Shapers

Drive

Distortion — adds harmonics and grit.

Learn about it in FM & distortion: changing the timbre

How it works

SOFT gently rounds off peaks (warm tape-like saturation). HARD flattens them (fuzzy, buzzy clipping). FOLD reflects peaks back down instead of clipping — a wavefolder, which adds bright, shifting overtones as Drive increases.

Inputs

IN	Signal to distort.

Outputs

OUT	Distorted signal.

Knobs and switches

SOFT / HARD / FOLD	Distortion type.
Drive	How hard the signal is pushed.
Level	Output volume (distortion gets loud).

Patches to try

Sine VCO → Drive (FOLD) with an LFO moving the VCO level via a VCA: West-coast timbres.

Lessons that use the Drive

Each one opens as a working patch in the synth.

13 · Drive & Wavefolding

More shapers

Filter VCA Vowel Low-Pass Gate