Innovative, versatile synthesis courtesy of Fred’s Lab, the Manatee is a true all-rounder. Greg Scarth puts it to the test.
The brainchild of Frédéric Meslin, Fred’s Lab is a boutique synth company based in Bonn, western Germany. Innovation is key to the brand’s output, reflecting Fred’s background in industrial computer sciences as well as his passion for electronic music. Previous releases like the ZeKit and Töörö synths showcased the overall philosophy of quality sound and experimentalism. Originally launched through a successful crowdfunding campaign, the Fred’s Lab Manatee is a proudly digital synth, designed for ultimate versatility. It takes its place as the flagship model in the Fred’s Lab range, representing the brand’s most powerful instrument yet.
The first impression of the Manatee is that this a sturdy, well built piece of kit, with a surprising heft to the compact metal-enclosed unit. The front panel design is immediately easy to understand, with a clear delineation of the various sections: envelope controls, ‘sources’ (oscillators or spectrum renderer), filters and mixer.
Around the back, power comes via a DC adapter, while MIDI in, out and thru are via 5-pin DIN. There’s an analogue clock input to sync with non-MIDI hardware, two pairs of stereo outputs (main and aux) plus a stereo headphone output.
The dual stereo outputs are a tiny bit misleading, because they play down the multitimbral synth engine of the Manatee. You can, of course, use it as a simple mono or stereo synth, but the four-part design means you can set up those four outputs as individual outs for four entirely separate elements, with a total of up to 16 voices spread over four MIDI channels.
In terms of synth architecture, the Manatee is actually quite straightforward, following a pretty conventional subtractive design but featuring the powerful additive synthesis options of the spectral renderers in the source section. The net result is a very effective combination of harmonic richness from the source (whether aiming for classic oscillator waveforms or more experimental timbres), refined by a very versatile filter section with dual filters and saturation.
There are clever features hidden away for you to discover as you delve deeper into the architecture of the Manatee, including a dedicated stereo delay and two EQ sections for each part, excellent drive/saturation options in the filter section, triple LFOs and an extensive modulation matrix. MPE compatibility is also a key feature of the Manatee, and you’ll get the most out of it using a suitable expressive MIDI controller such as a Korg Keystage or Joue Play. In fact, this is one of the defining characteristics of the Manatee: you need to approach it the right way to get maximum value out of its multitimbral options and expressive capabilities; if you’re not keen to take advantage of that versatility then there are cheaper and more simple options out there, including Fred’s more basic synth modules.
There are lots of different ways to approach using the Manatee, given its extreme versatility, but perhaps the most effective method is to split the creative process into two distinct phases. First, set up the synth with multiple complementary synth parts, then perform with them. You can tweak and edit parameters as you go, but building up to four sounds from scratch is probably easier as a separate process than trying to work on four different parts simultaneously.
Hardware synths with a relatively small screen and lots of features can be fiddly to operate, but the Manatee strikes a pretty good balance between immediacy and depth. The simple LCD screen feels a little old-school compared to some of the more graphically capable OLED displays which are now becoming commonplace, but it does give decent instant feedback as you adjust parameters. There’s a slightly retro feel to proceedings in a sense – Fred has cited the classic late 90s Access Virus synths as a benchmarking reference point – but it still feels pleasingly modern and relevant.
The Manatee is a seriously powerful synth with exceptional sound quality to back up its versatility. This is a genuine all-rounder, capable of everything from old-school virtual analogue sounds to much more experimental sounds. It’s hard to think of any direct rivals to the Manatee, thanks mainly to its unique focus on additive spectral synthesis, multitimbrality and expressive control. As such, the Manatee is a unique offering, but if that singular approach appeals to you then it more than lives up to the billing as a true flagship instrument.
Greg Scarth
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