OSCar Rebirth due 2026

[kritikon]

I have to say their Mantis is intriguing me more and more. As you say it seems to be a modern Oscar in disguise. And it's now polyphonic! The funny thing is on their website if you listen to the pad patch by Daniel Miller in their promo video (about 3 mins in), to me it sounded very, very similar to Imposcar3, or vice versa!

Thanks for posting that vid! That patch Filter to X+- is exquisite. That really took me back to real OSCar sounds but oh my it goes so much further. Beautiful IMO. And played in chords it sounds like it's so far up my street it's parked in my driveway. TBH Mantis had gone off my radar a little but it's back on top of the list now. Lovely.

[seafire]

Fat fingers here. Had no trouble with the buttons or knobs when I tried one at Synth East this year. ( spoke to Paul for a while, nice bloke)

Most of the time was spent with him taking about the super/poly oscar they were trying to rebuild....

Ah was this the prototype that was planned but never quite came to be? I remember hearing something about it in one of the Gforce videos somewhere.

Yes. Apparently there is/was only 1 picture of it online, but they had the unit there. I think Chris used all the voice cards to repair OSCars tho

[grandmasterbird]

I have to say their Mantis is intriguing me more and more. As you say it seems to be a modern Oscar in disguise. And it's now polyphonic! The funny thing is on their website if you listen to the pad patch by Daniel Miller in their promo video (about 3 mins in), to me it sounded very, very similar to Imposcar3, or vice versa!

Thanks for posting that vid! That patch Filter to X+- is exquisite. That really took me back to real OSCar sounds but oh my it goes so much further. Beautiful IMO. And played in chords it sounds like it's so far up my street it's parked in my driveway. TBH Mantis had gone off my radar a little but it's back on top of the list now. Lovely.

Yes there's a number of really nice sounds in that clip. It's a shame there's not more sound examples around but I guess it's a little bit under the radar perhaps.

[kritikon]

I'm thinking I might have to just bite the bullet and order a Mantis and a Malevolent. From what I've seen of it, Malevolent seems to be an MS20 for today and then some - scream like a bastard's bastard. Those 2 together are at the cutting edge of real character-driven sound in new analogue synths but with a strong nod to origins from the past.

[grandmasterbird]

I'm thinking I might have to just bite the bullet and order a Mantis and a Malevolent. From what I've seen of it, Malevolent seems to be an MS20 for today and then some - scream like a bastard's bastard. Those 2 together are at the cutting edge of real character-driven sound in new analogue synths but with a strong nod to origins from the past.

That would be hell of a pairing! Yeah the more I listen to these synths the more I think they just sound superb. Very, very tempting. Let us know how you get on

[grandmasterbird]

I'm thinking I might have to just bite the bullet and order a Mantis and a Malevolent. From what I've seen of it, Malevolent seems to be an MS20 for today and then some - scream like a bastard's bastard. Those 2 together are at the cutting edge of real character-driven sound in new analogue synths but with a strong nod to origins from the past.

What happened did you order them in the end?

[kritikon]

Not yet, I work very slowly . I have to do a bit of research, I can get them from DJ City in Aus (closest for me) but they seem to have a dire reputation for any kind of internet sales, though reliable if you go in-store. That would basically mean a holiday in Aus where I can time it to be able to order them to get from central store to whichever local store and me pick up personally. Pretty sure they have outlets in Brisbane which is easy for the Sunshine Coast, which is a great location for a holiday, but the logistics could be tricky. Most of the other stockists in Aus don't ship overseas. The only other one that does quoted me something silly like $600 for shipping one synth (for which they can right royally f**k off). The US seem to universally charge prohibitive shipping fees way worse than that $600 in Aussie. Probably the cheapest I can get is somewhere like Andertons in UK - they charge reasonable shipping (from memory something like $100-150 but I could be imagining that ). There isn't not nobody nowhere in NZ that stocks PWM . Gotta weigh my options...

[DrGonzo]

...and, I have to factor in that there is possibly a BOSCar in the pipeline, which might only be 90% of a proper OSCar, but at a fraction of the price the compromise is impossible to ignore.

True - but it was a long time ago since there was any word about the Behringer OSCar. But they could pull it off. Even at 90% it would be a beast.

[grandmasterbird]

Not yet, I work very slowly . I have to do a bit of research, I can get them from DJ City in Aus (closest for me) but they seem to have a dire reputation for any kind of internet sales, though reliable if you go in-store. That would basically mean a holiday in Aus where I can time it to be able to order them to get from central store to whichever local store and me pick up personally. Pretty sure they have outlets in Brisbane which is easy for the Sunshine Coast, which is a great location for a holiday, but the logistics could be tricky. Most of the other stockists in Aus don't ship overseas. The only other one that does quoted me something silly like $600 for shipping one synth (for which they can right royally f**k off). The US seem to universally charge prohibitive shipping fees way worse than that $600 in Aussie. Probably the cheapest I can get is somewhere like Andertons in UK - they charge reasonable shipping (from memory something like $100-150 but I could be imagining that ). There isn't not nobody nowhere in NZ that stocks PWM . Gotta weigh my options...

Wow that sounds like a headache. Someone online said that Andertons have a good reputation and good return policies, as in if you find the synth just isn't for you then you can send back if within 2 weeks I think, although I'm not sure that would necessarily work where you are based!

[kritikon]

Yeah, a synth has a long way to swim and if it has to go back, it's a long turnaround. Basically an overseas buy is for keeps from the outset. Andertons seems pretty good. I find it a bit weird that the cheapest option is from the complete other side of the world though. A few yrs back I bought a new Cambridge Amp...on a trip back to the UK. Silly exhorbitant prices here, got one for chips in Richer Sounds and squished it into a suitcase returning home. Which meant I only had room for pretty well 1 pair of undies and a Tshirt in my case for the holiday
One of my colleagues was spitting feathers when he found out - he's a jazz audio buff and got his Cambridge gear for thousands half way across the country here. Was great telling him mine was 350 quid on a Stockport High St and stuffed into a suitcase.

[Constructed Identity]

Why would anyone buy this synthesizer when you can get an original for the low, low price of....
https://reverb.com/item/92528879-oxford ... n-1-8-rare
$12,000 with FREE SHIPPING
act now!

[Uncle Bastard]

Mantis owner here. There's a lot of sounds to be brought out of this machine, I've barely scratched the surface of what it can do so far. It made my B Wasp Deluxe redundant within a month ( it's back in the box, £100+UK postage if anyone wants it ). I can't speak for the OSCar qualities, having never encountered one, but the last update did include OSCar wavetables. The latching joystick makes polyphonic drones easy, and the variable ringmod adds a certain edge or filth to a patch. The reverb is really there to add a bit of fullness or flavour to a patch rather than as a full-blown effect- use with care. Chorus has four rate settings, and can enrich a thin sound. I am really happy with it, just waiting for a manual...

[db3]

I had a Mantis when they first came out. It sounded great, particularly the dual filters, but I didn't keep it because it seemed to have an issue with MIDI lag. This was a long time ago, so probably fixed in firmware by now. The original price point was far too ambitious for a 4 voice paraphonic hybrid, but the current Anderton's price of £769 is much more attractive.

[Uncle Bastard]

I thought it was worth the cost, can't change the past so I don't worry about it becoming cheaper. I don't get MIDI lag, which may be due to more recent updates, or because I use MIDI via DIN- I am wary of USB MIDI.

[grandmasterbird]

Mantis owner here. There's a lot of sounds to be brought out of this machine, I've barely scratched the surface of what it can do so far. It made my B Wasp Deluxe redundant within a month ( it's back in the box, £100+UK postage if anyone wants it ). I can't speak for the OSCar qualities, having never encountered one, but the last update did include OSCar wavetables. The latching joystick makes polyphonic drones easy, and the variable ringmod adds a certain edge or filth to a patch. The reverb is really there to add a bit of fullness or flavour to a patch rather than as a full-blown effect- use with care. Chorus has four rate settings, and can enrich a thin sound. I am really happy with it, just waiting for a manual...

There seems to be a few reports online of a crackling/clipping sound when playing chords in quad mode.... have you ever experienced anything along those lines?