Baby Audio BA-1 is the company’s first Synthesizer plugin and a modern, still authentic take on the Yamaha CS01 “fat sounding little machine”
In April, Baby Audio released the BA-1, a Synthesizer plugin based on a modern take on the iconic Yamaha CS01.
It took a while, but now the synth is also available for iOS with AUv3 support.
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Article From April 25th, 2023
Baby Audio is a young plugin developer company known for its high-quality, clever effects plugins. Among others, they are the makers of the great-sounding TAIP tape machine/tape saturator or the versatile Crystalline reverb plugin.
Since today they are also Synthesizer developers. B-1, very simply named, emulates the popular Yamaha CS01 Synthesizer. But in Baby Audio fashion, i.e., with more features and clever additions.
Baby Audio BA-1
BA-1 is the first proper analog-modeled emulation of the Yamaha CS01, a beloved and cultish 1982 mono synth says the developer.
As a reminder: the CS01, initially released in 1982, features a single multi-wave oscillator with PWM, a 12dB filter with hi or lo resonance + ADSR, a sine wave LFO, and an ADSR envelope for the VCA. The MKII version hosts a 24dB instead of a 12dB filter
New In The BA-1
The BA-1 plugin has everything the original hardware had. Also, the instant and playful workflow. But also much more. Besides an authentic recreation of the raw, gritty, and drifty oscillator of the original, Baby Audio added a second oscillator and an FM slider, adding more flexibility to the synth. Great for more harmonic-rich sounds.
Then, they modeled the 24dB filter of the CS01 hardware with the same self-oscillation behavior. It’s a pity it doesn’t offer the 12dB filter option of the Mk1 version. There is also a modeled ADSR envelope with a host-sync option for the attack on the DAW BPM. This allows you to create sweeping sounds in perfect sync.
BA-1 ships with the same straightforward LFO but upgraded with BPM host sync ability and an easter egg. Baby Audio also added a clever sidechain functionality with internal and external modes. BA-1 creates a 4/4 ducking pattern synced to the host tempo in the internal mode. Alternatively, you can duck it with external signals.
Vintage Effects
Effect processors are not far away whenever the name Baby Audio is mentioned. And yes, its first Synthesizer plugin also packs a complete multi-fx section with a strong focus on vintage sounds. According to BA, it’s inspired by budget 1980’s hardware.
In the lower part of the GUI, two shelving filters are grouped as “tone.” This can be used to make the sound more brigher or darker. The drives adds two selectable, characterful analog-modeled distortion flavors to the sound: either circuit gives you wild circuit bending flavors while OD models a classic 80’s guitar pedal.
The delay, reverb, and chorus continue just as vintage. All three effects are modeled after budget rack hardware from the CS01 era. All three effects have a very limited feature set that makes them very easy to use. They are fine-tuned so that they are very rich on sweet spots.
And a small, funny extra is the battery effect. The original CS01 could be powered by batteries. It created weird sonic artifacts as the power deteriorated.
Baby Audio has modeled this bizarre behavior for the hardware and formed a unique effect. You can drain the battery of the plugin to achieve pitch fluctuations, noise, and distortion the further down you go.
Further, it ships with 500+ presets made by professional sound designers. If that’s not enough, you can find an inspiring Re-Gen functionality to create new patches instantly.
First Impression
Another emulation of a synth classic from the past. Yes, it doesn’t sound that exciting at first glance. But I think it’s interesting that Baby Audio has decided on a synth where there is no emulation available
Plus, it’s not a 1-to-1 emulation. They have also made some great, unusual additions like that thing with the battery. In the first demos, the synth sounds very solid and versatile. And yes also with polyphony.
Baby Audio BA-1 is available now for an introductory price of $49 (51% OFF) instead of $99 (reg. price). It runs as a VST, AU, and AAX plugin on macOS (Intel + native Apple Silicon) and Windows. The iOS version is available now for an introductory price of $19,99 and runs on iPhones and iPads in standalone and as an AUv3 plugin.
More information here: Baby Audio
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