ESK - MPC, e7, Manatee, VintageKeys + Gemini

video upload by Metunar

"Synthpop Jam with an Akai MPC X, GS Music e7, Fred's Lab Manatee, EMU Vintage Keys Plus and a GSI Gemini Rack. The Nord Modular i use only as Keyboard.
Direct recording with mastering."

http://www.metunar.ch

3 Minutes with Fred’s Lab Manatee (No Talking) // A Sonic Monster

video upload by SYNTH SAMURAI

"Amazing Boutique Synthesizer from Fred’s Lab and absolute legend."

https://fredslab.net/en/manatee-module.php

töörö #arturia #fredslab #synth #keystep #tooro

video uploads by Melting Regular

https://fredslab.net/

Fred's Lab Manatee TouchOSC Bidirectional Editor v4.0

via synth_nyc

NB: This Bank B has entirely been created using the editor.

This is my favorite patch in that bank. It illustrates what the Manatee can do like a warm FM full body pad (that you can do on a DX synth) but with an aggressive attack and subtle spectral decay and movement that only the Manatee can do AFAIK.

Thanks to Fred’s Lab for providing me with the MIDI NRPN (and CC) specifications.

GENERIC FEATURES:
- Display parameter Name and Value
- Double click a slider or button to reset it to a default value
- MIDI data rate efficient: only sends a MIDI message if the parameter value is incremented or decremented by 1

SPECIFIC FEATURES (FW v1.06d):
- 1 Editor Page for the Part Main parameters
- 1 Editor Page for the Part Auxiliary parameters
- 1 Editor Page for the Multi parameters
- 1 Editor Page for the System parameters
- All 162 Part + 27 Multi + 48 System parameters implemented in the editor using NRPN. Part parameters are bidirectional using NRPN and SYSEX.
- MIDI Channel selection slider
- Bank (change) + Program (change) selection slider + buttons
- Buffer Init button using SYSEX

WORKFLOW 1 EDITING FROM PATCH (starting at 00:05 in the video above):
- Select a Bank & Program
- Go to the synth, press and hold the 1 button (the synth must be in Part mode)
- Start editing (the loaded patch) on the editor (the Patch is edited in the synth buffer)
- Go to the synth, press and hold the 1 button to record it in your DAW / SYSEX librarian; or save it manually in the synth

WORKFLOW 2 EDITING FROM SCRATCH (starting at 01:18 in the video above):
- Press Buffer Init to send an Init Patch to the synth
- Start editing (the init patch) on the editor (the Patch is edited in the synth buffer)
- Go to the synth, press and hold the 1 button to record it in your DAW / SYSEX librarian; or save it manually in the synth

CLICK FOR MORE »

ESK - Manatee Delay Jam

video upload by Metunar

"Jam with the Fred's Lab Manatee Synthesizer. The Nord Modular i use only as Keyboard.
I play mostly with the Manatee Delay Time of 4 Sounds.
Direct recording with soft mastering."

http://www.metunar.ch

This Synth Is More Powerful Than It Looks | FRED’S LAB MANATEE

video upload by Ollie Music

"Fred’s Lab really went off the rails with the Manatee. At first glance, it looks like a weird little box but under the hood? This thing is a psychedelic sound design machine.

In this video, I dive into what makes the Manatee so unique and why it completely blew my mind during sound design sessions. 👽✨"

Timetable :
00:00 Intro
00:39 Unipolar Mods
01:56 Hidden Envelopes
04:41 Hidden LFOs
05:08 FM anything
08:23 RingMod Forest Pads
13:05 Melt in time FX
16:36 The hidden Phaser
20:11 Fake a formant filter

Fred's Lab Manatee 4-Part Spectral Synthesizer

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this listing

Additional Perfect Circuit listings

You can find demos of the Manatee in additional posts here.

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Being wrong about sound design... and sea mammals | FRED'S LAB MANATEE

video upload by Ollie Music

"Fred’s Lab Manatee Synthesizer – Full Tutorial & Sound Design Walkthrough.
Hello internet 👋 In this video, I’m diving into the Manatee by Fred’s Lab. A 4-part digital synthesizer that sounds wild and completely influenced my approach to sound design."

Fred's Lab Töörö Hybrid Polysynth Desktop Synthesizer SN 00065 w/ Extras

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this eBay listing

Pics of the case, instruction sheet, and sticker below.

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Live Electro Set @ SynthFest France 2025 – Manatee Synth in Action

video upload by Fred's Lab

"Here is my 25-minute live set recorded at SynthFest France 2025 in Nantes, performed entirely with Fred's Lab Manatee synthesizer + a PC laptop as MIDI sequencer and to throw the drums & voice samples in.

Direct sound from the Manatee, with a little compression added but no more.

This short set dives into electro, techno, psychedelic vibes, a bit of drum & bass, and many things in between. All synthetic sounds, effects, and mixing were handled live on the Manatee. Just one synth, four multitimbral parts, built-in FX, deep MIDI sequencing options = a ton of potential!

This performance was about pushing the Manatee to its limits and showing how far a single synth can go when it’s designed for performance, experimentation, and musical fun.

Massive thanks to the SynthFest France team for making this event happen and much love to the stage and video crew for capturing the moment and making everything run smooth.

Looking forward to see you all next year!

Fred."

https://fredslab.net/

Dystopian Ambient Wavetable Synth Jam via the Midicake Arp and Fred's Lab Töörö

f
video upload by Bay Mud

"I managed to get my hands on a second-hand Töörö, which seems to pair very well with the Midicake Arp. 4 synth parts for 4 arpeggiators! Midicake also recently released V8 of the Arp firmware, so there are some fun new tricks to show off

Disclaimer: while Midicake did send me the Arp, they didn't ask me to do this video. I'm just doing this for fun, as these two work well together"

Fred's Lab Manatee Custom Patches by synth_nyc

via synth_nyc:

I’m pleased to inform you that Fred’s Lab released my 128 Manatee Custom Patches [Bank 1] + [Bank 2] today; they are available for purchase on Fred’s Lab new web-store: https://fredslab.net/shop/shop-front.php

You can listen to them in high resolution (24bit 96kHz PCM WAV masters, FLAC encoded) on my site (optimized for Chrome on MacOS and Windows): https://synthnyc.com/index.php/freds-lab/

Here is a short description of the sound banks by Fred’s Lab:

[Bank 1]
Crafted by synth_nyc, this bank features 64x meticulously hand-designed presets in sysex format. Taking full advantage of the advanced spectral oscillator and unique synthesis options, it is perfectly designed for atmospheres, pads and keys sounds. This bank also provides a solid set of basses, plucks, bells ... but also arpeggiated sounds with a retro / nostalgic vibe. Provided sounds have an emphasis on expressiveness, they all make great use of velocity & aftertouch controls.

[Bank 2]
As an extension of [Bank 1], [Bank 2] shifts towards classic hybrid and early digital synth sounds, featuring timbres reminiscent of wavetable and FM-based synthesizers. Still, a wide variety of presets are offered, this bank complements [Bank 1] perfectly.

Fred's Lab Manatee Synthee - Monolog und Rundlauf - FormantFreak!

video upload by SequencerTalk

https://fredslab.net/

"Moogulator erklärt den Fred's Lab Manatee und zeigt Sound und Bedienung und am Ende ein paar weitere Sounds. Spontanaufnahme, da reguläre Sendung ausgefallen ist."

"Moogulator explains the Fred's Lab Manatee and shows the sound and operation and at the end a few more sounds. Spontaneous recording, as the regular broadcast was cancelled."

Fred Lab’s Buzzzy! Demo

video upload by Panu M Savolainen

"Multitracked demo of Fred Lab's Buzzzy!. External reverb (Eventide Space) and delay (Waves) used for some sounds but it has also internal reverb."

https://fredslab.net/

Fred's Lab MANATEE -new SPECTRAL SYNTH (ONLY SOUNDS demo)

video upload by FutureMusic.es

"The world of synthesis gets a boost with the innovative Fred's Lab Manatee: A four-part multitimbral synthesizer with the power to transform sonic creativity"

https://fredslab.net/

"With its unique combination of synthesis algorithms and intuitive control panel, Fred's Lab Manatee is an agile and amazing tool for any producer or composer.

With its heralded spectral synthesis and multi-timbral/multi-part capability, this beautiful machine generates 16 voices (depending on the loaded preset ) and four parts , meaning great flexibility in terms of sound design power.

Manatee features a generator that combines the best of additive and wavetable synthesis architectures , inviting synthesists to agile exploration through innovative sonic textures (watch our video, above).

Initially a Kickstarter project (2023), the creative and experimental Fred's Lab Manatee is now available from retailers in limited quantities.

Advanced technology for exceptional sound
A wide range of modulation and synthesis tools make Fred's Lab Manatee a perfect instrument for any MPE (MIDI Expressive) controller . With a well-documented MIDI implementation, users will easily integrate it into their ecosystems, whether with hardware or DAW software . This total adaptability makes Manatee an invaluable resource for any experimental production environment.

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FRED'S LAB MANATEE : mais d'où viennent ces sons ?

video upload by Les Sondiers

https://fredslab.net/

00:00 Intro
00:55 Tour d'horizon
03:44 Démo audio
05:03 Synthèse spectrale
07:30 Sub
08:10 Noise generator
08:57 Démo audio
10:42 Ring modulator
10:53 Saturator
11:24 Filtres
12:04 Bitcrusher
12:29 Enveloppe de filtre EGF
12:36 Reverb
13:01 Meta enveloppes
15:14 Sub et FM
15:33 LFOs
19:56 Matrice de modulation
20:46 Play Modes
21:27 Multitimbralité
23:02 Presets et Multis
25:40 Panel
25:55 Démo audio
29:25 Sponsor
30:15 MPE
30:25 Démo audio MPE
31:43 Conclusion
35:20 Drone Time !

Fred’s Lab Manatee Module Digital Spectral Synthesizer w/ Original Box

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this listing

Additional Retro Gear Shop Listings

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The Manatee Synthesizer | Real time sound design and making a full track

video upload by Espen Kraft

"The Manatee Spectral Synthesizer from Fred's Lab.
Check it out here: https://fredslab.net/en/manatee-modul...

It reminds me a lot of the Kawai K3 with some Microwave blended in. Capable of doing anything from mellow soundscapes to screaming Trance music. Very versatile and fun to play around with.

You can find the demo "Sans Semi" track on my Bandcamp here:
https://espenkraft.bandcamp.com/track..."

Fred's Lab Manatee Custom Patches [Bank 2] by synth_nyc

You can find hi-res demos at SYNTH_NYC

Details:

"This bank 2 has been created using a TouchOSC mk2 editor I developed (with LUA Scripts) for Manatee firmware v1.03 thanks to Fred’s provided specifications for the parameters control. It’s using NRPN for Editor -> Synth and SYSEX for Synth -> Editor. I had to reverse engineer the 211 bytes SYSEX dump for 1 Part for this effort. In v1.03, there are 233 parameters total, including 162 for Part."

This is my favorite patch in that bank [TouchOSC editor pics below]. It illustrates what the Manatee can do like a warm FM full body pad (that you can do on a DX synth) but with an aggressive attack and subtle spectral decay and movement that only the Manatee can do AFAIK.

Lastly I’ve tried to highlight new things in that bank 2 (which I haven’t used in bank 1), most patches use them:
- The Spectrum Editor
- The 1-shot LFOs (firmware v1.03): NDLR this is my favorite feature on the Modal 002 / 002R

Most patches have Velocity and PB configured / used in the demo to showcase the Manatee expressivity; and external FX have been used.

Only Manatee Part 1 is used."

CLICK FOR MORE »

Fred's Lab Manatee Custom Patches [Bank 1] by synth_nyc

You can find high res demos on synth_nyc's website here.

Manatee is 4-part 10/16-voice fast workflow desktop synthesizer with spectrum modulation and many digital algorithms by Fred's Lab, currently available for pre-order on Kickstarter and the Fred's Lab website.