Expressive E Osmose: The Synth That Brought Hans Zimmer to Dune
Expressive E Osmose: A Synthesizer That Responds Like an Acoustic Instrument
A joint project by Expressive E and Haken Audio that redefines keyboard expressivity
Expressive E Osmose is a collaboration between French company Expressive E and American Haken Audio. The former is known for the Touché controller; the latter for the cult Continuum Fingerboard — one of the most expressive instruments in the world. What came out of this partnership is a synthesizer where a familiar keyboard form conceals an entirely different approach to interacting with sound.
49 Keys – Standard 61 Keys – Extended
AKA: Augmented Keyboard Action
The defining feature that sets the Expressive E Osmose apart from every other synthesizer is the AKA – Augmented Keyboard Action technology. The keys sit raised above the body and travel deeper than on a traditional instrument. This is not merely a construction detail — it is precisely what enables three-dimensional control over every individual note.
Initial key velocity at the moment of press. Works like any other synthesizer — but this is only where it begins.
Polyphonic, per-note pressure after the initial strike. Every note in a chord responds independently.
Side-to-side key movement for per-note vibrato and pitch bend — impossible on any conventional keyboard.
All three dimensions operate polyphonically. In a three-note chord, you can add vibrato to one note only, apply pressure glide to the second, and leave the third untouched. On a standard keyboard, this is physically impossible.
EaganMatrix: The Sound Engine
Inside the Expressive E Osmose runs the EaganMatrix engine — the same one powering the Haken Continuum. It is a modular digital synthesizer built by Edmund Eagan on Lippold Haken's DSP platform. It supports FM synthesis, physical modelling, virtual analogue, additive, and subtractive synthesis. 24-voice polyphony, six SHARC DSP chips.
The critical point is that EaganMatrix is not just a sound engine with presets sitting on top of it. Every preset here is written to respond to expression. Finger pressure becomes the envelope, lateral movement becomes vibrato, attack nuance becomes timbre. This is why physical modelling on the Expressive E Osmose sounds different from other synthesizers — strings, winds, and percussion respond to the subtleties of your playing in real time.
The instrument ships with over 500 presets organised by category: cinematic strings, FM pianos, heavy electronic basses, percussion, pads, wind instruments, and textural SFX. For fast sound shaping directly on the instrument, 6 macro controls are available — no computer required.
Sound Design and the Editor
The Expressive E Osmose was designed from the ground up as an instrument for playing, not endless patching. The control panel is deliberately focused: colour display, a handful of encoders, four section buttons — no overload. You can browse presets quickly, adjust macros, and configure keyboard sensitivity for your playing style — all without a computer.
For those who want to go deeper, there is the Haken Editor — a desktop application running through Cycling 74 Max (the demo version is free and fully functional). This is serious sound design territory: modular patching with formulas, operators, and matrices — powerful, but demanding time and commitment. Expressive E themselves describe it as a "synthesis laboratory." Crucially, this level remains entirely optional. You can work with the Expressive E Osmose for years using only presets and macros — and that already covers an enormous range of applications.
Who Uses the Expressive E Osmose
Hans Zimmer used the Expressive E Osmose as the central instrument in building the sonic world of Dune: Part Two. His team developed custom presets entirely from scratch — including recording a live voice, transforming it into a synth patch using Osmose's resynthesis feature, and then controlling the vocal timbre in real time through the keys. The film's score relied on the Expressive E Osmose for textures that were genuinely unlike anything previously heard in cinema.
It was this idea that within one note, so much can happen. That's what the Osmose does.
Mike Dean is one of the most versatile figures in American music — over 1,750 production credits spanning Kanye West, Travis Scott, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, The Weeknd, and Madonna. He owns more than fifty analogue synthesizers, calls himself a "synth god," and builds a solo career as an instrumental electronic artist. His signature "Mike Dean Outro" — those 30 to 60 seconds of pure synthesizer flight at the end of Kanye or Travis Scott tracks — has become his personal trademark. Mike Dean was among the first to work with Expressive E Osmose prototypes long before the official release, which says a great deal about how precisely the instrument fit his musical thinking.
Jean-Michel Jarre, pioneer of French electronic music, placed the Expressive E Osmose on his list of favourite synthesizers of all time — alongside the ARP 2600 and EMS VCS 3 — and used it during work on the album Oxymore. He highlighted the instrument's unique live capabilities, particularly for drones and SFX textures during performances.
Osmose from Expressive E – amazing for its live possibilities.
Flying Lotus, one of the most original producers of his generation, was among the first users of the Expressive E Osmose before its official release. His reaction after playing the instrument became one of the most quoted lines at launch: "It makes you dream instantly."
Among other musicians who have worked with the Expressive E Osmose are Cory Henry (keyboardist of Snarky Puppy), Tarik Azzouz (Jay-Z, DJ Khaled), and André Manoukian. This is a broad cross-section — from hip-hop and jazz to academic electronic music — which demonstrates that the Expressive E Osmose is not tied to any single genre or style.
Expressive E Osmose as a Controller
The Expressive E Osmose functions as a fully capable MPE controller for external synthesizers, plugins, and DAWs — and this is a significant advantage in its own right. It connects via USB or standard DIN MIDI and is configured directly from the screen without a computer.
Each note receives its own MIDI channel with independent pitch bend and expression data.
Compatible with synthesizers like the Oberheim OB-6 and other instruments supporting per-note pressure.
Velocity and channel aftertouch only — for any hardware or software without MPE support.
In MPE mode, the Expressive E Osmose sends everything to an external instrument: initial pressure, aftertouch, and lateral pitch bend — individually per note. If your plugin or synthesizer supports MPE — Ableton Live, Bitwig, Dawesome Kontrast, Synapse Audio Dune 3, Native Instruments, Arturia, and many others — you get the full expression of the Expressive E Osmose on external sounds as well. Expressive E themselves release dedicated MPE preset packs for popular plugins, optimised specifically for the Expressive E Osmose keybed.
The built-in arpeggiator also works in MPE mode. If you add pressure to one note in a chord and leave another untouched, the arpeggio reproduces those nuances in real time. This is not merely a rhythmic tool — it is a live performance instrument.
Who This Instrument Is For
The Expressive E Osmose finds its place first and foremost with keyboardists who have already made peace with their instrument and want greater control over the nuances of their playing. If standard aftertouch feels too global and blunt, and you want vibrato on just one note of a chord — this is a direct answer to that need.
For sound designers working in games, film, and media, the Expressive E Osmose opens possibilities difficult to achieve by other means: physical modelling that breathes with your touch, and real-time timbral control without programming automation.
For electronic musicians working with leads and pads, the instrument gives an organic quality and sense of life that is hard to simulate through automation alone. A live pitch bend on a single note, pressure as a force shaping the lead — this is exactly what makes a performance stand out from the rest.
The Expressive E Osmose does not require prior experience with MPE or expressive instruments. You can start with straightforward preset playing — the instrument responds to whatever you give it and gradually reveals new layers as your technique develops.
The Expressive E Osmose is not a synthesizer that everyone needs. But for those who approach it with the right question — "how do I play more expressively, more organically, with more nuance?" — it offers an answer that is hard to find anywhere else.
A small French team and an American sound laboratory together built an instrument that ended up on the soundtrack of one of the most important films of the decade, in the studios of electronic music icons, and in the hands of producers across three different continents.
The Expressive E Osmose is not the next step in keyboard evolution. It is an entirely different direction.
If you want to feel how the Expressive E Osmose plays before making a decision – you are welcome to test and purchase the instrument at our showroom in Warsaw. Visit Wired Tunes and play it for yourself.
