Since its release, the Expressive E Osmose has been one of the most talked-about instruments in the MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression) world, thanks to a touch-sensitive, pressure- and after-touch-responsive keybed that lets players bend, vibrato, and shape timbre with a level of nuance most keyboards simply can't offer. The trade-off has always been price: the full Osmose, with its built-in EaganMatrix-powered synth engine, sits well above what many players are willing to spend on a controller. Expressive E's new Osmose CE ("Controller Edition") is a direct response to that barrier, and it's one of the more interesting MPE hardware releases of the year.
Same Keybed, No Onboard Synth
The core pitch of the Osmose CE is simple: it uses the same expressive keybed as the original Osmose, but drops the built-in sound engine entirely, turning it into a pure MIDI/MPE controller meant to drive software instruments and plugins instead. That single change is what allows Expressive E to bring the price down substantially compared to the full Osmose, while keeping the part of the instrument that actually defines the playing experience.
Beyond the keybed, the Osmose CE includes seven knobs and encoders, nine assignable buttons, dedicated pitch and modulation sliders, and a 4.3-inch color display for quick access to mapping and performance settings. Connectivity covers both USB-C and traditional 5-pin DIN MIDI in/out, along with two assignable pedal inputs for players who want to add expression or sustain control at the foot. The unit is manufactured in Poland and weighs in around 10–11 kg depending on the key count.
Two Sizes, Two Price Points
The Osmose CE ships in two configurations: a 49-key model at $999 / €999 and a 61-key model at $1,199 / €1,199. That pricing puts the 49-key version well within reach of a much broader range of musicians than the original Osmose ever was, while still delivering the same finger-level pitch, pressure, and timbre response the instrument is known for. Full specs and ordering details are available on Expressive E's official site.
Ctrl-e: The Software Half of the Equation
Because the CE has no internal sound engine, Expressive E is leaning heavily on its companion Ctrl-e software platform to make the controller useful out of the box. Ctrl-e ships with a library of expressive presets mapped for use with popular software instruments, along with integration profiles for major DAWs including Ableton Live, Cubase, Bitwig Studio, and Logic Pro. For players who already have a software synth collection they like, this positions the Osmose CE less as a standalone instrument and more as a dedicated expressive front-end for a studio that's already built around plugins — a very different value proposition than the original all-in-one Osmose.
What It Means for MPE Adoption
Controller-only designs like the Osmose CE matter for the health of the MPE ecosystem as a whole. One of the recurring criticisms of high-end expressive instruments has been that the best playing surfaces are locked behind the price of a complete synthesizer. By separating the keybed from the sound engine, Expressive E is effectively arguing that the playing surface is the real innovation worth paying for, and that the synthesis can be left to the DAW-based tools musicians are probably already using.
Combined with other recent moves toward more accessible expressive hardware, the Osmose CE suggests that 2026 is shaping up to be a year where MPE controllers get meaningfully closer to mainstream production budgets, without giving up the finger-level expression that made instruments like the original Osmose and the Haken Continuum family so distinctive in the first place. For musicians who've wanted to try Osmose-style playing but balked at the price of the full synth, the CE is worth a serious look.