Dark Ambient Drone Pad
Sounds like: A low, dark, heavy drone that sits under a track and hardly moves.
Sound type: pad · Genre: Ambient, Experimental · Style: ominous, minimal-movement drone textures
A low, dense, barely-moving drone — sits under a track rather than singing over it. Almost no attack, near-infinite sustain, minimal brightness.
Open this patch in the interactive Patchpad
Digitone II
Exact match: Low, dense, barely moving drone
SYN page 1
- ALGO: 2
- RATIO C: 1.00
- RATIO B: 0.50
- MIX: -20
SYN page 2 · Operator B
- LEV: 35
- ATK: 0
- DEC: 0
- END: 127
FLTR page 1 · Multi-mode
- TYPE: 0 (LP)
- FREQ: 25
- RESO: 32
- ATK: 110
- DEC: 20
- SUS: 127
- ENV: 15
AMP page
- ATK: 127
- DEC: 0
- SUS: 127
- REL: 127
- MODE: ADSR
MOD page 1
- SPD: -45
- MULT: 1x
- WAVE: Triangle
- DEST: FILTER: Frequency
- MODE: FREE
- DEP: 15
FX page
ALGO 2 runs Operator C and Operator B1 as two independent plain carriers, with B1's ratio dropped to 0.50 (an octave down) and kept at low level via SYN page 2 for a dark sub layer beneath the fundamental. MOD page 1's LFO is the only intended movement in this patch -- resist adding anything else, including a faster filter envelope; ENV on FLTR page 1 is kept low precisely so the slow ATK doesn't read as an obvious sweep. AMP page MODE must be ADSR, for the near-infinite sustain to actually hold.
Syntakt
Exact match: Low, dense, barely moving drone
SYN — SY RAW
- WAV1: Sine
- WAV2: Sine
- TUNE: 0
- DET: 0
- LEV2: 40
- OVER: 10
FLTR PAGE 1
- TYPE: Lowpass
- FREQ: 25
- RESO: 32
- ATK: 110
- DEC: 20
- SUS: 127
- ENV: 15
AMP PAGE 1
- ATK: 127
- DEC: 0
- SUS: 127
- REL: 127
- DEL: 0
- REV: 90
AMP PAGE 2
LFO PAGE 1
- SPD: -45
- WAVE: Triangle
- DEST: FILTER: Frequency
- MODE: FRE
- DEP: 15
SY RAW's plain dual Sine waveforms (no built-in animation, unlike SY SWARM) fit a dark, simple, mostly-static drone better. LFO PAGE 1 is the only intended movement -- resist adding anything else. AMP PAGE 2's MODE must be ADSR (the default for SY machines, but drum machines default to AHD), for the near-infinite sustain to hold.
Compared with other synths: A light OVER (overdrive) on the SY RAW machine adds the same subtle grit the other synths get from a dedicated overdrive/distortion effect.
Novation Summit
Exact match: Low, dense, barely moving drone
OSCILLATOR 1
OSCILLATOR 2
MIXER
FILTER
- SHAPE: LP
- SLOPE: 12dB
- FREQUENCY: 25
- RESONANCE: 32
- SOURCE: Amp Env
- ENV DEPTH: 15
- LFO 1 DEPTH: 15
AMP ENVELOPE
- ATTACK: 127
- DECAY: 10
- SUSTAIN: 127
- RELEASE: 127
LFO 1
- WAVEFORM: Triangle
- RATE: 5
- FADE TIME: 0
EFFECTS
- REVERB TIME: 110
- REVERB LEVEL: 80
- REVERB SIZE: 3 (largest)
- DISTORTION LEVEL: 15
Oscillator 2's RANGE set to 16' (one octave below 8') is the real way to get a low sub layer on the same Summit voice, rather than a second layer -- kept at low MIXER level for mass without extra brightness. LFO 1's destination is fixed to filter frequency via its own FILTER-section 'LFO 1 DEPTH' knob, not the general Mod Matrix, so that's the real routing for the very slow, low-depth cutoff drift. Heavy Reverb plus a light Distortion give the grit and space without adding any faster movement.
Arturia MiniFreak
Exact match: Low, dense, barely moving drone
OSCILLATOR · Osc 1
- TYPE: Bass
- WAVE (Saturate): 10
- TIMBRE (Fold): 10
- VOLUME: 100
OSCILLATOR · Osc 2
- TYPE: SuperWave
- WAVE (Waveform): Triangle
- TIMBRE (Detune): 0
- SHAPE (Volume of copies): 0
- TUNE/OCT: -12 semitones (one octave below Osc 1)
- VOLUME: 40
ANALOG FILTER
- TYPE: Low Pass
- CUTOFF: 15
- RESONANCE: 20
- ENV/VELO: 0
ENVELOPE
- ATTACK: 100
- DECAY: 50
- SUSTAIN: 100
- RELEASE: 100
LFO
- SELECT/EDIT: LFO 2
- WAVE/LOAD: Tri
- RATE/TRIG: 0.05 Hz
DIGITAL EFFECTS · FX1
- TYPE: Reverb
- TIME: 85
- INTENSITY: 30
- AMOUNT: 50
DIGITAL EFFECTS · FX2
- TYPE: Distortion
- AMOUNT: 8
MODULATION MATRIX
- Source (row): LFO 2
- Destination (column): Cutoff
- Amount: +10
Osc 1 is Bass: Wave is Saturate, Timbre is Fold and Shape is Noise. Osc 2 is SuperWave used as a clean triangle: Detune and the copies' volume are both 0, so it is a single triangle wave. LFO 2 runs a Tri wave at 0.05 Hz. Mod Matrix: the LFO 2 row to the Cutoff column at +10. Values are on MiniFreak's native 0-100 scale.
Dreadbox Typhon
Exact match: Low, dense, barely moving drone
FRONT PANEL
- WAVE: ~7-8 o'clock (a darker VCO1/VCO2 blend, away from the brighter saw+saw combinations)
- TUNE 2: ~7 o'clock (VCO2 tuned a full octave below VCO1, for mass rather than pitch)
- CUTOFF: ~8 o'clock (very low)
- RESON: ~1-2 o'clock (up, for a slight growl)
- EG LEVEL: ~9 o'clock (minimal filter movement)
- FILTER TIME: ~7-8 o'clock (slowest available)
- AMP TIME: ~7-8 o'clock (slowest available)
- VOLUME: ~12 o'clock (global, not stored in the preset)
FILTER ADSR
- ATTACK: 100
- DECAY: 30
- SUSTAIN: 100
- RELEASE: 100
AMP ADSR
- ATTACK: 100
- DECAY: 30
- SUSTAIN: 100
- RELEASE: 100
M1
- MODE: LFO
- RATE: 5
- WAVE: Trapezoid
- FADE: 0
- DEST: CUT
- LVL: 10
FX1
- TYPE: Hard Clipping
- GAIN: 20
- LVL: 8
- MIX: 15
FX3
- TYPE: Large Reverb
- PRE: 10
- SIZE: 90
- FEED: 85
- DAMP: 40
- MIX: 55
Typhon's real onboard effects cover this: FX1's light Hard Clipping gives subtle grit and FX3's Large Reverb, pushed spacious and long, covers the heavy reverb this patch wants without an external send. M1 set to a very slow LFO into CUT (low LVL) is the one deliberate movement source, matching this patch's 'resist extra movement' principle across every synth. Front-panel knobs are physically unmarked, so those values are described by clock position, not a percentage.
ASM Hydrasynth Desktop
Exact match: Low, dense, barely moving drone
OSCILLATOR 1
- MODE: Single
- WAVE: Sine
- SEMI: 0
- CENTS: 0
- KEYTRACK: 100%
OSCILLATOR 2
- MODE: Single
- WAVE: Sine
- SEMI: -12
- CENTS: 0
- KEYTRACK: 100%
MIXER
- OSC 1 LEVEL: 100.0
- OSC 2 LEVEL: 40.0
FILTER 1
- TYPE: LP 8 Pole
- CUTOFF: 20.0
- RESONANCE: 35.0
- ENV 1 AMOUNT: 10.0
- LFO 1 AMOUNT: 8
- KEYTRACK: 0%
ENVELOPE 2
- DELAY: 0 ms
- ATTACK: 4000 ms
- HOLD: 0 ms
- DECAY: 500 ms
- SUSTAIN: 110.0
- RELEASE: 6000 ms
LFO 1
- WAVE: Triangle
- RATE: 0.05 Hz
- DELAY: 0 ms
- PHASE: 0°
- LEVEL: 20.0
REVERB
- TYPE: Cloud
- PREDELAY: 20 ms
- TIME: 10 s
- TONE: -25
- HI DAMP: 60.0
- LO DAMP: 10.0
- DRY/WET: 55%
LFO 1's routing to Filter 1's cutoff is via Filter 1's own real 'LFO 1 AMOUNT' knob (a pre-wired connection), not the general Mod Matrix -- kept very low for near-imperceptible drift, the only movement this patch wants. Filter 1's LP 8 Pole (a steep 48dB slope) adds extra darkness at such a low CUTOFF beyond what a gentler filter type could reach. Hydrasynth's envelope times are real milliseconds rather than a raw 0-127 curve, so Envelope 2 can hit the exact near-infinite 4000ms attack / 6000ms release this patch wants.
How the synths compare
Deliberately near-static — resist the urge to add movement beyond the very slow filter LFO. Emerging (opening the filter live) is meant for manual automation, not a fast modulation source.
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.