with the kinetic feeling of a keyboard, however add further articulations {that a} piano or harpsichord or organ can’t.
And it feels nice. It performs like a piano – even arguably extra satisfyingly than numerous synth actions, with the satisfying mechanical sensation of taking part in a live performance grand with all of the resistance and tactile suggestions that entails. However then you definitely uncover all types of further dimensions, for bending pitch or sculpting sounds. And I solely performed a late prototype – Expression E inform me they’ve been arduous at work on refining these particulars as they transfer to manufacturing, even versus what I noticed.
What you get now, they are saying, is the end result of a protracted strategy of working with preorder clients and artists with a whole lot of on-the-spot exams and suggestions from gamers.
Manufacturing arrives
It’s three devices in a single, all backed by a keyboard handbook with 49 full-sized keys with “3D management”:
- A standalone synthesizer, powered by the EaganMatrix sound engine from Haken (already designed from the bottom up for this sort of management, on the Continuum)
- An MPE MIDI controller, for taking part in all of your favourite MPE-ready {hardware} and software program synths (yeah, I have to replace my information)
- A traditional MIDI controller if you want it
It’s a 24-voice digital polysynth, it’s obtained USB and MIDI DIN, and all in a strong however simply luggable 8.3 kg bundle.
Preorders for really early adopters have been operating for a while now. However now, the primary orders are arriving – the primary batch late in 2022 and now early backers shipments “repeatedly.” They are saying they’re navigating a resurgent pandemic (oh, don’t I do know it), and inflation (yup) and element points (the factor that retains us all up at evening now), however orders are flowing.
You couldn’t truly get on that preorder listing for some time; now you possibly can once more.
Value, regardless of inflation, is locked in at: $/€1,799
Extra specs:
- Sound engine with subtractive, DM, bodily modeling synthesis (varied approaches), 500 manufacturing facility presets, 128 person reminiscences – this sounds actually nice out of the field, and it’s enjoyable to play it with this completely different interface
- Assignable mod and pitch sliders
- MPE arpeggiator (yeah, about time!)
- Strain glide
- Digital stereo results: reverb, mod delay, swept echo, analog echo, LPF and HPF delay
- Large colour show
- 9 push encoders
- 2 steady pedal inputs (macro or maintain)
- macOS/Home windows editor software program
I’m actually eager to mortgage one for assessment when one is offered. That is nonetheless a grand piano, so it undoubtedly is a little western (ahem), however there’s additionally actual potential to provide hybrid devices that mash-up that keyboard paradigm with different taking part in and tuning and inflection. (Will dig into that extra quickly.) It’s additionally good to see not simply western white dudes, although the gender spectrum right here appears fairly skewed on this first batch.
In movies
Oh yeah, and if you happen to can’t afford an entire keyboard instrument proper now or need to increase what you’ve already obtained, the Touché from Expression E that got here first remains to be accessible – even discounted.
The SE mannequin even obtained a bit worth minimize: [links to resellers are affiliate links]
Expressive E Touché [Sweetwater]
Expressive E Touché SE [Sweetwater]
Expressive E Touché [Thomann]
Expressive E Touché SE [Thomann]
And for extra on Osmose and preorder particulars:
https://www.expressivee.com/2-osmose
Osmose preorder [Sweetwater]
Osmose preorder [Thomann]
