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Osmose keyboard


marino

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Very long on how expressive it is, and short on what kinds of sounds it makes.

 

It mentioned the Hakan Continuum, sounding like it's taking that sound engine (though not sure it's exact?) and putting it with this new keyboard.

 

On the Hakan page I get to this:

"An exotic but easy-to-access internal sound engine, employing Subtractive Synthesis, Physical Modelling with Modal Filter Banks, FM, Spectral Sets with Micro Analysation, including Waveguide with Feedback and Feedback Delay Networks"

 

I don't know, I'm more of a "just the facts" Joe Friday guy so when I see all this Holistic this, and organic that, I get a little skeptical :)

 

I like these new instruments popping up and hopefully pushing the envelope though, it's about damn time. The big guys stick with the tried and true and slowly, slowly innovate (which is fine to a point, reliability being a huge key for any of us gigging musicians...)

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Thank you for this heads up Carlo! So good to hear from you. :2thu::cheers:

 

The screen shot at 7 minutes and 10 seconds is that of the Eagan Matrix, a modular digital synthesizer originally developed for the Haken Continuum. They might put a new skin on it for Osmose, and they might need to do some optimization around the chip for the Osmose as HakenAudio did for the ContinuuMini, but it should sound similar. Even though the Osmose has hardware midi outs, I imagine that the wealth of programming options and sound quality in the Eagan Matrix will far exceed what is typically possible outside. Two possible exceptions for some users could be analog synths and orchestral libraries because of their unique timbres.

 

One problem/joy with this type of keyboard is that you will need to develop additional technique. My only concern would be if they reduced the resolution in this amazing synth to accommodate polyphony or reduce cost. (Remember Yamaha VL1 versus VL70M?) Fingers crossed that is not the case. I'm very fond of my Touche SE, the physical connection, and the nuances it allows. This company is a class act in my experience.

 

Jerry

 

 

PS: Here is a video of Touche with a ContinuuMini. It will give you a sense of the modulation possibilities in the Eagan Matrix synthesizer:

 

 

 

[video:youtube]

 

 

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sound quality in the Eagan Matrix will far exceed what is typically possible outside.

I get this, but I would want to be able to play my sounds on my synths with this thing. Even without MPE, being able to control (monophonically) a couple of MIDI CCs with gestures on the keys would sound wonderful to me.

 

One problem/joy with this type of keyboard is that you will need to develop additional technique.

Well, the fact that it starts with a traditional keyboard, so I would feel that downward motion, is encouraging to me. I have always wondered why nobody is making a keyboard with lateral movement, like on the Ondes Martenot, Ondioline or Yamaha GX-1... but at the same time, things like the Continuum or even the Roli felt a bit strange to me, because I'm so accustomed to the "percussive" motion on the keys.

 

My only concern would be if they reduced the resolution in this amazing synth to accommodate polyphony or reduce cost. (Remember Yamaha VL1 versus VL70M?) Fingers crossed that is not the case. I'm very fond of my Touche SE, the physical connection, and the nuances it allows. This company is a class act in my experience.

Well, this is also encouraging. I would love a Touché (I wouldn't refuse a Buchla Touché too :D ); a combination of Osmose and Touché would make a great expressive combo!

Now, about those sliders.... :freak:

 

 

 

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I get this, but I would want to be able to play my sounds on my synths with this thing. Even without MPE, being able to control (monophonically) a couple of MIDI CCs with gestures on the keys would sound wonderful to me.

 

We'll need to wait to see, but based on prior behavior by the company, I should hope we would get way more than that.

 

Well, the fact that it starts with a traditional keyboard, so I would feel that downward motion, is encouraging to me. I have always wondered why nobody is making a keyboard with lateral movement, like on the Ondes Martenot, Ondioline or Yamaha GX-1... but at the same time, things like the Continuum or even the Roli felt a bit strange to me, because I'm so accustomed to the "percussive" motion on the keys.

 

Yes! The side to side is really attractive and also hard to control, without an intelligent software overlay to reduce false positives. It's useful monophonically (as on the GX1, EX1, D90 etc.) and a bit of a hazard polyphonically. Both Haken Continuum and Linnstrument offer ways of reducing unintended pitch wobbles for beginners. I imagine, we'll see something similar in this instrument.

 

I am excited to see what they will come up with.

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Now I want to know....

 

- Can I use it as a MIDI controller

 

There"s a good overview of the options available here:

 

[video:youtube]

 

Quite intriguing. I may well jump in, but I"m letting the initial excitement simmer to see if I feel the same way tonight.

Acoustic: Shigeru Kawai SK-7 ~ Breedlove C2/R

MIDI: Kurzweil Forte ~ Sequential Prophet X ~ Yamaha CP88 ~ Expressive E Osmose

Electric: Schecter Solo Custom Exotic ~ Chapman MLB1 Signature Bass

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I've always been drawn to that side-to-side vibrato feature, but its rare and often craptastic when it does appear. It wasn't bad on Yamaha's YC45D organ (IIRC), but this brings it into the modern world. The two questions that come to mind are: Can I at least semi-master this within my remaining lifespan and will most potential listeners know what the hell is going on, even if I do? :rolleyes: That doubt aside, I'm all for the lengthy commitment required. I'm soberly drawn to the nature of what digging in can yield with this one. Its partly because its the approach as designed for real keys. Finally! Don't buy it unless you're willing to set aside at least 6 months for embracing it. Its easy to imagine your other gear getting a bit dusty unless its MPE-capable. You'll start mashing on traditional keys, looking for the Slide and Pressure functions. :freak:

 I have no magic powers concerning dentistry or cases involving probate, but my Mellotron epics set Jupiter a-quiver.

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This is fantastic. It is exactly what I wish the Roli Seaboard Grand was. I ultimately could not get on with the complete departure from traditional keyboard and technique with the Roli. I will concede that I was able to play more expressive lines on the Seaboard than any other keyboard I've played, including the VAX77 w/poly-AT. But to me, it was a "lines" keyboard, not a keyboard for playing chords or other things. I suppose it is just that it was too different, or that I know that Iwill spend the rest of my life trying to get better at the piano. But for me, the Seaboard was interesting, but different enough that I felt that going all the way to the Continuum made sense for expressive alternate controllers. But I never bought one - I'm still busy trying to get better at the black and whites that I know!

 

Now, here is something that is most definitely not a piano. But it has the normal enough black and whites that my fingers know and still promises all the dimension of control. The Roli software synth, "Equator", is quite nice, and very good with MPE input. The Eagen Matrix is a whole level different and runs in hardware. It has MIDI outs to control other MPE synths. This makes me wonder if I will still have a soft spot for the Non-Linear Labs C15... It too has highly over-scanned keyboard sensors, and a great, innovative synth engine capable of expressive and wonderful tones. It does NOT have MIDI.

 

I continue to be amazed at the wonderful times we live in for synthesizer development and release.

 

I put my order in tonight.

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After watching all the available videos and giving myself a few hours to cool off, I went ahead and placed my reservation. That still gives other manufacturers months to dissuade me, but I'm tentatively quite excited and will be researching what EaganMatrix is capable of in the meantime.

Acoustic: Shigeru Kawai SK-7 ~ Breedlove C2/R

MIDI: Kurzweil Forte ~ Sequential Prophet X ~ Yamaha CP88 ~ Expressive E Osmose

Electric: Schecter Solo Custom Exotic ~ Chapman MLB1 Signature Bass

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No info on remapping controllers.

Can wiggling my pinky trigger my Shake Articulation or Falls, etc.

I"m excited about MPE"s potential and can even handle having a little 40+ note controller.

But I"ve played the Hakken, Roli and Linnstrument and only thing I liked was Pedal Steel separate string bending and glides, but samples need to change timbre for any authenticity. Wavelores Pedal Steel sounds great but the controllers couldn"t access the neck variations even though they were key switches.

 

I"m in no hurry for another version of the previous.

Seems you need an entirely new engine to get the most from this.

Wish them well though.

Magnus C350 + FMR RNP + Realistic Unisphere Mic
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I spent a good hour last night going through the available info. Actually ready to pull the switch. But I"m not going to.

 

Big problem: the EaganMatrix synth. I just don"t 'love" the sounds of any of the presets. I researched this years ago wrt the Continuum, and the expressive e videos just bring back the memories. One of the commenters used the term 'Uncanny Valley" which hits the nail on the head. Sort of like a real flute, or bowed string, or plucked string, but never 'there". Listen for yourself and make your own judgements.

 

Now onto the key bed. Every one has limitations.

 

Deep in the manual for the Haken Continuum is a warning that it doesn"t reliably sense half-steps. WRT harmony half-step voicing for strings and brass is fundamental for me. Sorry Haken.

 

I have a Roli Seaboard. It"s clever. But I only connect with it with the SWAM strings software (in my case the viola). With this software velocity triggers the initial bow strike, and pressure controls the bowing weight. This IMHO is an 'instrument". Increasing either velocity or pressure changes the timbre organically. Compare this to Equator . Each of the five dimensions brings in a different sound type. Great if you want to layer-in a bunch of disparate sounds without wheels or pedals, but it always feels like linking a handful of mediocre sounds together to create something great, but never comes together as a single instrument.

 

Now onto the expressive e board. I had a Yamaha combo organ back in the day, with key wobble vibrato. Unfortunately the range and depth sounded interesting when played solo, but was completely lost in a band situation. So I"m hip to the idea. I also am attracted to poly after touch and poly pitchbend. But if you listen to the artist performances you might find that vibrato is typically applied to the upper voice or all voices. Which is pretty straightforward with a two keyboard setup.

 

But listen to the artist performances again and you"ll notice that many are clam bakes of bad intonation when chords are played with force. IMHO chords are, on a practical level, impossible to play on unfretted instruments. And while this board is not as 'unfretted" as the Continuum, it"s evident to me that muscle memory of playing traditional keyboards isn"t going to translate directly to the expressive e board.

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What an inspiring and expensive time to be a keyboard player! I'll have to stick with my Seaboard for the time being, but maybe one of these days... it looks like it would fit right on top of my Wurli, too. You know, I'm always trying to be practical. :wink:

 

It seems like this would be better suited for some of the one-handed-synth-lines-without-access-to-a-pitch-or-mod-wheel stuff I initially bought the Seaboard for. The Seaboard is good for that on certain techniques, and also full of potential I hadn't thought of, but typical keyboard gestures don't always translate super well (playing arpeggios in tune requires a LOT of practice).

 

Also, looks like they're right on the money with MPE's potential for modeled acoustic percussion, something I'm finding a little underutilized by Roli, whose offerings tend to be much more contemporary-electronic in that realm.

Samuel B. Lupowitz

Musician. Songwriter. Food Enthusiast. Bad Pun Aficionado.

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Truly enjoying the discussion here, including insightful points made by MPE users. :thu:

 

Many of us already have an installed base of tools and any new tool has to be persuasively superior in some respect in order to push it's way into our already competent rigs. I myself am using a Touche and "regular" keyboards, mostly because I value a traditional keyboard feel. However polyphonic modulation is closed to me in my current rig. That might change. ;)

 

We are living in a great time when multiple different solutions will work for different players. Also, because of Moore's law, the future for keyboardists may well resemble the process of cashing in cards for armies in the board game of Risk. Every successive new entry may well have exponential benefits over previous entries, because technology is accelerating. Still, depending on the roles we play in our individual bands, the value of a sophisticated keyboard over an entry level rompler is questionable at times isn't it?

 

I have a Roli Seaboard. It"s clever. But I only connect with it with the SWAM strings software (in my case the viola). With this software velocity triggers the initial bow strike, and pressure controls the bowing weight. This IMHO is an 'instrument". Increasing either velocity or pressure changes the timbre organically. Compare this to Equator . Each of the five dimensions brings in a different sound type. Great if you want to layer-in a bunch of disparate sounds without wheels or pedals, but it always feels like linking a handful of mediocre sounds together to create something great, but never comes together as a single instrument.

Anybody who utilizes the SWAM models has my utmost respect. It takes a certain kind of musical investment. It's the kind of personalized voice that I too am always seeking, with analog, digital modular, and physical modeling of various types.

 

Deep in the manual for the Haken Continuum is a warning that it doesn"t reliably sense half-steps.

Could please tell me more about this? (I wonder if it's the kind of limitation the Nonlinear Labs C15 was designed to avoid: Framing pitch in absolute terms rather than Midi Note Number plus/minus pitch bend.)

 

But listen to the artist performances again and you"ll notice that many are clam bakes of bad intonation when chords are played with force. IMHO chords are, on a practical level, impossible to play on unfretted instruments.

True indeed. This intuition is what I was referring to with my comments below .... I expect there is or will be a set of parameters in the software layer which will involve an adjustment for musicians. It will likely take more practice than merely setting the velocity sensitivity when we buy a stage piano. Some of these limitations in MPE devices can be overcome and others are endemic to the design limitations of the human hand and the traditional black and white keyboard, where all fingers are not created equal and all chord shapes are not equally easy:

 

Yes! The side to side is really attractive and also hard to control, without an intelligent software overlay to reduce false positives. It's useful monophonically (as on the GX1, EX1, D90 etc.) and a bit of a hazard polyphonically. Both Haken Continuum and Linnstrument offer ways of reducing unintended pitch wobbles for beginners. I imagine, we'll see something similar in this instrument.
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FYI. Here is a quote from page 22 of the Haken Continuum user guide:

 

Chords containing half-step intervals present a particular challenge. When you place fingers closely together (less than 150 cents apart) on the playing surface, the Continuum Fingerboard can have trouble resolving the two fingers. This may result in a smaller pitch interval than you expect, or it may result in a single finger (not two fingers) being detected.

If playing chords with smaller than 100 cent intervals is of interest to you, and if you learn how to program the EaganMatrix or have an external flexible synthesis system, one approach is to have the front-back position enable an octave shift in your synthesis system. This will allow you to play tiny intervals and unisons by placing fingers an octave apart at the front and back of the playing surface. Another approach is to use a Sustain Pedal to build up a tone cluster from several closely spaced pitches that you touch one at a time. A third approach is to use custom Pitch Tables to stretch half steps or repeat surface pitches (Section 6.4).

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FYI. Here is a quote from page 22 of the Haken Continuum user guide:

 

Chords containing half-step intervals present a particular challenge. When you place fingers closely together (less than 150 cents apart) on the playing surface, the Continuum Fingerboard can have trouble resolving the two fingers. This may result in a smaller pitch interval than you expect, or it may result in a single finger (not two fingers) being detected.

If playing chords with smaller than 100 cent intervals is of interest to you, and if you learn how to program the EaganMatrix or have an external flexible synthesis system, one approach is to have the front-back position enable an octave shift in your synthesis system. This will allow you to play tiny intervals and unisons by placing fingers an octave apart at the front and back of the playing surface. Another approach is to use a Sustain Pedal to build up a tone cluster from several closely spaced pitches that you touch one at a time. A third approach is to use custom Pitch Tables to stretch half steps or repeat surface pitches (Section 6.4).

 

 

Thank you so very much. :thu:

 

It sounds like a sensor resolution issue.

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The Osmose will use the exact same EaganMatrix engine as the Continuum and ContinuuMini. That's both good and bad; the programmability is intense, but the user interface, well... they have a programming team working hard on turning it into something that will be usable by non-academic computer musicians. My personal bet is that it will take as long for that aspect to get working as it will for the hardware to ramp up to full production, and debugging will take way longer.

 

My guess is that it will ship with hundreds if not thousands of optimized sounds. The Continuum is a very different playing experience than the Osmose will be, and I would anticipate that both will have strengths and weaknesses with respect to one another. Expressive E is very good at getting third parties to create appropriate content for its tools, and if they're actually working with Mr. Eagan on this, I can't see that as being a huge issue.

 

The half-step thing won't be a problem, because we're not talking about resolving distances on a single surface, we're talking about two completely separate mechanical keys. Side-to-side pitch control will also not be a problem; sensor tech has come a long way since Yamaha's 1970s designs, which in turn came a long way from the Ondes Martenot. :)

 

Four months ago, I'd have been yelling and screaming and hauling out my credit card. But I've used literally every MPE controller ever built, and owned most of them, and after many months of work (years for the controllers that pre-date MPE), I've figured out what works and doesn't work for me... and I am dubious about whether this one will click with my needs. I predict that they'll sell a lot to academic types who can't afford $4000 for a Continuum and find the ContinuuMini too limiting but want to get into EaganMatrix heavily, and a fair number to hipsters who always need the newest cool controller for their YouTube videos. Gigging keyboardists will have to try it for themselves and see if it clicks.

 

mike

 

 

Dr. Mike Metlay (PhD in nuclear physics, golly gosh) :D

Musician, Author, Editor, Educator, Impresario, Online Radio Guy, Cut-Rate Polymath, and Kindly Pedant

Editor-in-Chief, Bjooks ~ Author of SYNTH GEMS 1

 

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Charlie Clouser got to play an early prototype. Here's what he has to say:

 

Originally posted by Charlie Clouser:

Well, now it can be said out loud and in public....

 

Expressive-E have an MPE keyboard! Each key is essentially a mini-version of their amazing Touche controller. The keys are sensitive to pressure and they wiggle side-to-side for pitch vibrato. I played a very rough early prototype and it's gonna be pretty amazing.

 

Put your Linnstrument, Roli, K-Board Pro4, and Continuum back on the shelf - the OSMOSE is, finally, a real MPE keyboard - and it's not made of rubber, neoprene, or fairy dust. It's also got the superb physical modeling synth engine from the Haken Continuum running on internal DSP, and of course is a full-featured MIDI controller with both 5-pin and USB MIDI.

 

The Continuum is strange, wonderful, and exotic - and it can do things that no other instrument can do - but it takes practice, precision, and patience. The multi-finger slide capability is unique and unequalled though, however it's $$$$$$$$$$$$.

 

The Linnstrument is cheap-n-cheerful (ish) and is responsive in exactly the way you'd hope, and while the "fretboard" layout may be exactly perfect for guitar players, it takes a little front-brain thinking for me to zip around on it. But the light guides help quite a bit. Slides are do-able (ish), but it ain't a Continuum. Still, no regrets there either.

 

The Roli never felt right to me, so I never got one - and I'm glad I didn't because for me the Osmose seems more playable and more like what I hoped the Roli would be.

 

For me, the K-Board Pro4 is the only real competition for the Osmose, but it's not apples-to-apples. The K-Board feels a bit weird to play since the keys don't really move - but it DOES have front-to-back sensors, which the Osmose doesn't have. I've played both, and although the Osmose I played was a rough prototype it took no time to adjust to it. You can move your fingers purely by reflex and what you expect will happen is exactly what happens. The K-Board is just a little too different to a normal, switch-based keyboard and it takes a bit more time to adjust to it. Not a huge price difference if you get in on the pre-order price for the Osmose too.

 

So for me I think the Osmose will get the coveted position front-and-center.

The thread Charlie started over at VI-Control has more info, including Mario Krušelj's post that "Osmose supports not just MPE but also MPE+ (Haken's proposal for extending MPE)."

 

As for me, I'm certainly tempted. My biggest concern before making a commitment to the platform would be trying to determine how seamlessly the software I already have would work with Osmose.

 

Roli has a list that might at least give an indication:

 

Compatible synths, DAWs and instruments

 

In the meantime, we have the rest of the calendar year to decide whether to jump in at the lowest price.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon

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Charlie Clouser got to play an early prototype. Here's what he has to say...

 

Thanks for sharing his impressions. I hadn't seen those, and they carry more weight for me than the promotional videos, though I had already seen enough to reserve a unit based on what I could see and hear.

 

As for me, I'm certainly tempted. My biggest concern before making a commitment to the platform would be trying to determine how seamlessly the software I already have would work with Osmose.

 

It looks like Expressive-E have done a stellar job in this regard, much more useful than Roli's half-baked approach. Check out the following video for the array of different modes that allow Osmose to talk to various synths using a feature set that maps well to their native expectations:

 

[video:youtube]

Acoustic: Shigeru Kawai SK-7 ~ Breedlove C2/R

MIDI: Kurzweil Forte ~ Sequential Prophet X ~ Yamaha CP88 ~ Expressive E Osmose

Electric: Schecter Solo Custom Exotic ~ Chapman MLB1 Signature Bass

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I've been wanting something like this, since I tried a half-size Continuum with pretty much the same EaganMatrix synth engine, at Discovery World in Milwaukee a few years ago.

 

Osmose with the promo deal is quite a bit more affordable, and the keyboard is easier to use for "normal" musical ideas than the freeform ribbon format of the Continuum.

 

 

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Well that did it -- deposit paid. Looking forward not to just the EaganMatrix engine but interfacing it with Alchemy, the u-he stuff and Falcon.

 

Manny

People assume timbre is a strict progression of input to harmonics, but actually, from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timbrally-wimbrally... stuff

 

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What an age for keyboard players! It's getting ridiculous how many highly desireable toys are suddenly availible at almost affordable prices. I set my mind on one new tasty thing, and while the makers are finishing things up to ship, more shiny objects distract me completely.

 

I saw this yesterday and wondered if anyone had seen this thing around here. After this thread I too have pre-ordered.

 

I was watching all about the Poly-D this morning. Gorgeous object. However, I think I'd rather have the 808 clone ;) IE awesome thing, but no GAS TYG.

 

The new Stylophone did break through and with luck mine will ship in two weeks. Hydrasynth is possibly a must have.....but I think they will sell a bazillion and I'm still learning the DM12, so I can wait....for open boxes, rarely used etc.

 

Behringer wing? I'm hopeful that will further reduce prices of the "air" models, I'm getting by with Mackie ProFX8v2 I bought new for 169usd!

 

Nick at Sonicstate has a nice interview up with Kebbu, who I never even heard of (shame), where the point is made: Fans hate watching heros peer at Laptops, for any reason. Behringer seems to understand that. Not that I have, or ever will have fans LOL.

 

Of course this new keyboard is no analog synth, but seems very happy to play with them in an extra-expressive manner. Hats off.

 

What really caught my eye was the length of keys. That has got to give great touch, so sadly lacking in black synth keys.

RT-3/U-121/Leslie 21H and 760/Saltarelle Nuage/MOXF6/MIDIhub, 

SL-880/Nektar T4/Numa Cx2/Deepmind12/Virus TI 61/SL61 mk2

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