PWM Lead

Sounds like: A lead that seems to chorus itself as its pulse width slowly shifts.

Sound type: lead · Genre: House, Techno · Style: pulse-width-modulated evolving analog lead

A lead whose timbre continuously shifts as its pulse width is modulated by a slow LFO — sounds like a single voice quietly chorusing itself, without needing a second oscillator.

Open this patch in the interactive Patchpad

Digitone II

Exact match: WAVETONE PD1 = pulse width on a square

SYN page 1 · WAVETONE

• TUN1: 0
• WAV1: Square (PRIM table)
• PD1: 40
• LEV1: 100
• TUN2: 0
• WAV2: Square (PRIM table)
• PD2: 0
• LEV2: 0

SYN page 2 · WAVETONE

• OFS1: 0
• TBL1: PRIM
• MOD: OFF
• RSET: ON
• OFS2: 0
• TBL2: PRIM
• DRIF: 0

FLTR page 1 · Multi-mode

• FREQ: 89
• RESO: 13
• TYPE: 0 (LP)

AMP page

• ATK: 5
• DEC: 45
• SUS: 100
• REL: 45
• MODE: ADSR

MOD page 1

• SPD: 8
• WAVE: Triangle
• DEST: SYN: Data entry knob C (PD1)
• DEP: 25
• MODE: FREE

Digitone II's WAVETONE machine (select with FUNC+SYN). WAV1 is a literal Square from the PRIM table. Per the manual, PD1 (phase distortion) acts as a pulse-width control on a square wave, so MOD page 1's slow Triangle LFO on PD1 (data entry knob C) is genuine pulse-width modulation. LEV2 is 0, so only the one voice is heard.

Syntakt

Exact match: SY BITS WAVE 96 with LFO (manual recipe)

SYN — SY BITS

• WAVE: 96
• BAL: 64
• SRR: 0
• BR: 16 bits (full)
• TUNE: 0

FLTR PAGE 1

• FREQ: 89
• RESO: 13
• TYPE: Lowpass

AMP PAGE 1

• ATK: 5
• DEC: 45
• SUS: 100
• REL: 45

AMP PAGE 2

• MODE: ADSR

LFO PAGE 1

• SPD: 8
• WAVE: Triangle
• DEST: MACHINE: parameter 5 (WAVE)
• DEP: 32
• MODE: FRE

The manual's own recipe for full-range pulse width modulation: SY BITS with WAVE at 96, modulated by an LFO with DEP 32. BAL 64 keeps only Oscillator 1 (no noise, no second oscillator), and SRR/BR are left clean so it is a plain pulse.

Novation Summit

Exact match: Oscillator pulse width via mod matrix

OSCILLATOR 1

• WAVE: Square/Pulse
• RANGE: 8'

LFO 1

• WAVEFORM: Triangle
• RATE: 15
• FADE TIME: 0

FILTER

• SHAPE: LP
• SLOPE: 12dB
• FREQUENCY: 89
• RESONANCE: 13
• SOURCE: Amp Env
• ENV DEPTH: 13

AMP ENVELOPE

• ATTACK: 5
• DECAY: 45
• SUSTAIN: 100
• RELEASE: 45

MODULATION MATRIX

• Slot 1 sA: Lfo1+/-
• Slot 1 Destin: Osc1Shpe
• Slot 1 Depth: +30

Summit's analog oscillators support true continuously-variable pulse width, so routing LFO 1 to Oscillator 1's Pulse Width via the Mod Matrix (LFO 1's own panel Depth knob is hardwired to filter frequency, so a matrix slot is the way to reach pulse width) is a literal PWM implementation, not an approximation like the FM/wavetable synths need.

Arturia MiniFreak

Exact match: VAnalog Shape as pulse width

OSCILLATOR

• TYPE: BasicWaves
• WAVE (Morph): 0 (square)
• TIMBRE (Sym: pulse width): 50 (modulated by LFO 1)
• SHAPE (Sub): 0
• VOLUME: 100

ANALOG FILTER

• TYPE: Low Pass
• CUTOFF: 70
• RESONANCE: 10
• ENV/VELO: 10

ENVELOPE

• ATTACK: 5
• DECAY: 30
• SUSTAIN: 80
• RELEASE: 30

LFO

• SELECT/EDIT: LFO 1
• WAVE/LOAD: Tri
• RATE/TRIG: 1 Hz

MODULATION MATRIX

• Source (row): LFO 1
• Destination (column): Timbre 1
• Amount: +40

Osc 1 is BasicWaves with Morph at 0 (square): the Morph knob runs from a square (0) through a sawtooth (50) to a double sawtooth an octave up (100), Sym only changes the pulse width below 50, and Sub adds a sine an octave down (0 here). LFO 1 runs a Tri wave at 1 Hz. Mod Matrix: the LFO 1 row to the Timbre 1 column at +40. Values are on MiniFreak's native 0-100 scale, not 0-127.

Dreadbox Typhon

Approximation: No pulse width: LFO on filter cutoff instead

FRONT PANEL

• WAVE: ~2 o'clock (mostly VCO1 square, light VCO2 blend)
• CUTOFF: ~2-3 o'clock (mostly open)
• RESON: ~8-9 o'clock (low)
• EG LEVEL: ~8-9 o'clock (low — most movement comes from M1, not the filter envelope)
• FILTER TIME: ~12 o'clock
• AMP TIME: ~12 o'clock
• VOLUME: ~12 o'clock

M1

• MODE: LFO
• RATE: 15
• WAVE: Triangle
• FADE: 0
• DEST: CUT
• LVL: 25

AMP ADSR

• ATTACK: 5
• DECAY: 45
• SUSTAIN: 80
• RELEASE: 45

Typhon has no pulse-width-capable oscillator or a PW-targetable modulation destination, so M1 instead runs a slow LFO into CUT (filter cutoff) at a light LVL, approximating the same continuously-shifting-timbre effect true PWM gives on other synths. Front-panel knobs are physically unmarked, so those values are clock positions, not percentages.

ASM Hydrasynth Desktop

Exact match: Mutator PW-Orig

OSCILLATOR 1

• MODE: Single
• WAVE: Square
• SEMI: 0
• CENTS: 0
• KEYTRACK: 100%

MUTATOR 1

• MODE: PW-Orig
• DEPTH: 40
• FEEDBACK: 0
• DRY/WET: 100%

LFO 1

• WAVE: Triangle
• RATE: 0.3 Hz
• DELAY: 0 ms
• LEVEL: 90

MOD MATRIX

• SOURCE: LFO 1
• DESTINATION: Mutator 1 Depth
• DEPTH: 30

FILTER 1

• TYPE: LP 1 Pole
• CUTOFF: 89.0
• RESONANCE: 13.0
• ENV 1 AMOUNT: 10

AMP

• LFO 2 AMOUNT: 0
• VELOCITY: 0
• AMP LEVEL: 100.0

ENVELOPE 2

• DELAY: 0 ms
• ATTACK: 20 ms
• HOLD: 0 ms
• DECAY: 300 ms
• SUSTAIN: 100.0
• RELEASE: 300 ms

Mutator 1's PW-Orig mode is Hydrasynth's real pulse-width-modulation mechanism (one of three dedicated PWM methods on this synth) — routing LFO 1 into its Depth via the Mod Matrix gives a literal continuously-shifting pulse width, the same mechanism true analog PWM uses, not an approximation.

How the synths compare

Novation Summit gives classic analog pulse-width modulation. Syntakt's SY BITS has the manual's own PWM recipe (WAVE 96 with an LFO on WAVE), and Digitone II's WAVETONE modulates PD1, which the manual describes as pulse width on a square wave.

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.