This article explains how to set up Osmose with firmware 2.3+ within Bitwig Studio 5 and higher. The first chapter describes how to add Osmose as a device to Bitwig. The second chapter deals with using Osmose as an MPE controller, and the third chapter shows how to integrate it as an external instrument, recording performances as MIDI messages and playing them back into Osmose's EaganMatrix.
Install Osmose as a controller in Bitwig's settings
Make sure that you have downloaded and installed the Bitwig DAW script that matches your DAW and Osmose model.
Launch Bitwig Studio and go to Settings -> Controllers. Firmware 2.3 requires you to delete existing Osmose items from older firmware versions, as well as any Osmose items Bitwig may have added automatically.
Once you have a clean slate, click "Add controller", choose hardware vendor "Expressive E", select "Osmose 49" or "Osmose 61", then click 'Add'.
After adding it, manually select the correct ports for the controller item. For both inputs and outputs, select Port 1 (play) in the first field, Port 2 (sound engine) for the second field, and Port 4 (daw control) for the third field.
This is how it should look on a Windows PC...
...and these are the correct port choices on a Mac:
Using Osmose as an MPE controller in Bitwig Studio
When controlling external instruments inside your DAW, use USB MIDI Port 1 (play) of Osmose exclusively; see Osmose USB MIDI ports. On your Windows PC, Port 1 will simply be called "Osmose 49" or "Osmose 61". Take this into account for all the following instructions:
Choose MPE configuration for Osmose's External MIDI Mode
Enter the config menu of External MIDI mode and select the configuration preset that the plugin you wish to control supports.
For this tutorial, we assume the plugin you want to control supports MIDI Polyphonic Expression, so you can take advantage of all the per-note expression that Osmose's keybed offers.
Select the config preset "mpe". This will make Osmose send MIDI messages according to the MPE specification on Port 1 (play).
When you have selected a track with Ctrl-e loaded in it, Osmose will automatically send MPE data by default; see DAW Control on a Ctrl-e track.
Creating an instrument track with Osmose as the input device
Create a new track and load an MPE-compatible instrument plugin on it.
Select the instrument track, then check the track inspector in the bottom left corner and choose "Osmose play" as track input source instead of "All ins":
Click on the MPE plugin device to show the device inspector in the upper left, then click “MPE” next to "Use MPE" to activate MPE for the plugin.
To activate MPE by default for this plugin, you can right-click/option-click the plugin device and select Device Default -> Save as Default Presert.
Configure MPE interpretation in the plugin
Note that for some MPE-compatible plugins, you must also enable MPE functionality within the plugin. Check your plugin’s manual to learn about its MPE workflow. When MPE is activated in the plugin, 'Pressure' will be controlled by Osmose's Initial Pressure axis and 'CC74 (MPE Timbre/Slide)' is controlled by Osmose's Aftertouch axis. For more details, see config menu.
Ideally, in MPE synths, the maximum MPE note pitch bend range (Axe X) should be set to +-48 semitones, which is the defacto MPE standard. This setting is required for the Pressure Glide feature in playing menu of Omose to work correctly. It's also required to make the ‘bending range’ in Osmose (Ext Midi mode > sensitivity menu > bending tab) show the correct per-note bending range in semitones.
Integrating Osmose as an external instrument in Bitwig Studio
To record performances on your Osmose as MIDI messages inside your DAW and play them back into Osmose, use USB MIDI Port 2 (sound engine) exclusively, see Osmose USB MIDI ports. On your PC, Port 2 will be called "MIDIIN2 Osmose" (or "MIDIOUT2 Osmose"). Take this into account for all the following instructions:
Select the suiting midi i/o settings on Osmose for integration into a DAW setup
Head to Osmose's midi i/o tab. Set 'haken local control' to "off" to cut the direct connection between Osmose's keybed and its sound engine.
We will reestablish that connection by routing your playing through your DAW first, before it enters the internal sound engine.
Attention: With 'haken local control' set to "off", your playing on Osmose will only sound when its track in your DAW is armed.
Creating a MIDI track with Osmose as input and output device
Create a new track by clicking on the ‘+’ icon (1). Choose ‘Instrument’ on the device menu (2) and then select ‘Hardware’ (3) and ‘HW Instrument’ (4).
For the track input source, choose "Osmose sound engine".
In the ‘HW Instrument’ device, choose “Osmose sound engine” (or MIDIOUT2 Osmose on Windows) as the MIDI output target. Choose "Keep Ch." as MIDI channel below. Activate "Use MPE" and set the pitch bend range to +-96 semitones.
Optionally, you may select the audio inputs your Osmose is connected to in the Return section of the HW instrument for easy audio printing of Osmose's audio output in the same DAW track. Arm the MIDI track, and you are ready to record, edit, and playback Osmose performances in Bitwig Studio.
