Expressive E has pushed out version 2.6 of Noisy 2, its MPE-native physical modeling synthesizer plugin, and it's less a maintenance patch than a rebuild of the instrument's synthesis core. Existing owners get the update for free, and the timing — landing during the post-Superbooth stretch when the company's Osmose CE controller has been dominating headlines — is a reminder that Expressive E's software side is evolving just as fast as its hardware.
From five resonators to eleven
Noisy 2's original pitch was physical modeling: instead of subtractive or FM synthesis alone, it simulates the behavior of vibrating strings, tubes, and membranes, then lets MPE per-note pitch, pressure, and slide data drive those physical parameters in real time. Version 2.6 more than doubles the instrument's synthesis vocabulary, taking the resonator count from 5 to 11. The new additions are Unison, FM, FM Feedback, Harmonics, and Wave Map, sitting alongside the existing Analog and Acoustic resonator types.
That's a meaningful shift in scope. Where the original Noisy 2 leaned heavily into organic, acoustic-flavored textures, the new engines open the door to harder-edged FM basses, wavetable-style motion, and layered unison leads — all still routed through the same per-note MPE expression that made the instrument distinctive in the first place. A player bending two notes of a chord in opposite directions can now do so across a much wider timbral palette than before.
Deeper effects and modulation
Alongside the new engines, 2.6 adds nine additional built-in effects, five new noise sources, and an extra LFO shape. Combined with the expanded resonator set, the practical effect is that patches which previously required routing Noisy 2 through several external effects plugins can now be built entirely inside the instrument — useful for anyone performing live on an MPE controller who wants to keep a session simple and CPU-light.
1,400 presets, and a launch discount
The update ships with roughly 1,400 presets, split between 650 designed specifically to take advantage of MPE controllers and 750 standard MIDI patches for players on conventional keyboards. That split matters: Noisy 2 has always been usable without an MPE controller, but the dedicated MPE bank is where the instrument's design intent is most obvious, with patches built around continuous per-note pressure and slide rather than static parameter values.
To mark the release, Expressive E is offering Noisy 2 at $89/89,40€, down from its regular $149/149€, for a limited time. The plugin runs as VST, VST3, and AU on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, as well as Windows.
Why it matters for the MPE ecosystem
Free engine expansions like this one are a useful signal for how seriously a manufacturer is committed to an install base rather than just chasing new sales. Expressive E could have reserved FM and wavetable synthesis for a "Noisy 3" paid upgrade; instead, existing Noisy 2 owners — including anyone who bought in specifically to pair it with an Osmose or a third-party MPE controller — get the full expansion at no cost.
It also reinforces a broader pattern worth watching: as more players adopt MPE controllers from Expressive E, ROLI, and Haken Audio, software makers have an incentive to keep deepening the software side of the equation rather than treating MPE compatibility as a checkbox. An instrument that can express more sonically through the same gestures makes the controller itself more valuable, which in turn makes the case for investing in expressive hardware a little stronger.
For current Noisy 2 users, the update should already be available through Expressive E's installer. For anyone still on the fence, the discounted entry price makes now a reasonable moment to try an MPE-first synth that's just gotten considerably more versatile.