Intuitive Instruments Exquis USB MPE MIDI CV Controller

Intuitive Instruments Exquis USB MPE MIDI Controller

Exquis, the best expressive controller for Ableton Live
Intuitive Instruments, the French company behind the award‐winning Exquis expressive MPE keyboard, unveils a triple update that turns its flagship instrument into the ultimate, lightweight and compact creative hub for Ableton Live users.

Unlike pad‐centric grid controllers optimised for finger‐drumming and loop triggering, Exquis responds like a real acoustic instrument: its 61 soft silicone keys, each with independent five‐dimension MPE control, provide the nuanced touch and emotional depth needed for flowing melodies and harmonically rich chords.

Exquis Remote‐Control Script for Ableton Live
The brand‐new Python‐based Remote Script integrates Exquis seamlessly into Live’s native controller family, delivering Launchpad‐style Session control and an instrument‐grade expressive touch—courtesy of its MPE twist—that makes playing melodies and chords feel effortlessly natural:
• Session view – create, launch and delete clips or scenes without touching the mouse.
• Track mastery – arm, select, mute and solo any track, and get immediate access to volume, pan and aux sends
• Expressive performance – chords, melodies and drum racks flow through all 61 soft silicone keys with independant and polyphonic 5 dimensions controls.
• Hands‐on transport & harmony – set Live’s tempo, root note and scale directly from Exquis.
• Per‐track note layouts – recall any of the keyboard’s eight onboard layouts (or your own customs) automatically when you change tracks — instantly reconfiguring Exquis into a specific instrument for every track, be it a bass, a percussive grid, or a soaring solo lead.
• One‐touch Favourites – call up Live racks or plugin presets in a heartbeat via Exquis’ exclusive favourites system.
• Device & mix control – tweak any parameter on any device and any track with using four push encoders and ten action buttons.

The script installs like any official Ableton controller template and requires Live 12.

Firmware v2.1 — Poly‐Hold Sustain & Developer Mode
In keeping with Intuitive Instruments’ drive for constant refinement, firmware v2.1 delivers two headline additions:
• Poly‐Hold Sustain – let chords ring out indefinitely while the onboard arpeggiator continues to evolve.
• Developer Mode – an open MIDI API that exposes every hardware element—keys, encoders, action buttons, RGB LEDs and even onboard memory—so developers can remap behaviours, write custom DAW scripts or integrate Exquis into bespoke performance setups.

The update also packs an array of stability improvements for an even smoother playing experience.

Exquis App v2 — New factory preset list and 1 500 Curated Presets
The companion software for macOS/Windows receives new factory preset list featuring hand‐picked, layout‐optimised patches for Surge XT, Vital and Decent Samplerand a vast sound‐library expansion bringing 1 250 new sounds tuned for Surge XT, Vital, Decent Sampler, Baby Audio Atom, Beatsurfing Random, Dawesome Abyss, Zyklus, Audiomodern Soundbox and Newfangled Audio Pendulate — now 1 500 presets in total.

Technical Specifications

Keyboard:
- Class Compliant MIDI Controller: plug’n’play
- MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression) or polyphonic aftertouch modes
- 61 soft silicone keys, RGB backlight
- Expressivity: velocity on & off, pitchbend (X), CC74 (Y), aftertouch (Z)
- 4 clickable encoders, 10 hard silicone action buttons
- Integrated MPE Arpeggiator: 6 speeds, 6 patterns and sustain mode
- 32 scales and 8 note layouts stored in memory
- MIDI OUT via USB or DIN and CV GATE, PITCH (X-axis), MOD (Z-axis)
- MIDI Clock (arpeggiator sync) IN/OUT via USB or DIN

Exquis App (from macOS 10.11 / Windows 7 x64):
- Looper (11 tracks, 44 loops) & Sequencer (11 events)
- VST and AU plugin host
- Create and edit scales and note layouts in Exquis’ memory
- Edit MIDI values (buttons and encoders)
- Edit sensitivity curves (velocity/X/Y/Z)