BABY Audio BA-1 v1.5.0

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 colorful effects chain since the early days and here it is!

All downloads of BA-1 v1.5 include the standalone “BA-1 FX Strip” as an effect plugin.

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.

Onboard Arpeggiator

Arpeggiators were an essential ingredient in the synth sounds of the 80s. For BA-1 v1.5, we’ve added a classic hardware-style arpeggiator with three modes (up, down, up/down) and a three octave range.

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 a more flexible implementation of this distinctive and lush effect.

Easter Eggs

The colored dots between BA-1’s segments reveal 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 unpredictable pitch glides and dissonance.

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

Freshen up BA-1’s look with the all-new black and crimson UI theme.

BA-1 is Baby Audio's modern re-imagination of a cultish 1982 analogue 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 colour.

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 Baby Audio's first-ever synth, they started there.

The Sound

In keeping with Baby Audio's motto ”It’s an evolution, not an emulation”, they modelled the hardware with the greatest possible accuracy, before carefully upgrading it with new and useful features. A second analogue-modelled oscillator, FM, polyphony, and more, help to vastly expand the sonic palette of the original. All while keeping it's signature sound unspoiled. Additionally, BA-1 lets you drain the battery, bend the circuits, and use the built-in speaker – for an authentic lo-fi aesthetic that you could normally only get with hardware.

The Effects

If you know Baby Audio, you’ll know that effects are their speciality. So they'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 modelled 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. Baby Audio have put great effort into tuning all parameters to be in the perfect sweet spot. This results in a rewarding programming workflow where tweaking BA-1 is a lot of fun and 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 patches with every click.