Intuitive Instruments: the grid-based keyboards rethinking MPE expression

In 2023, the MIDI Innovation Awards jury named Exquis the winner in the Commercial Hardware Products category. Behind that instrument is Intuitive Instruments, the company behind dualo.com, which builds isomorphic, expressive keyboards under two names: Exquis and dualo du-touch S. Both are built around MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE), a protocol that lets a single note carry pitch, pressure and movement rather than a flat on-off signal. The brand’s two instruments take that idea in different directions, one built to sit inside a studio setup, the other designed to stand on its own.

The range

Exquis is presented by the brand as an expressive, intuitive MPE controller, built for players who want nuance in every note rather than a fixed grid of on-off pads. The dualo du-touch S takes a different approach: the brand describes it as an all-in-one instrument for composing and learning without a computer, meant to work as a self-contained tool rather than a peripheral. Together, the two instruments cover both ends of a studio workflow, from a controller that feeds other software to a standalone unit that needs nothing else switched on.

Playing well with your software

Exquis is built to work directly with Ableton Live and Bitwig Studio, two of the software environments most electronic musicians already use. For Ableton Live, Intuitive Instruments released a Remote script, accompanied by an interview with Jonas, known as Primo Taut, discussing how it fits into a live workflow. For Bitwig Studio, the brand released an extension that turns Exquis into a control surface optimised for that software specifically, rather than a generic MIDI input device. Both additions point to the same idea: the keyboard is meant to sit inside an existing setup, not replace it.

What changed with version 3.0.0

The 3.0.0 update added a set of features aimed at musicians who want to move sound and performance data out of the instrument and into a wider workflow. It introduced MIDI export and audio export, so a performance can leave the device as a file rather than staying locked inside it. MPE Freeze was added alongside MIDI score, giving players a way to capture expressive playing as notation. MIDI THRU support for pedals rounded out the update, letting foot controllers pass signal through the instrument rather than needing a separate connection.

Sound and hardware, kept open

Intuitive Instruments launched a dedicated MPE sound bank of 158 acoustic and electronic sounds for Decent Sampler, usable directly through the Exquis app. A plug-in bundle followed, adding more than 800 new presets on top of that library. On the hardware side, the brand makes its 3D files and drilling templates freely available, an unusual choice for a musical instrument maker. For someone who owns the instrument, that openness means the physical object isn’t a sealed box: the design behind it is published rather than kept internal.

What the brand says

Intuitive Instruments describes Exquis as an expressive and intuitive MPE controller, built around the idea that playing should feel immediate rather than requiring a learning curve before the expressive features become usable. The dualo du-touch S is framed differently: the brand positions it as a complete instrument for composing and learning away from a computer, aimed at players who want to write music without opening a laptop first. The MIDI Innovation Awards recognition for Exquis, given by the awards’ jury in 2023, sits alongside these claims as an outside validation of the instrument’s design.

Recent news

The most visible marker in the brand’s recent history is the 2023 MIDI Innovation Awards win for Exquis. Since then, the instrument has kept receiving software updates rather than a hardware redesign: the 3.0.0 release brought MIDI and audio export, MPE Freeze, MIDI score and MIDI THRU support for pedals. The MPE sound bank for Decent Sampler and the follow-up plug-in bundle expanded what the instrument can produce without new hardware. On the software side, the Bitwig Studio extension and the Ableton Live Remote script, the latter discussed with Jonas, aka Primo Taut, show the brand continuing to build bridges to the tools musicians already have open.