Intuitive Instruments Exquis

Sources split, and on the most important thing. The layout itself is close to universally liked: chord shapes stay the same in every key and the scale lights keep you in tune, so non-keyboardists get playing quickly. The argument is about the silicone keys. One camp — Audiofanzine, Amazona, both video reviewers and many owners — finds them strikingly sensitive, with plenty of squish for pressure and enough tilt for natural vibrato. The other — bonedo, and owners who returned theirs, often after using a LinnStrument, Osmose or Seaboard — finds them too small and imprecise for nuanced MPE: velocity and pressure arrive together on a hard strike, a slightly off-centre press bends the pitch, sensitivity is hit-and-miss until the curves are edited, and the gaps between keys rule out glides. Both camps describe the same sensor; what differs is how much precise, simultaneous expression the player asks of a key about the size of a two-cent coin.

Sources split, largely by date. The Exquis app hosts VST/AU instruments, records looped tracks, chains snapshots into songs and configures the keyboard's layouts, scales, CCs and sensitivity curves. Reviewers who tested later versions found it stable and genuinely useful — Audiofanzine reported no real stability problems in 2025 — and firmware 3.0 (December 2025) added the MIDI and audio export bonedo had missed in 2024. Against that, the maker itself conceded in mid-2024 that the app was not very stable, owners reported crashes when scanning large plug-in folders and trouble installing the sound banks, a 2025 staff post confirmed there was no PDF documentation for the app at all, and recent reviews still note there is no way to edit a recorded loop and no iPad or Android version. Many experienced owners simply skip it: the keyboard is class-compliant and its core settings live on the device, so a DAW or a hardware synth needs nothing from the app.

Sources split. The case is plastic either way; the Deluxe adds wood, cork or aluminium side trims. One camp finds it well made: tight seams, rounded edges, nothing that looks cheap, and owners who have used it for months report no faults. The other finds it light enough to flex — a 1-star owner says the bed bends when you press in the middle, a 5-star owner hears the case creak under hard hits because the rubber feet leave an air gap, Audiofanzine calls the plastic middling and tells you to handle it carefully on the road, and one Thomann buyer returned two units in a row (a wobbling key, then dead MIDI output). Owners and Stephen McLeod both say the Deluxe's trims make it noticeably sturdier, so part of the split is Pure versus Deluxe. Everyone credits the repairability: Torx screws, spare parts sold cheaply, and official 3D files for printing your own parts.

The hardware beyond the keys is modest and mostly works, but the way settings are reached draws steady criticism. There are four clickable endless encoders, ten backlit buttons and a six-zone capacitive slider. Video reviewers found the encoders smooth; bonedo found the buttons slow to respond and the encoders a little wobbly, and a 1-star Amazon owner thought the knobs felt cheap. The slider drives the arpeggiator and cannot be repurposed or send its own MIDI, which several owners wish it could. The bigger theme is the lack of a screen: deeper settings — MPE mode, bend range, sensitivity, MIDI clock — sit behind a held setup button and are shown as colour codes on the LEDs, which reviewers and owners alike say means keeping the manual beside you. The upside, which Stephen McLeod stresses, is that nearly everything can be set on the device itself, without the app.

“Für die Einstellungen und Parameter sollte man, da es ja am Controller kein Display gibt, gerade am Anfang die Bedienungsanleitung in Griffnähe bereit liegen haben.”

Dirk E. · Amazona.de (German)

“Knöpfe reagieren spät oder gar nicht, die Potis fühlen sich etwas wackelig an.”

Julian Schmauch · bonedo.de (German)

“There's a good amount of customisation, but one or two minor things are missing (like the ability to make the touch bar do something other than arpeggiation).”

Henré Botha · Thomann owner review

Mostly straightforward. The Exquis is class-compliant over USB: owners report it working at once in Studio One, Logic Pro, Cubase and Bitwig and on an iPad, and enabling MPE in the DAW is the only setup most need. Deeper control arrived in 2025 with a remote script for Ableton Live 12 that launches clips and scenes, arms and solos tracks and maps device controls, and with a DrivenByMoss extension for Bitwig Studio and Reaper; Audiofanzine counts DAW control as one of its main strengths. The caveats are specific: the Ableton script is for Live 12 Suite, one Amazon owner could not get it to show up as a control surface, FL Studio has no MPE, and bonedo found the Exquis misbehaved on an unpowered USB hub until it was plugged in directly.

“Der Controller funktionierte in S1 6 mit dem Mai Tai Synth instant.”

gobe · Thomann owner review (German)

“As already stated, it is class compliant and works great on iPad.”

Polden · Elektronauts

“In order for this to work with Ableton you have to install a script, but even though I did that it's still not showing up as a control surface so I can't change keys.”

Amazon Customer · Amazon verified-purchase review, 2★

The strongest agreement in the record. Alongside USB-C (power and MIDI) the Exquis has 3.5 mm TRS MIDI in and out, with two type-A adapters in the box, and three CV outputs — pitch, mod and gate — so it plays hardware synths and Eurorack directly, with pressure routable to any CV input. Powered from a phone charger or power bank, it runs with no computer at all. Reviewers repeatedly call this unusual at the price. The shortfalls owners name are narrow: there is no sustain-pedal jack (pedals now work via MIDI CC64, but need a separate converter), the CV outputs carry only the Exquis's own notes and arpeggiator rather than acting as a MIDI-to-CV interface, and one owner found the supplied USB cable too short.

“this is still a fairly unusual feature in the controller World many of which are just USB midi alone and so this is a major plus from my perspective”

Stephen McLeod · YouTube

“Auch per Akkubank ohne Rechner einsetzbar”

Julian Schmauch · bonedo.de (German)

“I really wish it had a built-in input for sustain pedal.”

The Midlife Synthesist · YouTube

Small, light and bus-powered: 317 × 146 mm and 520 g for the Pure, it runs from a laptop, a tablet or a power bank, and owners take it on trips and to open-mic nights. Two limits recur. Audiofanzine warns that the all-plastic case needs careful handling in transit, and the app that configures layouts and scales exists only for macOS and Windows, so iPad-based setups use the keyboard but not its editor.

“It is very lightweight, and perfect for a practice session in the wild with just an iPad/deluge/portable solution of your choice.”

Polden · Elektronauts

“Also, as of the time of this video, the companion app is only available on PC and Mac, but not on iPad or Android.”

The Midlife Synthesist · YouTube

Most sources call it the best value in MPE. At about $300 — $269 from Thomann before US import duty — it costs roughly a quarter of a LinnStrument 128 and far less than an Osmose or Seaboard Rise 2, and adds MIDI and CV outputs most rivals lack. Even owners who returned it often grant that the price explains the compromises. The dissent is that you get what you pay for: a 2-star Amazon owner felt it played like a much cheaper controller, and bonedo reminds readers not to expect Push 3 or Osmose quality at this price.

“At this price point, I don't think there's anything that can compare if you're looking to get into isomorphic layouts.”

Henré Botha · Thomann owner review

“Bang for the buck it's easily the best option, and the hex-grid really does complement MPE”

bluegrin · r/synthesizers

“Feels and works like a $50 controller, not $300+”

Amazon Customer · Amazon verified-purchase review, 2★