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Review: PWM Mantis // Here's what makes it special // Pros, cons and tutorial

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Get access to Mantis multi-sampled instruments and my exclusive In-Complete Book of Electronic Music Ideas, Tips and Tricks, on my Patreon:
► / loopop
Check prices here (affiliate links don't cost you more but help the channel):
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TIMELINE:
0:00 Intro
1:30 Overview
3:40 Build
5:00 Malevolent
5:35 I/O
6:00 Osc shapes
8:40 Oscillator 2
9:55 Sub & drift
10:50 Mixer
12:00 Shift’n’mix
12:30 12db filters
14:05 Width
14:50 Stereo
15:35 Duophony
16:30 24db modes
17:00 Drive
19:00 Band, Notch
20:45 Pings
21:30 Effects
23:30 Mod routes
25:35 LFOs
27:30 Envelopes
28:45 Quad mode
31:50 Arp
33:05 Misc
34:05 Pros, cons
38:15 Sounds!
Submit review and video ideas here (sorry I don’t offer 1x1 sessions/setup/purchasing advice):
► Ziv (at) loopopmusic.com
NOTE: Occasionally I’ll try out affiliate marketing and include affiliate links. This means that I may earn a commission when you click on or make purchases via affiliate links to stores like Amazon, Sweetwater, Thomann and others. The content of this clip is entirely my opinion, and was not paid for or dictated in any way by the company creating the gear. Without addressing the particulars of products shown here as they might be under NDA, gear shown on this channel may be either sent by the manufacturer, on loan for review or bought at a discount.

Опубликовано:

15 авг 2024

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Комментарии : 166

@joelou Месяц назад

it's kind of amazing how as an independent RU-vidr, looppop has basically become the gold standard in reviews.

@mifflinfinity Месяц назад

That synth is one ‘sexy boy’! 😊

@888visuals Месяц назад

How do you not have a million subs? There has to be at least that many synth fans out there? Jeez. ☝

@joelsilva6689 Месяц назад

I've always thought the same thing. Maybe there's less of us than we think. 🤷‍♂️

@phyxirian Месяц назад

I bet he made many more people synth people too :)

@lowstaar Месяц назад

r/synthesizers have 381K Members, so 1 million subs would be pretty much impossible

@neuronist Месяц назад

RU-vid wouldn’t be the same without loopop

@ToyKeeper Месяц назад

There just aren't that many people who are interested in synthesis at a technical level, and enjoy spending their time basically reading synth manuals in video form.

@Finn.Diesel Месяц назад

Mantis is the synth of the year. Awesome VCF. I was checking my mailbox every day since its release for a loopop Video. 😀

@chapoteaukatz Месяц назад

tried this at a trade show and it sounds incredible irl. thought the price was insane until I tried it

@kaitlyn__L Месяц назад

For sure. There’s a lot to be said about finely-tuned analogue filters and a synth full of sweet spots. If I didn’t love playing 4-8 part chords with long tails I’d probably be very tempted by this. I’ve always had a soft spot for the OSCar. As it is though, I have one fairly-pricey analogue-filtered synth and don’t expect to own any more. But if I was still making up my mind this might have complicated the decision!

@chapoteaukatz Месяц назад

@@kaitlyn__L oh yeah, I’m certainly not buying it lol

@jmarvosa6x3 28 дней назад

something original or a Behringer churn&burn? easy choice

@chapoteaukatz 28 дней назад

@@jmarvosa6x3 spend $300 or $1,500? sometimes an easy choice as well

@colinodea2407 12 часов назад

@@jmarvosa6x3not an easy choice at all. Who's all got 1400 quid to spend on this ! Not many I would say

@michasonstwer9176 Месяц назад

in its sound i can already hear a lot of new dark wave / cold wave / post punk songs

@lars1914 Месяц назад

2 voice for a digital synth is quite modest in this day and age.

@untml Месяц назад

It's not digital only, the limited number of voices is because of the analog circuitry. maybe you missed that.

@scottlord5288 Месяц назад

It does what it does very very well. Not every synth needs to be a jack of all trades. I’d rather a tool do its job and inspire music, than have a feature list full of sales pitches :)

@untml Месяц назад

@@scottlord5288 Copy paste this to all features counting complainers!

@yourcitysleeps Месяц назад

The vibe at :40 🔥

@fiddlestickzmuzik Месяц назад

Its the synth I always wanted about ten years too late. I still might get one though. Reckon it will come to life with some nice pedals.

@darwiniandude Месяц назад

Ooh, they sent you a Malevolent too. Keen to see that covered, there's one at a local music store I've played with a bit. Hard to resist.

@dakoiaa Месяц назад

Thank you for another great analysis. Congrats!

@voidcat6876 Месяц назад

honestly not worth the 1.5k in my humble opinion , it was in the 700-900 will def be a buy , but for 1.5 k? you can pick a Hydrasynth Deluxe or an iridium core

@neuroactive3301 Месяц назад

Excellent review once again!

@Hrotti Месяц назад

Its so characterful

@christoroppolo8742 Месяц назад

I filled the user bank immediately it’s a beast and very capable. The sync to external clock still needs work for external devices hopefully it will be done soon. 👽

@By_Rant_Or_Ruin Месяц назад

In my experience the more wiggle in a knob, the cheaper it is built and the shorter the life span. Good video. Thanks again.

@untml Месяц назад

nice work sherlock

@avisintes4799 Месяц назад

TRU

@user-df6lp8zw4g 16 дней назад

Agreed. The knobs should NOT be wobbling.

@klinkske Час назад

Did you ever touch a microkorg?? See what they sell for 2nd hand

@arkasonus7678 Месяц назад

Maybe they could think about a module version 🙏🏻

@loopop Месяц назад

That would be nice!

@touarec Месяц назад

Great review, very informative thanks! Would you consider doing a review of the Dirtywave M8 tracker?

@loopop Месяц назад

Thanks! I have and would consider it (and any suggestion!) - depends what else is going on...

@franknicholls4698 Месяц назад

yes +1 for m8, pretty please

@vasil3089 Месяц назад

That chirpy sound at the end was painful even at low volume.. Thanks for another great review.

@loopop Месяц назад

Thanks but which one specifically? what time in the video?

@bricelory9534 Месяц назад

@@loopop not the OP but for me, listening through a phone, the patch at 47:51 was piercing. I'm guessing that's the one they meant.

@NOLNV1 Месяц назад

The sound at 41:54 is god damn magical

@ZAYAZOfficial Месяц назад

Before I read the manual, I watch Loopop.

@loopop Месяц назад

Thanks! But this doesn't even have a manual, I'm all ya got!

@ZAYAZOfficial Месяц назад

@@loopop exactly bro! You are better than any manual out there either way. 🤘🙂

@ZAYAZOfficial Месяц назад

@@loopopI should have originally posted, “before I read any synth manual, I watch loopop first”. I’ve learned lots of great stuff from your videos on gear that I’ve purchased. Thank you for your channel dude 🤘🙂

@RayyMusik Месяц назад

It definitely *should* have a manual at this price point!

@ZAYAZOfficial Месяц назад

@@RayyMusik agreed! Loopop saves the day.

@VincentPresley Месяц назад

This is the closest sound to an OSCar you can get. Unfortunately the look and build are just not grabbing me. Especially since I have had an OSCar twice and think it’s one of the best and most unique looking synths ever. It’s not worth 5-6k for an OSCar but the Mantis just isn’t grabbing me. It’s nice to hear those driven dual filters again.

@TwinCitiesOxygen Месяц назад

Is there any indicator light like on on the bs2 to see where the presets knob setting originally was when adjusting a knob around?

@untml Месяц назад

don't seem like it but a "pickup mode" may help.

@Dead_Welsh Месяц назад

Another great video, will you be making one on the Malevolent?

@loopop Месяц назад

Thanks! Probably not, a lot of people covered it and it's quite simple and easy to understand so I don't feel like I have much to add that's not already been said

@dankeplace Месяц назад

It's a great synth, not something I would use but I get why it will sell well.

@teamphil Месяц назад

I think it sounds great and the price seems very fair to me.

@devondetroit2529 Месяц назад

That latency with the knobs seems really bad

@MiltonGrimshaw Месяц назад

I love it, but £1350 is a silly pricetag for a 3 octave synth

@voidcat6876 Месяц назад

for that price you can literaly pick up a hydrasynth deluxe

@ksqmusic Месяц назад

There’s no other synth anywhere near that price point that gives you 8 filter types.

@voidcat6876 Месяц назад

@@ksqmusic *cof cof * digitakt 2 *cof cof*

@ksqmusic Месяц назад

@@voidcat6876 pretty sure the Digitakt filters aren’t analog.

@untml Месяц назад

@@ksqmusic digitak is not a synth

@InFamousProductions Месяц назад

It does have its own sound, and if I had extra cash, it would be fun to have. It does have a quasi old schools sound, but more bite for sure. That random feature pushes into an almost must have category.

@untml Месяц назад

Why almost? every digitally controlled synth should have random, and undo :)

@SonicVibe Месяц назад

Sounds great 👍

@Expectaz Месяц назад

Yes!

@klinkske Месяц назад

This video made me buy a malevolent 😂

@krakulandia Месяц назад

Might be one of the best sounding analogs ever made IMHO.

@moonshine7374 Месяц назад

I agree, those digital oscillators are beasts!

@danwentz Месяц назад

Interesting times we live in, I’ve lost count of new synths!

@charmingpianovideos6185 Месяц назад

Another great video! Fortunate l didnt get any GAS for this one haha. I'd like to ask if you'd ever review the new Solar 42 from ELTA, I watched your review on the Solar 50, and woukd love to hear whar you think of the updated version. Thanks!

@loopop Месяц назад

Thanks! No plans for now but I think it’s an excellent improvement

@blkrbbt Месяц назад

Im critical of PWM, because I love the Malevolent, but they dont supply a manual to describe exactly what the knob per function can do. And the design of the knob layout is a bit convoluted.

@EVILJAMARR Месяц назад

I thought PWM stood for pulse width modulation, which is a favorite of mine 😅

@blipblip88 Месяц назад

Neat! Thanks.

@synthsamuraiproductions Месяц назад

I want all the SYNTHS!!!! Moar!!!

@TwinCitiesOxygen 8 дней назад

How was the latency on the knob adjustments?

@loopop 8 дней назад

I demo this in the video - you can judge for yourself whether it's acceptable or not

@entropybentwhistle Месяц назад

Didn’t the rep at Superbooth say the paraphony was kicked up to 4 voice polyphany after they did some tinkering?

@loopop Месяц назад

yes, I explain that in the video

@colinodea2407 12 часов назад

See when he gets sent the Synths etc is it on loan or can he keep them. If so I wanna see what his synth room looks like 😂

@loopop 9 часов назад

I keep them most of the time, and yes it's pretty insane

@colinodea2407 8 часов назад

@@loopop amazing perks of the job man. Thanks for the reply

@TwinCitiesOxygen Месяц назад

43:12 reminds me of See you by DM

@garyphillips725 Месяц назад

Strange. You click on the user's guide PDF link on the website and it downloads the Malevolent PDF. I'd like to know how much external MIDI CC control there is. Cheers!

@loopop Месяц назад

quite a lot, I got a draft - I didn't go over it one by one but it seems like every parameter that's saved with presets

@AngMoKio8 Месяц назад

A nice synth. But I really like it if a synth has a good onboard reverb. This one really doesn't convince me ...🙁

@infindebula Месяц назад

Hi @Loopop Will you be reviewing the Malevolent as well?

@loopop Месяц назад

@@infindebula no sorry I have too much coming up

@tombasports Месяц назад

So torn great form factor sounds that can replace a Moog sub37 but it’s missing the sequencer and led

@InFamousProductions Месяц назад

But adding an external sequencer is so easy, I think it’s ok to not have it

@ubustudio Месяц назад

I might have missed it but there didn’t seem to be a sustain/hold function. What’s up with that? Thanks for another great review!

@zdravkodimitrov Месяц назад

There's a sustain pedal input

@loopop Месяц назад

there's a hold function in the joystick and a sustain pedal input

@earlsfield Месяц назад

Nothing special IMO. However it has great name of the late Chris Huggett attached to it. I kinda prefer Malevolent. Both of these synths somehow feel unfinished, maybe I am not digging them.

@eddievanheinous666 Месяц назад

loopop was being pretty generous with the effects praise - I think they sound mid at best. Should be better for digital. And this synth is just begging for some true distortion.

@untml Месяц назад

I will probably not buy it but it's one of the more special subtractive synths out there with many functions and sound abilities that don't exist on any other synth. It's clear the designers really tried hard to make something different here. I could give you examples but I guess you are just not into it so it will probably not be a logical discussion.

@earlsfield Месяц назад

@@untml I would be happy for you to tell me what makes this synth special, especially with this price tag. If the filters are the selling point, I would look at Matriarch any day, especially due to the semi modular built (I love my Matriarch so much). If it is oscillators, I honestly can think of range of synths from MicroFreak/MiniFreak over Hydra, Argon, to Super 6/8/ Gemini or 3rd Wave that mix digital oscillators with analogue circuitry (Ok, hydra is full on digital). Even Minilogue xd can do most of the stuff seen here (oscillator section). Not to mention Matriarch if its about dual peak filters. I have modular filter very similar to this, it is nice, but aside of that , I really don't see what exactly is so special about this one. Happy to hear the explanation tho.

@sub-jec-tiv Месяц назад

Yeah the Matriarch is a super classic and totally incredible (opinion). I’d have a hard time pulling the trigger on Mantis when Matriarch exists. Obviously sounds totally different due to the oscillators and filter. But i already own a couple of digital osc synths so i guess it’s not for me. This would be a great synth for someone who doesn’t own any odd digital oscillator synths.

@earlsfield Месяц назад

@@sub-jec-tiv With this price tag, there are probably 10 other poly synths I would go first. Only 4 voices and somewhat "para" approach than real polyphony. It costs almost as REV2 - c mon.

@nalaeel219 Месяц назад

Can it BoC tho?

@loopop Месяц назад

I believe so

@TwinCitiesOxygen Месяц назад

BoC?

@danielpirone8028 Месяц назад

Boards of Canada

@TwinCitiesOxygen Месяц назад

@@danielpirone8028 I’m like “blue oyster cult” Me: Mantis, we need more cowbell

@entropybentwhistle Месяц назад

@@danielpirone8028Bored of BoC. I want to know if it can BÖC!

@JamesIsCommenting Месяц назад

Its called the Mantis because your wife will kill you if you bring home another synth

@lucid484 Месяц назад

my saying is, if your wife every gets mad at you for buying something. She isn't the right wife... 😂😂😂😂

@DoctorColossus777 Месяц назад

Well said, sir

@PLA.net-DANTE Месяц назад

😂😭Too good

@GreenHoleSun Месяц назад

To be precise: she will eat you with your new synth.

@tombasports Месяц назад

@@lucid484truer words have never been spoken of a marriage

@lachopakapura Месяц назад

Great review as always... But I don't know... I don't hear any sounds that my trusty rev2 can't do.

@loopop Месяц назад

Thanks! The rev2 is awesome, with more polyphony and very interesting sequencer, but can't make the wavetable/organ sounds nor the dual filter and distorted sounds this can, and the reverb is quite different

@untml Месяц назад

I hear mostly sounds my rev2 can't do :)

@AliAusAachen Месяц назад

1600 Euros is just overpriced but it sounds sick

@maxpowers3494 Месяц назад

Sounds straight out of a AIR album.

@RPLKTR Месяц назад

Intriguing synth but Minilogue Xd is right there costing 3X less for twice the voices.

@loopop Месяц назад

It's cheaper for sure and gives Mantis a good fight, I just want to correct your observation about voices. Except for the filters, both have 4 voices. I'm not saying Mantis is better, but the two filters in Mantis are very different and can make sounds XD can't. However, the filter on XD is per voice as opposed to global on Mantis , and XD has user oscillators and effects, so it's certainly no slouch

@d3tuned378 Месяц назад

1300+ for a 4 voice digital synth seems excessive, despite how great it clearly is

@loopop Месяц назад

I’m not arguing whether it’s worth it or not but the filters and drive are analog

@_fig.8 Месяц назад

32:30!!!

@TwinCitiesOxygen Месяц назад

Aside from not being Polyphonic I feel like my Behringer wasp could cover a lot of this territory, I’d just have to sample it.

@untml Месяц назад

Does your guitar cover the territory of your violin?

@vertigev Месяц назад

Oh, it's way more expensive than i assumed 😢

@luisbarrera5740 Месяц назад

I don't like the sounds. Based on the performance, it seems like an incomplete synthesizer. I do like the oscillator drift and its twin filter gimmick. But ultimately, I don't find it compelling enough to consider. Shame. I wanted to like it. TEO5 it is then.

@ildarkinildarkin Месяц назад

Obvious question from Nick Batt: Does PWM Mantis have PWM?

@loopop Месяц назад

Yes of course shown in the video

@georgespencer3973 Месяц назад

I’m assuming loopop takes his watch off when doing these reviews to avoid the inevitable gang of hoodlems that will bash him for his choice of watch.

@loopop Месяц назад

ha yeah I gotta tan that part. Actually, I still wear an Apple Watch like I did in many of my first videos which no one gave me a hard time for, but the reflections annoyed me. Off to tan!

@frankschneider7190 Месяц назад

great review! thanks. But the concept of the synth is a bit weired.

@loopop Месяц назад

Thanks! I agree with you, it's kind of doing its own thing away from the crowd

@juniorvicepresidentofzimba4946 Месяц назад

I know this is a 'good' synth cerebrally, but physically I totally hate how it makes me feel when I hear it. Just goes to show you personal tastes are pretty weirdly different.

@GrootsieTheDog 24 дня назад

"If I had to find one flaw" OMG lol. To say a synth has good build quality but just an inconvenient flaw, wobbly knobs, is like saying you have a great sports car but the steering wheel is wobbly...and the controls on the dash...and the hadles on the door...and...sorry, no. Sturdy well made quality knobs are where a synths buikd quality starts and finishes. But even if you don't agree with that, at the very least its not just a minor issue only worthy of a - If I HAD to say something negative...if you had to pull my arm, well then... Ugh. That all being said, I thnk this synth, build quality not withstanding, is a super cool synth.

@loopop 24 дня назад

If I thought it was a huge deal I'd say it as such. If I thought it was nothing, I wouldn't mention it. It's not as bad as a wobbly steering wheel but not as good as a rock solid knob.

@d0nn13m0n0 Месяц назад

Filter sounds so steppy

@johanfwahlberg Месяц назад

Well hello!

@vitaobassbr Месяц назад

I still dont see why the hype in this synth

@loopop Месяц назад

I actually don’t think there is hype - it was announced over a year ago and it’s now available, seemed interesting so I’m checking it out

@vitaobassbr Месяц назад

@@loopop Yeah, I now what you mean. But before your video, I've only seen demonstrations that don't show anything other than distortion patches that I can make on my BS2 and sounds that I don't see myself using. Your video showed much more, as always. But it's not a synth for me. About the hype: I noticed on the channels that I follow that there was a hype around it. But maybe it was just an effect of my YT echo chamber.