MPE
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Embodme Erae II hands-on: A customizable MPE MIDI controller for your soft synths and analog gear
The Erae II takes the customizable MPE playing surface of the original and adds a more robust interface and tons of connectivity options.
Expressive E Osmose review: A game-changing MPE keyboard, but a frustrating synthesizer
Even four years after it was first revealed the Expressive E Osmose remains a groundbreaking MPE MIDI keyboard. But the EaganMatrix synth engine feels more like a PhD thesis than a musical instrument.
8410084100Roli Seaboard Rise 2 review: I wish I had a horror movie to score
The Roli Seaboard Rise 2 is probably the most successful showcase of what MPE MIDI is capable of.
Roli is making its squishy MPE MIDI keyboards affordable and portable (again)
The Roli Seaboard Block M is a more affordable and portable way to get your hands on its signature squishy MPE MIDI controller.
Expressive E finally starts shipping its unique Osmose synth
Expressive E has finally started shipping its unique MPE synth, the Osmose after three years.
Orba, the musical grapefruit, now lets you design your own synth sounds
Artiphon has finally opened up the Orba's MPE synth core for anyone to customize.
SkulptSynth SE review: Cheap and confusing, but incredibly powerful
Modal proves once again that it can make impressive sounding synths for dirt cheap.
SkulptSynth SE is a $199 portable virtual analog synth with MPE support
The SkulptSynth SE builds on the success of the original by cutting the price to $199 and improving the build quality.
Ableton Live 11: The biggest upgrades explained
Ableton Live 11 is partially about playing catchup and partially about looking to the future.
Artiphon Orba review: Much more than a musical fidget toy
Orba’s goal of lowering the barrier of entry to music creation is admirable. And it errs closer to a musical fidget toy than an intimidating and unusual instrument. But, those willing to push its limits will find surprising depth.
Roli's pro Lumi marries keyboard tradition with expressive MIDI features
Roli has unveiled a Lumi Keys Studio Edition for pro musicians that lets you glide and stab keys to produce unusual effects.
Equator2 is the next step in Roli's vision for expressive digital music
Roli is best known as the creator of the Seaboard, an exceptionally expressive (and very mushy) take on the classic keyboard synth. "We're realizing the world's first true flagship MPE synth engine: Equator2," said Roli CEO Roland Lamb in a statement. For the uninitiated, "MPE" refers to "MIDI Polyphonic Expression" a specification jointly developed by a handful of companies including Roli, Apple, MOOG and more that allow for certain synths and instruments to send more detailed note data to sound generators like, well, Equator2.
Ableton Live 11 is coming next year with MPE support
It was nearly five years between the release of Ableton Live 9 and Live 10. The biggest is definitely MPE support. The MPE curious can even dip their toes in with the $99 Orba from Artiphon, which doubles as a standalone instrument.
Jamstik Studio is the MIDI guitar you might actually want to use
Guitar MIDI controllers are usually giant disappointments. But Jamstik seems to have broken the code. The Studio MIDI Guitar has fast and accurate pitch detection, and even does an impressive job of recreating bends, hammer-ons and to a lesser degree slides. MIDI wasn’t designed with stringed instruments in mind, so it’s never going to be perfect, and the $800 asking price is steep. But, this is probably the best guitar-style MIDI controller on the market right now. Plus, it’s actually a guitar.
You can now build custom synths for the Sensel Morph
Sensel’s Morph is, by design, a bit of a shapeshifter. Obviously, this is only going to be useful if you know how to program in Pure Data. But, thankfully, it’s a relatively easy programing environment to wrap your head around. But, even if Pure Data is a bit too much for you, don’t worry.
Joué Play is a cheap, simple and customizable MIDI controller
The Joué Play lowers the price -- $289 with four overlays -- and adds a companion app that allows you to quickly and easily start making music with built in sounds. In fact, if you ask the company, it think the Play will appeal to even those who can’t play an instrument, but want to make music.
Orba is a tiny, fun and surprisingly expressive instrument
I am simultaneously deeply fascinated by and deeply skeptical of strange niche instruments. As fun as a classic Stylophone is, for instance, it's pretty tricky to make decent-sounding music with. Even quirky controllers like Roli Blocks have a hard time finding a foothold in my life. But I still can't resist their allure. So of course when I heard about Orba, the new instrument from Artiphon, I had to check it out.
The Osmose synth is both futuristic and familiar
Expressive E isn't quite the household name that, say, Korg is. It's a small French startup with just a couple of niche musical devices under its belt. But its Touché and Touché SE are unique in the way they allow musicians to control and sculpt their sound. They're essentially expression pedals with four degrees of motion that you control with your hand. It's hard to explain, so maybe just watch this demo. What's exciting though is that Expressive E took what it learned from the Touché and built its first standalone synthesizer: Osmose. While it looks rather unassuming and perhaps even a tad boring, it hides some powerful features inside.
Joué's MIDI controller adds tactile fun to music-making
The Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) arrived in the '80s to help digital instruments communicate with each other. Nowadays, with much of the action on computers, a new breed of MIDI controllers has emerged. Many of today's designs include built-in pressure sensitivity to provide a semblance of analog expression when played, but Joué is a bit different. It was developed to free digital music artists from the lockstep confines of keyboards, button rows, glowing displays and marching lights, while providing modular flexibility and, above all, fun. The name Joué, translated from French, literally means "play" or can be interpreted as "I play," and the company would like you to approach the device with an open and creative mind. It's a USB-powered pressure-sensitive board that works with a variety of soft -- and occasionally squishy -- pads that are detected and uniquely identified through embedded RFID tags. You map portions of each pad to any MIDI-capable program like Ableton Live, Apple Logic, Garage Band or iPad apps to help bring your music to life. They're swappable on the fly, and the tactile interfaces offer an alternative to high-tech distractions. The device is currently on Kickstarter; the company is raising funds to move from industrial prototype to final product, and as usual, early bird deals are available. You can buy a Joué board and starter pack of pads for just over $300, with the eventual retail price expected to be under $500.
