PWM Mantis Hybrid Analogue Synthesizer: DCOs with analogue anger

26 Jan by Robin Vincent |

3,9 / 5,0 | Approximate reading time: 3 Minutes

PWM Mantis · Source: PWM

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Mantis is a duophonic hybrid synthesizer with two driftable digital oscillators, dual filters and an analogue signal path designed by the late Chris Huggett.

NAMM 2024 Update

Although it was promised before the end of last summer the Mantis is only just ready for NAMM. PWM had their first show-ready machines on demo and we can now get a proper look and a proper hear of what it’s all about.

New additions to the specs we saw at Superbooth include a Shape control for the Sine wave, which adds positive harmonics clockwise and negative harmonics the other way. There’s also an organ tone that has a similar ability. It’s got 100 presets accessed via the two rows of buttons and a new Quad Paraphonic mode where each oscillator throws out two notes giving some dual paraphonic polyphony… twice. But otherwise it’s all about the dual Oscar filters, digitally controlled oscillator and analogue signal path.

Anyway, here’s a decent demo with a glimpse at the sounds from NAMM.

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: PWM Mantis

: PWM Mantis

: PWM Mantis

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Available for 1,599.00 € at

Mantis

Original post from 11th May 2023

The Mantis is an interesting hybrid synthesizer combining duophonic voicing with dual oscillators and dual filters. It has a modernised architecture based on the Wasp with an Oscar-style filter. This should be great!

The oscillators are digital, and there are two per voice, along with a sub-oscillator. Each oscillator can handle the usual sine, triangle, saw and square waveforms, but there’s also some shape control and pulse width modulation to find the waves between the waves. Each oscillator can be independently octaved. You’ve also got the rather lovely Oscillator Drift function which generates random pitch variations between oscillators. All of that sounds like a solid basis for a cool little synthesizer.

In the filter section we find two analogue filters. They are multi-mode state variable VCA filters that you can use in series or parallel. They come with lots of modulation possibilities and a good bit of overdrive.

For modulation we have two LFOs with different shapes and two independent ADSR envelopes. There’s a “Sustain Fall” parameter for shaping during key-down and a “Repeat” function that can be used to create looping envelopes. There are six sources and six destinations available via Modulation Routes.

Other features include a reverb-heavy digital effects engine, Arpeggiator, Ring Modulator, multi-function joystick and a full-sized semi-weighted 37-note keyboard with velocity and channel aftertouch.

The layout looks very solid. I like the Patch interface and the ease with which you can setup the modulation. There’s no screen or data encoders which is often a plus in my book.

Chris Huggett

The Mantis was designed in collaboration with the late Chris Huggett. Chris was the engineer and designer who co-founded Electronic Dream Planet (EDP) where he designed the Wasp and Gnat synthesizers and the Spider sequencer. He went on to build the OSCar synthesizer, work at Akai and eventually developed filters and other technology for Novation. Sadly, Chris died of cancer in 2020. Paul Whittington of PWM talks about their collaboration in a video on the website.