someoke might be ... and this is just me spitballin here.... an ok dog name for a husky or something like that. or a cat named husky? wait what are we talking about?
Out of curiosity, do you have an opinion on what took the industry so long to get around to improving key expression in new and novel ways? It seems like there was a point in time where a lot of companies just stopped doing R&D for those types of innovations. Was there a logistical, manufacturing, or technological hurdle that wasn't overcome about those ideas until recently,? Or did it really just take a passionate team of experienced people like yourselves to come along with a clear vision to make this happen? Because the corporate world of big synth production really doesn't care to innovate that much anymore, it seems. Kudos on this fantastic synth, prohibitively expensive for someone like me but it seems absolutely phenomenal.
Nobody really mentions this, but playing the Osmose in a live band context is just another level. I'm playing with it in a jazz/fusion band and accompaning the singer with the ability to be as much expresive as she has led to some of the most musical and beautiful moments I've had in a band. While I really should try the eagen matrix more, I get so much satisfaction just from three/four sounds that it doesn't even bother me. I mean, a flute player can't change preset and yet it never bores you because of the expresivity of tje instruments. I feel like it's the same here.
that's cool and I guess I agree, but does this imply the piano is not as expressive as vocals or a flute? I'm learning to play the piano and that's a genuine question
As an early backer for the osmose, this synth has made it very easy to breathe life into what I am playing. The most amazing feature isn't the wiggling but the continuous sensing of position, allowing to play the sounds on both layers of touch & aftertouch instead just triggering an envelope. I bought a few synths in the past, played them, recorded them, and got bored. It felt like I always had to put more work into the post processing, the osmose changes that. It's just the best
It really is a blast and super satisfying! I especially like that it can easily make the little things play a major role and becom the center of an entire track. However as you can perform you also must perform. It is closer to recording an acoustic instrument in this as well, and miles away from the usual MIDI synth-workflow, where you can edit things after the fact. One can't overemphasize that the expression is coming from the player and not the instrument in the end. I showed it to my mother, a professional violin player. She listened for a while and then said she wasn't sure, if this should be called vibrato. She was a bit more impressed when I removed the stabilisation. But still, there are levels to this and you won't sound like a professional string section trying to replicate with each finger what individual musicians trained for decades. Then again you have to love how approachable musical expression with the Osmose is. It really doesn't need much prior music education to enjoy. Kids love it instantly and so do people who not playing an instrument. I also (have to) love that you really dont need to be a pianist to perform with it (it would definitely help though ;). I do also notice that I am spending more time mixing it in comparison to synths, again a bit like mixing acoustic instruments.
I was an early backer, and convinced the Osmose would be a game changer too. Had mine since beginning of January, made two videos and then barely used it since. The Eagan Matrix editor is a bit too convoluted and cumbersome for me to devote enough time to figuring out, the UI could use an entire higher layer of simplification somewhere between the main editor and the Osmose onboard preset tweaking. The expressivity is incredible, and feels amazing to play for those like me who prefer real keys. Just be aware, as great as the sound engine is on this thing, you're pretty much stuck with those or slight variations. I really should pull it back out of storage and give it another chance I guess.
Have you used it as an MPE controller for some of your other synths yet? I find I use it probably more as a controller for my GS E7 than for the actual inbuilt sounds! It's wonderful for ambient big synth pad improvisations with a good MPE compatible module.
@@MilesAwayOfficial have you used it much with the OB-6? I’ve got it working, but I can’t seem to find useful mappings of initial and after pressure-usually just one or the other. Maybe MPE on the G7 is more flexible than the OB-6?
@@MilesAwayOfficial I've not really given it enough time for using it as an MPE controller for other synths. I did try it as a controller via Bitwig for controlling ITB synths but ran into issues and so wasn't very impressed, but some of that may be due to user error. I'll try again soon and see if it works well with maybe my Iridium Desktop. Anyway, my little rant wasn't really aimed at the Osmose's capability as a controller, it wasn't really my main purpose for it since I don't really have the space for it to be a permanent part of my setup (and I still prefer my NI S88 for most of my production). Maybe I can somehow fit it in yet.
As a cellist primarily, this is exactly the synth I want - natural vibrato (I absolutely hate using pitch bend wheels for vibrato) and expressive pressure per note, mixed with the creative power of the Eagenmatrix. I love Andrew Huang's demonstration at the power of the arpeggiator, which most demos don't discuss. The whole package will resonate with people who see themselves as instrumentalists rather than synthesists, and I think it will also encourage synthesists to explore more technique alongside patch building. And frankly, for all you are getting the US price of $1,800 seems more than reasonable. Which is why this is my first major hardware synth purchase.
It'll be interesting to know how it maps to the SWAM cello - Don't know if you use it but SWAM is the very best in expressive orchestra. The second best cello for me is Virharmonics updated Bohemian Cello.
@@Garflips I am indeed very interested in hearing how it will interact with virtual instruments like these! For clarity, when I said cellist primarily, I meant a physical one! 😊 I only bring it up because I find how I approach synths and music is heavily influenced by having a strings instrument as my sort of "native musical language" - that is, it definitely affects how I think about textures, chords, melodic content, and so on. And for me, the Osmose looks like a controller and synth that will allow me to really explore those sensibilities in ways I love. And I am *very* curious how Osmose plays with other modelled instruments! Sadly, I think I've heard that the pressure glide feature doesn't translate to other software, as it is processed internally on its own engine.
@@bricelory9534 I have an electric and an acoustic cello myself, though I'm primarily a guitarist and I play some keys. I have two K-Board Pros I use with SWAM Cello and it works great to control vibrato as well as timbre and bow attack - of course the parameters you assign are up to you. I hope to post some videos soon showing my setup which has reached a point where I think others might gain from some of my experience.
@@cellokid5104 totally worth it! I was able to buy one, and I absolutely love it. It's interesting because basic keyboard skills translate of course, but I've found that being a cellist (or other strings player) I think makes bringing out the expressiveness of the Osmose easier than it is for trained pianists - they have a larger hurdle of having to rethink how they play the keyboard, where the expressiveness makes sense with our primary instrument very well.
As a child I used to sit at the piano with my grandfather (Armand Acierno) as he would sing and play - my first musical inspiration in life. He essentially grew up in "Acierno's Thalia Theatre" in NYC in the 1910-20's (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowery_Theatre#Later_management) and knew a great repertoire of classics. As I sat with him, I would try to play along and always tried to sustain and add vibrato to the notes by wiggling my fingers. He's gently say "Oh Richie, that doesn't do anything." When I saw the Osmose for the first time, in my mind I was immediately back at that piano with Grandpa, and I wanted to transport him into the future so he could play all the classics with more expression by using the Osmose! Grandpa was also into ham radio op (KD2AT!) erected an antenna taller than his house in the back yard, and had racks full of gear he used to talk to people around the world with -- both with speech and morse code. I remember tuning the oscillators on his morse code keying device. He was the perfect electro-musical inspiration for me. While he passed in 1991, I wish he were still around so we could jam and I could show him all the cool synth tools that I have today! I miss you grandpa. xoxo Apologies for the rambling emotional tangent, but thank you for refreshing such wonderful memories with your video, Benn!
This reminds me of when Soviet Womble played Boneworks and kept talking about how much he wished he could show his grandpa this tech. Don't apologise for such a nice story!
- Correction: Expressivee is no longer taking orders. Perfect Circuit is your quickest way to get one (+ affiliate link, wee) link.perfectcircuit.com/t/v1/S0BERUlFSUBFR0VGRkdATEpITA?sid=242334&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.perfectcircuit.com%2Fexpressive-e-osmose.html - I'll be doing my first Haken Editor/Eaganmatrix stream this thursday on my streaming channel here: ruclips.net/user/liveOeWqvTpv1Og?feature=share - In the meantime, here's an entire channel dedicated to eaganmatrix programming: ruclips.net/channel/UCbLVeRNRaGubdyhHGkCn5tQvideos
I'm part (a minor one) of a team at the Canadian Museum of Science & Technology that is working on a functional replica of the world's first true voltage controlled synthesizer - the Electronic Sackbut, invented by research physicist Hugh LeCaine, here in Ottawa, between 1945 and 1948. While the original is here in the collection (along with over a dozen and a half other synth inventions of LeCaine's), it is not in any sort of playable form. But it had aftertouch and lateral keyboard-sensitivity for monophonic vibrato by wiggling keys. I mention it because Ed Eagan, a local, is also part of the team, and we're using a pair of Eaganmatrix modules for the sound engine, as well as handling the many performance controls the Sackbut employed. Not quite an Osmose, the Sackbut anticipated a lot of things we wouldn't see showing up in commercially available products for another 20-50 years. I like to joke that LeCaine was kind of the Charles Ives of the synth: working completely in a vacuum and presaging what was to come decades later . His notes suggest that he was aiming for a tool with the instantly expressive control of an acoustic instrument.
@@markhammer643 Oh man! That's really exciting! I've never met Ed, but he did the score for a doc I worked on named FLicKeR. I'd love to meet him one day, and now I'm very excited about the re-invention of the Sackbut!
@@inchoate As am I. The goal is to have something that musicians could book time with, and perhaps record. We've tried to keep true to as much of the original, both cosmetically and technically, as is possible, replacing some things with more contemporary tech where necessary and feasible. LeCaine didn't have even a fraction of the technology available to the the Expressive E folks, when he came up with the keyboard design. It has been a nightmare to keep functioning. I set it up nice and playable on a Monday, and by Wednesday it's making random notes. As near as we can tell, it used a resistor ladder, but if I understood correctly, the exponential change was not in the oscillator itself, but rather in the resistance-change per key. So there are various trimmers across the 49 keys, to adjust for proper intonation. That, and the reliance on tubes and big honking capacitors, made for a fairly unreliable device. Great when it worked...when it worked. Though using a reconstruction of the original keybed built for the project, we're using a more standard 100R resistor ladder and the MFOS single-bus keyboard controller board to generate a gate and 1V/oct CV, and driving the Eaganmatrix boxes with that. I doubt we'll exploit the full power of the modules (and there is *GOBS* of power there), but as an MPE-compatible device, it should handle all the performance-controls admirably. Sadly, although we have a surfeit of LeCaine's notes, and some audio recordings of the unit, in addition to many B&W photos of him using it, there is no filmed footage of him performing with it, so the audio-visual connection is hard to make, especially with respect to the left-hand finger controls for shaping timbre and formants as the right hand plays the keys. But it's an absolute honour for a synth dweeb like myself to be attached to this, and see where the roots of something like the Osmose begin. I feel like those paleobiologists that found the near-intact baby mammoth in the ice, recently.
I hope this synth is going to be a huge commercial success. I am not an affiliate in any way. I just wish this type of creative approach to audio gear spreads among other gear producers, and then hopefully we are going to see a plethora of next gen innovative instruments. Fingers crossed. Actually, the way OSMOS keyboard works, fingers crossed make a lot of sense.
I know very little about music theory cant play a piano or any other instrument besides drums but hearing you play this makes me want to to buy one and learn
I've built a synth as my engineer grad work. It was a passion project and the reason I've made my youtube channel. The one feature I've never found a way to implement was a aftertouch that was simple to build. The Osmose has a two dimensional aftertouch and I would love to see how it works. Shame I can't afford one for it costs the same as my car lmao! Great video as always Benn!!
A relatively simple way to implement aftertouch, like it was done on the DX-7, is a resistive, pressure sensitive bar underneath the keys' lower end. It changes resistance upon applying pressure to it, acting as a global aftertouch control for all notes. A more modern way could be implemented using weight cells for super precise control or simple pressure sensitive pads spread out under the keys. A keyboard using rubber dome tactile switches can in principle be used to measure pressure, as the resistance of the dome contact changes based on pressure as well. Little known is, that the PS3 controller actually did this with every button to provide analog input not only on the thumbsticks and triggers, but it was very rarely used.
@@nrdesign1991 The electronics part is quite obvious if you think about it. Strain gauges are basically the only way to do it. Problem is: I could not find a way to make it work with my mechanical keys. And making it 2D makes is even harder. I don't own a 3D printer so making everything at home is not a solution...
@@madrigo Get your hands on some Velostat. If you've ever etched your own circuit boards, you're already in good shape. Velostat film over PCB contacts connected to a voltage source + ground reference can provide both XY control and velocity measurements. For further education, Alternate Mode pioneered a lot of this type of triggering tech in the 80s with their FSR-based MalletKat and DrumKat percussion sensing units.
The Osmose has these long black bars continuing at the back of the keys. Maybe you can use left and right of the center offset narrow angle leds and photodiodes to measure movement into each direction?
One thing I found frustrating (although a very interesting surprise!) while playing the Osmose is that, as a classically trained pianist who has never had to think about vibrator on the keyboard, I hit keys from whatever angle the shape of my hand and the topography of the keyboard will allow. When playing wider chord voicings this has meant that my fingers hit the keys at slight angles, making my chords automatically out of tune. Definitely something that I adapted to after a bit of playing my friend's Osmose, but something I found prohibitive rather than expressive in some scenarios. I don't want this feature "forcing" me to play more compact chord voicings. Aside from that, I really enjoyed it and it felt like the coolest musical toy ever made.
That's a really good point. One work around, depending on what you're using it for - is if you're working on chord specific work is to turn the stability up to max or near max, so you can hit the notes any old how and get them in tune. You lose expressive vibrato, but it can be worked with melodic lines in another pass. Obviously a workaround - but it might be an option, depending on workflow. (I mention this all not because I don't think you've thought of that, just for the sake of others who might not be as familiar with it)
i think it has an option to where you can’t access vibrato until you fully press the key into the key bed, idk if that would help with your problem tho
Nobody ever had to think about a vibrator on a keyboard that way. This is completely new, the vibrating is always done with a side-control wheel, not the keys! You may see key players doing the wiggle thing but it doesn't do anything. I'm happy it does now :D
@@rtmwzd the Osmose currently is only available in 49 keys, I believe. I suspect a larger one will be very expensive and price out most people. You can split the Osmose keyboard, and can set the range of the split, but I don't know if both sides have unique sensitivity settings, so I don't know if that would help much for the proposed issue.
I recently saw a really cool video by Steve Mould on the topic of acoustic cameras. By using a bunch of well-placed microphones and clever algorithms, it's possible to accurately visualize where sounds are coming from, as well as how they bounce around and interact with the environment. Watching more of your videos, this topic seemed right up your alley! I'd love to see a video not only on the science behind it, but maybe you could try to make one for yourself!
Curious, are you familiar with Lyricon, Nyle Steiner, EWI/EVI, Yamaha WX7, etc. Okay, the Lyricon was cost prohibitive...but those other devices were very expressive and generally successful. Those are wind controllers where you can modulate whatever controls using breath as you play/phrase. Very organic. The challenge is WX7/EWI basically appeal to woodwind players who are also into synths and the EVI brass players who are also into synths. There's also a lip bend that's very natural if you're a wind player for vibrato and pitch bends. A more natural vibrato where the rate isn't fixed. I find those types of controllers are super expressive, but it does help if you're a wind player. The breath/hand coordination is a very natural thing for wind players.
I was lucky enough to take a DSP class from Lippold Haken in grad school, but didn't realize he was a big deal at the time. Really nice guy, extremely passionate. There were so many cool labs there messing around with the continuum keyboard - I remember being totally blown away by the expressivity at the time but as a student was obviously scared off by the boutique price tag. Really exciting to see that team get their tech into an accessible commercial product.
The osmose is one of those synths that make me sad that I never found out about it sooner so I can be a backer for the thing. Love this thing and I hope to own one some day.
Also worth noting that wasn't discussed here - the Osmose is a very functional MPE MIDI controller, so it works with all your favorite MPE synth engines alongside the EaganMatrix.
@Dead Dials Maybe we won't be beaten by conciousness, but by intelligence. And that shit's growing exponentially fast. I mean, I'm still not scared of A.I. but fascinated. But I think things will go very weirdly very fast in our lifetime.
your videos always just put the biggest unconscious smile on my face. I'll be sitting and listening to your demos with the biggest grin that anything gives me. listening to your voice and explanation of whatever product you're reviewing or whatever you're explaining in the video or even just you talking about something that you're passionate about. it's all amazing. the demo at 5:55 sounded so much like the rain world OST it was really amazing to hear that just come out of one instrument. keep on doing what you're doing. videos like these are inspiring for anyone who watches them even if it is just a product review
coming back again - I absolutely LOVE the bowed metal patch at 19:31 - it has a perfect sort of believable physicality mixed with some great synth sounds. I absolutely love it!
Well, this Osmose has a score to settle with ‘Dune III’ I think. Haha. No, this is really a properly sensible implementation of decent expression ideas and you’ve explored it nicely so thanks Benn. I still want 5 mod wheels to my left, but this is quite something. My rheumatologist might hate it though - then again, 80% of the strength of your joints turns out to be the soft tissues, which will get built up by using this, so hey, not as bad as I first thought. A very worthwhile and usable device, just wondering what it means for MIDI signals into a DAW synth, how reactive/integrated that will be. I am hoping a soft synth will accept all the wiggles, as the inbuilt synth does? Take care all.
Very beautiful stuff. I can see artists coming up with material where you hear and feel the mastery of the instrument and sound combined. i mean even your performance is breathtaking. This is awesome interface specially for physical modeling sounds, i feel.
I'm planning on saving up for an Osmose as it's very appealing to me as some one who got a huge chunk of her initial musical training on a brass instrument and got used to the kind of expressive control brass and woodwind instruments bring with them and it's something I've had a hard time replicating with synth. Also given the price of most larger MPE controllers in general it's a good deal as you also get that Hakken synth engine that sounds so lovely for what ends up not being a ton more than a just MPE compatible controller.
Can you share your thoughts on it after a year now? I'm uncertain if this would be a gimmick or something I would actually play every day. There isn't a lot of content regarding long term use, how it's changed, where it falls short, where it improves, etc etc.
when I first saw the Osmose my jaw dropped. This is something a lot of us have literally been waiting our whole life for, I'm certainly excited to see where this tech goes in the future.
it was already invented, and for some reason shelved.. BEFORE we were born. 1948 - Inventor Georges Jenny Demonstrates the Ondioline ruclips.net/video/hy5w7Fz0pDo/видео.html
I recently opened for Janel Leppin using the Osmose. Both her and Anthony Pirog (her husband) were asking about it. It is a beautiful instrument that is honestly revolutionary. I have played with the linnstrument extensively, and while it is a great instrument in its own right, the Osmose was kind of perfect in a way I cannot describe fully. The beautiful thing is if you know both keyboards and string instruments, its beautiful. I do think though there are straight up keyboardists who don't quite get it yet and play it like a straight up keyboard, or only bend the last note. As supposed to a string instrument player where you will often bend multiple notes at once, which the Osmose allows you to do. Likewise the polyphonic after touch aspects are a little lost on them, again they play it like it only has channel aftertouch. Again...I played a linnstrument before and play double bass...its keyboard, but it really isn't like a keyboard that should be played like a piano. Again you grasp what its going for, and I think other people who play string instruments as well do. Again, I love the Osmose. I need to explore it more with some of my other MPE synths too. Its basically perfect. Only thing that would make it better is a ribbon of some sort.
I don't care for the sound engine (sounds good, just useless for my particular application), but I like the control/form factor. Do they have any plans for a controller only version? I don't like to pay for things I will def not use.
I haven't heard anything regarding just a controller. That being said, there are 100s of factory presets, so even without going into sound design it might have the sounds you use already. I honestly don't know how to go exploring for that, as I haven't seen someone walkthrough every preset, but I have seen a pretty wide variety of sounds beyond the string, flute, and bell tones that are common early demo sounds. Keep your eye open, as tracks using it might come out that have the sounds you're using.
I was lucky to be a day one preorder on the osmose and have been enjoying it past couple of months. You did a nice balanced intro on this for those who were not already aware. Bravo for name pronunciations. 👍🏻🎹
After playing the electric guitar for about 20 years and learning to play keys and synths for about 2 years I always do these smooth movements with my fingers like I do on the guitar. This should be perfect for me. Thanks for playing it on your channel!
Happy to see more MPE synths expanding the field, but I think I still prefer the linnstrument for me. I really appreciate its bass/guitar style layout over a piano style due to (me playing more bass than piano, and) its consistent chord structure and its far easier to slide notes. It appears to be more expressive than the Osmose (having x,y,z + strike and release velocity). Also great for those learning scales as you can set its light patterns to highlight root notes and the most common scales (or customize your own light layouts). Doesn't have internal sounds, but the free synth SurgeXT is its official synth package and I personally love using Equator2 with it. It has some amazingly lush sounds tailor-made for MPE playing.
I have a linnstrument as well and love it to death and play it almost every day, but I also still like using a keyboard as a different configuration that I tend to express differently on. So this still feels like an upgrade I'll have to get one day.
@@politesociety makes total sense. It's good to have options. I was originally really drawn to the seaboard 2 (and strongly considered getting one) until I saw the linn's layout.
@@ChrisCypher I also wanted the seaboard but when I got my hands on it I didn't like the feel. I like the lack of travel on a linnstrument as I generally like to play pretty softly. I have a shorty version, but have sometimes wondered about getting the longboi as it would be nice to set up splits in a less cramped way.
@@politesociety yeah, I could see the squishy keys being tough to learn. But I have to say, it's definitely a "sexier" instrument than the linn and has more vertical axis (which can be a good or bad thing depending on what you're trying to do). yeah, I have the linnstrument 200. I figured, if I'm gonna be paying this much anyway, I may as well go all out and get the longboi. ha. I'd rather have the space and not need it, than start playing and wish I had a bit more space.
I've started to get back into music after years away, thanks for more motivation here. I recently discovered your channel and I'm enjoying how eclectic it is.
as an old product specialist for yamaha back in the gx1 cs80 days, there was a prototype keyboard that allowed you to wiggle the keys for vibrato or other user settings, and poly aftertouch. ive also seen capitative touch keys that allowed you so move your finger on the key to user settings. this is a good step. we're still using bob moogs original keyboard layout with mod and pitch wheel.
Had one since since about Hogmanay and very recently sold it. Wonderful and unique to play but I realised I didn’t have the time to really learn how to get the most out of it. I’ve become more of a grid guy and by pure luck, Ableton brought out Push 3 within days of the sale. Much happier with that. Also owned a touché too. I’m a big fan of MPE devices but tried most of them and seem to struggle with them!
Ok, that's it. Now we have to connect. I am in the Atlanta area as well and my Osmose is right beside me. The most fun with a synth I've had in years. Great video!
I've been watching about the Osmose for a bit now. This is the first I've learned you can set the "vibrato width". Definitely a selling point and I'll be saving up for one. Thanks!
Nobody mentions the history of being able to move the keys side to side in order to bend the pitch. The Ondioline, an instrument from the late '40s, had this feature (whether it had it in the earliest models, I cannot say for certain). So this is an old concept that has been brought back.
yes. i have mourned the loss of the ondioline for years, since i first learned of it - even though it came and went before i was even born. 1948 - Inventor Georges Jenny Demonstrates the Ondioline ruclips.net/video/hy5w7Fz0pDo/видео.html
What really shocks me is that the Osmose is so much cheaper than other synths, despite being one of the most innovative pieces of gear in the last few years, it's crazy. Thank god it seems to be selling well, so it won't become just another piece of unobtainium after failing to be mass adopted. Now, I would love to see what Benn thinks of the Nonlinear Labs C15. It's way more expensive, and the sound engine isn't anything out of this world like the EaganMatrix, but it also seems a very cool synth also focused on expression.
The amount of different musical landscapes you portrayed in a single video is amazing. This device is the result of amazing interface design combined with brilliant engineering!
It bugs me that Roger Linn doesn't get more credit for his contribution to MPE's existence. I mean, sure, somebody else could have figured it out eventually... but that's not typically the standard we apply to recognizing talent.
@@WorldWideBasementVibes If you prefer keys I would think the Osmose would be your gig, but I am not a native keyboard player, I'm a guitarist and the Linnstrument was certainly a dream come true. Some of the players on YT are amazing! Roger gives personal support, helped me out when I didn't even buy it from him. He is an incredible engineer and human being.
I want one so bad as a lifelong pianist. It seems like a natural evolution to the keyboard as an instrument! Far too pricey for me to ever consider though... Glad it exists either way.
What a fantastic walk through. As a longtime guitarist and shabby keyboardist, I don't expect the Osmose to turn me into a much better keyboardist, but certainly a more expressive one. The EganMatrix engine in the Osmose is of course also also available as a module from Haken.
I think this is really incredible for keyboardists. I am not one but I think the push 3 has a similar sort of expressiveness and I'm glad to see MPE becoming so widespread, even if the instruments are really expensive for now. It should become more standard, less expensive, and common over the years, I hope!
I actually stumbled across one of these at Long & Mcquade last week. not a musician by any stretch, but it pretty instantly had me interested. The key actuation has amazing feel, and the playing feels incredibly intuitive. Some machines will talk to you, and this is one of them. It just says " go slow, be gentle and feel your way the the sound you are looking for."
So cool, however I do wonder about the durability. I've played some keybeds that pretty much killed themselves by just looking at it (*kuch* Native Instruments *kuch*). This looks like something that also has a lot of potential points of failure.
I will be buying one. I've been convinced for a long time that this is perfect for a keyboardist/pianist who longs for more expressiveness. This is by a mile the best exhibition of this instrument I've seen and I look forward to purchasing mine.
Thanks for this video, Ben. I’ve had mine for a couple months now and while I love it for live performance, I’m still a bit intimidated by the Eagen Matrix, so I’m looking forward to your streams!
Brilliant piece of kit. I love the history behind it. I wasn't sure if you covered the Seaboard RISE before, but it feels similar in some ways. Love the showcase you put together for this!
The price of this thing honestly blows me away. It's by no means cheap, but for something which is doing something completely new I would have expected it to be in Moog territory price wise. I find myself ducking out rather quickly when I realise I can't afford a piece of gear and probably never will be able to, but this is absolutely attainable for me. I've watched a ton of videos on the Osmose and haven't heard it made a sound I wouldn't consider using in my own music, it's just beautiful.
Fantastic demonstration video and insightful comments. I believe the term is “self-oscillation” for the caucophony from cranking the feedback parameter on Delay effects. Nice job predicting brilliant future RUclips commenters.
I’m awaiting Osmose with eagerness and excitement. Other than my CS80, and my Haken Continuum, Hydrasynth, which have poly AT (well, the Haken does more). I really cannot of think which synth keybed is designed like this. I cannot even think of one. The Haken Continuum is the only one but you need a completely re-learned playing style to make use of it. With this it looks like you just play intuitively. Amazing. Great video!
Wow! Thank you for this video. I really wasn’t interested in this Keyboard but after watching your video and several other videos, I’m convinced myself that this is going to change the way I write music and also the way people look at synthesis and the way you perform on a keyboard. So now I have to wait till more come in, and I will be ordering mine from Sweetwater, thank you so much.
Just a heads-up, you probably will get it quicker ordering direct. Some retailers tend to post the most optimistic lead times of the "next batch", which would likely already be sold and awaiting shipping. Right now most preorders are for the Nov/Dec batch AFAIK 😁
Holy crap that does seem nice, I hope it becomes a standard feature on keybeds in the future! The sound engine seems really great too. I could see myself easily winding up with way different sounds than my other synths due to the unique architecture and workflow.
I had the opportunity to get one earlier this year but I went with a different hardware synth. A bit regretful but I'm sure the later renditions will be worth the wait. If they come out with a 61 key version that would be golden for me.
It's the most expressive, performative synth I've seen in hardware form, aside from perhaps the Continuum since it's the same engine with a different playing surface and a much higher price. Would love to have either one. I don't use features which require a computer though, especially a non-Linux computer. So I find the Hydrasynth to be a more practical alternative. Cheaper, easier to get, and the engine is designed to be edited via hardware controls instead of a computer. Not as expressive, but still very good and well beyond what I personally need or have the skills for. But if fortune favors me, I'd definitely love to have an Osmose I can play on a daily basis.
the biggest takeaway from this video for me is that i seriously need to learn how to play the keyboard, lol. i get the theory aspects behind the music, but making my sausage fingers translate that into melodies on a physical keyboard is more than i can handle. thankfully modular exists so that i can apply my penchant for sound design into something listenable, but folks with the chops still make me jealous. great video; something i can aspire to.
Sounds like this is the way I’d like it to go. Expressive control and physical modelling engine options with perhaps a system that limits expressiveness and fills in for you, like riding a bike with stabilisers/training wheels? (US?)
I ordered one of these as an earlier supporter. I haven't opened the box yet due to other deadlines. Many, if no most of the demo videos I have seen on this overuse the pitch bend and after touch so it becomes recognizable as too much modulation and must be one of these MPE controllers creating the sounds. The best use I have seen of this if playing say a piano (fender rhodes) on another synth and then playing lead lines on this with the right hand so you can free up what would normally require 2 hands, the left hand being committed to the mod and pitch bend wheels. This allows mod and pitch to be done with one hand. That's intriguing as a player.
![Stromae, Pomme - “Ma Meilleure Ennemie” (from Arcane Season 2) [Official Visualizer]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/1F3OGIFnW1k/mqdefault.jpg)
Find someoke who will look at you the way benn looks at his osmose
Aww Jeremy.. so wholesome :)
someoke might be ... and this is just me spitballin here.... an ok dog name for a husky or something like that. or a cat named husky? wait what are we talking about?
Ohmylord
Osmose you say? That’s also trans.
You had me at MPE...
Oh WOW 🙌 thank you so much for featuring our beloved Osmose. Huge fan of your vids!
Out of curiosity, do you have an opinion on what took the industry so long to get around to improving key expression in new and novel ways? It seems like there was a point in time where a lot of companies just stopped doing R&D for those types of innovations.
Was there a logistical, manufacturing, or technological hurdle that wasn't overcome about those ideas until recently,? Or did it really just take a passionate team of experienced people like yourselves to come along with a clear vision to make this happen? Because the corporate world of big synth production really doesn't care to innovate that much anymore, it seems.
Kudos on this fantastic synth, prohibitively expensive for someone like me but it seems absolutely phenomenal.
@@zoned7609 It's just the cost of a laptop. Seems worth it if you're serious about your production.
Please add CV outs
1948 - Inventor Georges Jenny Demonstrates the Ondioline ruclips.net/video/hy5w7Fz0pDo/видео.html
I REALLY wish I could afford one!
Nobody really mentions this, but playing the Osmose in a live band context is just another level. I'm playing with it in a jazz/fusion band and accompaning the singer with the ability to be as much expresive as she has led to some of the most musical and beautiful moments I've had in a band.
While I really should try the eagen matrix more, I get so much satisfaction just from three/four sounds that it doesn't even bother me. I mean, a flute player can't change preset and yet it never bores you because of the expresivity of tje instruments. I feel like it's the same here.
Please make a video of that!
That sounds fantastic. Yes! Make some recordings to share. Cheers!
I'll try to grab a camera for our next gig :)
Makes total sense!
that's cool and I guess I agree, but does this imply the piano is not as expressive as vocals or a flute? I'm learning to play the piano and that's a genuine question
As an early backer for the osmose, this synth has made it very easy to breathe life into what I am playing. The most amazing feature isn't the wiggling but the continuous sensing of position, allowing to play the sounds on both layers of touch & aftertouch instead just triggering an envelope. I bought a few synths in the past, played them, recorded them, and got bored. It felt like I always had to put more work into the post processing, the osmose changes that. It's just the best
It really is a blast and super satisfying! I especially like that it can easily make the little things play a major role and becom the center of an entire track.
However as you can perform you also must perform. It is closer to recording an acoustic instrument in this as well, and miles away from the usual MIDI synth-workflow, where you can edit things after the fact. One can't overemphasize that the expression is coming from the player and not the instrument in the end. I showed it to my mother, a professional violin player. She listened for a while and then said she wasn't sure, if this should be called vibrato. She was a bit more impressed when I removed the stabilisation. But still, there are levels to this and you won't sound like a professional string section trying to replicate with each finger what individual musicians trained for decades.
Then again you have to love how approachable musical expression with the Osmose is. It really doesn't need much prior music education to enjoy. Kids love it instantly and so do people who not playing an instrument. I also (have to) love that you really dont need to be a pianist to perform with it (it would definitely help though ;).
I do also notice that I am spending more time mixing it in comparison to synths, again a bit like mixing acoustic instruments.
I was an early backer, and convinced the Osmose would be a game changer too. Had mine since beginning of January, made two videos and then barely used it since. The Eagan Matrix editor is a bit too convoluted and cumbersome for me to devote enough time to figuring out, the UI could use an entire higher layer of simplification somewhere between the main editor and the Osmose onboard preset tweaking. The expressivity is incredible, and feels amazing to play for those like me who prefer real keys. Just be aware, as great as the sound engine is on this thing, you're pretty much stuck with those or slight variations. I really should pull it back out of storage and give it another chance I guess.
Have you used it as an MPE controller for some of your other synths yet? I find I use it probably more as a controller for my GS E7 than for the actual inbuilt sounds! It's wonderful for ambient big synth pad improvisations with a good MPE compatible module.
Yeah, you’re actually not stuck to the Eagan Matrix, it’s an incredible MPE controller.
@@MilesAwayOfficial have you used it much with the OB-6? I’ve got it working, but I can’t seem to find useful mappings of initial and after pressure-usually just one or the other. Maybe MPE on the G7 is more flexible than the OB-6?
@@MilesAwayOfficial I've not really given it enough time for using it as an MPE controller for other synths. I did try it as a controller via Bitwig for controlling ITB synths but ran into issues and so wasn't very impressed, but some of that may be due to user error. I'll try again soon and see if it works well with maybe my Iridium Desktop. Anyway, my little rant wasn't really aimed at the Osmose's capability as a controller, it wasn't really my main purpose for it since I don't really have the space for it to be a permanent part of my setup (and I still prefer my NI S88 for most of my production). Maybe I can somehow fit it in yet.
@@tomhallsonics I know that, my issue isn't with the Osmose as a controller.
I'm hardly a musician, and i can recognize how insanely awesome this is.
Like seriously
Me too, as mentioned above, I'd like to see what his mom did with it.
As a cellist primarily, this is exactly the synth I want - natural vibrato (I absolutely hate using pitch bend wheels for vibrato) and expressive pressure per note, mixed with the creative power of the Eagenmatrix. I love Andrew Huang's demonstration at the power of the arpeggiator, which most demos don't discuss. The whole package will resonate with people who see themselves as instrumentalists rather than synthesists, and I think it will also encourage synthesists to explore more technique alongside patch building.
And frankly, for all you are getting the US price of $1,800 seems more than reasonable. Which is why this is my first major hardware synth purchase.
It'll be interesting to know how it maps to the SWAM cello - Don't know if you use it but SWAM is the very best in expressive orchestra. The second best cello for me is Virharmonics updated Bohemian Cello.
@@Garflips I am indeed very interested in hearing how it will interact with virtual instruments like these! For clarity, when I said cellist primarily, I meant a physical one! 😊 I only bring it up because I find how I approach synths and music is heavily influenced by having a strings instrument as my sort of "native musical language" - that is, it definitely affects how I think about textures, chords, melodic content, and so on. And for me, the Osmose looks like a controller and synth that will allow me to really explore those sensibilities in ways I love.
And I am *very* curious how Osmose plays with other modelled instruments! Sadly, I think I've heard that the pressure glide feature doesn't translate to other software, as it is processed internally on its own engine.
@@bricelory9534 I have an electric and an acoustic cello myself, though I'm primarily a guitarist and I play some keys. I have two K-Board Pros I use with SWAM Cello and it works great to control vibrato as well as timbre and bow attack - of course the parameters you assign are up to you. I hope to post some videos soon showing my setup which has reached a point where I think others might gain from some of my experience.
As a cellist, the existence and possibility of maybe being able to buy this in the future, makes me want to learn keyboard
@@cellokid5104 totally worth it! I was able to buy one, and I absolutely love it. It's interesting because basic keyboard skills translate of course, but I've found that being a cellist (or other strings player) I think makes bringing out the expressiveness of the Osmose easier than it is for trained pianists - they have a larger hurdle of having to rethink how they play the keyboard, where the expressiveness makes sense with our primary instrument very well.
The progression at 5:57 is BEAUTIFUL!
not sure about the c major in there
As a child I used to sit at the piano with my grandfather (Armand Acierno) as he would sing and play - my first musical inspiration in life. He essentially grew up in "Acierno's Thalia Theatre" in NYC in the 1910-20's (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowery_Theatre#Later_management) and knew a great repertoire of classics. As I sat with him, I would try to play along and always tried to sustain and add vibrato to the notes by wiggling my fingers. He's gently say "Oh Richie, that doesn't do anything."
When I saw the Osmose for the first time, in my mind I was immediately back at that piano with Grandpa, and I wanted to transport him into the future so he could play all the classics with more expression by using the Osmose!
Grandpa was also into ham radio op (KD2AT!) erected an antenna taller than his house in the back yard, and had racks full of gear he used to talk to people around the world with -- both with speech and morse code. I remember tuning the oscillators on his morse code keying device. He was the perfect electro-musical inspiration for me. While he passed in 1991, I wish he were still around so we could jam and I could show him all the cool synth tools that I have today! I miss you grandpa. xoxo
Apologies for the rambling emotional tangent, but thank you for refreshing such wonderful memories with your video, Benn!
This reminds me of when Soviet Womble played Boneworks and kept talking about how much he wished he could show his grandpa this tech. Don't apologise for such a nice story!
superb. thanks for sharing this.
Imagine if Vangelis had this and was asked to score another blade runner film 🤩
the parallel universe you are describing here is the only parallel universe one would ever actually need
@Cheeses_K_Riced no but it would still be interesting to see what it would have been like...
There is always a vangelis fan boy in every single synth video. Dude, he's overrated as F. Get over it.
- Correction: Expressivee is no longer taking orders. Perfect Circuit is your quickest way to get one (+ affiliate link, wee) link.perfectcircuit.com/t/v1/S0BERUlFSUBFR0VGRkdATEpITA?sid=242334&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.perfectcircuit.com%2Fexpressive-e-osmose.html
- I'll be doing my first Haken Editor/Eaganmatrix stream this thursday on my streaming channel here: ruclips.net/user/liveOeWqvTpv1Og?feature=share
- In the meantime, here's an entire channel dedicated to eaganmatrix programming: ruclips.net/channel/UCbLVeRNRaGubdyhHGkCn5tQvideos
I'm part (a minor one) of a team at the Canadian Museum of Science & Technology that is working on a functional replica of the world's first true voltage controlled synthesizer - the Electronic Sackbut, invented by research physicist Hugh LeCaine, here in Ottawa, between 1945 and 1948. While the original is here in the collection (along with over a dozen and a half other synth inventions of LeCaine's), it is not in any sort of playable form. But it had aftertouch and lateral keyboard-sensitivity for monophonic vibrato by wiggling keys. I mention it because Ed Eagan, a local, is also part of the team, and we're using a pair of Eaganmatrix modules for the sound engine, as well as handling the many performance controls the Sackbut employed. Not quite an Osmose, the Sackbut anticipated a lot of things we wouldn't see showing up in commercially available products for another 20-50 years. I like to joke that LeCaine was kind of the Charles Ives of the synth: working completely in a vacuum and presaging what was to come decades later . His notes suggest that he was aiming for a tool with the instantly expressive control of an acoustic instrument.
@@markhammer643 Oh man! That's really exciting! I've never met Ed, but he did the score for a doc I worked on named FLicKeR. I'd love to meet him one day, and now I'm very excited about the re-invention of the Sackbut!
@@inchoate As am I. The goal is to have something that musicians could book time with, and perhaps record. We've tried to keep true to as much of the original, both cosmetically and technically, as is possible, replacing some things with more contemporary tech where necessary and feasible. LeCaine didn't have even a fraction of the technology available to the the Expressive E folks, when he came up with the keyboard design. It has been a nightmare to keep functioning. I set it up nice and playable on a Monday, and by Wednesday it's making random notes. As near as we can tell, it used a resistor ladder, but if I understood correctly, the exponential change was not in the oscillator itself, but rather in the resistance-change per key. So there are various trimmers across the 49 keys, to adjust for proper intonation. That, and the reliance on tubes and big honking capacitors, made for a fairly unreliable device. Great when it worked...when it worked. Though using a reconstruction of the original keybed built for the project, we're using a more standard 100R resistor ladder and the MFOS single-bus keyboard controller board to generate a gate and 1V/oct CV, and driving the Eaganmatrix boxes with that. I doubt we'll exploit the full power of the modules (and there is *GOBS* of power there), but as an MPE-compatible device, it should handle all the performance-controls admirably.
Sadly, although we have a surfeit of LeCaine's notes, and some audio recordings of the unit, in addition to many B&W photos of him using it, there is no filmed footage of him performing with it, so the audio-visual connection is hard to make, especially with respect to the left-hand finger controls for shaping timbre and formants as the right hand plays the keys. But it's an absolute honour for a synth dweeb like myself to be attached to this, and see where the roots of something like the Osmose begin. I feel like those paleobiologists that found the near-intact baby mammoth in the ice, recently.
I hope this synth is going to be a huge commercial success. I am not an affiliate in any way. I just wish this type of creative approach to audio gear spreads among other gear producers, and then hopefully we are going to see a plethora of next gen innovative instruments. Fingers crossed. Actually, the way OSMOS keyboard works, fingers crossed make a lot of sense.
That overflowing joy chuckle at 3:42 is the Osmose in a nutshell. It happens at least once every time I play. This thing is magical.
$1800? I expected at least $4000 or $5000. That's not a bad price for such an amazing device.
Damn I want one
Yes, that's not much more than a regular pro-level synth that has nothing special about the keys.
Naw, it’s properly priced. 4K would be some monster new 88 weighted key workstation with after touch and all the recording bells and whistles.
SHHHH. dont tell them
just said the same thing
I know very little about music theory cant play a piano or any other instrument besides drums but hearing you play this makes me want to to buy one and learn
I've built a synth as my engineer grad work. It was a passion project and the reason I've made my youtube channel. The one feature I've never found a way to implement was a aftertouch that was simple to build. The Osmose has a two dimensional aftertouch and I would love to see how it works. Shame I can't afford one for it costs the same as my car lmao! Great video as always Benn!!
A relatively simple way to implement aftertouch, like it was done on the DX-7, is a resistive, pressure sensitive bar underneath the keys' lower end. It changes resistance upon applying pressure to it, acting as a global aftertouch control for all notes. A more modern way could be implemented using weight cells for super precise control or simple pressure sensitive pads spread out under the keys.
A keyboard using rubber dome tactile switches can in principle be used to measure pressure, as the resistance of the dome contact changes based on pressure as well. Little known is, that the PS3 controller actually did this with every button to provide analog input not only on the thumbsticks and triggers, but it was very rarely used.
@@nrdesign1991 The electronics part is quite obvious if you think about it. Strain gauges are basically the only way to do it. Problem is: I could not find a way to make it work with my mechanical keys. And making it 2D makes is even harder. I don't own a 3D printer so making everything at home is not a solution...
@@madrigo Get your hands on some Velostat. If you've ever etched your own circuit boards, you're already in good shape. Velostat film over PCB contacts connected to a voltage source + ground reference can provide both XY control and velocity measurements. For further education, Alternate Mode pioneered a lot of this type of triggering tech in the 80s with their FSR-based MalletKat and DrumKat percussion sensing units.
@@DrMackSplackem thank you!
The Osmose has these long black bars continuing at the back of the keys.
Maybe you can use left and right of the center offset narrow angle leds and photodiodes to measure movement into each direction?
One thing I found frustrating (although a very interesting surprise!) while playing the Osmose is that, as a classically trained pianist who has never had to think about vibrator on the keyboard, I hit keys from whatever angle the shape of my hand and the topography of the keyboard will allow. When playing wider chord voicings this has meant that my fingers hit the keys at slight angles, making my chords automatically out of tune. Definitely something that I adapted to after a bit of playing my friend's Osmose, but something I found prohibitive rather than expressive in some scenarios. I don't want this feature "forcing" me to play more compact chord voicings. Aside from that, I really enjoyed it and it felt like the coolest musical toy ever made.
That's a really good point. One work around, depending on what you're using it for - is if you're working on chord specific work is to turn the stability up to max or near max, so you can hit the notes any old how and get them in tune. You lose expressive vibrato, but it can be worked with melodic lines in another pass.
Obviously a workaround - but it might be an option, depending on workflow.
(I mention this all not because I don't think you've thought of that, just for the sake of others who might not be as familiar with it)
i think it has an option to where you can’t access vibrato until you fully press the key into the key bed, idk if that would help with your problem tho
@@bricelory9534
88-keys with a key split feature on that? 🧞♂️ low end solid, top end vibrato
Nobody ever had to think about a vibrator on a keyboard that way. This is completely new, the vibrating is always done with a side-control wheel, not the keys! You may see key players doing the wiggle thing but it doesn't do anything. I'm happy it does now :D
@@rtmwzd the Osmose currently is only available in 49 keys, I believe. I suspect a larger one will be very expensive and price out most people.
You can split the Osmose keyboard, and can set the range of the split, but I don't know if both sides have unique sensitivity settings, so I don't know if that would help much for the proposed issue.
Also love when Benn's face mirrors the sound here with fair precision. Okay gn. {{{ 15:01 }}}
Your prognosis that it could arrive "by Christmas" was spot on! Mine just got here!
I recently saw a really cool video by Steve Mould on the topic of acoustic cameras. By using a bunch of well-placed microphones and clever algorithms, it's possible to accurately visualize where sounds are coming from, as well as how they bounce around and interact with the environment.
Watching more of your videos, this topic seemed right up your alley! I'd love to see a video not only on the science behind it, but maybe you could try to make one for yourself!
3:42 That right there, that is the magic every product designer and marketing rep is hoping to find and make consistently repeatable.
This is all how I have thought about Linnstrument. I'm so glad to see mpe gain more traction.
Curious, are you familiar with Lyricon, Nyle Steiner, EWI/EVI, Yamaha WX7, etc. Okay, the Lyricon was cost prohibitive...but those other devices were very expressive and generally successful. Those are wind controllers where you can modulate whatever controls using breath as you play/phrase. Very organic. The challenge is WX7/EWI basically appeal to woodwind players who are also into synths and the EVI brass players who are also into synths. There's also a lip bend that's very natural if you're a wind player for vibrato and pitch bends. A more natural vibrato where the rate isn't fixed. I find those types of controllers are super expressive, but it does help if you're a wind player. The breath/hand coordination is a very natural thing for wind players.
I was lucky enough to take a DSP class from Lippold Haken in grad school, but didn't realize he was a big deal at the time. Really nice guy, extremely passionate. There were so many cool labs there messing around with the continuum keyboard - I remember being totally blown away by the expressivity at the time but as a student was obviously scared off by the boutique price tag. Really exciting to see that team get their tech into an accessible commercial product.
The osmose is one of those synths that make me sad that I never found out about it sooner so I can be a backer for the thing. Love this thing and I hope to own one some day.
Expressive E should hire you Benn! Your Osmose demo is amazing.
Also worth noting that wasn't discussed here - the Osmose is a very functional MPE MIDI controller, so it works with all your favorite MPE synth engines alongside the EaganMatrix.
A game changer, so much human expression in an era of music that will be saturated with artificiality
@Dead Dials Maybe we won't be beaten by conciousness, but by intelligence. And that shit's growing exponentially fast. I mean, I'm still not scared of A.I. but fascinated. But I think things will go very weirdly very fast in our lifetime.
You’re on fire Benn! Pacing, editing, conceptually and the secret sauce : personal tone. Appreciating you from a long long way away.
your videos always just put the biggest unconscious smile on my face. I'll be sitting and listening to your demos with the biggest grin that anything gives me. listening to your voice and explanation of whatever product you're reviewing or whatever you're explaining in the video or even just you talking about something that you're passionate about. it's all amazing.
the demo at 5:55 sounded so much like the rain world OST it was really amazing to hear that just come out of one instrument. keep on doing what you're doing. videos like these are inspiring for anyone who watches them even if it is just a product review
coming back again - I absolutely LOVE the bowed metal patch at 19:31 - it has a perfect sort of believable physicality mixed with some great synth sounds. I absolutely love it!
Well, this Osmose has a score to settle with ‘Dune III’ I think. Haha. No, this is really a properly sensible implementation of decent expression ideas and you’ve explored it nicely so thanks Benn. I still want 5 mod wheels to my left, but this is quite something. My rheumatologist might hate it though - then again, 80% of the strength of your joints turns out to be the soft tissues, which will get built up by using this, so hey, not as bad as I first thought. A very worthwhile and usable device, just wondering what it means for MIDI signals into a DAW synth, how reactive/integrated that will be. I am hoping a soft synth will accept all the wiggles, as the inbuilt synth does? Take care all.
Watching Benn freeze and just zone out, his consciousness sublimating into the soundsphere, is so zen lol. {{{ 4:26 }}}
15:00 FINALLY, a polyphonic Otamatone!
Very beautiful stuff. I can see artists coming up with material where you hear and feel the mastery of the instrument and sound combined. i mean even your performance is breathtaking. This is awesome interface specially for physical modeling sounds, i feel.
I'm planning on saving up for an Osmose as it's very appealing to me as some one who got a huge chunk of her initial musical training on a brass instrument and got used to the kind of expressive control brass and woodwind instruments bring with them and it's something I've had a hard time replicating with synth. Also given the price of most larger MPE controllers in general it's a good deal as you also get that Hakken synth engine that sounds so lovely for what ends up not being a ton more than a just MPE compatible controller.
Can you share your thoughts on it after a year now? I'm uncertain if this would be a gimmick or something I would actually play every day. There isn't a lot of content regarding long term use, how it's changed, where it falls short, where it improves, etc etc.
The company should feature the best uses of this synth on a Spotify playlist. I'd love to listen. I love just hearing you playing around on it.
Osmose is an absolute banger. The first MPE device that, to me at least, is simultaneously intuitive and expressive.
By far the best demo/review I’ve seen/heard on the Osmose. Well done 👏
Try a breath controller for expression. They’ve been around for over 40 years.
when I first saw the Osmose my jaw dropped. This is something a lot of us have literally been waiting our whole life for, I'm certainly excited to see where this tech goes in the future.
it was already invented, and for some reason shelved.. BEFORE we were born. 1948 - Inventor Georges Jenny Demonstrates the Ondioline ruclips.net/video/hy5w7Fz0pDo/видео.html
I recently opened for Janel Leppin using the Osmose. Both her and Anthony Pirog (her husband) were asking about it. It is a beautiful instrument that is honestly revolutionary. I have played with the linnstrument extensively, and while it is a great instrument in its own right, the Osmose was kind of perfect in a way I cannot describe fully. The beautiful thing is if you know both keyboards and string instruments, its beautiful. I do think though there are straight up keyboardists who don't quite get it yet and play it like a straight up keyboard, or only bend the last note. As supposed to a string instrument player where you will often bend multiple notes at once, which the Osmose allows you to do. Likewise the polyphonic after touch aspects are a little lost on them, again they play it like it only has channel aftertouch. Again...I played a linnstrument before and play double bass...its keyboard, but it really isn't like a keyboard that should be played like a piano. Again you grasp what its going for, and I think other people who play string instruments as well do. Again, I love the Osmose. I need to explore it more with some of my other MPE synths too. Its basically perfect. Only thing that would make it better is a ribbon of some sort.
I don't care for the sound engine (sounds good, just useless for my particular application), but I like the control/form factor. Do they have any plans for a controller only version? I don't like to pay for things I will def not use.
I haven't heard anything regarding just a controller. That being said, there are 100s of factory presets, so even without going into sound design it might have the sounds you use already. I honestly don't know how to go exploring for that, as I haven't seen someone walkthrough every preset, but I have seen a pretty wide variety of sounds beyond the string, flute, and bell tones that are common early demo sounds. Keep your eye open, as tracks using it might come out that have the sounds you're using.
Lumi Keys exists as the equivalent controller for MPE synths.
I was lucky to be a day one preorder on the osmose and have been enjoying it past couple of months. You did a nice balanced intro on this for those who were not already aware. Bravo for name pronunciations. 👍🏻🎹
After playing the electric guitar for about 20 years and learning to play keys and synths for about 2 years I always do these smooth movements with my fingers like I do on the guitar. This should be perfect for me. Thanks for playing it on your channel!
You had me at 96 semitones.
The Osmose is one of the coolest instruments I've ever played - definitely going to require a lot of practice for me to master.
Happy to see more MPE synths expanding the field, but I think I still prefer the linnstrument for me. I really appreciate its bass/guitar style layout over a piano style due to (me playing more bass than piano, and) its consistent chord structure and its far easier to slide notes. It appears to be more expressive than the Osmose (having x,y,z + strike and release velocity). Also great for those learning scales as you can set its light patterns to highlight root notes and the most common scales (or customize your own light layouts). Doesn't have internal sounds, but the free synth SurgeXT is its official synth package and I personally love using Equator2 with it. It has some amazingly lush sounds tailor-made for MPE playing.
I have a linnstrument as well and love it to death and play it almost every day, but I also still like using a keyboard as a different configuration that I tend to express differently on. So this still feels like an upgrade I'll have to get one day.
@@politesociety makes total sense. It's good to have options. I was originally really drawn to the seaboard 2 (and strongly considered getting one) until I saw the linn's layout.
@@ChrisCypher I also wanted the seaboard but when I got my hands on it I didn't like the feel. I like the lack of travel on a linnstrument as I generally like to play pretty softly.
I have a shorty version, but have sometimes wondered about getting the longboi as it would be nice to set up splits in a less cramped way.
@@politesociety yeah, I could see the squishy keys being tough to learn. But I have to say, it's definitely a "sexier" instrument than the linn and has more vertical axis (which can be a good or bad thing depending on what you're trying to do).
yeah, I have the linnstrument 200. I figured, if I'm gonna be paying this much anyway, I may as well go all out and get the longboi. ha. I'd rather have the space and not need it, than start playing and wish I had a bit more space.
For years I have not been able to find the live streams after they finish. I DIDNT KNOW THEY WERE ON A SEPARATE CHANNEL!
I've started to get back into music after years away, thanks for more motivation here. I recently discovered your channel and I'm enjoying how eclectic it is.
13:50 Sounds like oldskool Mod music like from a tracker.
as an old product specialist for yamaha back in the gx1 cs80 days, there was a prototype keyboard that allowed you to wiggle the keys for vibrato or other user settings, and poly aftertouch. ive also seen capitative touch keys that allowed you so move your finger on the key to user settings. this is a good step. we're still using bob moogs original keyboard layout with mod and pitch wheel.
Had one since since about Hogmanay and very recently sold it.
Wonderful and unique to play but I realised I didn’t have the time to really learn how to get the most out of it. I’ve become more of a grid guy and by pure luck, Ableton brought out Push 3 within days of the sale. Much happier with that.
Also owned a touché too. I’m a big fan of MPE devices but tried most of them and seem to struggle with them!
Ok, that's it. Now we have to connect. I am in the Atlanta area as well and my Osmose is right beside me. The most fun with a synth I've had in years. Great video!
They said that about the Farlight CMI as well.
I've been watching about the Osmose for a bit now. This is the first I've learned you can set the "vibrato width". Definitely a selling point and I'll be saving up for one.
Thanks!
Nobody mentions the history of being able to move the keys side to side in order to bend the pitch. The Ondioline, an instrument from the late '40s, had this feature (whether it had it in the earliest models, I cannot say for certain). So this is an old concept that has been brought back.
The Ondioline is fantastic ❤
yes. i have mourned the loss of the ondioline for years, since i first learned of it - even though it came and went before i was even born. 1948 - Inventor Georges Jenny Demonstrates the Ondioline ruclips.net/video/hy5w7Fz0pDo/видео.html
What really shocks me is that the Osmose is so much cheaper than other synths, despite being one of the most innovative pieces of gear in the last few years, it's crazy. Thank god it seems to be selling well, so it won't become just another piece of unobtainium after failing to be mass adopted.
Now, I would love to see what Benn thinks of the Nonlinear Labs C15. It's way more expensive, and the sound engine isn't anything out of this world like the EaganMatrix, but it also seems a very cool synth also focused on expression.
OH MAN! I cannot wait to hear the album that you make with this bad mamma jamma!!!! Thanks for the freaking awesome content!!
The amount of different musical landscapes you portrayed in a single video is amazing. This device is the result of amazing interface design combined with brilliant engineering!
I tried that at Superbooth and it gave me 10 new ideas within 2 minutes. So I'll probably try to get it.
I need the 90 minute version of this video please for the love of god
Ha ha, played on one at the Superbooth2023 it crashed 6 times when using the arp feature.
Love your detalied presentation about the subjects you are talking about. My ocd/perfectionism loves this!
I didn’t know how I would like this synth until I heard someone who I respected musically playing it. And now I can say… WOW!
It bugs me that Roger Linn doesn't get more credit for his contribution to MPE's existence.
I mean, sure, somebody else could have figured it out eventually... but that's not typically the standard we apply to recognizing talent.
This vid is so inspiring, but I'm still drooling over the Linnstrument so hard
@@WorldWideBasementVibes If you prefer keys I would think the Osmose would be your gig, but I am not a native keyboard player, I'm a guitarist and the Linnstrument was certainly a dream come true. Some of the players on YT are amazing!
Roger gives personal support, helped me out when I didn't even buy it from him. He is an incredible engineer and human being.
@@Skiddoo42 Yes! Fellow guitarist here as well. I've gotta at least try one at this point.
I want one so bad as a lifelong pianist. It seems like a natural evolution to the keyboard as an instrument! Far too pricey for me to ever consider though... Glad it exists either way.
invented in 1948 - Inventor Georges Jenny Demonstrates the Ondioline ruclips.net/video/hy5w7Fz0pDo/видео.html
Wow Benn, amazing. Gave me goosebumps. So expressive.
What a fantastic walk through. As a longtime guitarist and shabby keyboardist, I don't expect the Osmose to turn me into a much better keyboardist, but certainly a more expressive one.
The EganMatrix engine in the Osmose is of course also also available as a module from Haken.
That clav @5:01 is so sweet and idyllic. Reminds me of oldschool 16 bit RPGs. And that's exactly how my innocent child hood sounded :3
I think this is really incredible for keyboardists. I am not one but I think the push 3 has a similar sort of expressiveness and I'm glad to see MPE becoming so widespread, even if the instruments are really expensive for now. It should become more standard, less expensive, and common over the years, I hope!
I actually stumbled across one of these at Long & Mcquade last week. not a musician by any stretch, but it pretty instantly had me interested. The key actuation has amazing feel, and the playing feels incredibly intuitive. Some machines will talk to you, and this is one of them.
It just says " go slow, be gentle and feel your way the the sound you are looking for."
So cool, however I do wonder about the durability. I've played some keybeds that pretty much killed themselves by just looking at it (*kuch* Native Instruments *kuch*). This looks like something that also has a lot of potential points of failure.
Wow, it sounds amazing and looks great, congratulations to the Osmose design team!
I will be buying one. I've been convinced for a long time that this is perfect for a keyboardist/pianist who longs for more expressiveness. This is by a mile the best exhibition of this instrument I've seen and I look forward to purchasing mine.
Thanks for this video, Ben. I’ve had mine for a couple months now and while I love it for live performance, I’m still a bit intimidated by the Eagen Matrix, so I’m looking forward to your streams!
Brilliant piece of kit. I love the history behind it. I wasn't sure if you covered the Seaboard RISE before, but it feels similar in some ways. Love the showcase you put together for this!
I wish we could have heard the classical musicians play and make with one of these. they always seemed like they wanted the expression strings had.
The Eagan Matrix with or without the Osmose keybed or the Continuum playing surface is still pure deliciousness.
Hi! Do u use it?
Wow! 😮 I was incredulous reading the thumbnail but after watching and listening, totally blown away!
The price of this thing honestly blows me away. It's by no means cheap, but for something which is doing something completely new I would have expected it to be in Moog territory price wise. I find myself ducking out rather quickly when I realise I can't afford a piece of gear and probably never will be able to, but this is absolutely attainable for me. I've watched a ton of videos on the Osmose and haven't heard it made a sound I wouldn't consider using in my own music, it's just beautiful.
Perhaps your mom & dad should do more videos, when you get a keyboard you don't want to let go of, you found the right one!
😁🎶🎶🎹🎹🎶🎶😁 Play On
I owned a Linnstrument and it was great!
Fantastic demonstration video and insightful comments. I believe the term is “self-oscillation” for the caucophony from cranking the feedback parameter on Delay effects. Nice job predicting brilliant future RUclips commenters.
I’m awaiting Osmose with eagerness and excitement. Other than my CS80, and my Haken Continuum, Hydrasynth, which have poly AT (well, the Haken does more). I really cannot of think which synth keybed is designed like this. I cannot even think of one. The Haken Continuum is the only one but you need a completely re-learned playing style to make use of it. With this it looks like you just play intuitively. Amazing. Great video!
For a multitudinous amount of reasons, I will be needing this! 😊
Wow!
Thank you for this video.
I really wasn’t interested in this Keyboard but after watching your video and several other videos, I’m convinced myself that this is going to change the way I write music and also the way people look at synthesis and the way you perform on a keyboard. So now I have to wait till more come in, and I will be ordering mine from Sweetwater, thank you so much.
Just a heads-up, you probably will get it quicker ordering direct. Some retailers tend to post the most optimistic lead times of the "next batch", which would likely already be sold and awaiting shipping. Right now most preorders are for the Nov/Dec batch AFAIK 😁
@@BennJordan thank you 🙏🏻
Holy crap that does seem nice, I hope it becomes a standard feature on keybeds in the future! The sound engine seems really great too. I could see myself easily winding up with way different sounds than my other synths due to the unique architecture and workflow.
Best sales pitch ever. I just placed a reservation. Hopefully it will come in December, that will be a wonderful Christmas if it does 😊
Sooooooooooo amazing! Didn't know that this synth exists. Thank you very much for showing!
I had the opportunity to get one earlier this year but I went with a different hardware synth. A bit regretful but I'm sure the later renditions will be worth the wait. If they come out with a 61 key version that would be golden for me.
It's the most expressive, performative synth I've seen in hardware form, aside from perhaps the Continuum since it's the same engine with a different playing surface and a much higher price. Would love to have either one. I don't use features which require a computer though, especially a non-Linux computer. So I find the Hydrasynth to be a more practical alternative. Cheaper, easier to get, and the engine is designed to be edited via hardware controls instead of a computer. Not as expressive, but still very good and well beyond what I personally need or have the skills for. But if fortune favors me, I'd definitely love to have an Osmose I can play on a daily basis.
Just searched for this and this video just dropped. Thanks for yhe info Benn!
the biggest takeaway from this video for me is that i seriously need to learn how to play the keyboard, lol. i get the theory aspects behind the music, but making my sausage fingers translate that into melodies on a physical keyboard is more than i can handle. thankfully modular exists so that i can apply my penchant for sound design into something listenable, but folks with the chops still make me jealous. great video; something i can aspire to.
Sounds like this is the way I’d like it to go. Expressive control and physical modelling engine options with perhaps a system that limits expressiveness and fills in for you, like riding a bike with stabilisers/training wheels? (US?)
I like this keyboard but I'm hoping that the company can make a model with a few more keys (60+) for a fuller range.
88 key without the synth engine to keep the price the same or down further would be nice.
It's already sold separately as a modular component iirc
19:30 - 19:48
Beautiful and haunting tones. Love the sound work.
I ordered one of these as an earlier supporter. I haven't opened the box yet due to other deadlines. Many, if no most of the demo videos I have seen on this overuse the pitch bend and after touch so it becomes recognizable as too much modulation and must be one of these MPE controllers creating the sounds. The best use I have seen of this if playing say a piano (fender rhodes) on another synth and then playing lead lines on this with the right hand so you can free up what would normally require 2 hands, the left hand being committed to the mod and pitch bend wheels. This allows mod and pitch to be done with one hand. That's intriguing as a player.
That glide/legato mode sold me. Wow. And all the harmonic overtones. Damn.