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Praise for our products
Rediscover the fun of synthesis
Infuse your tracks with some gloriously gritty 80s color. BA-1’s analog-modeled architecture brings you closer than ever to the sound of the real hardware. Easy to program and buzzing with life, BA-1 lets you rediscover the joy of synth programming.
BA-1
An evolution, not an emulation
Add the raw and infectious sound of a 1980s analog cult synth to your toolbox.
We studied the circuitry and characteristics of the original hardware, then expanded the feature set to make BA-1 a unique new instrument in its own right.
The result is an evolution, not an emulation. A surprisingly versatile, easy to operate synth that can create lush pads, gritty leads, squelchy basslines and so much more.
Sounds like hardware. Behaves like hardware.
We've brought you all the authentic quirks that users of the real hardware loved (and sometimes hated).
Drain the battery, distort the signal via circuit-bending, use the built-in speaker – or create unpredictable stepped glides with the unhinged 'gliss' feature.
BA-1 brings you untamed virtual-analog magic.
"Loving BA-1. It’s totally magical and inspiring!!! Sounds gorgeous and playful and really you can bring any kind of character out of it. The Re-gen button is genius, and the battery slider is so much fun. Just as slick and musical and fun as everything else you guys make. Brilliant work!"
Mike Schmid
Songwriter and Musician - Miley Cyrus, Kylie Minogue, The Chainsmokers, Troye Sivan
"Another winner!!! BA-1 is such an inspiring retro synth. Just like their other releases, it’s a unique and refreshing take on throwback sonics combined with the coolest interfaces that make you excited to start tweaking. Baby Audio always packs so much creativity, fun, and flavor into every plug in that I use at least one on all my productions."
J.R. Rotem
Producer and Songwriter - Rihanna, Sean Kingston, Jason Derulo, Fall Out Boy, Gwen Stefani
"Beautifully clean and punchy oscillators, super musical filter and the effects are super convenient. Gonna be a go-to from now on."
Lindgren
Songwriter and Producer - Dua Lipa, BTS, John Legend, Halsey
"In an age where you can get a plugin version of literally any synthesizer ever made, Baby Audio manages to create something unique that stands out, sounds great and is super fun to use. BA-1 doesn't sound like anything you've already got in your collection. This is a plugin I couldn't live without."
Michael Oakley
Producer and Musician
"I love the sound of this synth but also how incredibly simple it is. It's not cluttered with an overwhelming amount of features, which makes it actually super enjoyable to use. Definitely can see this being a go to synth for me."
Mick Schultz
Grammy-Nominated Producer - Jeremih, 50 Cent, YG, Gracie Abrams
"It’s only been about 10 minutes but yeah man – it’s AWESOME!! And you’re right – I don’t know of a lot of lo-fi synth plugins like this. Having just begun to mess with it, it’s already maybe the most interesting synth in my plugin collection."
Jeremy Ruzumna
Songwriter, Producer, and Musician - Fitz and the Tantrums, Macy Gray, Bruno Mars, CeeLo Green, Lil Baby
"For a simple plugin, BA-1 is versatile. It hosts the vintage sound so well, all whilst being beautifully rounded!"
Jayce Lewis
Musician and Producer - Rammstein, Robyn, Gary Numan
"Once again, Baby Audio has managed to make something uniquely fun and useful even in such a crowded market. BA-1, like all of Baby’s tools, is immediately creative and inspiring – easy to use but with some deep capabilities – and above all, sounds fantastic and unique. Another go-to in my arsenal!"
Bryn Bliska
Musician, Producer, and Composer - Maggie Rogers, Chappell Roan, Jacob Collier, Karol G
Free Effect Plugin Included
Effects to match the 80s aesthetic
BA-1's FX chain is not just onboard the synth itself but also included as a separate effect plugin with your BA-1 purchase – so you can add BA-1's color to any track.
The FX chain includes a gritty and lo-fi leaning effect selection that captures the sound of budget 1980s home studio productions. It includes meticulously modeled overdrive, filter, tone-shaper, delay, reverb, chorus and speaker effects.
Program new patches on repeat
BA-1 is simple to use, but surprisingly tweakable. Most every slider position is a sweet spot and you'll be programming new patches non-stop.
You can also delegate the programming to BA-1 with the smart Re-Gen feature. Hit Re-Gen and BA-1 will automatically create new and musically tuned patches with every click.
Thousands of extra presets available
BA-1 already ships with 500+ factory presets. But if you want to explore cutting edge sounds for genres such as 90s electronica, chiptune and 70s disco, you can check out our growing collection of expansion pack releases.
Explore the features
More details
What are the tech specs?
✱ Plugin formats: VST, VST3, AU, AAX (64-bit).
✱ Standalone application / non-plugin version also included.
✱ Platforms supported: Mac OS 10.11 and up (including Native Apple Silicon M-Chip Compatibility). PC Windows 10 and newer.
✱ DAWs supported: All major DAWs, including Ableton Live, Pro Tools, Logic Pro, FL Studio, Cubase, Studio One, Bitwig, Reaper, Reason etc.
How BA-1 was developed
To create BA-1, we extensively measured the original hardware and recreated each of its main building blocks (oscillator, filter, envelopes etc.) with dedicated Virtual Analog algorithms that captured the instrument's unique character. Starting from this faithful emulation, the project evolved into a modern reinterpretation of the original hardware where the components were refined for a more musical and flexible response.
To introduce non-linear behaviors that do not occur in software synths, we intentionally built in “imperfections” from the analog domain. These include slight distortion from the output OP-AMP, speaker simulation (linear and non linear), experimental FM options and the “battery mode”, which emulates the behavior of the battery on the hardware unit.
For the effect section, we created an 80s style FDN-based reverb, a Juno-inspired chorus, an early digital era delay, a musical gain compensated EQ and a side chain compressor to complete the signal chain.
The final result is not a static 1:1 replica of the original hardware but a reimagined modern-day version that retains the original’s authentic charm while expanding it with new sonic possibilities.
BA-1
Analog-Modeled Synth Plugin
Buy BA-1
- One time purchase to own BA-1 forever.
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* Legal Disclaimer: All third party manufacturer and product names mentioned on this page are trademarks of their respective owners and are in no way associated or affiliated with Baby Audio. The trademarks of other manufacturers are used solely to identify the products whose sounds were studied during the development of BA-1.
