Mantis Hybrid-Analog Keyboard Synthesizer

Born from a collaboration between the late Chris Huggett—creator of classics like the OSCar and Wasp—and PWM's Paul Whittington, this hybrid synth revives those vintage vibes with a fresh duophonic twist, letting you play two independent voices across a responsive 37-key semi-weighted keyboard.

At its core, mathematically generated digital oscillators deliver sine, triangle, saw, and PWM waveforms with shape modulation, pitch control, octave ranges, and drift for organic detuning, plus a sub-oscillator per voice; mix in noise and ring mod before hitting the dual analog filters—low-pass, band-pass, high-pass in 12/24dB slopes, or unique WBAND series and WSTOP parallel modes with width control, cutoff mod, resonance, keytracking, and overdrive for gritty warmth via SSI2164 VCAs. Two loopable envelopes and LFOs (with sync, fade, and multi-wave options) handle modulation, while onboard reverb (with HP/LP filters) and chorus add polish; the arpeggiator offers six patterns, swing, tap tempo, and latch via joystick. Hands-on controls include velocity-sensitive keys with aftertouch, a versatile joystick, octave buttons, filter config switches, stereo/mono outputs, headphone jack, sustain/expression pedals, full MIDI DIN/USB-C, and a compact 24.4 x 12.6 x 4.3-inch metal chassis powered by 9V DC.

Players love its immediate playability and distinctive filter tones that stand out in mixes, with the duophonic mode shining for leads and pads—though some note monophonic unlocks the fullest oscillator access; firmware like v1.25 even adds 4-voice poly and random patches for extra fun.