Four Tet Wavetable Cascade Pad
Sounds like: A pad that tumbles through changing tones like cascading grains.
Sound type: pad · Genre: Downtempo, IDM, Ambient · Style: Four Tet-style shifting, evolving pad texture
A shifting, evolving pad built from a wavetable position that slowly steps through several waves — the timbre itself cascades and morphs over the note's duration, giving an organic, granular-adjacent texture rather than a static tone.
Open this patch in the interactive Patchpad
Digitone II
Exact match: WAVETONE, both oscillators scanned
SYN page 1 · WAVETONE
- TUN1: 0
- WAV1: 20 (HARM table, swept by MOD page 1)
- PD1: 0
- LEV1: 90
- TUN2: 0
- WAV2: 60 (HARM table, swept by MOD page 2)
- PD2: 0
- LEV2: 50
SYN page 2 · WAVETONE
- OFS1: 0
- TBL1: HARM
- MOD: OFF
- RSET: OFF
- OFS2: 0
- TBL2: HARM
- DRIF: 15
FLTR page 1 · Multi-mode
- FREQ: 55
- RESO: 15
- TYPE: 0 (LP)
AMP page
- ATK: 40
- DEC: 90
- SUS: 100
- REL: 110
- MODE: ADSR
MOD page 1
- SPD: 3
- WAVE: Triangle
- DEST: SYN: Data entry knob B (WAV1)
- DEP: 25
- MODE: FREE
MOD page 2
- SPD: 2
- WAVE: Triangle
- DEST: SYN: Data entry knob F (WAV2)
- DEP: 20
- MODE: FREE
Same real WAVETONE wavetable crossfading as a slower, subtler wavetable lead, but both oscillators are scanned — MOD page 1 sweeps WAV1 and MOD page 2 sweeps WAV2 at different, unsynced speeds (SPD 3 vs 2) through the HARM table, so the two timbres cascade past each other and the combined movement never settles into an obvious loop. Depth is higher (25/20) because here the morph is the whole point. DRIF adds the slight random pitch drift for an organic feel.
Syntakt
Exact match: SY CHORD wavetable
SYN — SY CHORD
- TUNE: 0
- WAVE: 60 (swept by LFO PAGE 1)
- PNCH: 0
- DEC: 70
- TYPE: Unison × 2
- BAL: 50
- FENV: 0
- OVER: 10
FLTR PAGE 1
- FREQ: 55
- RESO: 15
- TYPE: Lowpass
AMP PAGE 1
- ATK: 40
- DEC: 90
- SUS: 100
- REL: 110
LFO PAGE 1
- SPD: 6
- WAVE: Triangle
- DEST: MACHINE: parameter 2 (WAVE)
- DEP: 25
- MODE: FRE
Real SY CHORD wavetable machine (WAVE sweeps the wavetable) with UNISON detune via BAL. LFO PAGE 1 on WAVE (parameter 2) at a higher depth than a subtle wavetable lead gives the prominent, cascading timbral shift this pad is built around. Syntakt has two LFOs per audio track — LFO PAGE 2 on BAL or FLTR FREQ at a different, unsynced speed would add a second, independent layer of movement.
Novation Summit
Exact match: Two wavetable positions scanned at different speeds
OSCILLATOR 1
- WAVE: More
- WAVEMORE: Glassy
- SHAPE AMOUNT: 40
- SHAPE SOURCE: LFO 1
OSCILLATOR 2
- WAVE: Triangle
- RANGE: 8'
- FINE: 0 cents
MIXER
FILTER
- SHAPE: LP
- FREQUENCY: 55
- RESONANCE: 15
LFO 1
- WAVEFORM: Triangle
- RATE: 6
- LFO 1 DEPTH (Filter section): 10
AMP ENVELOPE
- ATTACK: 40
- DECAY: 90
- SUSTAIN: 100
- RELEASE: 110
MODULATION MATRIX
- Slot 1 sA: ModWheel
- Slot 1 Destin: Osc1Shpe
- Slot 1 Depth: +20
- Slot 2 sA: ModWheel
- Slot 2 Destin: FiltFreq
- Slot 2 Depth: +20
Same real wavetable-scan mechanism as a wavetable lead, with a higher SHAPE AMOUNT (40 vs 20) for a more prominent cascade — this patch wants the morph to be the whole point, not a subtle background drift. Live control: the Mod Wheel pushes OSC 1 Shape (the wavetable position) and opens the filter through two Mod Matrix slots.
Arturia MiniFreak
Exact match: Chords engine wavetable
OSCILLATOR · Osc 1
- TYPE: SuperWave
- WAVE (Waveform): Sawtooth
- TIMBRE (Detune): 50
- SHAPE (Volume of copies): 60
- VOLUME: 100
OSCILLATOR · Osc 2
- TYPE: Chords
- WAVE: Octave (Interval)
- TIMBRE: 0 (Inv/Trsp)
- SHAPE: 60 (Waveform — wavetable region, above 50)
- VOLUME: 70
ANALOG FILTER
- TYPE: Low Pass
- CUTOFF: 55
- RESONANCE: 15
ENVELOPE
- ATTACK: 40
- DECAY: 90
- SUSTAIN: 100
- RELEASE: 100
LFO
- SELECT/EDIT: LFO 1
- WAVE/LOAD: Tri
- RATE/TRIG: 0.3 Hz
MODULATION MATRIX
- Source (row): LFO 1
- Destination (column): Assign 1: Osc 2 Shape
- Amount: +30
Osc 1 is SuperWave, the stacked-detuned-copies engine: Detune (50) sets the spread between the copies and the third knob (60) sets the copies' level against the original. Osc 2 is the Chords engine (Osc 2 only): Interval is Octave (the least intrusive chord), Inv/Trsp is 0, and its Waveform knob (the panel Shape knob) above 50 is a wavetable that morphs between 16 waveforms. Chords cannot be used in Paraphonic mode. LFO 1 runs a Tri wave at 0.3 Hz. Mod Matrix: the LFO 1 row to the Assign 1: Osc 2 Shape column (hold an Assign button and turn that control to assign it) at +30. Values are on MiniFreak's native 0-100 scale.
Dreadbox Typhon
Approximation: No wavetable: LFO on the WAVE knob blend
FRONT PANEL
- WAVE: ~8 o'clock (base VCO1/VCO2 blend)
- CUTOFF: ~11 o'clock (~55%)
- RESON: ~8 o'clock (~15%)
FILTER ADSR
- ATTACK: 40
- DECAY: 90
- SUSTAIN: 100
- RELEASE: 100
AMP ADSR
- ATTACK: 40
- DECAY: 90
- SUSTAIN: 100
- RELEASE: 100
M1
- MODE: LFO
- WAVE: Triangle
- RATE: 4 (slow)
- FADE: 0
- DEST: WAVE
- LVL: 25
Same real DEST WAVE mechanism as a wavetable lead, pushed more prominent here (LVL 25 vs 15) to match this patch's more dominant cascade character.
ASM Hydrasynth Desktop
Exact match: Two wavetable positions scanned at different speeds
OSCILLATOR 1
- MODE: WaveScan
- WAVESCAN: 5.0
FILTER 1
- TYPE: LP Ldr12
- CUTOFF: 55.0
- RESONANCE: 15.0
ENVELOPE 2
- ATTACK: 400 ms
- DECAY: 900 ms
- SUSTAIN: 110.0
- RELEASE: 1200 ms
LFO 3
- WAVE: Triangle
- RATE: 0.08Hz
- LEVEL: 30
MOD MATRIX
- SOURCE: LFO 3
- DESTINATION: Osc 1 WaveScan
- DEPTH: 25
Same real WaveScan mechanism as a wavetable lead, at a different position in the wavelist and a higher depth for a more prominent cascade.
How the synths compare
Same wavetable availability as Boards of Canada Detuned Wavetable Lead — what differs here is prominence: every synth's morph depth is pushed higher, since this pad wants the cascading timbral shift to be the whole point rather than a subtle background drift. Typhon has no wavetable, so it modulates the WAVE knob blend.
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.