I mean I play slide guitar and I have a ngoni (it has a perfect cylinder for its neck) both of which while you start with visual clues often you don’t really use any physical clues on the instrument other than top and bottom of the neck, just muscle memory and your ears. Not that I am playing a bunch of different chords or something on the slide. I think part of the continuum is that it has a totally even key spacing for the layout so you wouldn’t have to change the spacing of your fingers to transpose a chord like a piano, I suppose the larger playing area would probably make it easier to get lost in reference to either end of the playing surface. But yeah I feel like I mostly agree with you and wasn’t meaning any I said as a dis at your ability to play fretless instruments, Osmose is both familiar and strange and new which makes it attractive.
I didn’t see your post as a diss of my admittedly modest at best skills. I was just trying to explain that there is a tactile component to pitch location on some instruments. On those instruments we use our senses of hearing and touch to locate the desired pitches
Using only the ears to locate notes is fine if you’re playing slow blues. However, I wouldn’t be able the viola parts for “I’m So Pretty” from West Side Story, Aaron Copland stuff, etc. in the community college orchestra if I only used my ears and did not train my hands to feel where notes should be - this really applies to arpeggios, melodic passages, etc. that have to be played at medium or faster tempo. There is simply not enough time to use the ear to find all the notes that have to be played - only enough time to pitch-correct with the ear. Dunno how else to explain this…
I just read a report from professional violinist who had his Yamaha YEV modified because the bout was the wrong place for him, relative to the neck. And unlike me, he’s actually skilled - a really good jazz violinist. For violinists, anything affecting the tactile experience is serious business.
Sorry bud, not canceling my Osmose order to get a Continuum. 
It would take time and effort to play chords reliably on the Continuum, even with the quantizer. I don’t feel like putting that time and effort - I have too many other things I want to do in my lifetime.
I think I’m in the hyped by the Eaganmatrix but not at all hyped by the interface at this point - soundwise though it’s fantastic and based on that alone I’m going to have to learn to love/suffer it.
To be clear what I don’t like about the x axis approach here is that it looks like slides between notes, which is something I like/do, isn’t possible in the same way that it is on other MPE controllers. I could be wrong but their solution (the pressure weighted thing) looks to only solve that problem* monophonic play.
*This may not be a problem to other users.
I’m guessing it’s monophonic only as don’t see how it could detect which notes are sliding if more than two keys are pressed.
But yes, there will be lots to learn with the osmose and it won’t be a quick win, but the sounds on there will hopefully inspire enough (as it has me on the continuumini/linnstrument pairing) to do some solid learning around the instrument binterface and editor, which will hopefully improve further over time. Intuitive it ain’t.
I don’t hang on your every word, and I’m talking about slides within regular polyphonic play, not splits etc.
I personally don’t think slides can work well* within a piano style interface, though I understand that I’m probably not allowed an opinion in this thread either.
*well compared to non traditional keyboard layouts like the linnstrument, continuum, roli etc.
I agree. I don’t think the Osmose will be the right choice if you really primarily want fine control over polyphonic glissando, or to emulate eg. slide guitar or bowed string instruments. Maybe unless extremely skilled, which will take +++ time to master.
It will have other strengths though. Until it’s in our hands will be hard to say for sure. Looking forward to exploring!
Agreed, and had my financial situation have been different at preorder time (2 kids just arrived!) I’d certainly have jumped on it.
I’m perhaps less likely to now upon wider release as I’m probably happy, assuming I can learn the editor, with what the continuumini and linstrument provide. Suppose whether I’m maxing the DSP/polyphony will make my mind up there, since the osmose has more DSP power.
Wonder if it’s time for an Eaganmatrix thread - it would be good to share some ideas/learning around that when it’s in more hands. Hopefully by that time I’ll have a better understanding and can share.
On the continuum you can slide how ever many fingers/voices you have, so it isn’t the same I’m afraid.
It quite clearly isn’t.
first thing I wrote Expressive E was to customize the UI for us - at least with a dark mode. Maybe ask them as well for a better (looking) UI. The more the better. I guess I was as always the only one moaning about it directly 
Lack of maximise/fit to screen aside it’s more that the approach is so different to anything else I’ve used, and I have a reasonable amount of experience in synthesis now I’d say.
First impressions are it kind of feels like a live coding environment - I just need to learn the approach and welcome any pointers…
Yeah, I totally agree – looks like some engineering boomer with scientific background made the UI instead of hiring a professional (younger) designer.
my experience is simply ALL expressive control surfaces end up having a very different feel, and so work ‘better’ in different scenarios.
each have focused on different ideas about what’s important…
the Continuum came from the idea of fretless instruments (see Leopolds background) , the Linnstrument (and many similar) from a multi string / isomorphic layouts.
I think the Eigenharp was interesting, because with its approach it tried to be everything, as whilst it used 3d keys, it also had breath and ribbons, and dedicated percussion keys… almost the ‘one man band’ concept 
so all tried to approach from different angles… musicians from different backgrounds.
and frankly, a controller inspired from fretless stings, is going to be have limited success for playing piano sound,.
but, for years, many dismissed expressive controllers since they couldn’t utilise their keyboard chops … Roll tried to hit that, and it worked for many BUT still others, said the squidy feel just wasn’t conducive to keyboard skills…
(they we had the KMC K-Board Pro, which ‘lacked’ physical feedback)
so Osmose is the latest attempt at that… and from my (limited) time with it, I think it hits this really bang on…
is it the most expressive controller… nope, Continuum/Eigenharp still hold thats title for me… but its still very expressive!
finally, Id say each ‘controller’ (Ive played most of them at some time or another) , takes a while to learn, to find its sweets spots … and that will be no different with the Osmose.
will the Osmose replace my Soundplane or Eigenharps… nope, it’ll just be something else that I enjoy to play, in a different way 
as for the Eagan Matrix, sure its a bit obtuse, but its very well proven… its been finely honed over the years…
agreed many are going to find it difficult (impossible?) , and largely stick to presets … and that is ok, musicians have done that for years with the Continuum, and still enjoyed it for what it is.
given how long its been around, if you think its going to get a complete overhaul for the new audience (from Osmose) - I suspect you will be very disappointed.
(but never say , never)
Laughed at that one but yes, I feel similar. I’m hoping if I can crack/enter the matrix since judging by some of the presets there is joy to be had in terms of its output. It’s clearly geared up for expressive play, so I’m hoping in time I can regard it as useable.
Agree with all, especially the first lines. I think it pays to identify the differences and see what might fit best for individual needs. Though really as with any instrument trying it out is the best way to find out.
yeah, unfortunately these days its hard for many to get to try these things…
the irony is… the best quality time Ive had with each of these (except Osmose), is by meeting/playing with fellow musicians who have these expressive instruments who I met because I had one… so its a fortuitous circle, one you start playing them, you get to try more … but that doesn’t work if you are new to the ‘scene’
BUT I will say, Superbooth is good for this too… Haken, Expressive-E , KMC , Embodme (Erae Touch) , Joue… and others are all there, and you can get some good time on them all.
(k, Osmose will no doubt again be very busy, though perhaps they will have more units this year?)
What I need to do is find an Eagan expert!
Think controller wise I’m pretty much settled into the linstrument way these days, though I’d certainly find chord playing more intuitive on the osmose. Left hand osmose, right hand linstrument is something to dream about, and would potentially offer a best of all worlds* if the sound engine is decodable.
*For me
Lockdown in Shenzen. Nice. Guess that adds a few more weeks / month / years?
I believe the arpeggiator will be my main playground, I hope it’s not too limited…