This article explains how to set up Osmose as an MPE controller within PreSonus Studio One 6.
When controlling external instruments inside your DAW, use USB MIDI Port 1 (Play port) of Osmose exclusively, see: Connect Osmose to your computer. On your Windows PC, Port 1 will simply be called "Osmose". Take this into account for all the following instructions:
On Osmose, enter the config menu of External MIDI mode and select the "mpe" configuration.
This will make Osmose send MIDI messages according to the MPE specification on Port 1.
Open Studio One's Options and navigate to the “External Devices” tab. Since Studio One 6.2, your Osmose should automatically be detected as an MPE controller, with Receive From set to "Osmose Port 1" and MPE enabled with a pitch bend range of 48 semitones:
Creating a new instrument track is easiest done by dragging and dropping an MPE-compatible plugin instrument from the browser on the right side into your project. Once created, select "Osmose" as the input device for the track:
Open the GUI of the plugin (Instrument Editor) and click on the little triangle to the right of the instrument tab title to open a menu that lets you "Enable MPE" for the instrument:
Be aware that for some MPE-compatible plugins, MPE functionality must also be activated from 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 Initial Pressure axis and 'CC74 (MPE Timbre/Slide)' is controlled by Osmose's Aftertouch axis. For more details, see config menu.
In most MPE synths, the maximum MPE note pitch bend range (Axe X) is set to +-48 semitones by default. Adjust the ‘bending range’ fraction on Osmose (Ext Midi mode > sensitivity menu > bending tab) for a more playable range. Example: When the maximum pitch bend range in your external synth is set to 48 semitones, set the fraction in Osmose to 1/48 to end up with a +/-1 semitone range for note bend gestures.
As of now, Studio One lacks the required feature of either changing the "Last Note Channel/End Channel" in an MPE context to something else than 16, or apply "Keep Channel" behavior. This makes reliable integration of Osmose as an external hardware synthesizer (recording performances as MIDI messages and playing them back into Osmose's EaganMatrix) impossible. PreSonus have been informed, and we hope they will be able to deliver the functionality as part of a maintenance update.
