Ambient Bowed Lead
Sounds like: A slow, breathy lead that swells in like a bowed string, with no hard attack.
Sound type: lead · Genre: Ambient · Style: slow-attack, string/bow-like sustained lead
A slow, breathy lead that swells in gradually like a bowed string — no percussive attack at all, meant for long sustained melodic phrases rather than rhythmic playing.
Open this patch in the interactive Patchpad
Digitone II
Exact match: Slow-swelling lead with light detune
SYN page 1
- ALGO: 3
- RATIO C: 1.00
- RATIO B: 1.00
- DTUN: 8
- MIX: -64
SYN page 2 · Operators A & B
FLTR page 1 · Multi-mode
- TYPE: 0 (LP)
- FREQ: 64
- RESO: 13
- ATK: 115
AMP page
- ATK: 110
- DEC: 60
- SUS: 108
- REL: 115
- MODE: ADSR
MOD page 1
- DEST: AMP: Volume
- WAVE: Triangle
- SPD: 8
- DEP: 13
FX page
Digitone II's ALGO 3 gives three plain carriers (C, B2, B1) when the FM depth of A and B is off, so LEV (A) and LEV (B) are both 0. MIX -64 selects the X tap (C + B2), and DTUN, which offsets only the ratio of operators A and B2, detunes B2 against C so the two beat against each other. DTUN below 64 is a very slight detune; above 64 is heavier. FLTR's long ATK keeps the filter opening in step with the AMP page's own long ATK, so the whole sound swells in together rather than the filter arriving early. MOD page 1's slow triangle on AMP Volume is the bow-like tremor -- SPD 8 is slow enough to read as a breath, not a wobble.
Syntakt
Exact match: Slow-swelling lead with light detune
SYN — SY RAW
- WAV1: Saw
- WAV2: Saw
- TUNE: 0
- DET: 4
- LEV2: 89
FLTR PAGE 1
- TYPE: Lowpass
- FREQ: 64
- ATK: 115
AMP PAGE 1
- ATK: 110
- DEC: 60
- SUS: 108
- REL: 115
- REV: 38
AMP PAGE 2
AMP PAGE 2's MODE must be ADSR (the default for SY machines, but drum machines default to AHD), or the long SUS on AMP PAGE 1 is silently ignored. Melodic tracks use Digital, not Analog, machines.
Compared with other synths: SY RAW's two waveform slots (WAV1/WAV2, both Saw) with DET set to 4 gives the gentle two-voice beating described on the other synths, without needing a second track.
Novation Summit
Exact match: Slow-swelling lead with light detune
OSCILLATOR 1
OSCILLATOR 2
- WAVE: Sawtooth
- RANGE: 8'
- FINE: +6 cents
FILTER
- SHAPE: LP
- FREQUENCY: 64
- RESONANCE: 13
- SOURCE: Amp Env
- ENV DEPTH: 20
AMP ENVELOPE
- ATTACK: 110
- DECAY: 60
- SUSTAIN: 108
- RELEASE: 115
LFO 1
- WAVEFORM: Triangle
- RATE: 13
MODULATION MATRIX
- Slot 1 sA: Lfo1+/-
- Slot 1 sB: AmpEnv
- Slot 1 Destin: VcaLevel
- Slot 1 Depth: +13
EFFECTS
- REVERB TIME: 80
- REVERB LEVEL: 38
FILTER's SOURCE is Amp Env at a low ENV DEPTH just to keep the filter moving in the same slow envelope shape as amplitude, not as an independent sweep. MODULATION MATRIX slot naming approximates the real menu layout for LFO 1 into Amplitude, since Summit's LFO 1 is otherwise hardwired only to filter frequency via its own Depth knob.
Compared with other synths: OSCILLATOR 2's FINE at +6 cents (a hair sharp of center) gives the same gentle detuned-beat character described on the other synths' 'lightly detuned' carriers.
Arturia MiniFreak
Exact match: Slow-swelling lead with light detune
OSCILLATOR
- TYPE: SuperWave
- WAVE (Waveform): Sawtooth
- TIMBRE (Detune): 25
- SHAPE (Volume of copies): 60
- VOLUME: 100
ANALOG FILTER
- TYPE: Low Pass
- CUTOFF: 50
- RESONANCE: 5
- ENV/VELO: 0
ENVELOPE
- ATTACK: 85
- DECAY: 20
- SUSTAIN: 85
- RELEASE: 90
LFO
- SELECT/EDIT: LFO 2
- WAVE/LOAD: Tri
- RATE/TRIG: 0.3 Hz
DIGITAL EFFECTS · FX1
- TYPE: Reverb (Hall)
- TIME (Decay): 70
- INTENSITY (Damping): 40
- AMOUNT (Dry/Wet): 30
MODULATION MATRIX
- Source (row): LFO 2
- Destination (column): Assign 1: VCA
- Amount: +10
Osc 1 is SuperWave, the stacked-detuned-copies engine: Detune (25) sets the spread between the copies and the third knob (60) sets the copies' level against the original. LFO 2 runs a Tri wave at 0.3 Hz. Mod Matrix: the LFO 2 row to the Assign 1: VCA column (hold an Assign button and turn that control to assign it) at +10. ENV/VELO is left at 0 (center-detent) so the filter stays static -- the swell comes entirely from the Envelope's long Attack. 0-100 scale throughout. Values are on MiniFreak's native 0-100 scale.
Dreadbox Typhon
Exact match: Slow-swelling lead with light detune
FRONT PANEL
- WAVE: ~5 o'clock (VCO1 saw blended with VCO2 saw, lightly detuned)
- TUNE 2: ~1 o'clock, just past center (a hair sharp of VCO1)
- CUTOFF: ~2 o'clock (fairly open)
- RESON: ~8 o'clock (low)
- EG LEVEL: ~9 o'clock (minimal filter envelope amount)
- FILTER TIME: ~8 o'clock (as slow as it goes)
- AMP TIME: ~8 o'clock (as slow as it goes)
- VOLUME: ~12 o'clock
AMP ADSR
- ATTACK: 90
- DECAY: 25
- SUSTAIN: 90
- RELEASE: 95
FRONT PANEL's FILTER TIME/AMP TIME multiplier knobs pushed as slow as they go, combined with AMP ADSR's own long ATTACK/RELEASE, is what stretches the swell out -- Typhon's front-panel knobs are physically unmarked, so those are clock positions, not percentages. This patch leans entirely on the long envelope rather than any onboard modulation, since Typhon's three M-slots aren't needed here.
ASM Hydrasynth Desktop
Exact match: Slow-swelling lead with light detune
OSCILLATOR 1
- MODE: Single
- WAVE: Saw
- SEMI: 0
- CENTS: 0
OSCILLATOR 2
- MODE: Single
- WAVE: Saw
- SEMI: 0
- CENTS: 6
FILTER 1
- TYPE: LP 1 Pole
- CUTOFF: 64.0
- RESONANCE: 5.0
- ENV 1 AMOUNT: 0
ENVELOPE 1
ENVELOPE 2
- ATTACK: 800 ms
- DECAY: 200 ms
- SUSTAIN: 108.0
- RELEASE: 900 ms
LFO 1
- WAVE: Triangle
- RATE: 0.15 Hz
- LEVEL: 13
MOD MATRIX
- SOURCE: LFO 1
- DESTINATION: Amp Level
- DEPTH: 13
REVERB
Envelope 1 (pre-wired to Filter 1) shares Envelope 2's long Attack so the filter opens in step with amplitude rather than sweeping independently -- Filter 1's ENV 1 AMOUNT is left at 0 since this patch's movement is amplitude-led. LFO 1 (pre-wired to Filter 1 by default) is instead routed via the Mod Matrix to Amp Level for the slow bow-like tremor.
Compared with other synths: Oscillator 2's CENTS at +6 gives the lightly detuned two-voice beat described on the other synths.
How the synths compare
Closely related to Wide Analog Drift Pad but voiced as a single melodic line rather than a chord/pad texture — the long attack is shared DNA between the two.
Patchpad is a free reference of drum patterns and synth patches written for real hardware: Digitakt II, Digitone II, Syntakt, Novation Summit, Arturia MiniFreak, Dreadbox Typhon and ASM Hydrasynth Desktop.