Expressive E caused quite a stir when they released the Osmose, making the sort of expression that was once reserved for pad- and ribbon-based controllers available on an instrument with a more conventional keybed. Recently, the company added a larger 61-key model to their line-up, and their latest announcement sees the introduction of two new MIDI controllers based on the same unique keybed technology.
Osmose CE
Available in 49- and 61-note versions, the Osmose CE is described by Expressive E as “a new generation of MIDI controllers”. As you might have guessed, the new additions deliver the same playing experience as the original, but without its onboard synth engine. The keybed is exactly the same as the flagship instrument, allowing the CE offerings to deliver the same playing experience as their Haken Engine-equipped siblings.
Rather than simply providing MIDI support, though, the company decided that the Osmose’s unique capabilities warranted purpose-built companion software that allows users to get the most out of the controller. So, the new additions to the family come paired with Ctrl-e, an application which carries out an array of routing and configuration behind the scenes, presenting users with a large collection of sounds that are already fully optimised for the Osmose keybed.
Everything has been designed to work straight out of the box, with users able to navigate sounds, filter presets, adjust macro controls and manage their favourite sounds directly from the controller. The Osmose CE offers the following:
- 900+ expressive presets.
- Dynamic preset browsing with intuitive filtering.
- Eight pre-mapped macros per preset.
- Deep hardware/software integration.
Expressive E have teamed up with some of the world’s top virtual instrument developers, with Ctrl-e boasting content from the likes of Synapse Audio, AAS, Kilohearts, GForce, Dawesome and Vital, and offering an array of synthesis techniques including physical modelling, wavetable, analogue modelling, hybrid and digital.
MPE, MIDI & DAW Integration
The Osmose CE has been designed to work with both MPE and standard MIDI instruments, with Ctrl-e removing many of the complexities that are often associated with expressive controllers. It also includes a number of performance tools that can be operated directly from the keyboard itself, including an MPE-capable arpeggiator and Press Glide, a unique performance feature that makes it possible to trigger glides between notes based on pressure.
As for DAW integration, the new controller currently offers support for Ableton Live 12+, Cubase 15+, Bitwig 5+ and Logic Pro 12+, where it delivers the following:
- Transport controls
- Track and device navigation
- Mixer control
- Ctrl-e macro access
- Automatic DAW detection
Pricing & Availability
The Osmose CE is available to order now, priced as follows:
- Osmose CE 49: $€999
- Osmose CE 61: $€1199
