Manatee is the fourth synthesizer from Bonn-based synthesizer manufacturer Fred's Lab. The purely digital synth can be played multitimbrally on four parts, meaning that up to four different sounds can be elicited from the instrument within the 16-voice polyphony. It is easy to use after a short time, and the robust workmanship is immediately noticeable. The high level of quality continues right through to the audio outputs, where high-quality 24-bit Burr
The digital sound generation for a single voice starts with the oscillator block, which is called the Spectral Generator in the Manatee. This generates a melodious synthesis mix of virtual analog, waveform and 2-operator FM. With a manageable number of parameters, a spectrum rich in overtones is created that can be manipulated in many ways and, above all, modulated. The Spectral Generator is complemented by the Sub-Oscillator, which is capable of much more than just sounding an octave lower thanks to various waveforms including Super Saw and Super Pulse. If you want, you can even import your own short waveforms to make the sound generation even more versatile. The noise generator in the Manatee can be adjusted in the sound spectrum with a lowpass/highpass filter and allows the sample rate to be reduced until only crackling, hissing and glitches can be heard. This is perfect for atonal sounds, percussive and effect-like sounds. The final part is the ring modulator, which is fed by the two oscillators and delivers inharmonic and metallic sounds in the usual manner.
The algorithm of the resonant
The last component of a sound is the overdrive section. This is where the elaborately generated sound comes to the fore. The analog-sounding distortion models range from light saturation and tube overdrive to aggressive variants such as clipping and bitcrush. Both soft pad sounds and hard acid basses benefit from the possibilities of the overdrive section.
Finally, all four parts end up in the mixer section; here a delay effect with mono, ping-pong or stereo mode including BPM sync, an equalizer with cut, boost or shelf modes and the very good sounding insert reverb are just waiting to add the finishing touches to the sounds.
The Meta envelopes share their attack, sustain and release parameters, while each decay stage is independent. The envelope stages can be switched on and off, allowing for a variety of shapes, from a full ADSR to a simple gate. The parameters
With the freely assignable custom LFOs, of which there are two per voice and one per part, Fred's lab has created something special: with an impressive 16 waveforms that can run freely or be synchronized to
To complete the modulation happiness, a modulation matrix with three slots is implemented, in which modulation sources such as eg. Velocity, modulation wheel or