Expressive E is making its Osmose MPE keyboard (comparatively) more affordable by ditching the synthesizer and making it a simple MIDI controller. The new Osmose CE comes in two sizes, 49 and 61 keys, for $999 and $1,199, respectively. Now, $999 is pretty expensive for a MIDI controller, but it’s far less than Osmose’s $1,799 starting price. It’s even a pretty good deal when pitted against its closest competitor, the $1,399 Roli Seaboard 2.
For those unfamiliar, the Osmose is one of the most unique synths on the market. It looks like a standard piano-style keyboard, but its keys move back and forth, allowing you to coax gentle bends out of it like you might on a violin or guitar. Plus MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression) means each note can have its own velocity and timbre, making it one of the most expressive keyboards on the market. Hans Zimmer even turned to an orchestra of Osmoses to score Dune 2.
For Osmose CE, Expressive E is putting aside the idea that Osmose is a standalone synthesizer and building tighter integration with desktop software, including a new Ctrl-e suite that collects over 900 presets designed to highlight the keybed’s capabilities. Osmose CE also has tighter DAW (digital audio workstation) integration, giving you some control over Ableton Live, Bitwig, Cubase, and Logic Pro straight from the keyboard.
Expressive E plans to bring the new software features of the Osmose CE to the original Osmose synth in a future firmware update. But current owners will also get access to the Ctrl-e suite, so they can start exploring the new presets.