Wavefolder

Parameters

Fold Amount — How aggressively the waveform folds back on itself when it exceeds the internal threshold, 1× (none) to 10× (heavy). Folding creates complex, evolving harmonic content that responds to input level — quiet passages stay clean while loud ones bloom into rich overtones. Unlike clipping (which truncates peaks), folding turns excess energy back into the waveform, generating a distinctive bell-like or metallic timbre.

Symmetry — Bias offset added before folding, −1 to +1. At 0 the folder is symmetric — both positive and negative excursions fold the same way, producing only odd harmonics. Offset values break the symmetry and introduce even harmonics, generating a more “tube-like” or “horn-like” character. Subtle settings (±0.2) shift the tone; extreme values produce more dissonant, broken sounds.

Dry/Wet — Equal-power blend between the dry signal (0) and the wavefolded signal (1). At 1 you hear pure fold; lower values let the original signal show through while the folded copy adds harmonic richness underneath. Node-specific — the FX-slot version handles wet/dry at the mixer.

Additional controls

Stages — Number of folding stages cascaded in series. 1× is single-stage (the cleanest, most musical fold). 2× stacks two folders for denser harmonic content, suited to West Coast synth tones. 4× is heavily cascaded — chaotic, noisy, and unpredictable; use sparingly or for sound-design extremes.

About Wavefolder

Wavefolding comes from West Coast synthesis (Buchla, Serge), where it’s a primary tone-shaping element instead of a distortion afterthought. Where clipping flattens peaks (subtractive: it removes information), folding bends them back into the waveform (additive: it generates new harmonic content). The result is highly responsive to input level — wavefolders shine on dynamically-varying material like envelope-driven synth tones, where the harmonic spectrum evolves with the envelope shape. The presets at the bottom of the panel (Subtle / Medium / Heavy / West / Chaos) cover the useful range from gentle warmth to full destruction.

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