For years, the biggest bottleneck in MPE wasn't the controllers — it was finding software instruments that could actually use the data they were sending. A LinnStrument or Osmose is only as expressive as the synth on the receiving end, and until recently, most producers were limited to a handful of specialist plugins (Equator, Bitwig's own devices, a few boutique options) if they wanted true per-note pitch, pressure, and timbre control. In 2026, that's finally shifting, as several mainstream plugin developers have shipped or expanded MPE support.
Serum 2 Joins the MPE Club
Xfer Records' Serum 2 — arguably the most widely used wavetable synth in electronic music production — added MPE support as part of its ongoing update cycle, alongside an improved effects rack, new modulation modules, and enhanced unison algorithms. For a plugin with Serum's install base, this is a meaningful moment: it puts real per-note expression within reach of producers who have never touched a dedicated MPE instrument, using a synth many of them already own.
Native Instruments Rebuilds Absynth From the Ground Up
Native Instruments took a more dramatic approach with Absynth 6, completely rebuilding the classic semi-modular synth with original creator Brian Clevinger back on the project. The new version adds deep granular synthesis and spectral filtering alongside MPE support, letting players route per-note pressure and slide data into Absynth's famously lush modulation environment. It's a strong pairing — Absynth's sound design pedigree combined with the nuance MPE controllers can offer for evolving textures.
FabFilter and Arturia: Steady, Incremental Progress
FabFilter's 2026 updates have been more about refinement than headline features — Pro-C 3 shipped in January with six new compression algorithms and immersive audio support, followed by rounds of bug-fix updates across the catalog in March and April. FabFilter doesn't build synths, so MPE isn't directly relevant to most of its lineup, but its continued plug-in refinement matters for MPE players who lean on tools like Pro-Q and Pro-MB to shape expressive performances after the fact.
Arturia, meanwhile, continues to expand MPE compatibility across its Pigments and V Collection lines, with Pigments 7 drawing particular praise for its wavetable engine. Arturia publishes a dedicated MPE compatibility FAQ for players working through channel-per-note routing across its plugin range — useful reading for anyone troubleshooting a new controller-to-plugin chain.
Why the Software Side Matters as Much as the Hardware
It's easy to focus on controller announcements — Osmose CE, LinnStrument, the Continuum — because they're the part of an MPE rig you can touch. But a controller without an instrument that responds meaningfully to per-note data is just an expensive MIDI keyboard. The real unlock for MPE adoption has always depended on synth developers building instruments (or updating existing ones) to actually use pitch bend range, per-note pressure, and CC74 timbre data in musically interesting ways.
That's part of the philosophy behind purpose-built MPE instruments like Orchestral Xpressive, which was designed from the ground up around per-note articulation rather than retrofitted onto an existing engine. But the mainstream plugin world catching up matters too — it means a producer who already owns Serum or Absynth doesn't need to buy anything new to start experimenting with an MPE controller they might already have sitting on a shelf.
If 2025 was about controllers proving the hardware case for MPE, 2026 is shaping up to be the year mainstream software instruments stop treating MPE as a niche feature and start treating it as a checkbox worth shipping. For players building a rig, that means more options at every price point — and less need to hunt down specialist software just to make an MPE controller worth owning.