Terrence O'Brien is the Verge’s weekend editor. He has over 18 years of experience, including 10 years as managing editor at Engadget. Expressive E is making its Osmose MPE keyboard (comparatively) more affordable by ditching the synthesizer and making it a simple MIDI controller. The new Osmose CE comes in two sizes, 49 and 61 keys, for $999 and $1,199, respectively. Now, $999 is pretty expensive for a MIDI controller, but it’s far less than Osmose’s $1,799 starting price. It’s even a pretty good deal when pitted against its closest competitor, the $1,399 Roli Seaboard 2 . For those unfamiliar, the Osmose is one of the most unique synths on the market. It looks like a standard piano-style keyboard, but its keys move back and forth, allowing you to coax gentle bends out of it like you might on a violin or guitar. Plus MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression) means each note can have its own velocity and timbre, making it one of the most expressive keyboards on the market.…