since people have started to receive their osmoses, i thought it’d be nice to have a dedicated thread here on lines. i’m still eagerly waiting for my pre-order fulfilment e-mail. here’s are some random scattered thoughts and questions to get us started:
as for the sound demos i’ve heard (expressive e recently uploaded a bunch of new ones), i’m like most people very impressed, and it really shows how the new keybed has an amazing influence on the sounds that can be produced. still, i’ve come to realise that i’m not really into many of the physical modelling patches, with some exceptions. there’s something about that overly “ringing” and resonating physical modelling sound, that i often find too “boxy” and somehow “far away”-sounding. anyone else get this? i’m eager to try if this can be tamed in the synth engine/playing style.
does anyone know if you’re able to map the individual key pitchbend to any parameter in the sound engine, or is it always mapped to pitch? i’m also very interested in how versatile the osmose is when it comes to playing other mpe compatible instruments. i’m very keen on trying it with live’s sampler instrument. the manual on the website doesn’t seem to be complete, but i assume it will be filled with more complete documentation in time.
While Pressure-Weighted Portamento is a patented feature by Haken Audio reserved for the internal synth engine for the time being, Osmose’s MPE Arpeggiator will be available for the External MIDI Mode in a future firmware update.
which is cool, because the arpeggiator seems like a blast!
cuckoo’s recent video is probably the best i’ve seen so far that really shows and talks about how the keybed influences new ways of playing. i also feel like a lot of demo videos showcases a very technical/virtuoso(-aspiring) style of playing, so it’s nice to seem someone play beautifully more within my own skill level range : )
does anyone know if you’re able to map the individual key pitchbend to any parameter in the sound engine, or is it always mapped to pitch
In the Eagen Matrix the keybed generates 4 variables (W X Y Z) and you can map them to anything pretty much, but X isn’t an offset, it’s the overall left to right position and usually that is mapped to the pitch.
Also - not sure if Osmose has the front to back you have on Continuum (the Y parameter - which is normally how I’d program something that isn’t pitch or pressure).
Since X is centered around the value of the key you hit and then the side to side changes that number you’d probably need to do some math to extract the side to side offset if you want just that offset. There are presets on the Continuum where X (left to right) isn’t pitch and there is no reason Osmose couldn’t be programmed the same. But that’s not the same as just using just the wiggle amount on the key.
The editor is called Eagan Matrix, so it’s a…matrix !
You can route it to anything.
The editor is really deep, and honestly very hard to master (must take a few months of intensive work I guess). The presets have a few ‘macros’ (arbitrarily designed in the matrix), that allows customization, often enough to make it feel ‘your own’, though. But it depends on the presets.
Definitely no front-to-back. I think that Y may have been recycled for the aftertouch. In other words, you have to depress the key fully (maximum Z) before you can begin to engage Y at all.
This has significant implications for how Eagan presets perform across disparate instruments. (Front-to-back Y exists on the Continuumini, but is kind of crippled.)
On the other hand, you can certainly map Y to a pedal or other such controller.
I wonder if there’s a roadmap for managing parallel preset banks that are optimized for different playing surfaces?
I’d like to just get a clear answer on how Y works on Osmose. Being able to change timber in the course of a melodic line separate from dynamics is one of the things I love on my Continuum. Might just have to be settle with using the pedals.
There’s no Y on Osmose. Not in the sense of Axis.
But once you’ve depressed the key, there’s another pressure zone that, I believe outputs the Y. So definitely not the same feeling as on the Continuum I imagine.
Thanks - if mine ever comes I’ll report back here on exactly what I find. My hunch is 98% of Osmose users will do little in the Eagen Matrix, but I’m one of the ones that will since I already know it a bit.
I’m also awaiting my pre-order fulfillment email. I need to make some space for the instrument so I’m actually sorta hoping I’m near the back of the queue.
My hunch is 98% of Osmose users will do little in the Eagen Matrix, but I’m one of the ones that will since I already know it a bit.
I suspect you’re right. That said, I’m really excited to get to know the Eagen Matrix. I’d love a Continuum, but it’s hard to justify the cost. The fact that the Osmose has the same engine at a much more affordable price point (at least at pre-order price) was what got me to take the plunge. I have a bunch of ideas for patches that I want to experiment with already. I’m hoping that the learning curve doesn’t put me off. The tutorials I’ve watched so far make it seem mostly approachable, though, even if it is very deep.
I agree that it’s one of the better videos. you can really feel that he’s genuinely blown away by the thing, which makes me feel like it really is going to be a pretty special instrument. i wish i felt the same about the keyboard skill level! i watched that video last night, and found myself thinking “oh dear, i wish i had those kinds of keyboard skills so that i could get the most out of this instrument”. i’m seriously thinking about taking some kind of keyboard / piano course or lessons to brush up a bit
I’m really interested in advices for learning the EM.
I seems a bit overwhelming, but not impossible to learn, but still…
I always been a ‘no preset’ guy, so it kind of matters to me.
It’s important to keep in mind that the Eagan Matrix/Continuum gestalt kind of flips the script on “presets”. If you’re coming from conventional slab synths, then presets are just different sounds played on a bog standard keyboard—they are all basically played the same way, using some level of piano/organ technique. Sure, you might speed up or slow down or use more fingers or fewer, or engage an arp or whatever, but there’s a high of predictability and transferability of your own aptitude across presets and, indeed, across slab synths.
In Haken-land, presets are not all played the same way—they can be designed for, and demand significantly different playing techniques even on the same playing surface! (This situation is now getting particularly complicated because the same presets are now being employed across at least three significantly different playing surfaces: fingerboard, mini-fingerboard, and now the Osmose, plus the Eurorack module.) There are fingerboard players out there who don’t just rely on presets, but are entirely dedicated to mastering their own playing technique on just one (1) single preset (which they may or may not have created or derived). In other words, a “preset” can be not just a “sound”, but an daunting instrument of its own, like a Violin.
I have “stuck” with woodwinds30 (slide wind) for weeks now (on a slim continuum) and don’t get bored at all. There are as well the macro controls that can dramatically change the sound.
I haven’t seen much discussion on this (maybe because I’m not on the FB group), but it looks as if EaganMatrix editor has transitioned from being a standalone app to a Max patch. On one hand this is a bit of a letdown as I was hoping for the option to edit Osmose patches on iPad which looks to be impossible now. On the other hand, maybe it’ll be easier for people to improve/fork the editor? I’m not a Max user so I’m not sure how that works.
It looks as if there may be a provision for attaching a sheet music stand to the back of the Osmose in the future. I was thinking it would be slick to be able to put a tablet on there to edit while playing and also record. They haven’t announced such an accessory yet, just my speculation. We’ll see what’s up with those four little circles (holes?) next month.
Check your spam bucket for a wildly malformed email.
{firstname} {lastname},
Thank you for shopping on {shop_name}. Once your package ships we will send you a tracking number.
Got my email yesterday. I’d put off planned February travel so was getting worried as I now HAVE to leave at the end of March, but looks like all is well. Can’t wait. I have a slim46 and I think the two will work together very nicely - the more conventionally tonal work can now be handled by the Osmose while the Continuum can focus on more experimental EM patches and controlling the modular.
Two stage aftertouch is just such a brilliant idea - I think in some ways it’s a better use of the Y parameter than the traditional Y axis approach on other MPE controllers. Though clearly it is it’s own thing, a whole new technique to learn just as one must with the Continuum.
Also hopeful about the possibilities of the Osmose as a controller for Zebra as, unlike the Continuum, it outputs old-fashioned Polyphonic Aftertouch rather than just the MPE variety. I’ve tried this with a Hydrasynth but I just never warmed up to the poly AT implementation on that keybed. From the videos, it looks like the Osmose implementation is what I’ve always dreamed of (though obviously not usable for everything one would do in Zebra.)
The EM is great. I am no expert yet but I have not found it nearly as intimidating as I’d read it could be. Not being the mathiest of folks, coming up with the right formulas is a little slow for me - but stretching the brain is a GOOD thing, and I need it.
I’m kinda glad the Osmose isn’t here yet because this big to do list in front of me would soon blow up into a massive problem. I think self-control will be a luxury for the first few days (weeks?) after it arrives.
