Sake. My order was placed on 27 November and still nothing! No mad rush for it to be honest - good to see folk getting their emails though!
wait for the EM, it’s so different and expressive, you won’t want anything else
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I’ve been 95% thinking about the keyboard mechanics so far. It is only now I’ve committed to delivery that EM is an enigma to be unravelled.
The Osmose itself is a macro controller of patches whilst we will need to do our deep tweaks in the computer, right?
(besides alternatively connecting to any regular or MPE external synth of course)
The EM presets are really another league than the usual synth factory presets. They have been built with expression in mind. In terms of controls beyond MPE you have two levels: a) high level with a few preconfigured macro controls and a few easily accessible parameters such as the effects; b) low level with the EM.
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Looks like they’re updating the official website for Osmose.
Hopefully the updated website will show how much parameter tweaking can be done from the front panel.
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noob question: what is the eagenmatrix? it sounds like an awesome title for a track haha.
PS: i also contemplated buying the case, it looks nice, but since I won’t expect to be traveling with the osmose I couldn’t justify it, it would just be lying there in a corner (just like my nord stage case haha)
“The EaganMatrix is a modular digital synthesizer invented by Edmund Eagan, utilizing a DSP engine designed by Lippold Haken. The EaganMatrix allows the user to finely craft their musical sound by digitally connecting audio and control modules via a patching matrix. The EaganMatrix synthesizer is internal to the Continuum Fingerboard, the ContinuuMini, and Expressive E’s Osmose keyboard. No external hardware is required. The synthesizer is edited by using an external cross-platform editing program, the Haken Editor.”
I just paid for mine. Put me down as ‘excited’.
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I sent an e-mail to Expressive E and asked about the shipping costs, especially since I later saw a note in their store saying that orders above 200€/$200 were eligible for free shipping. This is the answer I got:
Thank you for your email.
The free shipping is a mistake from our end , shipping charges do apply.
We will make the correction promptly.
So, yes, contrary to what i says on the store page, you’re supposed to pay for shipping yourself.
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Looks like there may be something that could mod the Osmose for touch control as it appears to support anything with full sized keys:
Getting all this merged into MIDI consistently could get a bit hairy but would probably be a good tinkering project for someone who’s really interested in polyphonic expression.
I don’t know the current state of what purchasing these is like but the facebook looks active as recently as 2020 for orders scheduled in 2021.
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really this would only give you an ‘additional’ Y axis… as we already have the X (pitch) axis, and pressure. (which is much better than touch keys 
)
so I don’t think it adds much… (also, see below)
I don’t think the touch keys could be fitted. (Ive looked at installation before for other keyboards)
its unlikely there’d be space in the case to house the extra board.
also, it works by passing the connectors to the keys under the ‘fall board’ , and that doesn’t exist on the Osmose.
its kind of interesting, theres a good argument against doing Y on a keyboard.
the issue is hand placement.
on a keyboard, you have to change the shape of your hand, and move it around to play different chords. this makes it hard/nigh impossible (for some chords/hands sizes) to slide / pick your Y position. most obviously chords that are using mix of black n’ white keys, and your hands are at a stretch e.g imagine a Cm7
this is why (I suspect) the original Seaboard (Grand) did not have Y, and the osmose as has gone for an ‘alternative’ approach to Y.
of course, on a isomorphic grids, this limitation is not present for a variety of reason.
and on the continuum, the surface is linear, so again not a limitation.
for sure, Roli, decided to change this on the Seaboard Rise.
though, this was (again I suspect) more a practical change, its competitors had an ‘extra axis’.
also, I guess they recognised , not all were playing complex chords… even playing solo parts on an expressive controller is liberating.
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btw: I noticed my order was updated yesterday :
On Backorder(Paid) -> Payment Accepted.
not sure if this is just expressive-e’s systems catching up, or it means they are further along prepping for shipment… perhaps that 15 day (shipping) counter starts now?
no tracking number yet… hopefully thats the next, and final step.
oh, I went and checked back on some of the last few status updates we got,
and indeed, expressive-e did say, they’d give us ETAs when Osmose started to arrive.
so, hopefully, everyone that backed, should soon (after holidays?) be getting either tracking numbers, or an ETA 
quotes from dev updates
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whats the alternative approach? im curious
the Osmose has a 2 step range on pressure.
when you press a key,
the first part of this press is poly pressure (or MPE Z),
it then hits a kind of ‘stop’
then you can push beyond this for another pressure layer.
this second layer is mapped to MPE Y.
so its an alternative modulation, rather than strictly a separate dimension. ( * )
I will say, whilst the idea doesn’t sound great (I was very unsure about it!), it actually in practice works very well… largely because this pressure feel is very good/sensitive on the Osmose.
however, this is one aspect (there are a few) that means it will be rather different to playing things like the Continuum/Linnstrument , due to their use of Y.
not better/worst, just different, and for sure (sound) patches will be designed differently due to this motion.
but, going back to my point about why Y (arguably) doesn’t make sense on a keyboard.
you can see that this ‘alternative’ Y/modulation does… since its independent on hand position. (**)
( * ) the obvious drawback to this approach is that Y, can only be accessed once Z has been fully depressed. so its not truly independent of Z.
though technically, once we get into look at derivatives (dZ aka velocity) then with skilful playing Y becomes more independent.
( ** ) assuming the hinge point is far enough back on Osmose, that you can apply consistent pressure across keys.
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Hopefully hear something soon. So far not heard heard a thing since the case email.
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did your order move to “Payment Accepted” yet?
funny, when I got that email, my heart raced… as I kind of assumed/hoped it was the shipping / tracking notification 
but thats for another day, perhaps they will send them out on Xmas day!
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my status is still on ‘backorder paid’.
I’m very curious!
i hadnt even realised how old linnstrument was (ahead of its time! still great probably, never played with one).
it was truly time for a new MPE keyboard option!
well there were others before the linnstrument…
the real grandfather of all this has to be the Continuum. (*)
(hence why having the Eagan Matrix here, is a bit thing , for me at least)
but we also have the Madrona Soundplane, and Eigenlabs Eigenharp, which also pre-date the Linnstrument (by quite a margin ) , and many others.
these all have their merits… due to different approaches they take.
ok, I guess we could also give a nod towards the likes of the ondes martenot, and even the theremin, and I guess Buchla too.
the history, of getting more expression into electronic instruments goes back quite a way.
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Nah I’ve clearly not made the initial cut but would be good to have an update of sorts just to know what to expect a bit better