Expressive E - Osmose 49 CE

Osmose CE 49 is Expressive E's controller-only take on the keybed that put the original Osmose on the map. The internal EaganMatrix sound engine is gone — what stays is the part most people fell in love with: the gesture-sensitive keybed itself. Press, lateral bend, vibrato, shake, strum, expressive note-off — all per key, all unchanged from the standalone version.

To make a this controller playable from the get go, Expressive E built "Ctrl-e", a companion app for your computer that ships free with the keyboard. It comes loaded with 900+ presets that have already been mapped to the keybed's gestures, drawing on sound engines from Synapse Audio, AAS, Kilohearts, GForce, Dawesome and Vital. Eight macros per preset, a dedicated browser, and proper integration with the hardware mean you load a sound and play — no plugin-by-plugin MPE setup, no scripting, no detective work. With MPE-capable instruments you get full per-note expression; with standard MIDI plugins the gestures still come through and also add the kind of nuance that your standard flat velocity messages can't.

Something new this time around, beyond the sound side — CE 49 handles DAW duties — transport, mixer, track and device navigation, with automatic detection for Live 12+, Cubase 15+, Bitwig 5+ and Logic Pro 12+. There's also an MPE Arpeggiator which keeps the nuance of each note independent.

The CE versions offer a more accessible entry point into the Osmose keybed for anyone whose sound sources already live in software.

Features:

• 49-key expressive keybed with per-note 3D control (press, lateral pitch bend, aftertouch-style gestures, shake, strum, expressive note-off)
• Functions as MPE controller, traditional MIDI controller, and DAW controller
• Ctrl-e companion software included (free)
• 900+ pre-mapped expressive presets via Ctrl-e
• Partner sound engines: Expressive E, Synapse Audio, AAS, Kilohearts, GForce, Dawesome, Vital
• 8 pre-mapped macros per preset
• MPE Arpeggiator with independent per-note response
• Press Glide (pressure-based portamento)
• DAW integration: Live 12+, Cubase 15+, Bitwig 5+, Logic Pro 12+
• 7 knobs/encoders, 9 buttons, 4.3" colour LCD, pitch and modulation sliders
• DIN MIDI In, DIN MIDI Out/Thru, USB-C
• 2 assignable pedal inputs
• USB-C Power Delivery (5V / 3.0A)
• White aluminium top, black base
• Dimensions: 9 × 30 × 89.5 cm
• Weight: 10 kg