Description

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 abeast. It brings you pure and authentic textures that are fast to program and dripping with color.

The Legacy

BA-1 is based on a portable 1980s synth with a toylike appearance and a gritty sound. Despite its smallsize it left a big mark on music history while still flying somewhat under the hype radar. The original hasbeen used as a secret weapon for bubbly synth textures by some of Swedens most successful popproducers of the past two decades. It was also a staple of 1990s digital dancehall and beloved by theindietronica scene for its raw lo-fi quality. The CS01-as the original is called-has never beenproperlycaptured in software form. So for our first ever synth we started there.

The Sound

In keeping with our motto its an evolution not an emulation we modeled the hardware with the greatestpossible accuracy before carefully upgrading it withnew and useful features. A second analog-modeledoscillator FM polyphony and more help to vastly expand the sonic palette of the original. All whilekeeping its signature sound unspoiled. Additionally BA-1 lets you drain the battery bend the circuits and use the built-in speakerfor anauthentic lo-fi aesthetic that you could normally only get with hardware.

The Effects

If you know our company youll know that effects are our specialty. So weve treated BA-1 with an FXsection worthy of its ownplugin. The effects chain is inspired by budget 1980s rack hardware andcaptures the lo-fi charm of the home studio scene of the era. The overdrive is modeled after a guitarpedal 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 useand abuse them.

The Simplicity

BA-1 is simple but surprisingly tweakable. Weve put great effort into tuning all parameters to be in theperfect sweet spot. This results in a rewarding programming workflow where tweaking BA-1 is a lot of funand youll create new patches on repeat.Andif a simple interface is not fast enough you can always use the smart Re-Gen feature. Hit Re-Genand BA-1 will automatically create new and musically tuned patches with every click.

Highlights

List:

• 4 Color Options – After long hours in the studio it can be nice to see something new. BA – 1 lets you switch between gray blue purple and orange color modes to keep things fresh. Click right here on the colored squares to preview the options.
• 500+ High Quality Presets – BA – 1 comes with a ton of new musical inspirat ion in the form of 500+ carefully crafted presets. This includes 4 genre – based expansion packs created by some of our favorite sound designers. Whether youre into synthwave modern pop lo – fi hip hop or 80s / 90s nostalgia we got you covered.
• Oscillator Section – The sound generators are the heart and soul of BA – 1. Meticulously modeled to offer the raw grit and drift that made the original hardware so beloved. The triangle and PWM waveforms are particular highlights if you want a classic 80s dub sound. A s econd oscillator has been added in BA – 1 – compared to the original – for more flexible sound design options
• FM – FM adds complexity and depth to the classic analog subtractive architecture giving you more sound design options. Dial-in the FM-oscillator either an octave above or below Oscillator 1 to add some plasticky 80s texture.
• Filter Section – Analog-modeled and nicely rounded 24dB low-pass filter. The resonance offers a gritty bite and will start to self-oscillate when pushed towards the 95-100% range just like the real hardware.
• Envelope Section – The envelope lets you shape the sound with the same quirky side effects as in the original hardware. Additionally weve added the option to host-sync the attack time to your DAWs BPM. This allows for sweeping sounds that rise in perfect sync with your music.
• Settings – Switch between Mono and Poly mode (the original hardware was mono only). Turn Velocity Sensitivity on or off. Open the Midi Settings. Or reset BA-1 to its initial state.
• LFO Section – A simple LFO that is easy to utilize and hard to mess up like the original. Weve added the possibility to sync the LFO to the host BPM for more modern applications. Furthermore the LFO section hides one of BA-1s many easter eggs: Click the Target label to find it.
• Sidechain – Synths sound better when they move with the mix. Thats what the Sidechain feature is for. It can work in External or Internal mode. By default Sidechain is set to Internal and will create an automatic 4/4 ducking pattern synced to your host tempo. This can be dialed-in to taste. Click the Routing label to switch to External mode and duck BA-1 when a sidechain input is present. Place the sidechain either before or after the FX section by clicking the routing switch.
• Tone + Drive – BA-1s FX section would be worthy of its own retro-color plugin. It is inspired by cheap 1980s rack effects and guitar pedals. Tone offers two shelving filters to easily make BA-1s character darker or brighter. Drive adds gritty analog-modeled distortion and has two modes: Circuit models the effect of circuit bending the original hardware while OD models an 80s overdrive pedal.
• Delay + Reverb + Chorus – The grainy digital delay reverb and chorus combo is THE sound of the 1980s! Weve recreated this epic FX combo in BA-1 modeled after budget rack hardware from the era. Engage all three effects at once and youll have a hard time programming a dull sounding patch.
• Battery – The original synth could be powered by batteries. But they never lasted long and weird sonic artifacts were introduced as the power deteriorated. Weve modeled this behavior and exaggerated it slightly for a better effect. Drain the battery to achieve pitch fluctuations noise and distortion the further down you go.
• Speaker – The original synth could be powered by batteries. But they never lasted long and weird sonic artifacts were introduced as the power deteriorated. Weve modeled this behavior and exaggerated it slightly for a better effect. Drain the battery to achieve pitch fluctuations noise and distortion the further down you go.
• Re-Gen – Creates new and unique patches with every click. Unlike a regular randomizer Re-Gen hosts a smart algorithm calibrated to come up with usable and musical presets on the fly. When youre stuck for inspiration click Re-Gen and let it take you in a new direction.
• Resize – BA-1s plugin window can be fully resized.

Features:

• The first proper analog-modeled emulation of the CS01 a beloved and cultish 1982 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
• 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!
• Fun and easy to program yet surprisingly versatile

Requirements: