Intuitive Instruments' description of the Intuitive Instruments Exquis.

A CONTROLLER. AN APP. AN INSTRUMENT.

• The Exquis controller gives you immediate access to the rules of harmony to improvise with or without theoretical prerequisites, and offers you dimensions of expressiveness that you can quickly master.
• The Exquis app, in symbiosis with the keyboard, offers a unique workflow allowing you to create an entire song in a few minutes: choose sounds, record loops, play the conductor and structure your songs in complete spontaneity!

A CONCENTRATION OF INNOVATION.

A visual and ergonomic approach to harmony.

Exquis offers an intuitive way to guide you on the right path, while allowing you to get out of it. No hassle: just choose a scale, and follow its luminous path to play in tune.

And thanks to our default note layout, it’s very easy to make chords; Exquis arranges notes that sound good together next to one another. You will be amazed at how harmony falls under your fingers.

EXPRESSIVITY AT YOUR FINGERTIPS.

No need to play a lot of notes when you can make them live; Exquis expressive keys are designed to be mastered in moments while offering enormous potential for expert gestures.

Also benefit from 4 encoders and a 6-zone tactile slider, multiplying the possibilities of sound control and facilitating the control of actions on the app.

Inspired by the finesse of acoustic instruments, the keys of Exquis are both firm enough to play percussion and short notes with precision, and soft enough to modulate long notes with sensitivity.

Tap, press, and tilt multiple keys independently using the MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE) protocol.

The encoders (clickable, with infinite and smooth rotation and with a slight resistance) allow you to control the effects of a sound being played, as well as certain essential settings in the various menus.

COMPOSITION AT YOUR FINGERTIPS.

The cross-platform Exquis app is the perfect companion to the keyboard, akin to a conventional composition software.

Compose entire tracks in seconds with a unique workflow we have been perfecting for 15 years, now trusted by thousands of musicians around the world for its spontaneity and efficiency.

The app and controller work together to provide a simple and chronological music creation logic. From left to right, control the essential actions with simple gestures, directly on the keyboard and/or on the application:

• Settings: prepare your song (tempo, scale, default quantization…)
• Sounds: choose a sound (plugin/preset) to create a new “track”
• Record: record “clips” and adjust the recording behavior (start condition, length, overdub)
• Tracks: just like a conductor, decide which clips start and stop in real time
• Scenes: save, launch and program states of your song (ex: intro, verse, chorus…)
• Play/Stop: stop your song, and restart it at any specific time

We designed the Exquis workflow taking into account two temporalities: you can both play live without risk or take your time to create in your bubble. Most common actions can be done directly with the keyboard, while advanced actions taking more time such as programming (length of a scene, follow-up actions, etc.) are to be performed on the app.

The app interface is designed following the same logic, turning your computer, tablet or smartphone, into a customizable heads-up display and an alternative interface to perform your actions, especially if you use another MIDI controller.

In order to allow musicians to create new rhythms and moods, the application natively includes exclusive features. For example, we were inspired by the workshops of Jacob Collier and will soon allow the use of tuplets (particular divisions of beats such as 1/5 or 1/7), useful for creating grooves with a drunk effect.

LEARN AT THE SPEED OF LIGHTS.

Thanks to the backlighting of the keys, it will soon be possible to display a musical score directly on the keyboard.

UNIVERSAL, COMPLEMENTARY, AND INDEPENDENT.

The Exquis keyboard is a MIDI controller compatible with all software, MIDI synthesizers and modular synthesizers.

The Exquis app, although optimized for the controller, is also compatible with all MIDI controllers.

Like all MIDI controllers, the Exquis keyboard is compatible with most DAWs and plugins:

Dear users of modular synthesizers, Exquis connects directly to your favorite devices thanks to the CV outputs: GATE, PITCH and MOD. You can also connect Exquis to your MIDI synthesizers using the MIDI IN and OUT ports.

The Exquis app will be available first on macOS, Windows, then on iOS, Linux and Android. We aim to support as many Android devices as possible, but older and/or lower spec Android devices may have issues when it comes to optimal performance. Our app will also work on Raspberry Pi devices; this will allow us to release a standalone version in the near future, inspired by the mobility of our previous products.

The Exquis application can host any audio plugin (VST, VST3, AUv3).

A KEYBOARD AND AN APP THAT LOOK LIKE YOU.

Like our previous instruments, we believe Exquis will be a true extension of yourself, so we’ve designed it to be even more customizable than a guitar.

Change the elements of the casing, the encoder caps… We don’t hide the screws from you, to invite you to build the Exquis that best reflects your personality.

We also provide you with the 3D plans of Exquis to create your own casings and encoders; give another look (guitar, du-touch dualo, etc.) to your Exquis!

MOBILITY AT THE SERVICE OF PLEASURE.

There is no secret: the more you practice, the more you progress! That’s why, in addition to being plug-and-play, we designed Exquis to be playable anywhere and anytime.

The Exquis keyboard is also equipped with very powerful LEDs, allowing you to play outdoors. To prevent your devices from discharging too quickly, you can even power Exquis with any external battery.

A PROVIDED SOUND BANK.

Whether or not you are familiar with plugins, presets, and MPE, our sounds will reveal the full range of expressivity of the Exquis keyboard.

The Exquis app notably comes with over 200 presets for the award-winning Surge XT MPE synthesizer.

The complexity of the settings within the plugins will only be displayed if you wish to edit them, the controls on the keyboard (keys, encoders, slider) already offering many possibilities to neophytes as well as to the most experienced.

DESIGN AND ECO-RESPONSIBILITY.

We designed Exquis as simply as possible, so that its very few parts are easy to assemble, even by yourself. The circuit board is designed to be repairable and the casing is easily customizable and replaceable.

The implications of the COVID pandemic over the past two years have confirmed our original motivation to take economical and environmental contexts into account. Our products are designed to be open, broadly compatible and against planned obsolescence.

The Exquis keyboard will be the common basis for all future product variants and accessories that we will release later. This will allow it to expand its possibilities and adapt to all configurations and use cases.

To be sure to be able to update the functionalities of Exquis as far as of our ideas will go, we chose an over-adapted microcontroller; we prefer that you pay 25€ more now to have an instrument which will last longer.

As all our decisions are made taking into account their environmental impact, we are working on solutions to use mostly sustainable or recyclable materials for the Exquis case: wood, cork, metal from recycled sources, bio-sourced or 100% recycled plastics.

In accordance with our Open Hardware approach, you can buy parts made by our partners or, thanks to the 3D files that we will provide to you, manufacture your own by 3D printing, laser cutting… And why not even create your own designs?

15 YEARS OF DEVELOPMENT AND AWARDS.

In 2007, Jules Hotrique, mathematician, invented the dualo principle from the mathematical logic of harmony. Only a few months later, he managed to build the very first prototype of a controller with such a layout. Over the years, the idea evolved into an all-in-one instrument with backlit keys, combining an internal soundbank and a looper, to play and compose today’s music anywhere and spontaneously. The dual keyboard then merged into one, and the instrument split into a keyboard and an app to form Exquis.

SPECS.

Interface

• Keyboard: 61 hexagonal keys sensitive to pressure (Z axis) and position sensing (X and Y axes) withe RGB backlighting
• Encoders: 4 clickable encoders with RGB backlighting
• Buttons: 10 push buttonswith RGB backlighting
• Slider: 6-zone capacitive slider with RGB backlighting

Inputs/Outputs

• USB-C port: standard USB 3.0 port, USB-C connector, 5V and 0,9A max (max consumption: 4,5W)
• MIDI IN and MIDI OUT: standard MIDI communication (serial communication), stereo 3.5mm (1/8”) minijack connectors, 5V and 5mA max
• CV “PITCH” and CV “MOD”: analog communication (Control Voltage), mono 3.5mm (1/8”) minijack connectors, 0 to 5V and 20mA max. Active impedance equivalent to 1kohm
• CV “GATE”: analog communication on/off (Control Voltage), mono 3.5mm (1/8”) minijack connectors, 0 or 5V and 20mA max. Active impedance equivalent to 1kohm

App (optional)

• Required configuration: macOS 10.11 or above / Windows 7 64 bits or above
• VST/VST3/AU compatible
• Looper: 11 tracks, 4 loops max per track
• Sequencer: 11 chainable events

Size/Weight

• Size: 317 x 146/165 x 36mm (12.5” x 5.8/6.5” x 1.4”)
• Weight: 0,52/0,75kg (1.15/1.65 lbs)