Osmose UserManual EN

Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 61

osmose - user manual

🇬🇧 english version
introduction

congratulations
and thank you for purchasing Osmose!

Osmose is one of the most expressive synthesizers ever created. It is a complete


standalone polyphonic synthesizer featuring our patented Augmented Keyboard Action
mechanism, where the keybed responds polyphonically to pressure, aftertouch, and
note bend.

It features the EaganMatrix by Haken Audio, a deep modular sound design engine,
giving access to incredible sounds ready to explore right out of the box. On top of this,
Osmose can also be used as an advanced controller for external hardware and
software synthesizers.

By default, Osmose is very sensitive, the lightest touch can control the sound. You can
decrease this huge sensitivity, but we encourage you to discover this new approach to
enrich your playing experience with a multitude of new nuances!

disclaimer
Osmose is a constantly evolving product, so the information contained in this manual is
subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of
Expressive E.

Osmose Manual v1.0 | published Jan 23, 2024 | firmware version 1.4.4
© Expressive SAS, 104 Avenue de la Résistance, 93100 Montreuil, France

2
table of contents
introduction 2
congratulations 2
disclaimer 2
table of contents 3
safety instructions 6

overview
before you start 9
box content 9
lockable power supply connector 9
keyboard calibration 9
maintain the keybed’s longevity 9
register your device 9
firmware update 10
quick start video 10
hardware overview 11
augmented keyboard action 13
main control interface 14
mode selection screen 15
selecting the mode 15
open global settings 15
navigation principles 16
tab navigation 16
parameter navigation 16

sound engine mode


presets menu 17
factory tab 17
user tab 18
save tab 19
synth menu 21
macros tab 21
global fx tab 23
eq tab 25

3
comp & gain tab 26
voice tab 27
mod/pedal tab 27
sensitivity menu 29
bending tab 30
pressure tab 31
aftertouch tab 32
default sensitivity tab 32
freeze sensitivity function 33
playing menu 34
freeze playing function 34
playing menu: pressure glide 35
playing menu: arpeggiator 36
choose tab 36
adjust tab 37
assign tab 39

external midi mode


connect osmose to your computer 40
1) external midi port 40
2) haken audio port 40
setting up osmose in your daw 40
introduction: legacy midi vs. mpe 41
a word on mpe 41
backward compatibility 41
config menu 42
mpe 42
classic keyboard 42
poly aftertouch 43
multi-channel 43
adjust menu 44
gestures tab 44
controllers tab 45
mode tab 46
sensitivity menu 47
bending tab 47
velocity/press tab 48

4
playing menu 48

global settings
workflow tab 49
hardware tab 50
midi i/o tab 51
midi i/o use cases 53
default configuration 53
play and record eaganmatrix through your daw 54
use the haken editor 55
trigger the eaganmatrix from an external device 56
sync with a midi clock thru chain 56
use the haken cvc 57
info tab 58
calibration tab 58
pedal calibration 58
compatibility and recommendations 58
calibration procedure 59

advanced users
further documentation 61

troubleshooting
troubleshooting knowledge base 61

5
safety instructions
WARNING ● TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS
APPLIANCE TO RAIN OR MOISTURE. DO NOT PLACE OBJECTS FILLED WITH
LIQUIDS ON THIS APPARATUS.

● OPERATING VOLTAGE 12V DC, MAXIMUM CURRENT 1.5A

● DO NOT ATTEMPT TO OPEN, REPAIR THE UNIT, OR REPLACE PARTS WITHIN IT


(EXCEPT WHEN THE PRODUCT’S MANUAL PROVIDES SPECIFIC
INSTRUCTIONS DIRECTING YOU TO DO SO; OR OUR AFTER-SALES SERVICE
HAS AUTHORIZED YOU FORMALLY).

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

Read these instructions carefully before using the product and always follow them. Expressive E
cannot be held responsible for damage or data loss caused by improper use or modifications to
the instrument. Do not throw away this instruction sheet. Instead, keep it for future reference.

Warning
• Never use or store the unit in places that are subject to high levels of vibration or extreme
temperature (e.g., direct sunlight in an enclosed vehicle, near a heating duct, on top of
heat-generating equipment); or humidity (e.g., baths, washrooms, on wet floors) or rain; or dust.
• Whenever you suspect the possibility of lightning in your area, or when there is a gas leak
nearby, or when unused for long periods of time, pull the plug on the power cord out of the
outlet.
• Do not use this apparatus close to magnetic fields.
• Never climb on top of, nor place heavy objects on the unit.
• Do not insert a finger or hand in any gaps on the instrument. Never insert or drop paper,
metallic, or other objects into the gaps on the panel or keyboard. This could cause physical
injury to you or others, damage to the instrument or other property, or operational failure.
Expressive E cannot be held responsible for damage caused by improper use or modifications to
the instrument, or data that is lost or destroyed.
• Only use attachments/accessories specified by the manufacturer. The unit should be
connected to a power supply of only the type described in the operating instructions or as
marked on the unit.
• Do not excessively twist or bend the power cord, nor place heavy objects on it. Doing so can
damage the cord, producing severed elements and short circuits. Damaged cords are fire and
shock hazards!
• Never handle the power cord or its plugs with wet hands when plugging into, or unplugging
from, an outlet or this unit.
• This unit, in combination with an amplifier and headphones or speakers, may be capable of
producing sound levels that could cause permanent hearing loss. Do not operate for a long
period of time at a high volume level, or at a level that is uncomfortable. If you experience any
hearing loss or ringing in the ears, you should immediately stop using the unit, and consult an
audiologist or an ENT doctor.
6
• A sound peak occurs on the stereo output of the instrument when it’s being toggled on/off. You
may want to turn down the volume on all speakers and headphones before doing so.
• In households with small children, an adult should provide supervision until the child is capable
of following all the rules essential for the safe operation of the unit.
• To avoid scratches or damage, never use sharp objects on the body or screen of the
instrument. Do not apply any pressure to the LCD screen.
• Do not force the unit’s power supply cord to share an outlet with an unreasonable number of
other devices. Be especially careful when using extension cords.
• Before cleaning the unit, turn off the power and unplug the power cord from the outlet. When
cleaning, use a soft and dry cloth. Do not use gasoline, alcohol, acetone, turpentine, or any other
organic solutions; do not use a liquid cleaner, spray, or cloth that's too wet.
• The total power used by all devices you have connected to the extension cord’s outlet must
never exceed the power rating (watts/amperes) for the extension cord. Excessive loads can
cause the insulation on the cord to heat up and eventually melt through.
• When one of the following problems occurs, immediately turn off the power switch and
disconnect the electric plug from the outlet. Then have the device inspected by Expressive E
service personnel.

● The power cord or plug becomes frayed or damaged.


● It emits unusual smells or smoke.
● The instrument has been exposed to rain or moisture.
● The instrument has been dropped.
● Some objects have been dropped into the instrument.
● Liquid has been spilled onto the instrument.
● There is a sudden loss of sound during use of the instrument.

• Do not attempt to open, repair the unit, or replace parts within it (except when this manual
provides specific instructions directing you to do so; or our after-sale service authorizes you).

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO CONSUMERS


This product has been manufactured according to strict specifications and voltage
requirements that are applicable in the country in which it is intended to be used. If you have
purchased this product via the Internet, through mail order, and/or via a telephone sale, you
must verify that this product is intended to be used in the country in which you reside.

WARNING: Use of this product in any country other than that for which it is intended could be
dangerous and could invalidate the manufacturer’s or distributor’s warranty. Please also retain
your receipt as proof of purchase, otherwise your product may be disqualified from the
manufacturer’s or distributor’s warranty.

SUPPLIER’S DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY (for USA):

Responsible Party: Expressive SAS


Address: 104-112 Avenue de la Résistance, 93100, Montreuil, France
Phone: +33-185-091-168
Equipment Type: Polyphonic Synthesizer
Model: Osmose 49

7
This device complies with Part 15 of FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two
conditions:
(1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any
interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

Industry Canada Compliance


This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003
Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada

ROHS Compliance
Expressive SAS has conformed, and this product conforms, where applicable, to
the European Union’s Directive 2011/65/EU on Restrictions of Hazardous Substances
(RoHS) as well as the following sections of California law which refer to RoHS,
namely sections 25214.10, 25214.10.2, and 58012, Health and Safety Code; Section
42475.2 Public Resources Code.

This device complies with the requirements set out in the Council Directive on the
Approximation of the Laws of the Member States relating to the Electromagnetic
Compatibility Directive (2014/30/ EU), Low-voltage Directive (2014/35/ EU), RoHS
directive (2011/65/EU). This product has been tested and found to comply with the
harmonized standards for Information Technology Equipment, these harmonized
standards published under Directives of the Official Journal of the European Union.
The integral text of the EU declaration of conformity is available at the following online
address: www.expressivee.com

NOTICE REGARDING DISPOSAL

When this “crossed-out wheeled bin” symbol is displayed on the product, owner’s
manual, or power supply, it signifies that when you wish to dispose of this product,
manual or power supply you must do so in an approved manner. Do not discard
this product, manual or power supply along with ordinary household waste.

Contact Technical support

Expressive SAS www.expressivee.com section “help”


104 Avenue de la Résistance osmose@expressivee.com
93100 Montreuil
France
contact@expressivee.com

8
overview
before you start
box content
1x Osmose expressive synthesizer
1x Quick Start Guide leaflet
1x product safety manual. Please read it before using Osmose.
1x USB cable
1x power supply with international adapters

lockable power supply connector


⚠️ Osmose’s power supply has a locking connector to prevent accidental
disconnection. When inserting, first align the power connector’s wings so they
match the horizontal notches on the power input. Push firmly, then rotate the
barrel clockwise to secure it to the casing.

keyboard calibration
The rest position of Osmose’s keys is calibrated while the unit is booting. Please make
sure nothing is touching the keys during this step.

maintain the keybed’s longevity


The Augmented Keyboard Action’s unique playing feel is attained mainly by silicon
cylinders below each key. While the material is designed to last numerous years without
deteriorating, you will need to ensure that the cylinders can always revert to their
uncompressed, idle position after being pressed.
Do not stow away your Osmose in a way that permanently compresses its keys, or you
will risk the cylinders underneath losing their elasticity and needing to be replaced.

register your device


In order to get access to all Osmose-related download links like the up-to-date
firmware, please enter the activation code from the brown quick start leaflet that came
with your unit on the product registration page of your Expressive E user account. You
can also register using the serial number itself (see sticker on the bottom of the
instrument). Please contact our commercial support team if your unit has already been
registered to another account and the former user forgot to unregister their unit.

9
firmware update

We recommend always installing the latest available firmware on your device.


The firmware download comes bundled with the application OsmoseUpdater which is
used to backup/restore user data, update Osmose’s operating system, and flash the
EaganMatrix DSP firmware when needed.
The download is available in your customer account after registering your product on
our website. For detailed instructions, please refer to this dedicated document:

🔗Osmose firmware update instructions


quick start video

To gain an overview of the internal sound engine mode, we recommend watching


Osmose’s quick start video.

10
hardware overview

1 Power Input - connects to the original 12V, 1.5A, center-positive power adaptor,
featuring a lockable connector. See here for compatible power supplies.

2 Audio Outputs - Two pseudo-balanced, 1/4" TRS line audio outputs, controlled by the
master volume knob on the front panel. Connect TS or TRS cables to make a connection
to the inputs on your audio interface or mixing desk. If you wish to establish a balanced
connection (only supported when the inputs are balanced as well), TRS cables are
needed. When you are limited to using only one cable, connect only the left (L) channel
for mono-summing.

3 Pedals Inputs - Two 1/4" TRS jack inputs for continuous control of parameters.
By default, Pedal 1 is assigned to Sustain, and Pedal 2 is assigned to a macro
parameter. Not all pedals are supported, and they need to be calibrated before usage,
see pedal calibration.

4 USB - Class-compliant USB for bidirectional MIDI communication with a computer.


Digital audio over USB is not supported. See also connect Osmose to your computer.

5 MIDI DIN IN/OUT- Standard 5-pin connectors for communication with MIDI devices.
MIDI Out sends MIDI messages according to what is selected in config menu of External
MIDI Mode. MIDI In can be used to trigger the internal sound engine.
11
6 Master Volume knob - controls the volume on the line audio outputs.

7 Main Control Interface - access to all of Osmose’s parameters, see main control
interface.

8 Preset and Octave Buttons - < and > buttons select the previous and next preset.
- and + buttons transpose the keyboard up or down in octaves. The LEDs indicate the
current keyboard transposition state. These buttons only affect the mode currently
selected, see mode selection screen.

9 Sliders - a spring-centered pitch bend slider controls the global pitch bend. The
modulation slider allows for extra control over synth parameters. The modulation slider
always controls the same function as pedal input 2, see mod/pedal tab.

10 Headphones Output - 1/4" TRS stereo output. Its volume is controlled by the
retractable headphone volume knob to its right.

12
augmented keyboard action
Osmose is constantly scanning the position of its keys, offering a seamless connection
between every gesture played by the musician and the resulting sound.

☝️The Augmented Keyboard Action on Osmose does not work as a capacitive surface
like a touch screen or touchpad. It does not detect your finger position, but the position
of its keys in order to always offer progressive pressure feedback even when playing
with your eyes closed.

Three axis motions are taken into account:


- extended polyphonic pressure
- hi-resolution polyphonic aftertouch
- polyphonic pitch bending

13
main control interface
The left side of Osmose is built around an interactive graphic interface that provides
access to all onboard parameters. The navigation works via five buttons and six
clickable encoders whose functions change depending on the current screen.

1. MODE Button - allows switching between controlling Sound Engine mode and
External MIDI mode, see mode selection screen.

2. MENU Buttons - access one of the four menus of a mode.

3. TAB Selector - scrolls through the tabs of a menu. When in Sensitivity or Playing
menu, pressing the Tab Selector freezes the settings of the menu to retain them
even when switching presets.

4. PARAMETER Selector - scrolls through parameters inside a tab. When in Playing


menu, pressing the Parameter Selector starts or pauses the Arpeggiator or
switches Pressure Glide on and off.

5. VALUE Encoders 1-4 - change the value of the parameter displayed above or
scroll through a list of options. Pressing a Value Encoder might perform another
special operation depending on the context.

14
mode selection screen
selecting the mode

Press the Mode button, then turn and press Value Encoder 1 to switch between
controlling the internal Haken Audio EaganMatrix sound engine and configuring the
behavior of the External MIDI mode.

ℹ️Sound Engine mode and External MIDI mode will always run in parallel. Selecting a
mode only decides which mode you would like to access and configure.

A symbol in the upper left corner of the display will indicate the currently selected mode
at all times:

open global settings


Pressing Value Encoder 4 (below the cogwheel symbol ⚙️ ) in Mode Selection screen
opens the global settings of Osmose. They allow you to change the global tuning,
calibrate pedals, display the firmware versions, change the screen brightness, etc.
For more information, refer to the global settings chapter.

15
navigation principles
tab navigation
To scroll through tabs in a menu, turn the Tab Selector in the upper left.

parameter navigation
If more than 4 parameters are available in a tab, turn the Parameter Selector to scroll
through available parameters.

At the bottom of the screen, the icons pictured below indicate the number of total
parameters in the tab:

16
sound engine mode
presets menu
The Presets menu allows you to browse the sounds of the internal EaganMatrix sound
engine and save user presets. It contains the following tabs:

factory tab : access the factory library of presets


user tab : access the user presets
save tab : save your current preset into the user preset memory

factory tab

The ‘factory’ tab displays all the factory presets available in alphabetical order. The
currently loaded preset is highlighted in green and also displayed as a big gray
watermark in the background.

Turn the right-most Vaue Encoder to select another preset. You need to push the
Encoder to actually load it. You can also step through the current preset list with the
dedicated Preset Buttons.

If a playing feature is activated on a preset, a press glide or arpeggiator icon appears


on the left side of the screen:

17
There are more than 500 factory sounds coming with Osmose. If you want to quickly
find a specific sound, you can narrow down the preset list by selecting a type and
character. For this, use the first two Value Encoders. Turn the first to choose a specific
type of sound, like bass, pads, leads, or mallets. Push or simply let go for a moment to
make your selection. Use the second encoder to filter down the list based on a sound’s
character, like acoustic, FM, dark, electric, etc.

💡If you want to explore specific keybed gestures allowed by Osmose, like Strum and
Shake, both are available as a character tag.
ℹ Factory presets cannot be overwritten or erased but can be modified and saved as a
user preset with the help of the next two tabs.

user tab

The ‘user’ tab displays all the user presets that you saved. There are 128 user slots
available, and the memory slot number is displayed in front of the preset name.
Following the same logic as the factory tab, you can use Value Encoder 1 and 2 to
narrow down the preset list by selecting a type and character.

18
save tab

The ‘save’ tab allows you to save the current state of a sound preset as a user preset.
You may do this just to remember a preset as a favorite, or to save a variation of a
preset after having modified its sound via the synth menu. User presets can later be
recalled from the user tab.

You may also include adjustments made to the sensitivity and playing menus when
saving a user preset. Turn Value Encoder 1 to scroll through the following options:

location
Location lets you select which of the 128 user preset slots you would like to save to.
If the active preset was loaded from the factory tab, then Osmose will automatically
select the first empty user preset slot as the target. If the active preset is already a user
preset, then Osmose will suggest updating/overriding the same slot.

name
To avoid name duplicates upon saving, Osmose will automatically suggest adding a
number at the end of the original preset name. This number will be incremented if you
save the same preset in different slots several times.
To give your user preset a custom name, press Value Encoder 1 and scroll through
characters by turning the encoder. Turn Value Encoder 2 to move the cursor. Once
you’re done, validate by pressing Value Encoder 4.

save sensitivity
This saving option lets you decide whether or not you wish to save the current
sensitivity menu settings as part of the user preset.
This option is deactivated by default but may be useful to cater to the specific
character of a sound, specifically in a live situation: While a monophonic lead sound

19
may be joyful to play with a lot of vibrato and bending, you may wish to deactivate
bending altogether when playing more traditional electric piano sounds.

save playing
This saving option lets you decide whether or not you wish to save the playing menu
settings with that preset.
This option is activated by default because the press glide or arpeggiator settings are
often considered an integral part of a preset’s experience.

20
synth menu
The Synth menu allows you to adjust the sound of each selected preset individually. It
also lets you change the behavior of the sliders and pedals for that sound. It contains
the following tabs:

macros tab : tweak predefined macros for subtle to drastic changes to the sound of the
preset
global fx tab : select the preset’s global reverb or delay effect and adjust its
parameters
eq tab : access a shelving equalizer to change the frequency balance between lows
and highs
comp & gain tab : configure the pre-gain, the compressor settings, and the post-gain
voice tab : set the pitch slider range
assign tab : define the parameters controlled by the modulation slider and the pedals.

ℹ If you wish to save the changes you have made, use the save tab inside the presets
menu.

macros tab

The first tab in the synth menu gives access to up to 6 sound macros that are
predefined by the sound designers during preset creation. A single macro can
modulate multiple parameters in Osmose’s modular sound engine at once, allowing for
subtle to drastic changes to the sound of a preset.

The choice of macros offered will be different depending on the preset type. It may
include envelope times, cutoff values, FM ratios, etc. Presets that share the same type
and character tag will have similar macros to play with. Find below some examples of
basic macros you will come across often:

21
analog-style and fm sounds

timbre changes the tone of the sound source, adding more or fewer harmonics.

fmAmt is the amount of FM synthesis applied to the sound, generating complex


timbres by modulating the frequency of one sound source with another.

fmRatio changes the FM ratio, the overtones/harmonics relations impacting the


timbre of the sound.

cutoff is a filter control for attenuating high or low frequencies of the sound.

envAmt is the amount of envelope applied to the sound when you press the key; it
is a form of automation that is triggered by the velocity of your gesture and added on
top of the continuous gesture control.

envTime is the time length of the envelope applied to the sound. You can, for
instance, morph from a very long pad with a lot of release to a short, brassy sound.

modulation is a cyclic and automatic variation applied to the whole timbre of the
sound.

physical modeling, acoustic-type sounds

structure changes the harmonics of the sound by controlling the ratio between
partials. Depending on the preset, it can morph the sound from a plucked string to
something reminiscent of a marimba, a vibraphone…

body modified the tone by crossfading between different eq (convolutions) of


instruments and material. For instance, it could morph a woody bamboo flute into
something that sounds rather metallic.

resonance changes the decay/release of the sound, from short to long. Low
values can sound like dampening or muting the vibration of a string or beam. Not to be
confused with filter resonance.

22
global fx tab

The ‘global fx’ tab allows creating of a sense of space by adding a global time-based
effect to the sound. The first parameter selects one of six reverb/delay/echo algorithms.
Four FX parameters will vary depending on the effect chosen. Two parameters are
always available:

mix controls the dry/wet of the FX, the amount of sound that passes through the FX.
extend will double the effective maximum delay time by running the effect at a lower
sample rate. This means the "wet" part of the signal contains only lower frequencies
(below the halfed sample rate), and you have to mix in "dry" to get more highs. In many
cases, this sounds pretty natural. Many reverb effects don't do much with high
frequencies anyway and will thus work well even when "extended".

The effect algorithms available and their dedicated four parameters are:

reverb
A versatile digital reverb that can mimic small rooms to huge ambient spaces.
💡 try to switch the ‘extend’ parameter to change time but also timbre of this reverb.

diffuse is rather subtle. Depending on the decay time, different diffuse times can make
the decay sound smoother or, if wanted, more metallic (ringing). It helps to fine-tune
the reverb sound for a maximum quality output.
damping reduces high-frequency content with each feedback loop in the reverb. The
sound gets duller over time.
darkness applies a high-frequency roll-off to the input into the reverb. The sound gets
duller immediately.
decay is the amount of decay/reverb time

23
mod delay
A modulated delay for chorus and vibrato-like effect. It can sound really atmospheric,
creating a very smooth modulated reverb-like sound, but at the expense of obvious
early reflections and a pitch tail in the echoes that sweeps a bit.

modDepth is the amount of modulation in the delay


modRate is the rate of the modulation in the delay
feedback is the amount of delay feedback
time is the delay time

swept echo

Another flavor of a delay with modulations. It can achieve more of a flanger-like effect
with huge stereo movements.

modDepth is the amount of modulation in the delay


modRate is the rate of the modulation in the delay
feedback is the amount of delay feedback
time is the delay time

analog echo

A delay with a more analog-like response. Like vintage echo effects, you can push the
feedback to loud oscillations and play with time for crazy SFX.

noise is being added to the delay.


offset is a reverb timing offset between left and right channel (left channel time is the
same as right channel time if the offset is 0 but is less when offset is increased; this
effect is not a linear time scale but can be noticeable/useful in some situations.)
feedback is the amount of delay feedback
⚠️ Analog echo can produce very loud feedback when this parameter is increased
above a value of 70. Be ready to lower the volume when experimenting with this effect.
time is the delay time

LPF echo / HPF echo

A clean digital echo with a low or high pass filter for a more focused separation of the
delay from the sound source.

LPF or HPF : when LPF is set to zero, it is similar to full damping, and when HPF is set to
max, it is like full damping. The LPF and HPF are applied at the very end of the effect
signal chain, not inserted in the delay chain. It means the echo is echoing the unfiltered
signal internally, and the filtering happens only at the output.

24
offset is a reverb timing offset between left and right channel (left channel time is the
same as left channel time if the offset is 0 but is less when the offset is increased; this
effect is not a linear time scale but can be noticeable/useful in some situations).
feedback is the amount of delay feedback
time is the delay time

💡If you still have a delay-like effect on your sound even with the mix at 0, then a
delay-like effect might be programmed directly inside the EaganMatrix to add even
more ambiance. A macro (often the 6th) in macros tab should allow you to change the
delay time or to remove it entirely.

In the Haken Editor, global fx are called “Recirculator”. Effects parameters are also
accessible as a modulation destination to add even more variation with LFOs etc.

eq tab

The ‘eq’ tab lets you balance the frequency components of a preset, shaping the sound
either subtly or drastically “brighter” or “darker”.
It is a general tilt equalizer based on a stereo pair of shelving filters with separately
controllable low and high frequency components in the range of 120Hz to 15KHz.
The following parameters are adjustable:

tilt : Positive values will lead to more highs and fewer lows, negative values will boost
lows while highs are attenuated (low and high being relative to the central frequency)
frequency : choice of the central frequency that defines the threshold between lows
and highs
mix : dry/wet of the Tilt EQ, allowing parallel equalizing. The equalizer won’t have any
effect when the mix is set to 0%.

25
comp & gain tab

Since Osmose’s sound engine EaganMatrix is a complex, modular synthesizer,


modulations to the volume happen at numerous stages in sound design which leads to
a possibly huge dynamic range. The ‘comp & gain’ tab allows you to handle the level
and tame the dynamics of a preset with gain staging and a compressor.

pregain sets the level that enters the compressor. High values can add global
saturation to the audio.
comp. amt is a one-knob control for a light compressor that can keep levels more
consistent.*
comp. mix allows mixing the wet and dry signal of the compressor to achieve parallel
compression.
postgain changes the overall volume of the sound right after the compressor at the
end of the signal chain. Used to manually normalize a preset’s loudness or compensate
for too high volume induced by the saturation effects created with the pregain.

* The compression amount is a macro parameter that controls 3 compressor


parameters inside the EaganMatrix at once:
Tweaking the comp. amt from 0 to 127 results in changing the threshold from 127 to 0,
the attack from 127 to 0, and the ratio from 0 to 127.

26
voice tab

The ‘voice’ tab features only one parameter: the pitch bend range of the pitch slider.
Contrarily to note bending on the keys, the slider will affect all played notes as a whole,
just like a regular pitch wheel or touch strip would do.

mod/pedal tab

The ‘mod/pedal’ tab lets you choose the parameters that you control from the
modulation slider and the two pedal inputs. These are always global parameters that
will influence the sound as a whole, not on a per-note basis.

☝️ Not all pedals are supported, and you need to make sure to calibrate your pedals
via the global settings before using them.

The first parameter allows you to select one of the two sources of modulation:

27
Pedal 1 is assigned to Sustain by default. Pedal 2 and the Mod Slider will always control
the same parameter and are assigned to one of the sound macros by default.

For each of those two controller sources, you can modify:

assign for selecting the modulation targets like different types of sustain, the synth
macros, the effects parameters, and the post gain. For instance, mapping your pedal to
the post gain will make it act like a classic volume pedal.
min sets the minimum value controlled
max sets the maximum value controlled

ℹ The sustain and sostenuto functions in Osmose work differently compared with regular
keyboard instruments. Usually, sustain takes the current pressure/position of the notes
played and keeps them in that state. On Osmose, Sustain, and Sostenuto are
continuous controls that allow fading and swelling sustained notes when moving the
expression pedal. See also: pedal compatibility and recommendations.

ℹ Sostenuto will only sustain notes that were held at the moment you pressed the
Sostenuto pedal. It lets you hold one or several "drone" notes with your pedal and then
lets you use both hands to play another part without any sustain on top. If you assign
the two pedals to sostenuto 1 and sostenuto 2, respectively, you can hold and fade two
sets of sostenuto notes at the same time.

28
sensitivity menu

The Sensitivity Menu allows the user to change the response of the Augmented
Keyboard Action. Four tabs are available:

bending tab : changes the response of the lateral movement on each key, incl. the
pitch bend range and the amount of stabilization.
pressure tab : changes the response of the first part of the key travel. ‘note on’
determines the vertical threshold position at which a key actually triggers a note.
aftertouch tab : changes the response of the second part of the key travel.
default sensitivity tab : saves your current settings as the default sensitivity that will
then be used across all factory sounds.

💡 The “save sensitivity” option of the save tab in the presets menu allows you to save a
sensitivity along with a specific user preset.

29
bending tab

The ‘bending’ tab lets you change how the lateral bending of a key will affect the pitch.
it contains the following parameters:

bending is the range that defines how far the pitch will be modulated at maximum
deflection. Given the limited sideways key travel, you’ll probably want to go with 1 or 2
semitones most of the time, but wider ranges can also produce interesting results.

sensitivity allows you to quickly choose between a set of predefined responses that
affect how Osmose reacts to vibrato or bend gestures in a natural way, while at the
same time helping you to stay in tune when no bending is intended. It steps through
useful settings for both curve and stabilization at once. There are five sensitivity
sub-presets that go from low, medium, regular, to sensitive, and high.

💡bending range and sensitivity work great if you use them as counterparts: If you set a
range of 2st for making bends while playing chords, medium sensitivity could be a
good setup, however, if you only want to play vibrato and have subtle pitch variations
selecting ¼ or ½ st with high sensitivity will yield best results.

curve will establish a dead zone around the middle of a key in order to avoid unwanted
bends. However, playing vibrato with only subtle gestures will become increasingly
difficult the bigger the dead zone is.

stabilization is an algorithm that will intelligently smooth out uneven motions that tend
to happen especially during the first few moments of your keystroke.

💡to visualize the difference between curve and stabilization, look at both curves while
playing with a note. The point on sensitivity shows the result of both ‘curve’ and
‘stabilization’ parameters, while the point on curve shows the raw sensor data of this
parameter.

30
activation allows you to enable bending only for specific notes. For instance, it might
come in handy to only activate bending for the highest note when playing chords with
the left hand and soloing with the right.

pressure tab

The ‘pressure’ tab concerns the first vertical dimension of the keys. The first parameter
of the pressure tab offers sub-presets that adjust the following two parameters at once:

note on lets you define at which point of the downward key travel an actual note is
triggered, which is called the ‘note on’ threshold.
press curve adjusts the response of the pressure dimension with a curve.

If you change those two parameters individually, the sub preset will switch to ‘custom’.

💡If you find yourself triggering notes unintentionally, then you may want to shift the
‘note on’ threshold more downwards the key travel by increasing its value. This will bring
you more and more towards a classic keybed feel where notes are only triggered when
you push a key right down to the bottom.
On the other hand, if you’re eager to experiment with triggering notes using only light
taps on a key’s surface, then an ‘extreme’ setting for the pressure dimension will allow
you to do exactly that.

31
aftertouch tab

The aftertouch begins where the pressure axis motion is at the maximum. Aftertouch is
the second part of the vertical key travel, following a clearly detectable pressure point.
The first parameter of this tab suggests quick presets for the aftertouch sensitivity
curve, which can also be finely adjusted by turning Value Encoder 2.

💡The more notes you play at once, the harder it will become to push fully into the keys’
aftertouch without bending the notes’ pitch unintentionally. This would be an example
of a situation where you might prefer to have a sensitive aftertouch that doesn’t require
lots of force to activate. On the other hand, if a preset triggers a special sound aspect
upon entering the aftertouch, e.g. automatic ratcheting of a plucked sound, and you
wish to have a clearer separation, it will help to dial down the aftertouch curve.

default sensitivity tab

The last tab of the sensitivity menu allows you to save your current settings as the
default sensitivity that will then be used across all factory sounds. Factory sounds don’t
have a specific sensitivity saved with them, so upon preset change, you will always fall
back to the default setting saved at that time.

32
Defining your default sensitivity will help you feel at home with the instrument. While
you’re growing your level of comfort with Osmose, you may want to update that setting
from time to time.

freeze sensitivity function

❄️
Pressing the Tab Selector in Sensitivity menu switches the Sensitivity Freeze on and
off. When Freeze is enabled, the current sensitivity settings will be kept across preset
changes, no matter the default sensitivity and no matter whether there is a custom
sensitivity saved in a user preset.

’Sensitivity Freeze’ lets you test a specific sensitivity setting without having to overwrite
your ‘default sensitivity’. It also allows for testing a sensitivity setting while scrolling
through user presets that have custom sensitivity settings saved with them (compare
the ‘save sensitivity’ option in the save tab of the preset menu).

Frozen sensitivity values are lost when turning off Osmose. If you want to keep a
sensitivity setting, use the default sensitivity tab.

33
playing menu

The Playing menu gives access to advanced features that interpret your raw playing
gestures in intelligent ways. After accessing the Playing menu with the fourth Menu
button, turn Value Encoder 1 to choose either Pressure Glide, the Arpeggiator, or no
playing feature at all.

If a playing feature is activated on a preset, a press glide or arp icon appears on the left
side of the screen and will remain visible also in the factory and user tab of the presets
menu:

freeze playing function


Pressing the Tab Selector in Playing Menu switches the Playing Freeze ❄️
on and off.
When Freeze is enabled, the current playing settings will be kept across preset changes,
no matter what is saved in the user preset you dial up.

34
playing menu: pressure glide
The Pressure Glide feature lets you define a pitch interval within which two keypresses
are interpreted as a legato line instead of polyphonic playing.

Unlike regular portamento, which makes the pitch glide to a new note within a fixed
amount of portamento time, Haken Audio’s Pressure-weighted Portamento reacts to
the pressure ratio between the two notes. The pitch will dynamically glide between the
notes in real-time, reacting to how you distribute pressure between them. You will need
to release the first note completely to make the pitch arrive at the second note.

Feel free to watch the dedicated section on Pressure Glide in Osmose’s Quick Start
Video to better understand how Pressure Glide works.

ℹ️ Important note when intending to play chords with Pressure Glide activated:
Two notes pressed simultaneously within the interval that you have set will always be
joined into one pitch. For instance, with a pressure glide interval of 2 semitones, you can
play chords with stacked thirds or wider voicings, but as soon as you play seconds, you
will end up with one note with an averaged pitch instead of two discrete notes.

While in Playing menu, activate or deactivate Pressure Glide with a click on the
Parameter Selector.

35
playing menu: arpeggiator

Arpeggiators usually trigger all notes with the same intensity, often resulting in a
somewhat mechanical, monotonous sound. Osmose’s MPE arpeggiator takes
advantage of the fact that the instrument knows the exact position of each key at every
given time. When playing the arpeggiator pattern, Osmose continues to take into
account all three axis motions of the Augmented Keyboard Action keys: Pressure,
Aftertouch, and Bending. It means that you can highlight single notes within your
arpeggiator sequence just by pressing them differently from the others.

choose tab : load an arpeggiator preset


adjust tab : set the arpeggiator parameters
assign tab : let gestures and controllers modulate arpeggiator parameters
save tab : save the current arp settings as an arp preset

▶️⏸️ You can start or pause the Arpeggiator with a click on the Parameter Selector.
choose tab

The first tab of the arpeggiator is the 'choose' tab, giving access to the arpeggiator
36
presets. The currently loaded arp preset is highlighted in yellow. Turn Value Encoder 4 to
select another preset. With Value Encoder 2, you can filter between the factory arp
presets and your own user arp presets.

💡 To discover the arp presets and their interactions, we suggest loading a polyphonic
flute or brass sound, or another preset with a rather short attack and release. It will be a
good start to understanding how your gestures can modulate the arpeggiator.
💡 If you want to switch sound presets while keeping the same arp settings, use the
freeze playing function.

adjust tab

The ‘adjust’ tab contains all the arpeggiator parameters:

hold will make sure that the notes you press will continue to be triggered even when
you let go of the keys. It will remember the maximum pressure applied to each key. The
note repertoire will only be reset when you have already released all keys and then
press a new key.

tempo defines the beats per minute. Pressing the Value Encoder below will switch
between synching to an external MIDI clock and using the internal clock. Attention:
Osmose is not capable of sending its own internal clock.

pattern lets you choose in which order the notes are played back.

division defines the note value of one arpeggiator step. It selects a division of the
tempo that determines the speed at which the notes are played.

gate determines the length of the notes as a percentage of the duration of one note
according to the arpeggio speed.

37
octave range lets you add multiple octaves above the notes played.

swing allows shifting every second arpeggiator step in time. 100 equals an even
playback of all steps. Values above 100 will introduce more and more swing, until,
eventually, every second step is joined with the next step.

ratchet will introduce multiple triggers during one arpeggiator step.

rise & fall will add some inertia to parameter changes, smoothing out fast increases or
decreases in value.

ℹ When a parameter is controlled by a gesture of a controller (see assign tab), its value
will be grayed out and the modulation source appears in yellow below the parameter.
In the picture above, aftertouch controls the gate, and press controls the ratchet
parameter.

assign tab

The programmed behavior of a sound preset when it comes to Pressure, Aftertouch,


and Bending is also kept when using the Arpeggiator: When you bend individual notes,

38
their pitch will continue to change, and if a sound becomes louder and brighter when
pressing it further, then the same will also happen when the Arpeggiator is active.

Additionally, the way you press individual notes on the keybed can influence the
arpeggiator parameters for that specific note. The ‘assign’ tab lets you set up the
parameter mapping for this. Two ‘assign’ slots are available with the following set of
parameters:

source selects a motion axis of the key or a controller that will affect the destination
parameter. Here, bending to the left and bending to the right are available as separate
sources. When using the mod slider or expression pedals as modulation sources,
parameter changes will be global (not per-note).

destination selects the arpeggiator parameter that will be modulated. This includes all
parameters listed in adjust tab.

min sets the minimum value sent.

max sets the maximum value sent.

curve changes how resulting values are distributed when the source value goes from
min to max. A linear response means values have equal ranges along the curve. If min
is set to 1 and max is set to 2, then 2 is already selected when the source control is at
51% (MIDI value 64).

save tab
The ‘save’ tab of the MPE arpeggiator allows you to save the current settings of the
arpeggiator as an arpeggiator preset that will then show up in the choose tab.

To give your arpeggiator preset a custom name, press Value Encoder 1 when the line
‘name’ is selected. Scroll through characters by turning the same encoder. Turn Value
Encoder 2 to move the cursor. Once you’re done, validate by pressing Value Encoder 4.

39
external midi mode
In addition to being a standalone synthesizer, Osmose can act as an expressive MIDI
controller. All functions of the External MIDI mode work independently and in parallel to
what is set up for the internal sound engine.

☝️Please be aware that some synthesizers and DAWs might not support the new kind of
interactions that Osmose offers, or only support them to a certain extent.

connect osmose to your computer


When you connect Osmose to your computer, two USB MIDI ports will appear:

1) external midi port


‘Osmose Play/Port 1’ [macOS] or ‘Osmose’ [Windows]
Sends data according to the configuration chosen in External MIDI Mode (MPE by
default). Use this port to control any external synth.

2) haken port
‘Osmose Haken/Port 2’ [macOS] or ‘MIDIIN2/MIDIOUT2 (Osmose)’ [Windows]
Sends data of the internal synth engine in MPE+ format. Use this port to make the
connection with the Haken Editor and to record performances using the internal engine
in an external sequencer or DAW to replay or edit them.

⚠️ By default, Osmose doesn’t send any data on the Haken port. This avoids receiving
every message twice in applications that activate all recognized MIDI ports by default.
You can activate the Haken Audio port in the Global Settings -> midi i/o -> haken usb
mode.

setting up osmose in your daw


For instructions on how to use Osmose as a MIDI/MPE controller or as an external
synthesizer in your DAW, please refer to our online knowledgebase:

🔗 Osmose DAW tutorials

40
introduction: legacy midi vs. mpe
a word on mpe
Osmose is part of a family of MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE) instruments and
controllers that strive to tear down the expressive restrictions of common electronic
instruments. When starting to control external instruments from Osmose, it’s useful to
understand the way legacy MIDI communication is set up and how the MPE extension
builds upon this.

In a classic MIDI environment, all MIDI messages that belong to a sound are sent on one
single MIDI channel. Any modulations (such as pitch bend or changes in timbre) are
sent per channel and thus affect all notes of that sound in the exact same way. If other
MIDI channels are used, then this is commonly done to address a separate instrument
or track of a multitimbral sound engine, e.g. in a hardware workstation or in your DAW.

MPE is an official extension to the MIDI standard where multiple MIDI channels are used
to control the same sound. One channel is retained for global messages (master
channel), but every single note that is played is granted its own MIDI channel. This way,
per-channel modulation can be applied to each note individually, giving you much
more control over your polyphonic performance.

backward compatibility
Even if the external software or hardware instrument that you hook up to Osmose
doesn’t support MPE, you can still intuitively shape their sound directly via the keys of
Osmose’s Augmented Keyboard Action. Pressure and Aftertouch motion axes can
continuously control any parameter inside the synth on a global basis. Bending can
perform a pitch bend of all the notes you play as a whole.

In a non-MPE context, this global value of a motion axis will affect all the notes you play
in the same manner, just as if you would move a knob or a fader on a standard MIDI
controller. Osmose lets you define whether the global value sent by a motion axis is
calculated as an average of the individual values of all keys pressed, or whether it is
derived from the pressure or bending you apply to a specific single key (highest note,
most pressed down, etc.).

ℹ️ Monophonic lines on external synths can always be played expressively from


Osmose. This is because for monophonic sounds, there’s always one dedicated
channel per voice, even in a legacy monochannel setup.

41
config menu

The Config menu gives you access to 4 standard configurations that help match the
messages sent by Osmose with what is supported by your external synthesizers.

Selecting a MIDI configuration will adapt the messages sent on Osmose’s USB MIDI Port 1
and on its DIN MIDI output, also see connect Osmose to your computer. These
configurations also contain a dedicated sensitivity setting optimized for the use case.

ℹ External MIDI configurations can be fine-tuned via the adjust and sensitivity menus.

ℹ Your last configuration will be kept when turning Osmose off.

🚧 saving your own external MIDI configurations will be possible with an upcoming
firmware update.

Turn Value Encoder 4 or use the Preset buttons to step through the following MIDI
configurations:

mpe
is the default for controlling MPE-compatible software and hardware.
It sends MIDI messages according to the MIDI Polyphonic Expression standard.
The Pressure axis sends Velocity (MPE Strike) and Channel Pressure (MPE Pressure).
The Aftertouch sends CC74 (MPE Timbre, also called MPE Slide because it's the
parameter that other MPE controllers often address with a sliding movement along the
Y axis on the playing surface).
Note Bending sends pitch-bend messages (MPE Glide). MIDI channel 1 is reserved for
global messages, and channels 2 to 16 are used to transmit one voice each.

42
classic keyboard
is the best choice for full backward compatibility.
It sends MIDI messages like a legacy MIDI keyboard would do. The ‘Note On’ threshold in
sensitivity menu is moved down further along the key travel to mimic traditional
keyboard actions.
The Pressure axis only sends Velocity, and the Aftertouch axis sends Channel Pressure,
commonly called (mono) aftertouch. Note Bending is deactivated.
All messages are sent on MIDI channel 1.

poly aftertouch
is perfect for controlling software and hardware synths that offer polyphonic aftertouch.
It behaves just like the Classic Keyboard configuration but sends Polyphonic Aftertouch
instead of Channel Pressure for the Aftertouch axis.

multi-channel
is useful for imitating the advantages of MPE with non-compatible software and
hardware. For this, multiple instances of the same plugin or sound should be dialed up
in the external device, each responding to a single MIDI channel.
The Multi-Channel configuration behaves just like the MPE configuration, where one MIDI
channel is used to transmit one voice each, but lacks a channel for global messages.
To compensate for the lack of a global channel, global messages like CC1 (modulation
slider) are sent as copies on every active channel.

43
adjust menu
The adjust menu lets you determine the MIDI channel(s) used, as well as which MIDI
message is sent by which key axis motion or controller.

gestures tab : set what MIDI message is sent by the pressure and aftertouch axes
controllers tab : set what MIDI message is sent by the mod slider and the two pedals
mode tab : choose the MIDI configuration and MIDI channel(s) used

gestures tab

This tab sets what is sent by the pressure and aftertouch axes. First, select pressure or
aftertouch with Value Encoder 1, then change its parameters:

assign selects the MIDI message sent for the axis motion selected on the left.
min sets the minimum value
max sets the maximum value

44
activation defines how the value of an axis motion is calculated for scenarios where
only one value is sent for the entire keybed instead of per note. The parameter is only
displayed if a mono-channel configuration like "classic keyboard" or "poly aftertouch"
has been selected in the config menu. Options are:

○ maximum: the most-pressed key defines the value


○ minimum: the least-pressed key defines the value
○ last note: the key you pressed last defines the value
○ first note: the "oldest" key that is still held defines the value
○ average: the value sent is calculated as an average of all pressed keys

controllers tab

This tab defines what is sent by the mod slider and the two pedals.
First, select the controller with Value Encoder 1, then change its parameters with Value
Encoders 2 to 4:

assign selects the MIDI message sent by the controller on the left
min sets the minimum value
max sets the maximum value

45
mode tab

This tab allows you to determine the general MIDI mode and how MIDI messages are
distributed across MIDI channel(s) within that mode. It is used to refine the
configuration you chose within the config menu when the external software or
hardware you wish to control requires it. Find possible adjustments below:

mpe
lets you define the end channel for the ‘mpe’ configuration. The master channel for
global messages must remain 1 as per the MPE specification, but the end channel
parameter allows you to reduce the channels used for transferring single notes, e.g.
when your target device only has limited polyphony.
Example: When setting the end channel to 13, notes are distributed in a round-robin
pattern across channels 2 to 13, resulting in 12 voices of MPE polyphony.

mono ch.
lets you define the single channel on which notes are sent for legacy MIDI
configurations like the ‘classic keyboard’ and ‘poly aftertouch’ configuration.

multi ch.
lets you define the start and end channel for the ‘multi-channel’ configuration. Example:
When selecting start channel 4 and end channel 9, notes will be sent in a round-robin
pattern across channels 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, leaving you with 6 notes polyphony.

46
sensitivity menu
The Sensitivity menu of the External MIDI Mode generally offers the same functionality
as the sensitivity menu of the Sound Engine Mode.

However, there are some specificities in External MIDI mode that are explained below.

bending tab

ℹ The bending range inside the bending tab isn’t shown as a number of semitones but
as a fraction. It works together with the maximum bending range that can only ever be
set inside the external software or hardware that you control.

Example: With the maximum bending range set to +-48 semitones in the target device
(the most common setting in an MPE environment), 1/48 means that the effective range
is 1 semitone.

47
velocity/press tab

ℹ In External MIDI mode, the velocity/press tab features additional velocity parameters.
Internally, Osmose doesn’t use MIDI Velocity (MPE Strike) at all, but for controlling
external devices, MIDI Velocity is derived from the Pressure axis motion.

playing menu
🚧 The playing features available in Sound Engine mode are not yet available for
External MIDI Mode as of now. They will be added in a future firmware update.

48
global settings
The global settings are accessible by pressing the Mode button, then Value Encoder 4
below the screen (the one below the on-screen cogwheel ( ). ⚙️
workflow tab

infinite scroll when enabled, you will be able to pass from the first to the last tab of a
menu and vice versa without the need to scroll through tabs in between. See the first
screenshot below with infinite scroll set to off, and the second with infinite scroll
enabled.

menu reset when enabled, upon switching between menus, the navigation will always
bring you back to the first tab of a menu instead of showing the tab that you had last
accessed within that menu.

49
hardware tab

luminosity changes the brightness of the screen.

haken tuning changes the global tuning of the internal sound engine in cents.

settings reset resets all the parameters in the global settings to their default factory
values.

factory reset resets the Osmose firmware to its factory state. This includes the global
settings, the default sensitivity, the arpeggiator presets, as well as the sensitivity and
arpeggiator presets linked to the user presets (with the “save playing” option). A factory
reset does not delete the user sound presets themselves. These are stored as part of
the Haken DSP.

50
midi i/o tab

Two USB MIDI ports will show up on your USB host device (usually your computer) when
Osmose is connected: Osmose Play and Osmose Haken, see also: connect Osmose to
your computer. Adding the DIN MIDI 5-pin jacks to the equation, Osmose has a total of
three MIDI ports. The ‘midi i/o’ tab lets you adjust the routing of the inputs and outputs
of Osmose’s MIDI ports to better suit your needs.

ext clock source selects the MIDI port used as the MIDI clock source for synchronization
of the arpeggiator. Available clock sources are:
1/3 usb play (default)
2/3 usb haken
3/3 din

usb haken mode adjusts only the data sent on the USB MIDI Osmose Haken port. The
input of the USB MIDI Haken port is always connected to the Haken sound engine no
matter the MIDI I/O configuration. This allows you to control the DSP of the Osmose from
an external USB host source using MPE and MPE+.

By default, no data is outputted on the Haken port. This avoids receiving every message
twice in applications that activate all recognized USB MIDI ports by default.

Data outputted on the Haken port:


1/3 note only MPE+
2/3 note & matrix MPE+ & Haken Editor communication
3/3 disabled (default) none

⚠️The MIDI data used for communication with the Haken Editor shouldn’t be recorded
for playback. Filter out all messages on MIDI channel 15 & 16 to avoid recording it in the
first place.

51
💡 When the “haken local control” parameter is set to "off", the data sent on the USB MIDI
Haken port will be optimized for recording in a DAW.

haken local control allows you to cut the communication between Osmose’s keybed
and the Haken sound engine. This is useful if you want to route the MIDI keyboard data
through a DAW before sending it to the sound engine. This parameter also alters the
behavior of the USB MIDI Haken output (see “usb haken mode” above).

on (default) : Osmose’s keybed is connected to the sound engine


off : Osmose’s keybed is disconnected from the sound engine

💡 In order to avoid MIDI loops, local control will be switched off automatically whenever
the sound engine detects the DSP ping (CC117) arriving on the USB MIDI Haken Port (Port
2) input. The DSP ping is always sent when haken local control is enabled.

din mode adjusts the behavior of the 5-pin DIN style jacks. Unless you choose the
specific option “5/5 cvc” (see below), the DIN MIDI output will always send the keyboard
generated MIDI data as set up in the External MIDI mode. It is the same data that is sent
on the USB MIDI Play port.

1/5 default (default) : DIN MIDI outputs the keyboard-generated MIDI data as set up in
the External MIDI mode (i.e. the same data that is sent on the Osmose Play port).

2/5 dsp in : just like “default”, but additionally, the DIN MIDI input is connected to the
Haken sound engine allowing you to play the EaganMatrix from an external DIN MIDI
device using MPE data.

3/5 thru : just like “default”, but additionally, any MIDI data that enters in the DIN MIDI
input will be forwarded to the DIN MIDI output as well.

4/5 dsp in + thru : combines options 2/5 and 3/5.

5/5 cvc : allows you to use Haken Audio’s Continuum Voltage Converter (CVC) device
to control analog synthesizers from the Osmose. The DIN MIDI jacks establish a direct
connection between the EaganMatrix and the CVC, using Haken Audio’s proprietary i2c
protocol. 🪲 Known flaw: This option disables the External MIDI Mode functionality on USB
MIDI Port 1 for internal routing reasons.

52
midi i/o use cases
To help you understand the options of the midi i/o tab, find below some common use
cases. Each use case is illustrated with a routing diagram for the corresponding MIDI I/O
parameter settings (black box in the lower right).

ℹ️ If you wish to record a performance on Osmose as MIDI and playback an authentic


(or edited) recreation of this into the device later, then use the USB MIDI Haken port (Port
2). The Haken port will always send and receive data meant for the EaganMatrix. Using
the Play port instead risks that your original performance isn’t reproduced correctly.

default configuration
Use the default configuration when playing Osmose as a standalone unit or when
controlling an external synth (plugin or hardware) via the USB Play port or the DIN MIDI
port.

53
play and record eaganmatrix through your daw
These settings are recommended if you wish to record and later playback sequences
played on the keyboard. They involve routing your playing through your DAW before
sending it to the sound engine. It is the classic workflow of listening to your performance
‘as recorded on tape’ instead of monitoring the source directly.

For detailed instructions on how to integrate Osmose as an external hardware


instrument into your DAW, please refer to our online knowledgebase:
🔗 Osmose DAW tutorials

54
use the haken editor
This setting is required when using the Haken Editor to create and modify EaganMatrix
🔗
presets in-depth. Also see: Connecting Osmose to the Haken Editor

55
trigger the eaganmatrix from an external device
Use these settings to trigger the internal sound engine from an external source. They
allow using the DIN MIDI input in addition to the USB Haken input (Port 2). Read
Triggering the EaganMatrix from an external device for important information regarding
the MIDI data expected by the EaganMatrix.

sync with a midi clock thru chain


Use these settings to synchronize Osmose’s clock as part of a MIDI DIN Thru chain along
with other synthesizers.

56
use the haken cvc
Use these settings when you have connected a Haken CVC to control an external
synthesizer with a control voltage signal. Please be aware that you must plug a specific
i2c cable provided by Haken Audio (not a regular MIDI cable) to make this setup work. A
regular DIN MIDI cable only has 3 pins actually connected, while i2c uses all 5 pins/wires.

57
info tab
osmose vers. displays the version of the operating system running on your Osmose.

haken vers. displays the version of the EaganMatrix DSP firmware. This also includes the
factory preset database.

calibration tab
pedal 1 / pedal 2 launches the calibration of the pedal inputs. For more details, see
pedal calibration.

key calibration assistant allows the manual calibration of individual keys by defining
their vertical, left, and right maximum positions. The assistant allows you to correct
irregular behavior of single keys.

force sensors reset allows triggering the sensor calibration that usually happens during
booting without the need to switch off your unit. It can be useful to troubleshoot or
analyze random errors with sensor recognition.

keys factory reset (for all keys) allows resetting all key calibration data to the factory
state. This will undo any manual calibration done in the meantime. If you wish to only
reset single keys to their factory state, use the key calibration assistant instead.

pedal calibration
compatibility and recommendations
There is no established electrical norm for pedals in the industry, so only a selection of
pedals will work well with Osmose. Here are the ones that we found to work fine:

Behringer FC600 [RTS assignment]


Clavia Nord Single Sustain
Dunlop Volume X Mini
Korg XVP-10
Lead Foot LFD-2
Moog EP-3 [mode: other, knob at max.]
M-AUDIO SP-2
M-AUDIO EX-P [mode: other, knob set low]
Nektar NX-P Universal Expression Pedal [switch set to "2"]

58
Roland DP-10 [Switch]
Yamaha FC3A
Yamaha FC4A
Yamaha FC7

Don’t hesitate to share a recommendation with us if you find a pedal that works great
but isn’t on the list yet.

⚠️ When playing the Internal Sound Engine, we recommend using expression or


half-damper pedals instead of on/off switches with Osmose. This is due to how the
sustain works in the EaganMatrix:

In the EaganMatrix, sustain/sostenuto holds the actual pressure of a sound as if you


keep your fingers in that position.
Often, presets are programmed to not only change the intensity of the core sound but
also produce an additional sound aspect, e.g. some strings scratching or other
mechanical noises when the pressure value is changed.
Using an on/off switch type pedal for sustain can trigger this “noisy” portion of a sound
in an unnatural sounding way because values that are expected to move continuously
jump between minimum and maximum all of a sudden.
Using continuous expression or half-damper pedals will avoid glitchy noises and
produce smoother results because they change the pressure value in a continuous,
non-abrupt manner.

calibration procedure

Turn Value Encoder 1 to select the pedal input your pedal is connected to, and then click
to start the calibration process.

59
First, select whether you have connected an on/off switch (pedal sustain) or a
continuous or half-damper pedal (pedal expression).

Make sure your pedal is at the minimum position (or not pressed for on/off switches),
then press ‘next’.

Make sure your pedal is at maximum position (pressed for on/off switches), then press
‘next’.

The last page of the calibration process lets you check whether you are able to go
through values from 0 to 127 smoothly. Click on confirm if all is okay.

60
advanced users
further documentation
For advanced use cases like establishing a connection with the Haken Editor, triggering
Osmose’s sound engine from an external source, switching sounds with Program
Change messages, and remote-controlling parameters with MIDI CC messages, please
refer to our online knowledge base:

🔗 Osmose Online Manual - Advanced Users

troubleshooting
troubleshooting knowledge base
If you encounter technical issues, please start by searching our online knowledgebase
for a solution. When still stuck, please submit a ticket to our Osmose tech support team:

🔗 Osmose Online Knowledgebase - Technical Issues

61

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy