PWM Mantis

PWM’s sophomore outing is an intriguing combination of old and new.

I must say, I am a fan of how Paul Whittington’s still‑nascent company PWM seems thus far to be characterised by the decision to celebrate, collaborate and co‑create. Their output to date comprises two instruments that aim to push things forward while clearly endeavouring to preserve some classic design philosophies. In the case of PWM’s debut, the Malevolent, this involved collaborating with Bristol’s most excellent Future Sound Systems, and if I remember correctly the term ‘Korg MS‑20’ was thrown about liberally as a key inspiration. In the case of the sophomore Mantis, it’s the late, great Chris Huggett on the ticket, the man responsible for icons like the Wasp and the OSCar, with a number of very intriguing design features to boot.

A little history to help explain the Mantis: before Huggett’s tragic passing in 2020, he and Paul Whittington had worked together, namely designing numerous instruments for Novation such as the MiniNova, Bass Station II and Peak. The Mantis, which would be Huggett’s last synth project, incorporates the oscillator design of the Wasp and unites it with the filter design of the OSCar, doubling both into a fully duophonic instrument. It draws from the worlds of digital and analogue, as well as from the East and West Coast schools, to create something that’s at once a little bit classic, quite unique and phenomenally versatile. A good microcosm of this is its envelope design. These are based around a conventional East Coast design with attack, decay, sustain and release, but as well as adding an extra ‘sustain fall’ stage, they can be set to cycle, like a Buchla‑esque function generator. Envelope 1 is normalled to the main VCA, though both are assignable to up to six modulation destinations. More on that later.

Player Ready

In my review of the Malevolent back in 2022, I took umbrage with its mini keyboard. Side note: unless they are truly miniature, á la the OP‑1, I think mini keyboards are, generally speaking, a waste of time. More often than not they simply add expense and take up space, all while those who do need keys are likely to connect a bigger and more playable keyboard anyway. The Mantis, thankfully, has 37 lovely full‑size, semi‑weighted keys (that’s three octaves), and a pleasant‑feeling keybed. Velocity, aftertouch, it’s all here. Wonderful. Similar to the Malevolent, the Mantis’ side panels snap on and off magnetically; something I’m still waiting to see a good reason for but which I hope means we’ll see some nice accessories in due course. Considering the weight of the Mantis, these can detach at any moment when picking the thing up, which is a bit of a hazard. So be sure to lift from the bottom.

On the subject of those mysterious side panels, this is also as good a moment as any to point out that at the time of writing PWM have not published a full manual for the Mantis, nor have they still for the Malevolent. Much as I love the precocious appetite for moving onto new designs, I do — ahem — look forward to seeing both of those soon. These are powerful and intricate instruments after all, and aside from the user experience, Whittington and team deserve to show off their work right down to the last Shift function. As of now, I’d imagine there are many complaining about there being too much guesswork, and I can’t but sympathise. Suffice to say, it feels like this issue is somewhat endemic to the industry in 2024: with websites revisable at any time and firmware updates available instantly, far too many units seem to be hitting shelves before all ducks are in a row, to the point that it’s almost as if many of them are still in beta.

At the back of the Mantis we find a power switch, USB‑C port, MIDI in, out and thru sockets, and a selection of quarter‑inch jack sockets for pedals, audio output and headphones.

The Mantis’ hardware, however, is very much ready, with substantial build quality that I’ll say is becoming of its price. As I’ve mentioned, it is a weighty synth — around five kilos — with a matte‑black metal and plastic enclosure, firm rubberised buttons and sturdy knobs. These do...