Manatee - From concept to instrument

[marzacdev]

Really, time to market is when I am finished.

Fred's Lab is mostly me and contractors. There is no big structure, big plans. I also work for other companies.

[marzacdev]

Today, a big step forward!

Nothing related to the sound engine but ...

By now, the machine has its own MIDI bootloader, allowing the update of the operating system without needing a specific programming probe. I will soon be able to send alpha units to my close collaborators, to get their first feedback and to help me with checking the software quality, as it's being developed.

Last week, I managed to write the loading and saving of the patches. Multis will come after. At the moment, there is space for 250 presets and a possibility to double this capacity in the future.

All of the hardware has been tested with the exception of the extension DSP board made to double the polyphony and (hopefully, if possible) to add more insert effects.

I scheduled an appointment in the middle of January 2023 with an EMC lab to check the hardware against CE & FCC electronic requirements. I aim at having a rough version of the operating system by that time so the measurements are meaningful. Let's hope for the best!!!

[marzacdev]

Hi everyone,

here are (good) news about the Manatee project.

ESD test

EMC emission test

The anechoic chamber

The current hardware matches all the CE / FCC requirements. It's a big step forward for the completion of this project.

EDIT: this is not the final hardware, some elements of the user interface and the general audio quality (immunity to HF induced noises) will be improved in a forthcoming hardware revision. In fewer words, no release date yet.

[nuromantix]

Looks really interesting. Is it basically an additive engine?

[patmcm]

Hi everyone,

here are (good) news about the Manatee project.

The current hardware matches all the CE / FCC requirements. It's a big step forward for the completion of this project.

EDIT: this is not the final hardware, some elements of the user interface and the general audio quality (immunity to HF induced noises) will be improved in a forthcoming hardware revision. In fewer words, no release date yet.

Fantastic news Fred! Crossing my fingers that everything goes well for you and Manatee between now and the crowdfunding launch.

[marzacdev]

Thank you for your message.

nuromantix => no, it is not an additive synthesizer per say. It's a VA combined with spectral synthesis capabilities. Think of it as a Nord Rack 2 with built-in effects & extra spectral oscillators, using a UI à la Virus.

[defalut]

Thank you for your message.

nuromantix => no, it is not an additive synthesizer per say. It's a VA combined with spectral synthesis capabilities. Think of it as a Nord Rack 2 with built-in effects & extra spectral oscillators, using a UI à la Virus.

Sounds incredibly interesting.

[marzacdev]

I'm about to freeze the specifications for the firmware 1.0 so a detailed list of the machine characteristics will be available soon on my website. I will then write a draft of the user manual. Exciting things are coming

[patmcm]

Congratulations! Looking forward to getting a clearer picture of everything that's going on under the hood.

[marzacdev]

Thank you
This project needs essentially hard work but it will release eventually this year, I am very confident. I just hope it will fit enough musicians needs to justify its development.

[EASYBOY]

it sure does look great.

[sellanraa]

Will this have a USB midi in as well? Really would love for that to be the case. Considering this one for a pretty specific use case that would be perfect for the Manatee.

[marzacdev]

The machine will be delivered with a USB to MIDI DIN cable.
Reason is that the hardware was developed during Corona time when processors with USB features were hard to come by and the cable allows users to choose which interface they want to use with having always a galvanic (no ground noises) insulation.