Wavefolded Aggressive Lead
Sounds like: A dense, aggressive, buzzing lead with harsh, folded harmonics.
Sound type: lead · Genre: IDM, Experimental · Style: harmonically dense, distorted digital lead built via wavefolding
An extremely harmonically dense, aggressive lead built by folding a simple waveform back on itself — far more complex and unstable-sounding than distortion alone produces.
Open this patch in the interactive Patchpad
Digitone II
Exact match: FM DRUM FOLD wavefolder
SYN page 1 · FM DRUM
- TUNE: 0
- STIM: 0
- SDEP: 0
- ALGO: 1
- OP.C: Sine
- OP.AB: Sine
- FDBK: 60
- FOLD: 100
SYN page 2 · FM DRUM
- RATIO A: 7.00
- DEC A: 127
- END A: 127
- MOD A: 70
SYN page 3 · FM DRUM
- HOLD: 0
- DEC: 127
- LEV: 127
- TLEV: 0
- NLEV: 0
FLTR page 1 · Multi-mode
- FREQ: 102
- RESO: 19
- TYPE: 0 (LP)
- DEC: 10
- SUS: 19
- ENV: 64
AMP page
- ATK: 0
- DEC: 44
- SUS: 76
- REL: 30
- MODE: ADSR
FX page
Digitone II's FM DRUM machine (select with FUNC+SYN) has a real wavefolder: FOLD sets the amount of wavefolding of the body part of the sound, which adds overtones. STIM and SDEP are 0 so there is no drum-style pitch sweep, and the body DEC on page 3 is at its last value, which the manual says is infinite, so the note sustains as a lead (the transient and noise levels are 0). RATIO A/MOD A with FDBK add FM roughness on top of the fold. FX page OVER adds more edge. The exact behaviour of a sustained FM DRUM body with the AMP envelope is not documented; if it decays too soon, raise AMP page SUS.
Syntakt
Approximation: No wavefolder: SY RAW overdrive instead
SYN — SY RAW
- WAV1: Saw
- TUNE: 0
- LEV2: 0
- OVER: 100
FLTR PAGE 1
- FREQ: 102
- RESO: 19
- TYPE: Lowpass
- DEC: 10
- SUS: 19
- ENV: 64
AMP PAGE 1
- ATK: 0
- DEC: 44
- SUS: 76
- REL: 30
AMP PAGE 2
SY RAW's own OVER parameter pushed to maximum is the main source of harmonic density here — Syntakt has no wavefolder, so expect a rougher, more distortion-flavored character than a true fold produces.
Novation Summit
Exact match: Shape Amount wavefolding
OSCILLATOR 1
- WAVE: Triangle
- RANGE: 8'
- SHAPE AMOUNT (Manual): 45
- SHAPE AMOUNT (Mod Env 1): 30
MOD ENVELOPE 1
- ATTACK: 0
- DECAY: 10
- SUSTAIN: 19
- RELEASE: 15
FILTER
- SHAPE: LP
- SLOPE: 24dB
- FREQUENCY: 102
- RESONANCE: 19
- SOURCE: Mod Env 1
- ENV DEPTH: 32
AMP ENVELOPE
- ATTACK: 0
- DECAY: 44
- SUSTAIN: 76
- RELEASE: 30
EFFECTS
Summit has real wavefolding: the oscillator's Shape Amount control, on Sine, Triangle and Sawtooth waves, folds the waveform and adds harmonics (the manual calls it wavefolding). Here a Triangle is folded with Manual 45, and Mod Env 1 adds 30 more at the attack (the Shape sources add together), so the fold is deepest on the hit and settles. The 24 dB filter with resonance, filter Overdrive and the Effects Distortion add the aggression.
Arturia MiniFreak
Exact match: Waveshaper engine
OSCILLATOR
- TYPE: Waveshaper
- WAVE (Wave): 50
- TIMBRE (Amount: wavefolding): 90
- VOLUME: 100
ANALOG FILTER
- TYPE: Low Pass
- CUTOFF: 80
- RESONANCE: 15
- ENV/VELO: 50
ENVELOPE
- ATTACK: 0
- DECAY: 30
- SUSTAIN: 60
- RELEASE: 20
Macros
- M1: Waveshaper fold amount (WAVE/TIMBRE), for live control of the fold intensity.
Osc 1 is Waveshaper: Wave picks the waveform, Timbre is the amount of wavefolding and Shape is the asymmetry. Values are on MiniFreak's native 0-100 scale, not 0-127. Macros: M1: Waveshaper fold amount (WAVE/TIMBRE), for live control of the fold intensity.
Dreadbox Typhon
Exact match: FX1 Foldback distortion
FRONT PANEL
- WAVE: ~7 o'clock (the FM position, fully counter-clockwise: VCO1 saw hard-FM'd by VCO2, richest/most complex labeled position)
- CUTOFF: ~2-3 o'clock (open)
- RESON: ~1-2 o'clock (high)
- EG LEVEL: ~2 o'clock (high)
- FILTER TIME: ~10 o'clock
- AMP TIME: ~11 o'clock
- VOLUME: ~12 o'clock
FILTER ADSR
- ATTACK: 0
- DECAY: 20
- SUSTAIN: 15
- RELEASE: 20
AMP ADSR
- ATTACK: 0
- DECAY: 44
- SUSTAIN: 76
- RELEASE: 30
FX1
- TYPE: Foldback
- GAIN: 80
- LVL: 90
- MIX: 70
FX1's Foldback distortion type is the closest thing Typhon has to true wavefolding — a genuine folding-style waveshaper, not a generic clip/drive, so this translation lands closer to the original brief than most of Typhon's other patches in this library. The WAVE knob's own hard-FM labeled position adds further harmonic density from the two VCOs before the fold. Front-panel knobs are unmarked, so those values are clock positions.
ASM Hydrasynth Desktop
Approximation: PW-ASM warp is the closest mechanism
OSCILLATOR 1
- MODE: Single
- WAVE: Spect A 4
- SEMI: 0
- CENTS: 0
- KEYTRACK: 100%
MUTATOR 1
- MODE: PW-ASM
- DEPTH: 90
- FEEDBACK: 20
- DRY/WET: 100%
FILTER 1
- TYPE: LP Ldr24
- CUTOFF: 102.0
- RESONANCE: 19.0
- ENV 1 AMOUNT: 64
ENVELOPE 1
- DELAY: 0 ms
- ATTACK: 0 ms
- HOLD: 0 ms
- DECAY: 80 ms
- SUSTAIN: 15.0
- RELEASE: 90 ms
ENVELOPE 2
- DELAY: 0 ms
- ATTACK: 0 ms
- HOLD: 0 ms
- DECAY: 140 ms
- SUSTAIN: 76.0
- RELEASE: 100 ms
Macros
- Macro 1: Mutator 1 Depth (PW-ASM warp amount), for live control of the fold/warp intensity.
Mutator 1's PW-ASM mode is a fully custom 8-point FM warp shape — the closest Hydrasynth mechanism to true wavefolding, more literal than a generic distortion effect. Macro 1 is a genuine performance-macro module, unrelated to the Mutator itself.
How the synths compare
Digitone II (FM DRUM FOLD) and MiniFreak (Waveshaper engine) have a real wavefolder; the others approximate via FM or distortion.
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.