Fred's lab - Manatee - Multitimbral MPE Synthesizer

The Lounge Other Gear
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Some general thoughts on learning the Manatee when sort of new to synthesis:

  • The Manatee is really two distinct synth engines in one; the “virtual analog” Sub Oscillator and the “spectral synthesis” Gen Oscillator.
  • Either one of these is an absolute handful to learn from scratch, so best to take them one at a time.
  • The Sub is most like other standard “subtractive” synths and so there’s more support and resources around its concepts. So I recommend starting there.
  • One of the best ways to get familiar with a synth is to start from an “initialized” setting where all parameters are neutral, then explore from there.
  • To get to an initialized state with the sub:
    • Select the DEFAULT INI patch (it’s the last one in the preinstalled patch bank — number I64)
    • Set the balance such that only the Sub can be heard (move the “BALANCE” knob fully counter-clockwise such that the BAL value is shown as -64)
    • Click the “SUB” button until WAV shows any value but OFF.
  • The loop you want to do over and over is:
    • Get to the init state
    • Twist something
    • Hear the difference
    • Try to explain why that happened
    • Repeat

Another common way to learn a synth is to load up a preset and try to deconstruct it. That’s a little difficult when trying to focus on just one part of the synth as a lot of the Manatee’s presets are complex and mix a lot of stuff together. Once again the balance knob can be your friend. After loading a patch, turn “BALANCE” all the way counter-clockwise to isolate just the Sub part, for example.

But a thing you’ll quickly notice is that many of the presets not only set parameters of the oscillator, but also move those parameters over time via either the LFOs or the Mod matrix. So the next step in figuring out the sounds you’re hearing learning how those works.

With all that under your belt, it’s finally time to move on to the other oscillator and repeat all this over again. Then experiment with the ways each oscillator can interact with the other, by setting the balance, levels, pitches, and ring modulation.

It’s a bit of a steep hill, but I’ve found at each stage the sound is engaging enough to keep me climbing. And if you get really stuck on anything, post here! We can help you out.

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Thanks for all the help, guys. You are incredible! After a few hours the UI gets actually pretty intuitive and the sounds are indeed very rewarding.
Now, to make option paralysis even worse, here’s a question: since there’s a noise generator an a (keytrackable?) comb filter, can the Manatee actually do KarplusStrong synthesis? (Not in front of the machine right now, so I can’t check)
Another thing I’m trying to figure out is the aux outputs. If I’m correct, they can be configured to work as an insert. I guess this means they could work similarly to a effects loop on a guitar amp (wired in parallel according to the diagram in the quickstart guide)? If so, the « return » could be used as an aux in for an external signal, right? Did anyone try this?
Cheers to all good manateeists :star_struck:!

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Partial answer to my own question: you can do Karplus Strong sounds, but unfortunately there is no tracking option for the comb filter as far as I can see. You can control pitch via the time parameter of the comb filter though. I get some crazy results by assigning lfo 1 on random to this parameter ; ) !

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Yup. And how different parts get routed to this loop can be controlled in one of the mixer screens.

Yes… though if I remember correctly the insert point for the return is pretty late in the chain. It’s post-filter and FX and all of that, so the Manatee is basically just summing and maybe providing gain?

Perfect for an external FX loop. Or if you have another synth and don’t want to mess with a mixer, it’s a pretty handy way to handle that signal. But I don’t believe we can use it to, say, ring modulate the spectral generator with external audio or anything like that.

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That’s exactly the answer I was hoping for! Tried it just a few moments ago and it works, kind of: the signal enters the Manatee post reverb indeed, so no effects as expected, pity but no big deal. The aux ports on the other hand behave in a pretty strange manner: if I plug a trs jack into aux left, i only get a signal on the left channel of the main out. But if I connect that same jack into aux right, I get output on both sides albeit no stereo field, as if the signal was summed to mono or something… tried with mono jacks as well - similar results

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Sounds like the future is unclear for Fred’s Lab which is a bummer

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Was something announced?

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From last KS update :

Regarding our plans for 2025, despite the very positive reception of the Manatee from its owners and the praise we have received from gear reviewers and music store specialists, the after-kickstarter sales have not (yet?) reached levels that are sustainable for the company, especially in light of the current market conditions and economic climate. Therefore after almost living for the Manatee project for three years, I am taking a step back to recharge and reconsider.

That said, I am not giving up!

…

However, to ensure the long-term stability of the company, I must allocate serious time for business activities that will secure the necessary income to support our operations and team.

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I got a very helpful reply from Fred’s Lab regarding the AUX bus:

The AUX bus is actually a send / return stereo bus. Like found on a mixing desk. When using STEREO 6.35mm jack cables, the TIP of the connector has the aux bus signal (the sound of the voices) and the RING provides a return path the main audio mix. If one uses UNBALANCE jack cables, the aux bus acts like a regular separate stereo audio output. If one uses Y jack cables it can be used as a send and return bus.

Some of this confirms what we were speculating before: both AUX jacks behave as an insert on a mixer or FX loop on a guitar amp. This is their primary use, to send sounds out of the Manatee into outboard gear and bring it back in.

As per usual, the TIP is the SEND and the RING is the RETURN. A side effect of this is that, if we don’t care about the RETURN and just want to use the AUX jacks as individual outs (with independent levels controlled by the AUX param of the MIX page) we could use TS cables for this. The SEND would still be sent over the TIP and the expected return would be shorted to ground.

You’re talking about the opposite situation, though. In your case you want to ignore the SEND and directly put stuff in on the RETURN. There’s no shortcut for that. You have to use a send/return Y cables in the AUX ports, leaving the SEND (TIP) empty and plugging your signal into the RETURN (RING) side. As Frédéric says:

Simply connecting the audio outputs of an other device using stereo cables or balanced cables to the Manatee aux bus will NOT transform it into an external stereo audio input. One MUST use Y cables (or custom made cables) for this precise purpose.

As to your strange experience with the left AUX, I must be misunderstanding what you’re doing as I cannot reproduce it. If I:

  • plug a send/return Y cable into AUX L,
  • connect an external mono synth into its return,

I hear the single, mono channel of the synth playing on both the L and R of MAIN out.

If I:

  • plug a send/return Y cable into AUX L
  • and plug a send/return Y cable into AUX R
  • And connect the returns of each to the L and R out of an external stereo synth

Now I hear the stereo output of my external synth over L and R of MAIN out.

Frédéric confirms this is expected behavior:

If using a MONO effect, it is enough to attach the LEFT channel of the AUX bus with a single Y cable to an external effect to have its wet signal mixed with the stereo main mix. However one needs two Y cables to fully benefit from stereo external effects.

So if you’re still having trouble with this, let me know. I’m back at my Manatee after the holidays, so I can try stuff out here to try to reproduce any problems.

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In a kickstarter update, Frédéric said the Manatee’s post-kickstarter sales haven’t been enough to sustain Fred’s Lab. As a result, he says he’s going to take a step back from Manatee-related work to do other stuff that will keep the company running.

He does stress, however, that some things like the manual and some bug-fix releases are still forthcoming.

It sounds to me like Fred’s Lab is still going to continue, but they won’t be able to focus as much on Manatee-specific things as they had hoped unless/until sales pick up.

Here’s hoping the general synth community discovers the Manatee soon and they’re flooded with requests!

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Its tough. Right after the Manatee was getting released, out comes some other multi-timbral synths like DN2 and Multi/poly from the bigger companies. There is so much on the market to compete against.
Still glad I picked up a pre-sale unit and look forward to getting more time with it.

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I feel like if he were able to meet his promised timelines there would’ve been more buzz about it and he would’ve beat some things to market. Also as a backer that left a bad taste in my mouth as he repeatedly promised releasing it on time. A lot of that was out of his control with manufacturing, but he could’ve still released it earlier before sorting out most bugs like most manufacturers do these days. It should also be stated it’s admirable he released it after sorting so many issues.

I’m sure he’ll bounce back with another project in the future.

Of course things are also difficult moving forward with a lot of these small companies as more and more synth fans distrust the Kickstarter platform after some of the recent failed campaigns.

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Does anybody know how to access a general menu on this thing?
My MIDI Thru is not functioning the way I’d like and I don’t know how to fix it.

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The general menu is ALT + MULTI (look at the labels below buttons for their ALT function. In this case it’s “SETUP”)

But the menu you want for MIDI setting is ALT + 1 (note it says “MIDI” below it)

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I have the feeling the DN2 was a real tsunami on the synth market. It concentrates so many features, and for such a good price, that most of the other synths seems more limited and expensive in comparison.
That’s tough, especially for the small manufacturers :-/
I hope Fred’s Lab will manage to keep afloat.

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Hm I don’t seem to be able to get MIDI thru, has anybody else experienced this or figured out how to configure maybe?

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I don’t think there’s much to configure with respect to THRU. For me, whatever goes in to IN comes out on THRU and that’s all there is to it.

What is it you’re trying to do? What are you seeing instead?

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Yeah it should just work automatically.
I have a disaster area designs cable to send MIDI to my chase bliss pedal.
It’s not functioning with the Manatee, but I tested it with something else and its not working with that as well. So the problem is not the Manatee.
The CB midi cable and functionality is always a pain in the ass.

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Cool sounding patches for the Manatee. Though, as Espen says:

I will only sell this bank directly through email. My CONTACT email address is this: espenkraft69@gmail.com
If you want to purchase this pack please send me an email and I’ll give you instructions on how to order. PayPal only.

I’m not sure how I feel about that, so haven’t tried them personally.

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Yeah, the timing was very unfortunate. It´s a very good synth but the competition is fierce at the price point.
I like the sound and i think, it can be my go-to synth for some kinds of sounds, but i have too many synths at the moment doing the same type of sounds so i am unsure.
The MatrixBrute is not polyphonic so this is in favour of the Manatee; i can do poly pads, strings and the like with it, but for many other things the MB will be better.
I guess it will work itself out…
Anyway i have still put my Manatee up for sale on reverb since it´s the unit i use the lest at the moment. I dont really need to sell it - it is very useful to me, but it is still the unit i use the least atm. If that changes (it might, i have to be able to use if more) i will pull back the sales post.

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