MPE, or MIDI Polyphonic Expression, is revolutionising electronic music by allowing musicians to control each note independently. Unlike traditional MIDI, where changes affect all notes simultaneously, MPE gives each note its own channel. This enables nuanced and expressive playing comparable to acoustic instruments.

MPE is a revolutionary standard that allows musicians to control each note on a keyboard independently. Imagine being able to change the pitch, volume and timbre of each note individually - that's the magic of MPE. To understand the importance of MPE, let's take a brief look at the history of keyboard instruments. The pipe organ allowed volume control only via a pedal that affected all notes simultaneously. The harpsichord and clavichord had no dynamic control, with the entire instrument at a constant volume. The piano allowed dynamic variation through key speed, but no change in tone after the key was pressed. Even with the most sophisticated synthesizers, knobs and pedals affected all the notes played simultaneously. MPE overcomes these limitations by assigning a dedicated channel to each note. The result is a nuanced and expressive performance similar to that of acoustic instruments. With MPE, you can independently control the pitch, volume and timbre of each note played on an MPE-enabled instrument. This granular control allows for a more nuanced and expressive performance, similar to acoustic instruments. It allows sound parameters such as filters, oscillators, etc., which are normally controlled by knobs, to be intuitively modulated by touching and moving your fingers. MPE is already being used by many musicians and producers, particularly in film and TV scoring. Composer Josh Mof, who wrote this tutorial, uses MPE extensively in his work. There are already a number of MPE-enabled instruments on the market. MPE is a significant advance in music technology that opens up new possibilities for musicians. If you are interested in the future of electronic music, you should definitely familiarise yourself with MPE.

The evolution of keyboard instruments shows how far expressiveness has come: from the constant volume of the pipe organ to the dynamic control of the piano. MPE goes one step further, allowing individual control of pitch, volume and timbre for each note. From film scores to experimental music, MPE opens up new creative possibilities. Instruments like Linnstrument and Osmose show how expressive electronic music can be. MPE fundamentally changes the way we create and experience music with electronic instruments.