PWM Mantis

PWM Mantis is a duophonic, hybrid-analog synthesizer with 37 full-size velocity-sensitive keys, aftertouch functionality, 200 patches, 2 oscillators with 5 waveforms/wavetable, 2 x ADSR Envelope, VCA, 2 x LFO, Ring and Noise modules, arpeggiator within 6 octaves, MIDI In/Out/Thru, USB-C connection, 1/4” stereo line out, headphone output, sustain pedal jack.

Mantis was developed in collaboration with Chris Huggett (Gnat, WASP, OSCar) and Paul Whittington (PWM). The device generates sound using two digital oscillators that operate on a DSP chip to generate sine, triangle, sawtooth, square and other waveforms. The VCA filter is designed with two separate filters - one for each part of the analog signal. They can operate in series or parallel. Mantis also has digital effects: reverb and chorus with adjustable time and level parameters, high-pass and low-pass filters.

The synthesizer is equipped with two ADSR oscillators, each with a hold-decay parameter, as well as negative and positive velocity modulation for extra convenience. Each ADSR can be set to repeat, allowing it to act as a pseudo-LFO and change frequencies in real time.

The instrument's memory provides 200 patches so you can start playing cool sounds right away, even if you're not familiar with sound synthesis. They are divided into banks A and B. 100 factory-programmed patches were created by many great artists and sound designers. The remaining 100 patches are designed to store your unique sounds. All patches in memory can be overwritten. The compare function allows you to find the best sound.

The set includes the synthesizer, a 9V, 600 mA power adapter, a USB-C cable and a Getting Started Guide.

PWM Mantis Features

• Dual DSP chip oscillators with four waveform types
• All patches in RAM so can be overwritten
• 2 LFOs with 4 waveform options
• Twin ADRS envelopes with velocity and “Sustain Fall” parameters
• Twice amplified, all-analog gain staging through SSI2164 VCAs
• Arpeggiator with varying arpeggiation types
• Multifunction joystick controller
• Mixer module with noise and ring modulation
• Made in collaboration with Chris Huggett and PWM’s Paul Whittington

PWM Mantis Specifications

• Duophonic synth with 2 analogue signal paths
• Duophonic mode control. Duo mode with simple filter, Pan control
• Keyboard: 37 Full-size semi-weighted velocity-sensitive keys, Channel aftertouch, Octave shift
• Digital Effects: Reverb time, Reverb level, Reverb High Pass Filter, Reverb Low Pass Filter, Chorus level, Chorus type
• 200 Patches: (Bank A: 100 Factory presets, Bank B: 100 User presets (all set to initial patch), Compare function, Initialise patch function
• Oscillators plus sub-oscillator per voice: Sine / Triangle / Saw / Pulse plus additional wave types, Shape control and shape modulation input, Pitch modulation control, Octave selects per oscillator, OSC 1 SUB follows oscillator 1 parameters
• Oscillator Drift
• 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
• Filters: Cutoff, Cutoff Modulation, Resonance, Width, Width Modulation, 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)
• 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: 2 LEDs/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, USB-C, 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
• 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
• Weights and Dimensions (unboxed): 620 x 320 x 110 mm, 5.3 kg.