Manta

Name: Manta
Author: Florian Mrugalla

by Florian Mrugalla · Filter · Resonator filter

Not rated yet

Manta is a free resonator from Florian Mrugalla with parallel bandpass filters, comb filtering, ring modulation, a formula parser for waveforms and xen-scale tuning.

It is free and open source (GPL 3), as VST3 and AU for macOS and Windows.

Best for: Drums, Sound Design, Keys & Synths. Genres: Electronic & EDM, Ambient & Cinematic.

Keywords: free, drums, open source, parallel processing, enhancement, ring mod, fat, percussion, sound design, wobble, cinematic, extreme, kick, metallic, mixing, snare, tight, warm.

What it does

Manta is a free resonator plugin by Florian Mrugalla, built around Dan Worrall's trick of using "parallel bandpass filters to fatten up drums." It turns that technique into one plugin and adds extra tools for pitched and distorted effects; the developer calls it "a resonator with extra steps".

Parallel bandpass filters: several bands run side by side, each switchable on and off, to pull tone and body out of drums and other sources.
Resonance and gain: each filter's resonance is set separately from its gain, which the developer points out most EQs don't allow.
Comb filter: for metallic, pitched and resonant colours.
Ring modulation: a Phase Distortion module that gives phase-distortion-like effects around the filter frequencies, with waveforms you can write yourself in a formula parser.
Heat: a basic saturation control.
Tuning editor: tune the filters to alternative and xenharmonic scales, not only standard Western tuning.
Workflow aids: a dry signal mute to hear only the resonances, and hover-over descriptions for every control.

Version 1.0 is free and open source under the GPL 3 license, and the source code is on GitHub.

Source: Florian Mrugalla product page

When to use it

Manta is a tuned resonator rather than a sweeping filter: it is the better pick for adding pitched body and ring to drums, percussion and noise. Compared with FilterFreak and Volcano 3, it has no classic resonant sweeps or rhythmic filter sequencing, but it is free and does the parallel bandpass job with less setup. Compared with building the same effect in a multiband EQ, it gives separate resonance control per band and adds comb filtering, ring modulation and microtonal tuning. Compared with Filterverse, it is narrower in scope and simpler, aimed at one technique done well.

Best for: fattening and tuning kicks, snares and toms, and turning noise or percussion into pitched, resonant or wobbly distorted sounds.
Genres: electronic, experimental, cinematic and microtonal music.
Look elsewhere if: you need classic filter sweeps and modulation; FilterFreak or Volcano 3 are more suitable.
Tip: mute the dry signal and switch filters on one at a time to hear exactly what each band adds.

What producers say

Small but warm reception for a free tool that does what it promises.

KVR users rate it 5 out of 5 from 2 reviews; one called it a "Beautiful little plugin" for tight drums or wild wobbly effects, and another said it "does what it says."
Bedroom Producers Blog (James Nugent, 2022) found it "well-designed and versatile" enough for several problems, especially drum enhancement and sound design.

Where to buy

Florian Mrugalla: Free

Tutorials and reviews

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