Firmware updates rarely make for exciting headlines, but the latest release for Intuitive Instruments' Exquis is worth a closer look — not just for what it adds to the controller itself, but for what it reveals about how tightly MPE hardware and DAW software are now expected to talk to each other.

What's New in Firmware 2.2

The update introduces two headline features. MPE Key Freeze captures the full expressive state of a held note or chord — pitch bend, pressure, and timbre included — and sustains it indefinitely, freeing both hands to move to another part, tweak effects, or trigger something else entirely without losing the frozen gesture. It's the kind of feature that sounds small on paper but changes how you approach live layering and looping in practice.

The second addition, MIDI Score Display, lights up Exquis's isomorphic grid in response to incoming MIDI notes, effectively turning the surface into a playable score that prioritizes the active scale. For anyone using Exquis as both an input device and a practice tool, that turns the hardware into a visual aid as well as a controller.

Native DAW Integration

The more significant part of the update, from an ecosystem standpoint, is the accompanying DAW integration work. Intuitive Instruments released official Ableton Live Remote Scripts bringing Exquis in line with Live 12, letting tempo, root note, and scale be set directly from the hardware, alongside an exclusive favorites system for quick access to racks and plugin presets. Separately, developer Jürgen Moßgraber released free companion scripts extending equivalent functionality to Bitwig Studio and Cockos Reaper — both available now as free downloads.

That level of two-way integration, where a controller can both send expressive per-note data and receive contextual state back from the DAW (scale, root note, transport), is becoming table stakes rather than a differentiator for serious MPE hardware in 2026.

Where the Major DAWs Stand on MPE

Exquis's update is a useful excuse to take stock of how MPE support looks across the major DAWs right now:

Bitwig Studio remains the reference implementation. MPE was built into Bitwig's engine from early on, and the DAW includes a dedicated detail editor for per-note expression, meaning controllers like the Roli Seaboard, LinnStrument, or Osmose are handled natively without workarounds.

Ableton Live added MPE support back in Live 11 and has continued refining it, with stock instruments including Wavetable, Drift, and Sampler all MPE-aware out of the box. Live 12 extends that further with the kind of hardware-aware remote scripting Exquis now taps into.

Logic Pro implements MPE through MIDI Mono Mode and offers full support with MPE-capable instruments such as Alchemy, making it a solid option for Mac-based MPE players who want expressive control without leaving Apple's ecosystem.

Reaper supports MPE as well, though it typically requires more manual routing and setup compared to Bitwig or Live — a fair trade for the DAW's broader flexibility and lower cost.

The Bigger Picture

None of these are individually huge announcements, but taken together they describe an ecosystem where MPE has moved well past "supported in theory" to "actively integrated" across hardware and software alike. A budget-friendly isomorphic controller like Exquis getting dedicated remote scripts for three major DAWs simultaneously — with community developers filling in gaps the manufacturer hasn't gotten to yet — is a sign of a maturing standard rather than a niche feature chasing adoption.

For players choosing a DAW specifically around MPE workflow, Bitwig still offers the smoothest native experience, but the gap has narrowed considerably. Ableton, Logic, and Reaper are all genuinely usable MPE environments in 2026, and updates like Exquis's firmware 2.2 make the hardware side of that equation increasingly seamless too.