Wow!!!
That thing sounds awesome. You can preorder on their site for $449 (retail will be $699.) they’ve got more videos there too.
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Have seen this too and think, the sounds are very interesting. But I didn’t find any hint, what this thing is “really” doing. There web site is more of a “look how great it is” and “you will love it” thing, rather to explain what “sonic mechanisms” generate the sound and how. There was no manual, at least I didn’t find it. Is it - maybe - something that compares to the SOMA laboratory “Lyra-8” or “Lyra-4” as an experimental sound generation source?
Does anybody know more? Is this a “drone” or “swarm” like synth (Channel seems to have only few controls)? What are the oscillators? How can we modulate those? Are different waveshapes available (it’s a digital synth in the first place)? What about this “tuning” … have we really go to the back of the boards and tweak tuning pots?
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Not much info available wrt your queries available atm, except that it is a 10 note poly synth plus drum synthesis.
Yeah … just this … seems to me that the 10 notes (oscillators) have to be set with trim-poties on the rear of the board and then we are given one central-tune-them-all knob at the front.
There is also nothing mentioned about, what could practically be inserted in this little “breadboard” of the Mental, which I could get my head around. Will there be a couple of chips, processors, or DSP available as an extension kit? The prinicple of integrating new hardware is appealing, though.
I wish the case could fold so that you could carry it around like a book or something.
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I think that’s a brilliant idea. I strikes me as poser modular for poor-ish mofos. If I had a decent job, I’d be inclined to pre-order
Edit: Upon listening to the videos, that thing sounds superb. It’s like, if GYBE or Set Fire To Flames had a synth it would be that one. I’ll submit a few more resumes today.
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There may be things like that, as they have some for their existing Matter Eurorack module.
http://folktek.com/instruments/modular/matter-plug-ins-set-1
I have the Matter. It’s fun to just put in things like a shift-register IC chip into it. Or patch it with other ‘breadrack’ objects like the Olegtron 4060.
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I keep coming back to this thing. That tone just sounds SO cinematic. I’ve got two interviews tomorrow, if they seem promising, I MIGHT have to take a chance on that pre-order special price
I don’t know if this’ll make things better or worse… But you said Cinematic, so here’s Trent Reznor using some other Folktek instruments while working on the Gone Girl soundtrack.
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Oh! I’ve already looked into the other Folktek instruments and have fallen in love. My love for Elektron has so quickly been outdone.
Edit: Ha! They’ve got a maschine! Wasn’t expecting to see that
Their stuff has been so expensive in the past and often looked better than it sounded, but their other Eurorack modules have been pretty good (Matter was responsible for a good chunk of a more experimental album I put out last year) and Mescaline sounds pretty great and is really well priced for Folktek - even at their full price!
I’ve been waffling on this thing. I had been planning all year of getting the Folktek sample library and feeding it to my Octatrack but I’ve never pulled the trigger. I think I’d rather have something like Mescaline as my own sample fodder.
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Looks pretty fine - tempted to preorder but I think I will wait for the user demos.
Folktek is pretty cool for making this accessible
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fricken awesome 
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This eurorack module is very interesting too. Would very well fit to my modular “west-coast” approach 
I wish there were more details about it. It seems like he would be putting up a lot more demos to show functionality and also more information about what is actually happening with the device, show a bunch of things mental can do, etc. - if he wants to get to 500, that would be my suggestion at least.
^fwiw, folktek has rarely been known for that sort of demo. the most comprehensible videos of their instruments in my experience has been of their garden series, which i’ve salivated over for years but never quite found the guts to plunk down cash for. but the gardens appear to have fairly wysiwyg controls. the patchable instruments that would naturally appeal to the modular crowd (and that constitute the majority of their creations) usually have videos that are more exploratory than explanatory.
my sense is that this is because arius has seen himself as more an artist in synth technology than a designer of studio gear, but that’s coming from someone who’s never owned or worked with a folktek creation, so feel free to disregard or correct my ill-formed opinion.
now that he seems drawn to building modules, maybe that will change. the intro video was descriptive, at least. this series looks to be an interesting combination of function and sound, in a package that might draw the attention of someone considering a 0-coast or perhaps a mother 32. but my first thought when i finished the intro video was, man, them’s some mighty small patch points.
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I’ve backed this , it looks and sounds fantastic, and mental is just a brilliant idea - I was amazed (still am) when I first saw the price, its great value for money. ($250 discount for campaign is rare)
I also like the fact, the delivery date is quite short, July… even if he is a bit late, its still not long to wait.
also it keeps getting better… the 250 stretch goal was hit, so now 2 effects included.
and today, the long stretch goal for 4 effects as been reduced to 350 units (from 500)
currently, its sitting at 308 , so 42 to go, with 5 days to go, so looks very achievable.
there are modulation inputs via cv, and also the sequencer I think could be used to modulate, then there is mental bread board…
waveshapes, I think its one oscillator type, which is analog (not digital, this is said in intro video, only the fx are digital) , tuning on back is for the ‘pads’ id assume… I’m not sure you can alter the tuning via the patchbay… as I cant see any inputs.
(generally the hi-res photos show quite well whats available)
this is the exciting bit for me, a CD40106 plus a few resistors, capacitors, and pots (some on mental) will give you 6 LFOs or oscillators (sqr/tri) , add a counter, and you get clock divisions… its all simple stuff but means you can do some really interesting stuff.
I’m hoping to get a couple of spare breadboards, so I can then leave a couple of different circuits setup, and just place them on mental when I need them.
… and of course, these chips cost peanuts, so a cheap way to add a new dimension.
I think , there was some mention, that the included manual with the system, will provide some examples to get you started, id expect the above circuits will probably be detailed, as they are simple yet powerful additions.
(also I think its says a few components for the board, not sure what these will be)
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Thank’s for your great response … now I have something to think about … 
I’d definitely get this one over a 0-coast. It looks like an artist’s sculpture, love the aesthetics.
Buut I’m still doin’ time with my installments so cannot get onboard for the early bird discount. Shame… Gotta admit this was the first eurocrack-related gizmo that has given me GAS in a long time though. But I’d rather go broke on 500 series crack than euro, that is, if I ever go insane 
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