Superbooth 2023: PWM - Mantis

video upload by sonicstate

"Paul from PWM gave a us preview of Mantis, which is the last synth designed by Chris Huggett [EDP Wasp creator] before he passed away. The Mantis is described as a Wasp Mark II with an Oscar- inspired dual filter, and two analog signal paths that make it duophonic. The oscillators are numerically calculated on power-up using then move into the analog domain, where everything is digitally controlled.

The Mantis mixer allows users to balance between oscillator one and two, add noise, and ring mod. It has a deep, but simple to use modulation section, two envelopes with a unique sustain fall feature and 100 factory patches and 100 user patches. The instrument also includes a few digital effects at the end of the signal path that help sweeten the sounds and make it more of an all-around performance instrument.

While the instrument is still in development, PWM showcased the circuit boards that are provide a preview of the final sound of the Mantis.

PWM Mantis Available: Late Summer 2023

Price 1,599 Euro. 1,349 GBP"

PWM Mantis // released today

video upload by Starsky Carr

"A brand new synth from PWM - a new company with lots of history. Paul has worked extensively in the industry. Most interesting here are his connections from his time at Novation as the BassStaion 2 product lead. You may know that the inventor of the classic WASP and OSCAR, Chris Huggett, was involved there, and before his unfortunately untimely death he was working with Paul on this new synth. Paul has brought it to life with his families blessing.

A great story, and a great little synth. Still has a couple of pre production hoops to jump through but will be available soon."

Duophonic Hybrid-Analogue Synthesiser

• 200 Patches
* All patches in RAM so can be overwritten
* Bank A: 100 Factory presets
* Bank B: 100 User presets (all set to initial patch)
* Compare function
* Initialise patch function

• Duophonic with 2 analogue signal paths
* Mathematically generated oscillators designed by Chris Huggett
* Analogue signal path designed by Chris Huggett

• 2 Oscillators plus sub-oscillator per voice
* Sine / Triangle / Saw / Pulse plus additional wave types
* Shape control and shape modulation input
- Will create pulse width modulation on the pulse waveform with perfect square
at the centre
* Pitch modulation control
* Octave selects per oscillator
* OSC 1 SUB follows oscillator 1 parameters

• Oscillator Drift
* Creates random pitch variations between oscillators
​
• Multi-mode state variable VCA filters with overdrive
* 2 Analogue filters - 1 per signal path
* Low Pass / Band Pass / High Pass in 12dB and 24dB configurations
* Additional WBAND (series) and WSTOP (parallel) types
* Filter Cutoff
* Filter Cutoff Modulation
* Filter Resonance
* Filter Width
* Filter Width Modulation
* Filter Keytrack

• LFO (Low Frequency Oscillator)
* 2 LFOs
* 4 waveshapes per oscillator
* Fade In / Fade Out parameter
* SYNCable
* Rate control

• Envelopes
* 2 Independent envelopes
* ENV 1 normalised to amplitude
* ADSR
* + Sustain Fall parameter for shaping during key-down
* + Repeat which can be used to create looping envelopes
* Velocity positive and negative control

• Ring modulation

• Mixer
* First mix: OSC1 and OSC2
* Second mix: OSCillators and noise
* Third mix: OSCillators + noise and Ring modulator

• VCA (Voltage Controlled Amplifier)
* All amplification is done in the analogue domain in multi-stage VCAs

• Modulation Routes
* Control - 6 choices of modulation parameters
* Source - 6 choices of effectors from envelopes and LFOs
* Scale - choices of controls used to scale the effect of the modulation

• Glide
* Glide amount
* Auto-glide mode

• Indicator LEDs
* Two LEDs for Voice
* LED for Keyboard activity

• Master tune

• Master volume

• Triggering
* ENV 1 Legato
* ENV 2 Legato
* LFO Keytrig
* LFO Keytrig

• CONNECTIONS
* Master power switch
* DC 9V input
* USBC
* MIDI IN / OUT / THRU
* Sustain pedal input (switch)
* Pedal input (continuous)
* Stereo 1/4” line Outs: L/Mono and R
* Stereo 1/4” headphone out
​
• Multi-function Joystick control
* Left / right for pitch bend
* Performable vibrato
* Latching hold mode

• Arpeggiator
* 6 arpeggiator types
- Up, Down, Up/Down 1, Up/Down 2, Played & Random
* Sync rates control from 2nds to 32nds
* Tap tempo button
* Swing including positive and negative swing
* Auto clock sync
- Detects MIDI or USB-MIDI clock and synchronises the arpeggiator
automatically
* Latch via joystick HOLD
* 6 Octave range

• Dedicated tempo control

• Duophonic mode control
* Duo mode
* Duo mode with simple filter
* Pan control for duophonic voicing

• Digital Effects
* Reverb time
* Reverb level
* Reverb High Pass Filter
* Reverb Low Pass Filter
* Chorus level
* Chorus type

• Keyboard Control
* 37 Full-size semi-weighted velocity-sensitive keys
* Channel aftertouch
* Octave shift

• Weights and Dimensions (product unboxed)
* 620 x 320 x 110 mm
* 5.3 kg
​
Includes:
* Power Supply (9V 600mA)
* USB C lead
* Getting Started Guide

Pricing MSRP:
* US: $1,499
* EUR: €1,599 inc. VAT
* UK: £1,349 inc. VAT