PATCHPADAll synth patchesAll drum patterns

Reverse-Attack Pluck

Sounds like: A note that swells up to a peak and cuts off, like a reversed pluck.

Sound type: pluck · Genre: Experimental, Trip-Hop · Style: swelling reverse-envelope pluck, the inverse of a normal transient

A pluck played backwards, effectively — the note swells up to a peak rather than snapping and decaying, then cuts off cleanly. Useful as a rhythmic anticipation element leading into a downbeat.

Open this patch in the interactive Patchpad

Digitone II

Exact match: Swell up to a peak, then a clean cut-off

SYN page 1

SYN page 2 · Operator A

FLTR page 1 · Multi-mode

AMP page

Operator A (ratio 2.00, level ~20) adds saw-like brightness without a metallic edge -- the AMP page's own long Attack (~80, zero Decay, full Sustain) does the actual swelling, not the FM modulator. FLTR's Attack is matched to the AMP page so the filter opens in step with the swell. The note holds at full sustain until cut by the trig length.

Syntakt

Exact match: Swell up to a peak, then a clean cut-off

SYN — SY RAW

FLTR PAGE 1

AMP PAGE 1

AMP PAGE 2

AMP PAGE 2's MODE must be set to ADSR (the default for SY machines, but drum machines default to AHD), so AMP PAGE 1's long Attack and full Sustain actually hold rather than the machine falling straight into its default Hold/Decay behavior -- easy to silently get wrong when translating a swelling shape. FLTR's own Attack mirrors the amp swell.

Novation Summit

Exact match: Swell up to a peak, then a clean cut-off

OSCILLATOR 1

FILTER

AMP ENVELOPE

FILTER's SOURCE is set to Amp Env rather than a separate Mod Envelope, so the same long-Attack swell shapes both loudness and brightness together. Summit's Attack times are on a nonlinear exponential curve -- 80 lands in the several-hundred-ms range appropriate for a clear, gradual swell, dial in by ear.

Arturia MiniFreak

Exact match: Swell up to a peak, then a clean cut-off

OSCILLATOR 1

ANALOG FILTER

ENVELOPE

Osc 1 is BasicWaves with Morph at 50 (pure sawtooth): 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). The same Envelope also swells the filter open via ANALOG FILTER's ENV/VELO 20 above, mirroring the amp swell. Note length in the sequencer matters as much as the envelope: the note must be cut at the swell's peak for the 'reverse pluck' effect to read clearly. Values are on MiniFreak's native 0-100 scale.

Dreadbox Typhon

Exact match: Swell up to a peak, then a clean cut-off

FRONT PANEL

FILTER ADSR

AMP ADSR

AMP TIME and FILTER TIME on the front panel are set toward their slower end so the ADSR pages' own Attack values (already fairly long numbers) stretch out into a clearly audible swell rather than a quick fade-in. Front-panel knobs are physically unmarked, so WAVE/CUTOFF/RESON/EG LEVEL/FILTER TIME/AMP TIME are described by clock position, not a percentage; the ADSR page numbers use Typhon's usual 0-100 convention (inferred by consistency, see conventions notes).

ASM Hydrasynth Desktop

Exact match: Swell up to a peak, then a clean cut-off

OSCILLATOR 1

FILTER 1

ENVELOPE 1

ENVELOPE 2

Envelope 1 (pre-wired to Filter 1) and Envelope 2 (pre-wired to Amp) use matched long Attack stages with zero Decay and full Sustain (128.0, Hydrasynth's DAHDSR sustain is a level not a time) for the swell-then-hold shape. Note length matters as much as the envelope here -- the note must be cut (gated) at the swell's peak for the 'reverse pluck' effect to read clearly.

How the synths compare

Note length in the sequencer matters as much as the envelope here — the note must be cut (gated) at the swell's peak for the 'reverse pluck' effect to read clearly, rather than left to sustain indefinitely.

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.