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Baby Audio BA-1
ANALOG-MODELED SYNTH PLUGIN (VST/AU/AAX)
A Synth With A Soul
BA-1 is our modern re-imagination of a cultish 1982 analog synth that looked like a toy but sounded like a beast. It brings you pure and authentic textures that are fast to program and dripping with color.
New Effect Plugin Included
The all-new BA-1 FX Strip lets you add gritty 80s effects to any track in your DAW. Expand the list to see all v1.5 updates.
✱ New Effect Plugin - BA-1 FX Strip:
BA-1 isn’t just an analog modeled synthesizer. It also offers a meticulously modeled FX section, based on budget 1980s rack effects. Users have been asking for a standalone edition of BA-1’s effects chain since the early days and here it is! Use the FX Strip to run any audio through BA-1’s virtual circuits and add 80s-flavored drive, filtering, delay, reverb, chorus – and even BA-1’s speaker simulator.
✱ Arpeggiator:
Arpeggiators were an essential ingredient in the synth sounds of the 80s. For BA-1 v1.5, we’ve added a hands-on, hardware-style arpeggiator with three modes (up, down, up/down) and a three octave range. The arp allows for un-syncing from the host tempo for more authentic (i.e. slightly out of time!) effects.
✱ Flexible Chorus parameter:
The original BA-1 offered a simple on/off chorus effect, reminiscent of the Junos and other classic 80s synths. In v1.5, the chorus can now be set anywhere between 0% and 100% for more creative flexibility.
✱ Easter eggs:
The colored dots between BA-1’s segments reveal some new additional synth parameters when clicked. LFO fade adds ramp time to the modulation wave that gradually (or abruptly) fades up to its set frequency for a more unpredictable LFO effect. Chaos introduces nonlinear behavior in the reverb and chorus algorithms for dissonance and unpredictable pitch glides.
✱ Improved preset browser:
BA-1’s preset manager has a vastly improved workflow in v1.5. Search presets by name, filter by pack, or mark patches with color-coded tags to remember them. You can easily import packs, create your own or browse the available BA-1 Expansions to add more sounds to your synth.
✱ New UI theme:
See BA-1 from a fresh perspective with the new black and red UI theme.
THE LEGACY
BA-1 is based on a portable 1980s synth with a toylike appearance and a gritty sound. Despite its small size, it left a big mark on music history, while still flying somewhat under the hype radar. The original has been used as a secret weapon for bubbly synth textures by some of Sweden’s most successful pop producers of the past two decades. It was also a staple of 1990s digital dancehall and beloved by the indietronica scene for its raw lo-fi quality. The ‘CS01’ - as the original is called - has never been properly captured in software form. So for our first ever synth, we started there. And added a whole lot more!
THE SOUND
In keeping with our motto ”it’s an evolution, not an emulation”, we modeled the hardware with the greatest possible accuracy, before carefully upgrading it with new and useful features. A second analog-modeled oscillator, FM, polyphony, and more, help to vastly expand the sonic palette of the original. All while keeping its signature sound unspoiled.
Additionally, BA-1 lets you drain the battery, bend the circuits, use the built-in speaker etc. for an authentic lo-fi aesthetic that you could normally only get with hardware.
Notable Users
THE EFFECTS
If you know our company, you’ll know that effects are kinda our thing. So we’ve treated BA-1 with an FX section worthy of its own plugin. The effects chain is inspired by budget 1980s rack hardware and captures the lo-fi charm of the home studio scene of the era. The overdrive is modeled after a guitar pedal, while the delay, reverb and chorus effects are based on cheap, but amazing, digital rack units.
In BA-1, the effects are not an afterthought but an ingrained part of the sonic signature. So tweak, use, and abuse them.
THE SIMPLICITY
BA-1 is simple, but surprisingly tweakable. We’ve put great effort into tuning all parameters to be in the perfect sweet spot. This results in a fun and rewarding programming workflow where you’ll create new patches on repeat.
And if a simple interface is not fast enough, you can always use the smart ‘Re-Gen’ feature. Hit Re-Gen and BA-1 will automatically create new and musically tuned presets with every click.
Included Preset Packs
BA-1 comes loaded with 500+ presets, including specialty packs created by some of the top sound designers in the industry.
TL;DR
✱ The first proper software emulation of the CS01, a beloved and cultish 1982 analog monosynth
✱ Vastly expands the sonic palette of the original – thanks to careful upgrades and new features
✱ Includes a colorful FX section inspired by budget 1980s hardware
✱ Fun and easy to program, yet deceptively versatile
✱ 500+ high quality presets and a Re-Gen function for instantly generating new patches
✱ If you want authentic, lofi-leaning, synth textures in a plugin, this is it
COMPATIBILITY
✱ Plugin formats: VST, VST3, AU, AAX.
✱ Platforms supported: Mac OS 10.7 and up (including Native M1 Compatibility). PC Windows 7 and up.
✱ DAWs supported: All major DAWs, including Ableton Live, Pro Tools, Logic Pro, FL Studio, Cubase, Nuendo, Studio One, Bitwig, Reaper, Reason etc.
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