fwiw, I really liked the Half Continuum I tried at Discovery World in Milwaukee.
The playing surface is fantastic for melody lines with lots of glissando, and finger drumming.
Playing chords though in tune is an issue unless you turn on the “snap to grid” pitch option.
Also, while I don’t claim heavy investment in piano-style keyboards, being able to feel where the notes are, due to the black keys being a different height and arranged in particular patterns, makes a difference. You can’t really feel where the notes are on a Continuum - you have use your eyes to locate the black strips.
About prices - I see ppl buying grand pianos everyday for 10k - 15k for their children to learn playing, and find it cheap, comparing to 50k - 250k grand pianos.
It’s all very relative… but we are more interested in innovations here, at any price : )
How ppl used to say on old GearSluts forums - you have to get both : )
I’m really interested in such a controller / instrument since I’m doing a lot of sound design / film / theater music and it really can get things more interesting… since years I use iPad and some other unusual controllers to spice up things, or just draw a lot of automation, but such an instrument could be a dream for those things… imagine it together with Omnisphere or Max/Msp…
you could also consider a EaganMatrix Eurorack and control that with a Sensei Morph, Linnstrument, or… I can’t keep track of all the other alternate controllers anymore.
EaganMatrix Eurorack is def. on my list of most exciting SB 21 announcements. Before this, the only way to add CV control of the EaganMatrix engine was to get Haken’s $549 CVC.
The thought of the EaganMatrix sitting in a Eurorack next to an Empress Euroboro, and the Buchla&TipTop modules, all happily cross-patched together, just boggles my mind.
Yeah… linn - I didn’t liked it too much, feels strange and kinda small.
Sensei is good, also play with it from time to time.
Osmose is definitely great, consider to try it as soon as available and maybe get it. No rush, it’s quite important to be sure that it will suit one and won’t collect dust… with continuum - I really liked the feel and sound but decided to skip, since it’s to much money for just “additional” strange tool. And you have to learn to master it… it’s like a fret less bass or steel guitar…
I was thinking of getting the ContinuuMini before Osmose and preorders for it was announced. Combination of price and likely usage in my music was just right.
Yeah, there’s been a lot of talk about Osmose as a controller for sample libraries, 3rd party modeled instrument packs, etc., partly because Expressive E also develops and sells such packs of their own.
Really not a lot of news from Expressive E at the show about Osmose. The show is very important to them, because so many people will get to put hands on the Osmose keyboard, and for all the exposure the show brings.
The big announcement for Expressive E at the show is their new soft synth Imagine, a physical modelling synth with a multidimensional interface that was posted about upthread .