Expressive E Osmose meets Elastic OSC; playing with MPE

There’s something magical about playing sounds with polyphonic expression. It means translating sound ideas directly to your hands and improvising live, rather than having to go back and edit those ideas in later or take your hands off the keyboard to turn a knob. Here’s a look at playing the presets I made for Elastic OSC using Expressive E’s excellent Osmose keyboard.

Elastic OSC, Plaits-derived poly, is now a macOS and Windows plug-in, too

Elastic OSC expands on Émilie Gillet’s 24 original open-source Plaits oscillator models, adding 8-voice polyphony, expression (MPE), a modulation engine, and Elastic effects. And if that sounds like something you wish you had in your computer DAW and not just Android and iOS, now you’re in luck.

Peter Kirn - May 6, 2026

GForce just made a West Coast, MPE-playable synth playground

GForce’s MAP is all new — it’s not a recreation or a collaboration with other brands. But this synth has been to history class, studying modular designs by Serge Tcherepnin, Random*Source, and Buchla USA. Put that in a very modern interface, add MPE expression, and you get what feels like Massive X or Serum from an alternate universe where they’re all about West Coast synthesis.

Peter Kirn - October 28, 2025

MPE meets modular, strings: AAS Multiphonics CV-3, Osmose, Soliste

Peter Kirn - September 29, 2025

Expressive playing with MPE, demystified

Peter Kirn - February 20, 2025

Ableton Move 1.3: sample from USB-C, polyphonic expression over MIDI

Peter Kirn - February 13, 2025

Here’s Roger Linn with advice on developing expressive gestures

Peter Kirn - January 8, 2025

Osmose 2.0 makes this expressive MPE instrument more navigable, powerful

Peter Kirn - September 5, 2024

Arturia PolyBrute 12: 3-mode poly aftertouch expression, 12 voices

Peter Kirn - May 14, 2024