Rediscover keys with Expressive E's Osmose next-gen MPE synth
Osmose is the new standard for musical expressivity
KEYS WEEK 2023: Expressive E is a French electronic instrument manufacturer, whose mission is to improve the way musicians interact with sounds by creating a much more intuitive and powerful music-making experience. The company's goal is to allow a seamless connection between artists and their instruments.
Expressive E has created the award-winning Touché and Touché SE MIDI controllers, as well as the Arché physically-modeled instrument range, and multiple creative soundbanks, including the MPE Collection.
Now Expressive E has developed Osmose, its first standalone hardware synthesizer.
Expressive E Osmose
The new standard for musical expressivity
With Expressive E Osmose you use intuitive gestures to control this standalone synthesizer and upgrade your playing and production skills. Press, bend, shake, strum and more to interact with keyboards and electronic sounds in a new organic way.
Whether you’re a veteran keyboardist, a workflow-oriented producer, a daring sound designer, or anything in between, Osmose will take your musical journey to uncharted places.
Behind the expressivity of Osmose lies a few natural gestures you already know well. Discover how they interact with Osmose and enhance your musicianship from the very first touch.
Explore the Augmented Keyboard Action
Developed by Expressive E, the Augmented Keyboard Action (A.K.A.) is the technology inside every key of Osmose. It offers a seamless connection between every gesture played by the musician and the resulting sound. This means that despite being an electronic synthesizer, Osmose feels more like an acoustic instrument to play. Press, bend, shake, strum, and more to create sounds that are truly yours.
Sound is produced as soon as you brush the keys, with an incredible level of nuance and dynamics. Past a certain pressure threshold, a new sound variation is triggered, with tremendous level of control and dynamics. Add vibrato to notes and bend them by intuitively shifting keys from left and right. Each key’s pitch variations can be independent.
Expressive E designed Osmose’s keybed to pick up every gesture and performance nuance.
Enter the EaganMatrix
A sound engine was required that could interpret motion with the same degree of precision. The EaganMatrix continuously analyzes gestures and processes this data instantly to intimately control synthesis parameters. This allows for an organic connection between the player and the instrument, similar to a player’s interaction with an acoustic instrument.
EaganMatrix is a digital modular sandbox that offers a large palette of sounds. From virtual analog to FM synthesis, to physical modeling and more, Osmose displays an infinite landscape of unique, wild acoustic and electronic sounds. Every gesture and articulation can modulate various parameters of the synth engine in innovative and unexpected ways.
EaganMatrix is a laboratory of synthesis, made of unique building blocks for you to assemble creatively. If you want to go further with the sound design, the powerful EaganMatrix can be edited via the Haken Editor (Mac/PC) software. Built to create advanced sound design for continuous instruments, the haken Editor goes far beyond classical modular systems by putting the 3 control parameters of A.K.A at the heart of the sound design process.
Osmose Connectivity
Osmose features various connectivity options to help you in live and studio settings. The Osmose back panel contains L/R 1/4” jacks, two pedal inputs, a MIDI In/Out combo, and a USB port. A headphone jack socket with its own volume control is also featured on the front panel.
Proudly designed in France, Osmose boasts a stealth black casing and signature key stems that will both please crowds and stand the test of time. Made out of rugged materials and assembled in a solid glueless design, Osmose is a road and studio-ready instrument.
Osmose Sustainability
To make Osmose more sustainable, Expressive E laid out a complete eco design plan, taking all steps of its lifecycle into account.
Osmose is therefore made of 66% recycled materials. Its components are assembled without glue, meaning Osmose can be disassembled completely with only two commonly-found screwdrivers. Expansive resistance procedures were conducted to test the product in tough contexts . Finally, an auto-diagnostic tool was developed for Osmose to help solve customer support requests more efficiently and reduce unnecessary shipments.
Get more information about Expressive E Osmose here.
Looking for more great keyboard gear and technique articles? Get all our reviews, news, features, tutorials, tips and more at our Keys Week 2023 hub page.
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