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Exquis Deluxe: Intuitive Instruments' hexagonal MIDI controller made in France

A 61-key hexagonal MIDI controller with pressure- and position-sensitive keys, built and assembled in France by Intuitive Instruments, with a built-in looper and sequencer.

By Laurent — 2026-09-27 · 3 min read

The Exquis Deluxe MIDI controller with its hexagonal key layout, encoders and RGB backlighting, as shown by the manufacturer
Photo: Intuitive Instruments

What it is

Exquis Deluxe is a MIDI controller (MPE) from Intuitive Instruments, a French company that designs and assembles its instruments in France. It ships with a dedicated app for composition. The layout is built around 61 hexagonal keys, sensitive to both pressure and position, lit by RGB backlighting.

It is aimed at musicians who play software instruments, MIDI synthesisers or modular gear and want finer control over each note than a standard piano-style keyboard allows. Intuitive Instruments offers the Exquis Deluxe across several finishes: Pure, Deluxe Cork, Deluxe Aluminum in black, red or blue, and Deluxe Wood in light, medium or dark tones. The wood versions are made by Kustone, a French luthier.

The Exquis Deluxe MIDI controller with its hexagonal key layout, encoders and RGB backlighting, as shown by the manufacturer — view 2
Photo: Intuitive Instruments

Why it exists

According to the brand, Exquis Deluxe is built to be an intuitive and expressive MIDI controller, designed to pilot software, MIDI synthesisers and modular systems from one surface. The idea, as the brand presents it, is to give a musician more nuance per note than a conventional keyboard, through keys that respond to how hard and where they are pressed.

The Exquis Deluxe MIDI controller with its hexagonal key layout, encoders and RGB backlighting, as shown by the manufacturer — view 3
Photo: Intuitive Instruments

What matters

The hexagonal keyboard is the core of the instrument: 61 keys, each sensitive to pressure and position, with RGB backlighting. This is what makes MPE-style playing possible, where a single note can be shaped in real time rather than simply switched on or off.

Around the keyboard sit four clickable encoders, ten push buttons and a capacitive slider split into six zones, all with RGB backlighting. Together they form a hands-on control surface for adjusting parameters, mixing or triggering functions without reaching for a mouse.

Connectivity extends beyond a computer. Exquis Deluxe has MIDI IN/OUT over a 3.5 mm stereo mini-jack, plus dedicated CV outputs for Pitch/Mod and Gate, each on a 3.5 mm mono mini-jack with its own voltage range and impedance. This lets it talk directly to modular synthesiser gear, not only to MIDI-capable instruments.

Built into the controller are a looper with 11 tracks and four loops per track, and a sequencer with 11 chainable events. These let a player build layered parts or programmed sequences without additional software running.

Materials and build vary by finish. The aluminium versions use anodised aluminium with rods screwed in from inside the housing. The cork version uses compact cork, which the brand notes is subject to wear under heavy friction. The wood versions use treated, varnished wood with bevelled edges and corners, made by Kustone.

The Exquis Deluxe MIDI controller with its hexagonal key layout, encoders and RGB backlighting, as shown by the manufacturer — view 4
Photo: Intuitive Instruments

Day to day

Exquis Deluxe connects to a computer via USB-C (USB 3.0), drawing power at 5V with a maximum current of 0.9A and a maximum power draw of 4.5W. It works with macOS 10.11 or later, or Windows 10 or later, and is compatible with VST, VST3 and AU plugin formats.

Beyond a computer setup, its MIDI and CV connections allow it to be wired directly into hardware synthesisers or modular racks. At 32 × 17 × 4 cm and roughly 1 kg, it is sized to sit on a desk or travel in a bag between sessions. Owners of the cork finish should be mindful of repeated rubbing, which the brand states can wear the material over time.

Technical specifications

Feature Value
Manufacturing Designed and assembled in France
Keyboard 61 hexagonal keys, pressure- and position-sensitive, RGB backlight
Encoders 4 clickable encoders, RGB backlight
Buttons 10 push buttons, RGB backlight
Slider Capacitive slider, 6 zones, RGB backlight
USB-C port USB 3.0, USB-C, 5V, 0.9A max, 4.5W max power draw
MIDI connectivity MIDI IN/OUT, 3.5 mm stereo mini-jack, 5V, 5mA max
CV Pitch/Mod connectivity 3.5 mm mono mini-jack, 0–5V, 20mA max, 1 kΩ impedance
CV Gate connectivity 3.5 mm mono mini-jack, 0 or 5V, 20mA max, 1 kΩ impedance
System requirements macOS 10.11 or later / Windows 10 or later
Compatible plugin formats VST/VST3/AU
Looper 11 tracks, 4 loops per track
Sequencer 11 chainable events
Dimensions 32 × 17 × 4 cm (317 × 165 × 36 mm / 12.5 × 6.5 × 1.4 in)
Weight 1 kg (0.75 kg / 1.65 lbs)

What the brand says

Intuitive Instruments presents the Exquis Deluxe as an intuitive and expressive MIDI controller, built to pilot software, MIDI synthesisers and modular systems from a single hexagonal surface.

Why it caught our eye

We're drawn to the hexagonal keyboard itself: keys that respond to pressure and position open up a way of playing that a standard keyboard simply cannot offer. We also like that the finishes go beyond cosmetics, with a French luthier behind the wood versions and assembly kept in France throughout the range.

Exactly the kind of brand we’d love to come across on O!deal one day.

The Exquis and dualo du-touch S isomorphic keyboards from Intuitive Instruments, shown as presented by the maker.
The brand behind this productIntuitive Instruments: the grid-based keyboards rethinking MPE expressionIntuitive Instruments builds the Exquis and dualo du-touch S, isomorphic MPE keyboards designed to work directly with Ableton Live and Bitwig Studio.Read the Intuitive Instruments profile →

Intuitive Instruments

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