One embodiment of the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for performing both phase modulation (PM) and amplitude modulation (AM) downstream of a controlled oscillator (e.g., by providing a baseband signal having no phase modulation to a controlled oscillator and performing phase modulation on a high frequency RF signal output from the oscillator), wherein the amplitude modulation is synchronized with the phase modulation. In one particular embodiment, the method and apparatus synchronize modulation of AM and PM signal paths in a manner that provides a polar modulated signal having an amplitude of zero at a symbol boundary (e.g., a transition between different symbols) having a phase of zero (e.g., a phase that crosses through a zero crossing point).