In a digital modulator with compensation, a digital bit stream from a microphone (705), a speech coder (706), and a channel encoder (707) is sent to an encoder (720) which translates the bits into I/Q digital pulses with phase shift keying. A symbol correlater (730) notes when predetermined target phase symbol sequences, which contribute to a high peak-to-average power ratio, enter the encoder. If a target symbol sequence is encountered, the correlater directs compensation amplifiers or compensation filters (734, 737) of the I/Q signals. Next, I/Q pulse shaping filters (764, 765) filter the I/Q pulses according to communication system specifications. The filtered I/Q signals are then sent to a quadrature modulator (790) for RF modulation. Compensation of target symbol sequences reduces the negative impact they have on peak-to-average power ratio and increases the efficiency of the power amplifier (795) which extends the battery life of a communication device (700).