Expressive E Osmose

The Lounge Other Gear
1610

as mentioned previously, the patching is straight forward…
I don’t even think its the formula that are that scary… thats also pretty obvious.

I think the ‘intimidating’ parts are the multitude of options on things like WXYZ, and ‘modules’ that are different from what we are used to.
(even comparing to eurorack, its different)

the ‘issue’ is, these differences are intrinsic to what the EM is… you cannot just simplify/remove…
the main reason the EM is so powerful for these instruments, and why EE choose it , is because it closely ties the preset to the surface…
the surface is not just ‘bolted on’ modulation to the preset, it is woven into the matrix…
simplify that… and you are left with ‘just another synth’
(none of the ‘modules’ are really that different from what other synths have!)

@SLiC , checkout Eagan Matrix Programming, his early videos cover everything you need. to do exactly what you are asking for.
the UI has changed a very small amount, buts its still 100% applicable.

I might so some videos, next week… as I start to get back into a routine… and I do want to also cover this topic…
Im thinking of a series, from the view of someone new to the EM.

believe everything you hear… its great :slight_smile:
probably the most level headed video Ive seen is an interview with Ty Unwin (who knows his onions!) here, its long, but worth watching if you are interested.

he does a good job of putting aside the hype, and keeping things real, whilst being enthusiastic.

so here’s my attempt, at doing the same thing …
(pro/con style)

it sounds gorgeous
but its a fantastic digital sound, with real emphasis on physical modelling
it can do ‘analog-ish’ sounds, but thats not it forte.

fantastic to play, inspirational.
but due to above, its probably not your first synth… it has character, does certain things exceptionally.

it could really be a game changer…
in some genres, for some musician

to get the most it will take practice,
its a performance instrument, you probably won’t want to be programming this from a daw!

the presets are like their own instruments, this adds to the immediacy.
but the downside, is few will create their own ‘presets’
(but you don’t create presets for a piano either :wink: )

they key thing I agree with Ty on though is one very simple thing.

this is not ‘just another synth’, its an instrument that is very particular.
it does, what it does and was designed for, nothing short of exceptionally…
but its not a bread n’ butter synth

e.g. you’d not replace a Virus/Hydra with it, unless, you were specialising in being an Osmose player!

as Ty pointed out, at the moment, most of the criticism seen online, is frankly due to misunderstanding… understanding what the Osmose is, and what it is not.

as he said,
people asking “How big is your boot (trunk) on your sports car?”
you don’t buy a sports car for its boot, if you are wanting it for shopping, its probably not the right choice. generally, its not an all-around either.

thats not to say its perfect, it has a few minor bugs, and some limitations as above… but given its goals, is price… its has a hell of a lot going for it.

2 Likes
1611

I came from thinking it might be too difficult to try - but mostly because that’s what others, even some experienced synthesists, were telling me. I don’t know; perhaps it’s because the matrix reminds me of my Synthi but it didn’t strike me as too hard conceptually and the pins being replaced by formulae makes sense too. (With the Synthi there are pins with different resistance and this feels like an extension of that.) .
My main issue is my laptop being quite tiny so will have to draft in an external monitor to read all the text. My studio isn’t really set up for computery things so that’ll need some rearranging. Anyway, today I’m gonna try MPE control of my Super 6.

2 Likes
1612

Let us know how you get on with the Super 6. I’ve been saving trying that combination for a later date, should be pretty great. It would be even better if MPE Y wasnt hard-wired to filter cutoff (if memory serves me correctly) in Super 6’s current firmware but never mind, still fun to be had. Some people find it rather tedious that you have to enable MPE on a per-preset basis on the Super 6 too.

1 Like
1613

I’ve been mucking around with sostenuto today, ah that is fun stuff. Even if you dont have suitable pedals it can be assigned to the mod fader so fun can still be had.

1614

Thanks - I have found a few ‘beginners’ videos on YT but I guess I was (lazily) hoping someone with an Osmose would do a ‘step by step’ based around an Osmose! I know when I first looked I wasn’t even sure my Osmose was connected to the editor or how to do 2 way transfers.

1615

Aha that’s what it’s doing! Was driving me crazy. Having to keep going back in and re-enabling it is a bit crap but also having to deal with the Super 6’s mod matrix reminds me why I rarely touch it. You can do the nice vibrato stuff though and it’s sorta interesting generally. The response to aftertouch is a bit odd but then I’ve never quite understood the way depths work in the Soup’s matrix.
Generally, I think I prefer controlling my Blofeld and sending it regular Poly AT - it just works as I expect.
Edit - sounds much better if you dsable the full velocity control on the Soup, or flick the switch ti half. Much less steppy then.

1616

I looked at the pedal recommendations but it wasn’t clear which were regular pedals and which were ‘half’. Working with a regular sustain pedal but I’ve been getting odd leaps in volume in some pedals, hence my interest in getting the right one.

1617

Yamaha FC3A is “half damper” for sure, anything cheaper that was on “the list” which I saw, like the M-Audio, once I looked closely, no. The other half dampers were all more than the Yamaha. Now I have the pedal…hopefully the keyboard can run the gauntlet into USA soon. “Feb” They say :slight_smile:

1 Like
1618

Just curious… can’t you just “turn down the sensitivity” to play more traditional synth-like patches? Or am i missing some other aspect?

Also, does anyone know the sample rate of the Osmose? I’ve reached out to Expressive E. They informed me that the Osmose uses Analog Devices SHARC processors (the same processors used in the NeuralDSP Quad Cortex), but they haven’t yet responded as to the sample rate.

Thanks in Advance!

1 Like
1619

Cheers, will get one.

1620

Turning down the sensitivity is only part of the solution. The remaining part is playing in a more articulate manner with your fingers and/or wrist to trigger velocity unambiguously.

1621

That doesn’t sound too intimidating.

It has some analogy to the Linnstrument (which I thoroughly enjoy playing) where the learning curve (for me at least) centered more around getting the pitch you wanted (i.e. getting my fat finger in the middle of the note!). But even that wasn’t difficult to get used to — at least for me with a background in fretless basses.

Thanks for the info!

1622

sure, though the feel is still a bit different… its a bit lighter/springier than a good synth keybed.
but for sure, its playable.

my point however was more the standalone synth engine is pretty different from the more ‘workhorse’ like synths… and of course, something like a virus/hydra has a lot of hands on control of the synth engine (without using a computer)

so yeah, the point is… sure it could be used, but it’d be a compromise, its not what it was designed for… hence the comment by Ty, for most its better as a 2nd or 3rd synth, rather than your first/only synth.

what do you mean by sample rate? its audio output/dsp processing? or surface sample rate?

audio, I believe its support 192khz audio, as continuum support this for audio input.
for surface sampling rates, read this, its a good primer into this area. even though it talks about midi.
if you need more specifics you’d have to check with Lippold.
(whilst its all about the Continuum, the Osmose is based on same tech… though theoretically the surface sampling could be different)

1623

It is not too intimidating as long as you use the Osmose’s internal synth engine, thanks to the light touch and the flexible sensitivity settings.

If used as a non-MPE controller, then it will take a little longer to get accustomed to. I’ve controlled a Prophet 10 with the Osmose and it works, however, your fingers and wrists really need to perform more articulately to get a similar sound out of it compared with a standard keybed.

As regards the Osmose and its engine as a workhorse, I think it is as much of a workhorse than any poly synth, that is limited, focused and great at what it does.

1624

It seems like you’ve answered this but I’m very close to placing a preorder for an osmose and wanted to know for sure;
In it’s current form, you can fire up the EaganMatrix and build totally custom presets correct? I know there are limitations as the EaganMatrix is designed more for the Continuum series but if I could go into the EM and toy around to make my own patches…I’m totally in!

1625

yes , you can create presets from scratch.

not sure what you mean by this…
all the features of the Eagan Matrix are available to you with the Osmose.
(except audio input, as there’s no audio input on the Osmose)

the main thing to note, is that the Y axis is different on the Osmose compared to the Continuum.
so if you take an existing Continuum preset, you’d want to ‘adapt’ it, though frankly, this would be true anyway, as every surface reacts differently…
… and this is one of the key elements of the EM, its designed, to really respond to a surface… this is where the magic happens that few other synth engines can match. this is why EE chose to partner with Haken for the engine.

1626

Perfect!
I misread your earlier (and possibly others’) statements and thought the Osmose was missing other features that the Haken instruments have.
This is great news! I’m going to take the plunge soon.

Cheers!

1627

Yeah, sorry… I meant the internal audio processing.

Back to an earlier comment, I actually am considering this as an only synth (though not my first by a long shot). I primarily play guitar, but love synthesis and would use this in drum / bass / guitar / synth recording ensembles. I have a Linnstrument and enjoy the expressiveness, but I prefer an instrument to a soft synth (yes, I realize this is a softsynth in a box…)

That was certainly my hope.

Thanks for the input fellas. Cheers!

… is the Osmose missing the Y axis (forward and back)?

1628

I didn’t think the Osmose had a Y axis… (though looking at the EaganMatrix leads one to believe that it must have)… What gesture (if not forward and back motion) produces Y axis information on the Osmose?

1630

Isn’t that Aftertouch / Pressure (Z)?

If not, does mean there are essentially 3 “levels” (or aspects) of downward key travel?

Sorry… I’m really not as dumb as this sounds… :joy: