Intuitive Instruments

What Intuitive Instruments does

Intuitive Instruments SAS is a French musical instrument manufacturer founded in 2019 and headquartered in Montreuil (with a secondary Saint-Denis address), operating primarily under the "dualo" brand. The company designs and sells isomorphic, hexagonal-key keyboards that visualize chord and scale relationships as geometric patterns, addressing the steep learning curve of conventional piano-style layouts. Its two flagship hardware products are Exquis, an MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression) expressive controller optimized for Ableton Live and Bitwig Studio, and the du-touch S, an all-in-one standalone instrument with built-in sounds, a looper, and interactive du-games tutorials for computer-free composition and learning. The underlying technology centers on a patented isomorphic note layout, MPE protocol support for per-note pitch bend and aftertouch, CV Gate outputs for modular-synth integration, and a du-station companion software for firmware updates, file management, and WAV-sample-based sound creation. The business model is predominantly direct-to-consumer e-commerce (dualo.com) with one-time hardware sales complemented by plugin bundles (800+ presets), MPE sound banks (158 sounds) sold via Decent Sampler, discounted Pianoteq/Organteq partnership offers, a subscription component for du-games, reconditioned instruments, and a small reseller and accessory line. Go-to-market is product-led: YouTube tutorials and artist features (notably Andrew Huang), an active community on Discord/Facebook/Discourse, and educational outreach through the Édu-up school program, with shipping to 85+ countries in EUR/USD/GBP. The company has won the MIDI Innovation Award 2023 for Exquis and remains privately held with no disclosed external funding.

Name

Intuitive Instruments

Legal name

Intuitive Instruments SAS

Website

https://dualo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Intuitive Instruments is a French music-hardware company (founded 2019) that designs and sells isomorphic hexagonal-key keyboards — the Exquis MPE controller and the dualo du-touch S standalone instrument — serving prosumer musicians, electronic-music producers, and music-education programs with visual chord-and-scale mapping and DAW integration.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

MIDI Controller Keyboards

NAICS

Musical Instrument Manufacturing (339992), Musical Instrument and Supplies Retailers (459140)

SIC

Musical Instruments (3931)

akta.pro primary industry

Musical Instruments (Acoustic & Electric) (MPAIAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Music Production Hardware (Synthesizers, Drum Machines, Samplers, MIDI Controllers) (MPAIAJAE), Audio Plugins & Virtual Instruments (VST/AU/AAX) (MPAIAIAB)

Keywords

• Isomorphic MIDI controllers
• MPE keyboard controllers
• Expressive music instruments
• MIDI controller hardware
• Music education keyboards

Headquarters

HQ city

Montreuil

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Hardware Instruments: Sale of physical musical instruments including the Exquis MPE controller keyboard and the dualo du-touch S all-in-one keyboard. These are one-time hardware purchases.
2. Plugin Bundles: Bundles of sound plugins for use within the Exquis application and Decent Sampler format, including 158 MPE sounds (acoustic and electronic).
3. Pianoteq & Organteq Offers: Partnership offerings for Pianoteq (physical modeling piano) and Organteq (pipe organ) software with discounts for Exquis users.
4. du-games Subscriptions: Subscription-based access to du-games interactive music tutorials via du-station software. Users can try first games free and subscribe to unlock additional content.
5. Reconditioned Instruments: Sale of refurbished/used instruments at reduced prices.
6. du-station Software: Free software for instrument management, with potential premium features for community platform access.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Intuitive Instruments designs, manufactures, and sells isomorphic hexagonal MIDI musical instruments under the dualo brand. Its two flagship hardware products are the Exquis MPE controller keyboard (for DAW-based music production with Ableton Live and Bitwig Studio) and the dualo du-touch S (an all-in-one standalone instrument for composing and learning without a computer). The company also provides the du-station desktop management software, the Exquis composition application, du-games interactive learning tutorials, plugin bundles, sound banks, and hardware accessories.

Product overview

Intuitive Instruments offers two distinct hardware product lines: the dualo du-touch S is a standalone all-in-one instrument requiring no computer, featuring built-in sounds, a looper, and interactive du-games for learning; the Exquis is an MPE-compatible expressive MIDI controller with hexagonal isomorphic keys optimized for Ableton Live and Bitwig Studio. Both products share an isomorphic keyboard layout with geometric chord and scale patterns. Software support includes du-station (for du-touch management) and the Exquis application (for composition and controller configuration). The company also offers plugin bundles, sound banks, educational du-games, and hardware accessories (du-belt, du-stand, du-bag).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Exquis: An intuitive and expressive MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression) controller keyboard designed to control synthesizers and software, optimized for Ableton Live and Bitwig Studio.
• dualo

Products and services

• Exquis MPE Controller Keyboard Exquis is Intuitive Instruments' flagship MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression) controller keyboard featuring 61 velocity-sensitive hexagonal keys arranged in a patented isomorphic layout. It provides per-note pitch bend, aftertouch, and CC74 control, USB MIDI / DIN MIDI / CV GATE-PITCH-MOD outputs, and is optimized for Ableton Live (Remote Script) and Bitwig Studio (native extension). It is sold to musicians and producers via dualo.com and reseller partners.
• dualo du-touch S All-in-One Instrument The dualo du-touch S is an all-in-one standalone musical instrument with Intuitive Instruments' isomorphic hexagonal keyboard layout, requiring no computer to compose or learn. It includes a built-in sound library, looper with quantization, backlit touch-responsive keys with tri-color feedback, and access to du-games interactive learning tutorials. It targets individual musicians, hobbyists, and music education settings.
• du-station Desktop Software

Quantifiable outcome

• Chords and scales appear as simple geometric patterns that can be easily reproduced and transposed across the entire keyboard

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

AI capability2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• MIDI AssociationflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Exquis won the MIDI Innovation Award 2023 in the commercial hardware products category, demonstrating recognition by the MIDI industry standard body. The partnership involves participation in the MIDI Innovation Awards program.
• AbletoncoreTechnology or IntegrationExquis is optimized for Ableton Live with a dedicated Remote Script. Interview with Jonas (Primo Taut) demonstrating the integration. The keyboard integrates deeply with Ableton for seamless music production workflow.
• BitwigcoreTechnology or IntegrationExquis has a dedicated extension for Bitwig Studio, transforming it into an optimized control surface. Video demonstrations available showing the integration capabilities.
• Decent SamplesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor158 MPE sound bank for Exquis available for purchase through Decent Samples website, using Decent Sampler format.
• Édu-up ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with French schools and music teachers for educational use of dualo instruments. Development and experimentation of digital music practice solutions based on virtual keyboards with partition tracking and dedicated pedagogical content.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dualoinstrument
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/intuitiveinstru
• Facebookfacebook.com/dualoinstrument
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dualoinstrument
• Instagraminstagram.com/intuitiveinstru

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Intuitive Instruments