Wipeout Soundtrack: How Gaming Helped 90s Electronica Go Mainstream

The Wipeout racing game series is a cult favorite among retro gaming enthusiasts.

But its soundtrack played a surprisingly important role in the history of electronic music.

In fact, many artists and producers who got their start in the 90s cite it as a core inspiration.

So what was it that made these soundtracks so important to the development of this era’s electronic music culture?

In this article I’ll explain the origin of Wipeout’s association with electronic music, go through the key artists that appeared on the 90s-era soundtracks and chart how the series continues to influence electronic music today.

Let’s get started.

What is the Wipeout franchise?

The Wipeout series is a futuristic racing game in which players pilot anti-gravity ships at extreme speeds around expansive tracks in a sci-fi setting.

Originally released for Sony Playstation in 1995, the game spawned a series of sequels and remakes throughout the 90s and 2000s.

The series’ unique setting, 3D graphics and frenetic pace made it a cultural touchstone for the cyberpunk and hacker subcultures that were emerging at the time.

An early prototype of the game was even used for an iconic scene in the cult classic 1995 film Hackers, in which the two protagonists face off against each other in a nightclub.

But perhaps most significantly, developer Psygnosis made the unconventional decision to pair the series’ futuristic gameplay with music from some of the biggest names in 90s electronic music.

Helping to spread the sound of underground music worldwide, many influential artists have cited the Wipeout soundtracks as an important initial exposure to the styles of 90s underground rave culture.

Wipeout and Wipeout 2097 - 90s electronica legends

It’s common today for big budget games to license commercial music to include in their soundtracks. But before the Wipeout franchise, it was almost completely unheard of.

Despite that, the team working on the original Wipeout game convinced developer Psygnosis that real songs would help the game connect with the youth subcultures it was targeting.

The dawn of the 3D console era marked a cultural shift as the influence of digital technologies began to seep into youth movements.

Hacker crews, cyberpunk sci-fi and underground raves went hand in hand, each embracing a uniquely 90s form of futurism.

The Wipeout team leaned into that aesthetic, hoping tracks from the real artists at the center of the movement could lend credibility to the association.

In addition to tracks by Psygnosis’ in-house composer Tim Wright aka CoLD SToRage, the series soundtrack features tracks from seminal 90s artists like Leftfield, The Chemical Brothers, Orbital, The Prodigy, Fluke, The Future Sound of London, The Dust Brothers and more.

The result was a series of iconic soundtracks that spanned the diverse sounds of the era, with everything from big beat, to techno, breakbeat, trance, rave, ambient and drum’n’bass.

Why was Wipeout so influential?

In the days before the widespread adoption of the internet, culture spread more slowly, remaining concentrated in distinct geographic regions before bubbling over into the mainstream.

Techno had originated in Detroit, but UK and European artists were pushing the sound forward in the 90s. The underground culture of illegal outdoor raves in the UK helped create communities around the new genres developing at the time.

For many listeners, these regional scenes were inaccessible and the music itself wasn’t readily available to buy.

By crystallizing a moment in music, technology and culture, the Wipeout games helped bring the underground sound to a wider audience.

One producer who acknowledges the influence of these soundtracks is Matt Bowdler, aka, The Unfinished.

One of the most prolific sound designers and preset makers of all time, Bowdler has a special affinity for the artists featured on the soundtrack and the original music created for the games by Tim Wright.

We approached Matt to help us create the ultimate 90s-inspired sound collection for BA-1, our vintage synth plugin.

The pack contains all the key ingredients for the authentic sounds of the era—punchy, grinding basses, soaring, lyrical leads, driving, exhilarating sequences, warm, expressive pads, all infused with that 90s-era clarity, ambience, distortion and flavor.

The pack demo is a perfect example of how these sounds capture the vibe:

Isotonik

150 Presets By The Unfinished / Matt Bowdler

The definitive collection of 90s electronica sounds from one of the masters of preset design, Matt Bowdler (The Unfinished). Inspired by dance and jungle cult hits, IDM and the Wipeout soundtrack, this vast collection of 150 presets covers dance music's golden era in its full and eclectic glory.

Use it for: Rave-ready leads, squelchy sequences and big beat basses + much more.

Included in 90s Legacy.

Get the presets

To get the full 150 presets in the Isotonik pack by The Unfinished, head over to the BA-1 Expansions page to learn more.

Of course, you’ll need a copy of BA-1 to use the sounds, but it’s a worthwhile investment. You’ll be getting one of the most inspiring analog-style synth plugins available.

Here’s a brief introduction to BA-1 to get you started:

Low Poly Electronica

Of course, the Wipeout series was just one way that music and gaming were influencing each other during the 90s.

Of all the genres developing at the time, jungle, DnB and breakbeats are perhaps most associated with the early era of 3D graphics.

Sometimes called the low poly aesthetic in reference to the lower polygon count of the first generation of 3D consoles, the skittering breakbeats of drum’n’bass were the perfect match for high-energy gaming sessions.

The forward-looking feel of the genre also helped evoke the distinctive east-meets-west quality of the original Playstation and its launch titles.

You’ll find dozens of YouTube compilation mixes highlighting this unique aesthetic with real OST tracks from original PS1 games.

But this genre isn’t limited to tracks that accompany 90s-era games.

There’s a dedicated community of producers working in this style today, including the excellent Pizza Hotline.

To bring the atmospheric feel of this style to BA-1, Pizza Hotline contributed the Low Poly Breaks pack to the 90s Legacy Collection.

It features the recognizable submarine basses, cerebral pads and crystalline SFX of the low poly PS1 era.

Low poly Breaks - Pizza Hotline

Pizza Hotline brings you the distinctive DnB sound of 1990s low-poly video games. Channeling the unique flavor of jungle that soundtracked early 3D consoles, this pack delivers the synth sounds of gaming’s biggest paradigm shift. Dive deep into atmospheric textures and recall the moment when electronic music and gaming culture first collided.

Use it for: Cerebral pads, submarine basses, crystalline SFX + more.

Included in 90s Legacy.

Get the presets

90s futurism: gaming, music and culture

The trends that began in the 90s still have a far-reaching impact on electronic music today.

Squelchy acid sequences, glitched-out breakbeats and searing rave leads can still be heard in modern productions across genres.

The Wipeout soundtrack didn’t invent any of these sonic touchstones, but it curated a unique collection of music that helped electronica go mainstream.

Now that you’ve got some inspiration from the golden decade of electronic music culture, get back to your DAW and keep creating.

Humanoid Turns One! Celebrate with the 1 Yr Anniversary Preset Pack

Humanoid is one year old today!

Our groundbreaking vocal plugin just marked its one-year anniversary and it’s time to celebrate with a brand new preset pack.

Compiled from the personal collections of ten creators and sound designers who helped bring Humanoid’s unique sound to the forefront, the new pack contains over a hundred custom presets.

Now available for free to all existing users, the 1 Yr Anniversary pack comes standard with new installs of Humanoid.

If you already own Humanoid, all you have to do is reinstall your plugin from the downloads page to update it with the new sounds.

And if you still haven’t gotten around to trying Humanoid, now is the perfect time to get started with the free trial.

Read on for the pack details, or head over to the downloads page to install your updated copy, or get the free trial.

1 Yr Anniversary Pack - 101 Custom Arist Presets

Over the past year, we've connected with talented creators to showcase the best of Humanoid with creative tutorials, demos, and roundups.

When we reached out for contributions to the anniversary pack, the response was overwhelming!

1 Yr Anniversary features presets from Francis Preve, Hydratek, JA, Jacob Durbin, Kayla Jo, Make Pop Music, Taetro, Tokyo Speirs, Vines and Zardonic.

Covering everything from hard tuning to classic vocoding and experimental presets for non-vocal sources, the pack gives you instant inspiration for modern vocal effects.

We sat down with the creators responsible to get their take on how Humanoid fits into their workflow

Make Pop Music

“Humanoid is such an incredible tool for adding texture, character, harmony, and excitement to my vocal arrangements. Whether I want a subtle effect, or want to absolutely mangle a vocal, the options are virtually endless with Humanoid.” - Make Pop Music.

Taetro

“I can instantly create a totally new vibe using Humanoid on vocals. It gives me control over a vocal like I'm controlling a synth!” - Taetro

Vines

“Humanoid is a great option for creating quick & easy vocal harmonies; I like to pair it with Crystalline for an otherworldly, angelic vibe.” - Vines

Jacob Durbin

“Humanoid might seem like a vocal-focused plugin at first, but I’ve been using it on everything...Drums, piano, guitar, you name it. It’s incredibly powerful and brings a unique character I haven’t found in any other plugin.” - Jacob Durbin

badhabit

“Humanoid is one of my favorite plugins for processing vocals. I love to use it for layering vocals with interesting effects such as vocoders, talkbox, harmonies, as well as on lead vocals for a unique robotic touch. 10/10!” - badhabit

Nathan Tipton

“Making these presets meant diving deep into the settings, improvising with source sounds and dials until something clicked. It was fun to find new uses outside of existing presets - like harmonizing a tritone at the plugin’s lowest octave for monster sounds or turning a guitar into a metal bass.” - Nathan Tipton

Kayla Jo

“Humanoid lets me dissolve the edges of the human voice and reimagine it as something entirely new— bold, alien, and full of character ! I loved creating 10 sun-inspired presets and playing with the variety of parameters in humanoid.” - Kayla Jo

What is a Vocoder? How Classic Voice Synthesis Works

Vocoders were one of the first technologies to convincingly emulate the human voice.

Their quirky robotic sound may seem nostalgic now, but they paved the way for the development of voice synthesis as we know it today.

But what exactly is a vocoder? How do they work and how can you capture their iconic sound?

In this article, I’ll explain everything you need to know about vocoders and take a look at the future of voice synthesis technology.

Let’s get started.

What is a vocoder?

Vocoder is short for ‘voice encoder’ and refers to a family of technologies used to emulate the human voice.

Traditional vocoders map the timbral characteristics of speech or singing onto pitched tones from a synthesizer.

Many of the original hardware vocoders came with built-in synthesis features meant to pair with their voice input circuitry.

As a result, classic analog vocoders are often sought after for their unique synth sound as well as their vocoding capabilities.

But while vocoder technology was first developed during the analog era, synthesizing human vocal sounds continued to fascinate engineers through to the present day.

In the DAW era, there are many approaches to voice synthesis and emulation, from traditional analog-style vocoders to timbral resynthesis and even AI.

How does a vocoder work?

Vocoders work by taking voice input from a microphone or recorded track and extracting the characteristics of the speech or singing.

The qualities of the vocal signal become the modulation source for a synthesizer oscillator.

This works by passing the voice signal through a network of narrow bandpass filters, and measuring the intensity of each frequency component over time with an envelope follower.

Those envelope characteristics are used to modulate an equivalent set of filters that act on a synth oscillator, called the carrier signal.

The more filter bands used for analysis and reconstruction, the more realistic the vocal sound will be.

Today’s vocoder plugins can achieve highly accurate results, but for many producers, the charm of vintage vocoders comes from their imperfect recreation of the human voice.

By manipulating the modulator signal from the voice input and changing the sound of the carrier synth signal, you can achieve a wide variety of vocal synthesis sounds, from realistic to robotic sci-fi.

But as I mentioned above, voice synthesis has developed considerably since the days of analog vocoding. Today you’ll find plugins like Humanoid that rely on totally different techniques to achieve a similar effect—more on that later.

How to use a vocoder

If you’re not lucky enough to own a classic analog vocoder or a modern hardware device with vocoder capabilities, you’re probably working with a vocoder plugin inside your DAW.

To set that up, you’ll need a microphone input for your voice, a MIDI controller or recorded MIDI part and your vocoder plugin of choice.

The MIDI signal provides the synth section of the vocoder with note on/off information, and the microphone input provides the voice sounds that will become the modulator signal after processing.

Most vocoder plugins allow input from audio tracks as well as MIDI sources, but the configuration will vary depending on the DAW you use.

For example, in Logic Pro, you’ll need to add vocoder plugins as ‘MIDI-Controlled Effects’ in order to send them both audio input and MIDI information.

But even if your DAW supports audio input on regular instrument tracks, you’ll still need to set them up to receive the voice signal.

On most vocoder plugins, the modulator audio is set with the track’s sidechain input. Depending on your host, you may need to create a dedicated output from the voice channel to ensure you don’t hear any dry signal from the modulator source.

The process is similar when using Humanoid in polyphonic mode, but the configuration may depend on the host DAW.

But speaking of Humanoid…

Is Humanoid a vocoder?

Humanoid is our next generation vocal transformer and resynthesis plugin.

But is it a vocoder? Technically no, Humanoid works on a different principle than traditional vocoding.

Even so, many users have found that Humanoid offers a compelling take on the classic vocoder sound with additional flexibility and a unique character all its own.

Humanoid requires an input signal to create its effect, so it’s not comparable to a vocoder with an onboard synth that can produce an oscillator signal with just MIDI notes.

Instead, Humanoid breaks the incoming vocal signal down into its component parts and resynthesizes them using a method that has more in common with wavetable synthesis.

If you’re interested in learning more, head over to our technical deep dive, but here’s the basic idea.

Humanoid’s vocoder-like qualities come from its tuning function. To robotify the voice signal, Humanoid determines the pitch of the incoming notes and maps it to a set scale or incoming MIDI.

At less intense settings, the effect closely resembles that of a vocal tuning plugin pushed too far.

But when controlled with polyphonic MIDI, it turns into a lush, synthetic pad-like tone that’s clearer and more defined than any vocoder.

If you’re looking to explore voice synthesis and vocoding, it’s worth downloading Humanoid’s free trial to get a sense of what it can do!

The next generation of vocal effects

Vocoders played an important role in the history of synthesis.

Capturing the timbral characteristics of speech and singing was a milestone for sound design and had a huge influence on music.

But vocal synthesis technology has come a long way since the early days, and vocoders aren’t the only way to create synthetic vocals.

New approaches like Humanoid’s unique resynthesis can take the vocoder sound further into the modern era of vocal production.

Now that you have the basics, get back to your DAW and try creating some synthetic voices!

What are AUv3 Plugins? The Best iOS Apps for Mobile Production

AUv3 plugins are bringing iOS music production into a new golden age.

These mobile-friendly tools can be just as powerful as their desktop counterparts, changing what’s possible within mobile DAWs.

But what exactly is AUv3? Why has it changed the game and what makes AUv3 plugins so important for iOS music makers?

In this article, I’ll explain everything you need to know about AUv3 plugins and suggest a few top picks to add to your mobile production setup.

What is AUv3?

AUv3 stands for Audio Unit Version 3. It’s Apple’s standard for third-party plugins on iOS, iPadOS and macOS.

AUv3 is an evolution of Apple’s well-known Audio Unit format that was developed for macOS as an alternative to VST in the early 2000s.

With Apple’s continued focus on mobile devices, it was inevitable that a new version of the AU standard would involve deeper integration with iOS and iPadOS.

That’s here now with AUv3, along with other next-gen enhancements that improve the plugin experience on Apple hardware and software.

Why is AUv3 so important for mobile production?

Before the advent of AUv3, mobile music production apps had limited integration with third-party plugins.

As any desktop producer knows, the plugins you use make a big impact on your production style and the quality of your results.

Unfortunately for mobile producers, early third-party plugins relied on workarounds for compatibility with iOS DAWs. These methods couldn’t provide all the functionality that desktop users had come to expect, so many users considered mobile production fundamentally limited.

However, Apple’s vision for the iPad and iPhone to become core platforms for creative production led to the introduction of the AUv3 standard in 2015.

Adoption of the format became widespread with the introduction of Logic Pro for iPad in 2023, finally providing users with a full-fledged production environment on mobile devices.

Today’s mobile production landscape is much more mature, with dozens of manufacturers providing AUv3 compatible versions of their flagship desktop plugins and a thriving community of producers working exclusively on iOS.

What makes AUv3 better than what came before?

If you’re used to using plugins on your desktop machine, you’ve probably seen the standard formats that most developers include during installation.

The most common options are VST, AAX and AU. AAX is a proprietary format for Pro Tools, but VST and AU plugins can both be used on computers running macOS.

Although many producers use the term VST as shorthand for any type of plugin, it actually refers to a specific technology created by Steinberg for use in its Cubase DAW.

While VST plugins are usually compatible with macOS, Apple set out to develop its own standard after it became clear that third-party tools would become a fixture of the DAW era.

The goal was to integrate more directly with Apple’s Core Audio technology and improve the basic functionality of third-party plugins for use on their software and hardware.

With AUv3, Apple has finally bridged the gap between mobile and desktop production, offering easy portability between macOS and iOS platforms with minimal effort from developers.

There’s a long list of the technical factors that contribute to this, but here are the basic features available to developers in the AUv3 format:

• Multichannel audio and MIDI support

• Real-time processing and low-latency framework

• Self-contained operation separate from the host app

• Native inter-app communication

• Save and recall state settings

• Touch-optimized UI integration

The best AUv3 plugins for mobile music production

With the technical details out of the way, here’s my guide to the best AUv3 plugins available.

Before we get started, note that there are hundreds of titles to choose from, so every producer’s personal favorites will be different.

That said, there are a few companies that have prioritized mobile-friendly AUv3 releases, so I’ll break down the top picks from each in 2025.

Baby Audio

We’re a bit biased when it comes to this one, but here at BA we’ve been quietly releasing AUv3 versions of our most popular plugins for the last several years.

You’ll find mobile-ready AUv3 support for classics like BA-1, Transit, TAIP and Comeback Kid as well as recently released titles like Humanoid and Warp.

Our plugins focus on creativity, quality results and engaging workflows, so they’re a great place to start if you need to add some color to your mix on mobile.

For example, Humanoid is one of our most exciting iOS releases ever, with the ability to completely transform any singing performance into a futuristic robotic vocal.

Click below to check out Humanoid and the rest of the Baby Audio Catalog on the App Store.

Fabfilter

Fabfilter is another respected developer with a commitment to delivering mobile compatibility for its core products.

Known for their professional quality mixing and mastering tools, the company also offers some unique instruments and effects that make great additions to any Logic Pro for iPad setup.

Eventide

Eventide is one of the original builders of digital studio effects. Today, the company creates innovative plugins as well as high-quality hardware devices.

Luckily for iOS producers, many of the well-known effects from their H9 hardware unit are available as AUv3 plugins.

BLEASS

French developer BLEASS has a notable focus on iOS platforms, with robust AUv3 compatibility across their entire library.

With a wide variety of synthesizers, useful effects and creative processing, there’s plenty to discover if you need some fresh inspiration in your plugin folder.

Other AUv3 highlights

Although some developers pay special attention to mobile compatibility, there are plenty of recommended AUv3 plugins from smaller developers and one-off projects.

Here are a few other AUv3 plugins to check out:

• Moog Model 15—modular synth from the original innovators of synthesis
• Koala Sampler—creative and fun instant sampling on mobile devices
• Ravenscroft 275—meticulously sampled grand piano
• Scalar 2—music theory workstation

Make music anywhere with AUv3 tools

Mobile music production offers an enticing promise for artists that want to take their workflow with them wherever inspiration strikes.

With the advent of modern iOS DAWs like Logic Pro for iPad and its AUv3 plugin compatibility, that dream is closer than ever to coming true.

As more developers prioritize AUv3 plugin development, the variety of creative tools available to mobile producers will only increase.

If you’ve made it to the end of this article, you’ll have a solid overview of the AUv3 standard, as well as a good introduction to the top plugins available for mobile DAWs.

Resonance Suppressor vs. Multi-band Compressor vs. Dynamic EQ: Which Should You Use?

If you’ve been following the development of plugin design over the last few years, you’ve probably seen a new class of tools making their way into producers’ workflows.

I’m talking about dynamic resonance suppressors like Smooth Operator Pro.

These unique processors are often lumped in with other advanced frequency and dynamics tools like multiband compression and dynamic EQ.

But how exactly are they different? Can they be used interchangeably? What makes resonance suppression unique and when is it worth using over types of processing?

In this article, I’ll clear up the differences between these advanced mixing tools, point out their pros and cons, and suggest examples for where to use each one in your mix.

Let’s get started.

Fundamentals: EQ and Compression

First off, you’ll need to understand the basics of EQ and compression to get started with any of these more advanced styles of processing.

Let’s start with the simplest—EQ.

EQ is your principal tool for managing the tonal balance of the tracks in your mix.

Whether you’re clearing out boomy bass with a high-pass filter or making surgical cuts with a steep notch filter, the underlying action is the same.

All EQs, no matter how sophisticated, are made up of filters that attenuate energy in the signal based on their frequency, shape and characteristics.

Filters can trace their lineage back to the earliest analog processing devices. Think of the equalizer section on a stereo system or mixer. In these devices, the entire signal is routed through the EQ and the components in the filter circuit attenuate the signal more in some areas than others.

Even when you use an analog EQ to boost frequencies, the action often works by cutting in some areas and increasing the level of the remainder of the signal.

For this reason, you can consider EQ to be a fundamentally subtractive process. Digital EQs are slightly more complicated, but they work on the same general principle.

Compression on the other hand, is concerned with dynamics.

Dynamics in music production refers to the changes in volume over time in recorded sound.

It’s important to control a sound’s dynamic range to make sure the important elements can be heard clearly in the mix at all times.

Compressors help reduce the dynamic range so that all the sounds in the mix can interact in a pleasing way without wild swings in volume.

With those basic concepts out of the way, let's move on to the more advanced versions we’ll be talking about in comparison with dynamic resonance suppression.

Multi-band compression

Multi-band compression is like having a separate compressor for each important frequency area in the signal

Recall that regular compressors work by attenuating the signal when its level passes a set threshold.

This works well for most sources, but some sounds you’ll encounter while mixing may have varying characteristics across the frequency spectrum.

Multi-band compressors divide the frequency spectrum into distinct areas before applying compression. For each band, the compression only acts on the selected frequency areas.

In the most common configuration, this allows you to set different compression behavior for the highs, lows and middle frequencies.

Multiband compressors rely on steep filters to carve the spectrum into isolated zones. So even though compression is their main method of action, filters still play a role.

Dynamic EQ

Dynamic EQ is a related concept with similar action, but its approach starts on the equalizer side.

Think of a modern digital EQ that supports multiple bands and filter types. For each band that you add, you choose a gain value to determine the amount of cut our boost applied by the filter.

But what if that gain value could respond to the dynamics of the input signal? That’s the basic idea of dynamic EQ.

It lets you add dynamic range reduction to each EQ band with its own attack, release and threshold controls.

Like multiband compression, this allows you to process specific areas of the signal to control dynamics. But dynamic EQ is even more surgical since you’re not limited to the typical multiband compressor configuration of three bands separated by steep filters.

Why dynamic resonance suppression is different

So after all that, what makes dynamic resonance suppression unique?

Let’s start with the most fundamental difference. Resonance suppressors are not based on filters, gain reduction or any combination of the two.

Instead they act on the spectral content of the signal by manipulating the harmonic partials that make up the sound.

How do they do this? The key lies in an analysis technique called the Fast Fourier Transform.

Any sound, no matter how complex, can be expressed as the sum of simple sine waves at different frequencies, amplitudes, and phases.

These component pieces are known as harmonic partials, and their arrangement and characteristics determine the timbre of the sound you hear.

The Fast Fourier Transform, or FFT, analyzes the signal to break it down into its individual harmonic partials.

Some of these harmonics sound pleasing and contribute to positive aspects of the sound. But in some cases, frequency energy builds up in areas that give rise to harshness, muddiness or other qualities you’d prefer to reduce in your mix.

These buildups are often referred to as resonances, since you can often pinpoint their distracting harmonics if you listen closely.

Smooth Operator Pro lets you work directly with these harmonics to rebalance their intensity and solve tricky problems that can’t be fixed with traditional tools.

What about attack, release and ratio?

If you've already worked with Smooth Operator Pro, you’ve likely seen the Comp menu with its familiar attack, release and ratio controls.

While these behave similar to the ones you’d see on a compressor, their action isn’t exactly equivalent.

Since Smooth Operator Pro works entirely in the spectral domain, it’s not evening out the level of the signal like a compressor or isolating a range of frequencies like an EQ.

It’s actually controlling the magnitude of the frequency partials themselves!

This is why Smooth Operator Pro can remove large concentrations of energy without radically altering the tonal balance of the material.

Once you get used to thinking about the dynamics of the spectral components of the signal, you’ll get a unique sense of how to work with Smooth Operator Pro.

Fixing problems is just the beginning, and once you get the hang of it you’ll find plenty of creative applications for its powerful form of processing.

Where to use dynamic resonance suppression in a mix

So when should you use dynamic resonance suppression, and when are the alternatives a better fit?

At the end of the day, you can use many different types of tools to accomplish your key tasks in mixing. The workflow you choose is ultimately up to you and you may prefer working with one type of processor over the other.

Dynamic resonance suppression, Multiband compression and Dynamic EQ can often be used in place of one another, but they can also compliment each other when used together.

Here are a few situations where you might consider using, one or the other, or a combination of all three.

1. Reduce grating harshness that gives you ear fatigue

Reducing harsh resonances is one of the most popular applications of dynamic resonance suppression.

As I described above, harshness is often the result of accumulations of harmonic energy in sensitive areas of the frequency spectrum.

You may be able to zoom in on harsh frequencies with a narrow band in your multiband compressor, but it’s probably not that area’s dynamic range that’s the problem.

Similarly, grabbing a dynamic EQ band in the region will help if you attenuate the signal, but even with the gain cut responding to input dynamics, you’re essentially just cutting that frequency like a traditional EQ!

Speaking of which, regular static EQ is another weapon in your arsenal to reduce harshness. But since the static filter acts on the whole signal, you’ll be reducing the intensity of the harmonics, plus whatever else might live in the area where you made the cut.

Dynamic resonance suppression gives you deeper access to just the problematic frequency components. This can often preserve more of the important material in your sound while delivering better results on harsh frequencies.

2. Control dynamics for an entire mix

Complex material like full mixes is where advanced tools like dynamic resonance suppression, multi-band compression and dynamic EQ are most powerful.

A great mix needs to feel balanced and controlled yet punchy and lively with nothing sticking out.

If you’ve managed the dynamics well in your individual tracks, you may not need to add any processing to the master bus to get a cohesive sound.

But in many cases, a little additional dynamics control can solidify a song’s groove and glue everything together.

To do it right, you may need to compress each area of the spectrum with its own settings.

That’s where multiband compression comes in. You can easily dial in airy open top end, punchy midrange and controlled bass for an entire mix with the standard three band setup.

Dynamic resonance suppression can also be used on a full mix, but it’s much more helpful for bringing back clarity than controlling overall dynamic range.

Try using Smooth Operator Pro on a full mix to gently thin out the density in the lower midrange for additional clarity and a more ‘hifi’ feel.

3. Reducing aggressive sibilance

Sibilance is one of the most distracting problems that can occur in your vocal sound.

It happens when syllables that contain the ‘s’ sound pop out in the vocal track after recording.

To reduce it, engineers often turn to de-essers, which are a unique type of multiband compressor.

In a de-esser, the compressor’s action is limited to a narrow band where the ‘s’ sound is most prominent.

Since the harsh syllables actually do cause the signal level to spike during recording, traditional gain reduction works well enough to attenuate it.

But sometimes you need more. Too much de-essing can result in an uncanny sound that flattens the ‘s’ syllable into an ‘f’, ruining the singer’s delivery.

If you’re at the limit of your de-esser’s power, try running Smooth Operator Pro in series to focus on just the harsh frequencies of the ‘s’ sounds so your de-esser doesn’t have to work as hard.

And If you’re still getting unruly sibilance you can tack on a layer of dynamic EQ for good measure!

Ultimate frequency energy control

In the end, managing the frequency content and dynamics of the sources in your session is a fundamental task in mixing.

No matter which tools you use, you’ll have to get a handle on how the key characteristics in your mix influence each other.

With tools like multiband compression, dynamic EQ and now dynamic resonance suppression, there are more powerful ways than ever to artfully blend your tracks together.

Now that you know the basics of all three techniques, get back to your DAW and keep mixing your masterpiece.

What is a Dynamic Resonance Suppressor? How to Fix Harsh Frequencies In Your Mix

Dynamic resonance suppressors are some of the newest mixing plugins to gain popularity among producers and engineers.

It’s a unique method of controlling frequency content that’s different from traditional tools like EQ or multiband compression.

But what really is dynamic resonance suppression, and how can you use it to get better results in your mix?

In this article, I’ll break down the basics, explain why it works and give my top suggestions for where to use it in your production.

Let’s get started.

What is dynamic resonance suppression?

A dynamic resonance suppressor is an audio processor that selectively reduces unwanted resonant frequencies without altering the character or tonal balance of the original material.

It works by analyzing incoming audio, identifying resonances and attenuating them by reducing the intensity of the strongest harmonic partials.

Dynamic resonance suppression offers an alternative to EQ or other tone-shaping processes to help reduce the effect of energy buildup at problematic frequencies.

Unlike EQ or compression, it works on the sound’s spectral content rather than the audio signal, allowing much greater flexibility to control resonant peaks.

What are resonances in mixing?

Resonances are buildups of energy that can appear in your tracks and lead to negative effects in your mix.

All complex sonic timbres contain concentrations of energy at different frequencies. When you hear a cello play a rich low tone, you’ll hear the fundamental frequency of the note as well as resonant harmonics at various intervals above it.

When these overtones occur at integer multiples of each other (2:1, 3:1, 4:1, etc), they’re said to be harmonic. If you listen carefully to a sustained tone, you can usually pick out the overtones that are present in a complex sound.

But sounds in the real world always contain a balance of harmonic partials and inharmonic partials.

These are the noisy parts of the sound, such as the grating friction of the cellist’s bow on the strings.

Depending on the balance and intensity of the different partials, some overtones may stick out audibly in a signal or recording.

On top of that, any time you record a sound with a microphone, you capture the source as well as the acoustic reflections in the environment where you recorded it.

The room itself has a big influence on the resonant frequencies in a recording. Untreated acoustic spaces can contribute to bad resonances as reflections bounce off hard surfaces and combine with the direct sound.

Why do you need to control resonances in a mix?

Excess energy in some parts of the frequency spectrum can work against a sound’s role in the mix.

Think of the boomy bass of a recording made in a small room, or the grating sibilance of a mic that was a poor match for the singer.

Compounded across dozens of tracks, problematic resonances stack up and lead to negative effects like harshness, muddiness and lack of clarity.

High end recording studios spend a small fortune to minimize the effect of bad room resonance with acoustic treatment.

But for most of us, some amount of problematic frequency buildup is inevitable. Whether it’s a sample, a recording or even a synth sound, you may need to deal with bad resonances first to get the results you need in your mix.

Why use dynamic resonance suppression to fix harshness

In the analog era, engineers and producers had only a few tools to control the frequency balance of their tracks.

Parametric EQ and early de-essers were about as sophisticated as it got.

Even so, these tried and true methods can still work to decrease the effect of unwanted resonances.

Today’s digital EQ plugins come with steep notch filters that can almost completely attenuate a narrow range of frequencies.

One straightforward approach is to locate the problematic resonance by sweeping a narrow boost until the offending frequency increases in volume. You can then change the filter type to notch and remove a great deal of the signal content in the selected frequency range.

This practice is common, but it’s easy to take it too far and destroy the natural character of the sound with too many notched frequencies.

You also risk introducing other consequences of excessive EQ such as phase shift.

Similarly, de-essers or multiband compressors can sometimes help, but these approaches come with limitations of their own.

Dynamic resonance suppressors offer a third option to get even more control with less of the downsides associated with traditional methods.

Since the technology works by attenuating energy in the frequency domain, it’s not the same as a compressor’s gain reduction function that may cause changes to material you want to preserve.

And since the spectral analysis can differentiate between resonances and other components of the signal, the spectral processing can signle out problems while leaving the rest intact.

3 Ways to Use Smooth Operator for a Cleaner Mix

If you want to get access to the benefits of dynamic resonance suppression, you’ll need a plugin that can do the job right.

We built Smooth Operator Pro to make this complex form of processing easy to use and effective.

It expands on the capabilities of other resonance suppression to help you deal any form of unwanted frequency energy causing issues in your mix.

Try it free to see how this approach can unlock smooth top end and cleaner tracks.

Now, on to the tips:

1. Soften harsh vocals

Modern vocals call for heavy compression and bright, airy top end.

But multiple stages of dynamics and EQ can bring out harshness, even when they’re necessary for the vocal to sit in the mix.

In these cases, it’s not always possible to target only the harsh frequencies with EQ. If you attenuate too much in he critical zone between 2-5 kHz, you may lose presence and intelligibility.

Alternatively, if you clamp down too hard with a de-esser, you risk turning ‘s’ syllables into unnatural ‘f’ sounds, ruining the singer’s delivery.

Try using Smooth Operator Pro’s frequency display to hone in on the range where spiky resonances stick out with narrow peak node.

2. Tame distorted guitar

Distorted guitars need a lot of bite to cut through a loud mix in aggressive genres.

But it’s easy to get too much of a good thing. With multiple doubled takes, you may find resonances begin to stack up as a result of the mic and speaker combination you recorded.

While these can sometimes help define the guitar in the mix, they may also add a fatiguing edge to the overall sound.

Add Smooth Operator Pro to your guitar bus and use high focus and detail settings to tackle midrange frequencies and upper harmonics that feel grating on the ear.

3. Chill out biting hi-hats

The hi-hat groove plays a big role in the 808-style beats found across modern genres.

They need to be powerful and punchy to drive the rhythmic feel and loud in the mix to cut through.

But static samples can start to feel harsh as they repeat over and over again.

When you need to retain loudness and punch but the hits feel too brittle, try using slower attack times to keep the punchy attack but decrease the intensity of the highs overall.

Smooth it over

Dynamic resonance suppression is likely to become a new secret weapon in many producers’ toolboxes.

It’s a viable solution when other methods don’t work to manage tricky resonant frequencies.

Now that you have an idea of how they work and where to use them, get back to your DAW and try balancing your mix with Smooth Operator Pro.

Transit wins 2025 SOS Award for ‘Best Software Plug-in’

Sound on Sound has revealed the winners of the 2025 annual SOS Awards.

Chosen by readers in a wide-reaching poll, the awards recognize outstanding products in every major category each year.

This year, Transit took home the prize for Best Software Plug-in, pulling ahead of the competition in reader support.

We couldn’t be more thrilled to see Transit recognized by users for this award and our heartfelt thanks goes out to everyone who voted in the poll.

Transit was developed in collaboration with Andrew Huang to turn a painstaking process in music production into an opportunity for creative expression.

The ‘transition designer’ concept struck a chord with users looking to simplify their process and create stunning dynamic effects for important sections in their songs.

But even with the success of V1, Andrew and the team were already dreaming up new ideas to take Transit’s novel workflow even further.

With the debut of Transit 2 in October of 2024, the timing couldn’t be better to celebrate the achievements of the original Transit as users upgrade to the new and improved edition.

Thanks again to all who have supported Baby Audio and Transit. This award will continue to motivate our passion for building tools that inspire creativity and help people make music.

What is Chiptune? How to Produce Retro Game Soundtrack Music

Chiptune music draws inspiration from the first golden age of video games.

The genre is a love letter to the music and soundtracks of classic arcade games and 8-bit consoles.

But chiptune is more than just nostalgia for a bygone era. It’s an active genre of electronic music with a passionate fanbase in 2025.

So what exactly is chiptune music and how can you learn to produce it like a pro?

In this article I’ll lay out the producer’s guide to chiptune, break down the genre’s essential characteristics and suggest the best tools and techniques to create it.

Ready player one? Let’s get started.

What is chiptune music?

Chiptune is an electronic music genre that celebrates the sound, composition style and aesthetics of retro video game music.

The term refers to the chip-based sound hardware found in arcade games, computers and consoles from the 1980s.

Known as PSGs, Programmable Sound Generator chips acted as rudimentary synthesizers that could output basic waveforms and sound effects.

Despite their limited capabilities, early game composers used their unique properties to create music that inspired a generation of young gamers.

The soundtracks of games like Tetris, F-Zero and Final Fantasy came to signify the period’s creativity and the birth of the modern gaming fandom.

Today, chiptune music is a worldwide cultural phenomenon that combines nostalgia for the early gaming era with modern electronic music and production.

Chiptune basics

Chiptune music is instantly recognizable to anyone familiar with retro game soundtracks.

But if you’re new to genre, here are the common features you’ll hear in most chiptune tracks:

8-bit sound palette

The simple yet expressive quality of 8-bit sound chips is the basis of the chiptune sound.

The main melodic, harmonic and bassline elements in a chiptune track are usually composed of simple saw or pulse waves like those generated by a console PSG.

Due to the limited processing power of the time, these raw waves were rarely filtered or modulated. The result is a straightforward but endearing character with the unique quirks of early digital hardware.

FM synthesis became possible with later systems like the Sega Genesis, and the expanded sonic capabilities are common in modern chiptune in addition to the basic PSG sounds.

On top of that, early game consoles also included basic PCM samples for elements like percussion which can be heard across original soundtracks and modern chiptune songs.

Unique compositional style

Chiptune music is typically upbeat and energetic with catchy melodies and memorable chord progressions.

Since PSG hardware had limited polyphony, it was common for original chiptunes to highlight a single melodic line for the main melody.

Because polypony was also limited, composers used tricks like rapid arpeggiation to create the illusion of larger harmonic structures.

In combination with fast harmonic rhythm and active basslines, early game composers could make just three channels of audio feel immersive, engaging and complete.

The structure of chiptune tracks often includes looping sections that build in intensity like a player progressing through game levels.

Just like the retro game tracks they emulate, chiptunes also feature rudimentary PSG-style sound effects woven into the music itself.

As video games were gaining popularity around the world during this period, competing studios emerged in both Japan and the United States.

As a result, the influence of contemporary Japanese pop can be heard all over classic game soundtracks, reflecting trends such as the City Pop movement of the 70s and 80s.

Finally, the influence of today’ pop and electronic genres can be felt in modern chiptune as artists integrate recent trends into the chiptune style.

Retro gaming aesthetics

Chiptune music leans heavily on the aesthetic sense of retro gaming culture in addition to sound and composition style.

Chiptune artists often choose names associated with gaming terminology, and 8-bit graphics and visuals are common in chiptune album art and music videos.

How to get an authentic chiptune sound

With the basics out of the way, you’re probably wondering how to get vintage video game sounds to work with in your DAW.

There are a few different approaches, depending on how closely you want to mimic early game soundtracks.

For example, If you’re a purist looking for the exact sound of the original games, there are VSTs out there that emulate the sound hardware of specific systems like the NES or Sega Genesis.

If you go this route, you can also experiment with the production tools that some of the era’s game composers would have used.

DAW software didn’t exist when the first game consoles were created, so early game music was usually coded directly into the program during development.

While there’s no way to emulate this approach exactly, it’s possible to approximate later methods with programs known as trackers.

The term tracker dates back to the Ultimate Soundtracker program released for the Amiga computer in 1987.

Its unique style of sequencing caught on with early computer musicians and the format became popular for chiptune composition as technology developed into the 1990s.

But there’s no rule saying you have to use vintage-accurate PSG emulators or complicated trackers to make chiptune music.

We created the Chiptune Trilogy expansion for our BA-1 synth to give producers flexible modern tools that capture the authentic sound of the genre.

If you’re looking for a flexible softsynth with ready-to-use chiptune sounds, BA-1 and the Chiptune Trilogy will get you started right away.

How to produce chiptune

If you’re working in a regular DAW, producing Chiptune tracks is much like producing any other style of related electronic music.

Each producer has their own workflow and there’s no set method that will work for everyone to produce chiptune music.

That said, here are some general tips to help you get started

1. Start with a chord progression or a melodic hook

The best chiptune tracks recall the catchy earworm melodies and driving chord progressions of early game soundtracks

Take a basic saw or square wave preset like SYN Pulse from Professor Sakamoto’s Chiptune Legacy pack, and experiment until you find a nice hook or chord change.

If you need inspiration, listen to some chiptune compilations or original game music to get a sense of the vibe.

Plenty of common chord progressions are found in chiptune tracks, so you won’t need to learn any advanced music theory to get started.

Check out this video for an overview of common video game chord progressions.

2. Add an active melodic bassline

Basslines in chiptune music often act like an additional melodic voice that contrasts the main melody and adds rhythmic interest in the arrangement.

That might sound complicated, but all it means is a good chiptune bassline should feel active and propulsive as it supports the melody.

Pick a great bass sound like Monty’s Bass from Chiptune Futurism by LukHash and try to fill the space between chord changes with melodic lines, octave skips and stylish fills.

It might take some practice to come up with good ideas for busier bass lines, but it’s a fun way to compose once you have the hang of it.

3. Bring in sound effects, arpeggios, and percussion

Chiptune songs should feel like they could be the soundtrack to a real game from the classic era.

That means special effects and other soundtrack-style flourishes are essential for a convincing atmosphere.

As I mentioned above, the rapid arpeggio trick that was common in the 8-bit era is a great way to bring in some of that authentic flavor.

Thanks to BA-1’s onboard arpeggiator, the Chiptune Trilogy Expansion comes with plenty of readymade presets that use this technique.

Each pack in the BA-1 Chiptune Trilogy Expansion collection features a good selection SFX sounds and arps that work perfectly for retro game effects.

4. Get creative with your mix

While chiptune music relies on a palette of straightforward sounds, there’s no reason you can’t experiment when it comes to the mix.

A little extra 1980s flair can help elevate the feel of the track if you’re willing to go beyond the raw sound of the PSG chip.

Here at Baby Audio we love the sound of 80s production, with tools like Super VHS made capture the unique lo-fi flavor of retro videocassettes, TAIP for introducing analog saturation and Crystalline and Comeback Kid for vintage-style delay and reverb.

Our plugins are a great place to start if you’re looking for more tools to add convincing retro style and sound to chiptune tracks.

Chiptune forever

Chiptune music began during a brief phase in video game history, but it never stopped innovating with the raw materials that inspired it.

The genre’s popularity today points to the enduring charm and creativity that kicked off gaming culture as we know it today.

If you’re a fan of classic games and the music they contain, creating chiptune music is a great way to pay homage to the era.

If you’ve made it through this article, you’ll have a great start for creating your own chiptune tracks.

Digitally Controlled Oscillators: Why DCOs are the Key to Vintage Synth Sound

DCOs, or Digitally Controlled Oscillators, were a major milestone in synthesis technology.

They paved the way for the groundbreaking synthesizers that defined the sound of the 80s in music.

But the term might sound confusing if you haven’t heard it before. Are DCOs analog, or digital? Why are they so common in synths from the 80s and how do they contribute to the memorable sound of the era?

If you’re looking to capture authentic vintage synth sounds from the 80s and beyond, it’s important to understand what DCOs are and the role they played in the development of music technology.

In this article, I’ll break down everything you need to know about DCOs and how they contribute to the sound of your favorite synths of the analog era.

Let’s get started.

What is a DCO?

A DCO is a synthesizer oscillator that functions as a basic building block for subtractive synthesis in hardware instruments.

The term DCO stands for ‘digitally controlled oscillator,’ in reference to the earlier VCO, or ‘voltage controlled oscillator.’

Just like a traditional synth oscillator, the sound generated by a DCO remains completely analog. The only digital element is the control signal used to keep the oscillator’s frequency consistent.

Since early VCO designs had persistent issues with tuning stability, the arrival of DCO technology enabled new possibilities in synth design.

DCOs are notable for ushering in a new generation of synths in the 1980s, including classics like the Roland Juno series, the Korg Poly61, the Oberheim Matrix 6 and many others.

In addition to these beloved 80s synths, DCOs can be found in modern synths such as the Dave Smith/Sequential Prophet ‘08.

Why use digitally controlled oscillators?

With the definitions out of the way, what are the core differences between DCOs and their predecessors, and why did DCOs replace VCOs in the 1980s?

The answer lies in the progression of synth technology toward modern polyphonic analog synthesizers.

The first synthesizers were massive modular systems, far larger than today’s Eurorack setups.

These systems included the familiar elements we’d recognize today, but they weren’t patched by default in a standard configuration.

The common prepatched signal chain of an oscillator followed by a filter and envelope-controlled amplifier wouldn’t emerge until the mid-70s.

But even then after the basic signal flow became fixed, portable instruments of this era still had a problem.

Their oscillators would fluctuate in pitch depending on temperature, transport conditions and how long they had been powered on. This presented major issues for touring artists that wanted to bring synthesizers on the road.

With the advent of digital technology in the early 80s, clever engineers were able to solve the tuning issue without completely redesigning the oscillators that provided the core sound of their synths.

This meant roadworthy polyphonic instruments could finally be produced for a price gigging musicians could afford, leading to the explosion of DCO-based synths I mentioned above.

DCOs vs. VCOs

Though DCOs proved an effective solution to the tuning stability problems of the late 70s, modern components can produce pure analog VCOs that hold their tuning well.

While they’re typically more expensive than DCOs or other oscillator designs, some vintage purists prefer synths with fully analog topology.

And though the sonic differences between the two are subtle, DCOs have their own vintage pedigree that lovers of 80s-style synth sounds will recognize.

But if you’re still confused, here’s a basic breakdown of the differences between VCOs and DCOs.

VCO:

• Fully analog, including rate clocking

• Found on older vintage synths and modern boutique analog synths

• Older designs can suffer from pitch fluctuation and tuning issues

• Costlier to implement effectively

DCO:

• Analog signal, digital control

• Found on synths from the 80s to today

• Very good pitch stability

• Can be produced cheaply, so often used for feature-rich polysynths and prosumer analog gear

How do DCOs work?

So if the signal generated by the DCO is still analog, where does the digital part come in?

Analog oscillators can be a bit hard to understand if you don’t have a background in electronics.

But the basic mechanism is that a capacitor gets charged up, discharged and charged up again in a predictable pattern.

The changes in voltage over time create a periodic wave that we hear as an audio signal when it gets amplified by a VCA.

In this model, a slow increase in the capacitor’s charge creates a rising initial phase of the waveform, followed by an abrupt drop when the voltage is reset before rising again.

This creates a waveform sometimes called a ‘ramp’ but more commonly known as a sawtooth wave.

The oscillator tuning problem arises from the analog circuit that tells the capacitor when to discharge and restart the ramp.

Even minor inconsistencies in the timing of the discharge can lead to fluctuations in the frequency of the oscillator’s output signal.

DCOs work by digitizing the reset pulse used to trigger the capacitor to discharge inside the oscillator circuit.

The result is a fully analog audio signal that’s kept in tune by the unwavering digital control pulse.

How to get authentic DCO-style sound in your DAW

With so many vintage instruments that depend on DCOs, you might be wondering what it takes to get their authentic sound in your DAW.

Luckily, emulating DCOs in software can be very convincing if you choose the right plugin.

We built our BA-1 synth to give you the best of the 80s in synthesis, right at your fingertips.

From accurate vintage-modeled oscillators to a juicy resonant filter, BA-1 is a simple yet powerful synth plugin with plenty of retro character.

Watch Alex break down the key features of BA-1 and demonstrate its capability for 80s-style synth magic:

While the initial design took inspiration from a DCO-based portable synth from the 80s, we went way beyond the original’s capabilities to make it an ideal analog-style synth for the modern producer.

Digital oscillator control

Most synth enthusiasts agree that analog oscillators offer something special.

But DCOs are one of the best examples of analog and digital working together to enhance the properties of both technologies.

When it comes to subtractive synthesis, your starting waveform is like the marble from which you’ll sculpt your masterpiece.

It’s worth it to start with the right material!

Now that you know the basics of DCOs, you’ll have a solid foundation for how they affect the most important factors in synthesis and sound design.

Multi-Effects Plugins: 5 Creative Effect Ideas and Why They Work

Multi-effects plugins put a variety of sound design capabilities into a single convenient package.

From simple combined tools to flexible effects racks and workstations, multi-effects are more common than ever in music production.

But for some producers, the benefits of using multi-effects plugins aren’t exactly clear.

After all, why should you use one plugin for multiple effects when you’ve got so many to choose from in your plugin folder?

The truth is that multi-effects offer benefits for both creativity and workflow that you can’t get by just chaining one plugin after another.

In this article, I’ll explain the basics of multi-effects plugins, break down the essential benefits and suggest five techniques to help you use them creatively in your mix.

What are multi-effects plugins?

Multi-effects plugins are any third-party plugins that combine two or more effects in the same instance.

While many single effects offer multiple functions, true multi-effects combine different plugin types that may be used simultaneously or in unique configurations.

Multi-effects are often used in situations in which certain effects are commonly used together, or when a specific benefit arises from having multiple effects in the same package.

While some users consider single-purpose effects to be superior, today’s multi-effects aren’t limited by a lack of processing power. That makes them just as capable as traditional plugins for many applications.

Not only that, some performance gains can be achieved with multi-effects that run multiple complex processes in more efficient ways than stacking plugins together in an insert chain.

Why use a multi-effects plugin?

As I mentioned above, single-purpose plugins and multi-effects are on a more even playing field thanks to modern computing resources.

But that still might not be enough to convince you they’re worth using.

Here are a few reasons to consider using multi-effects over single effects for practical purposes

Plugin performance

Every plugin in your session needs to process audio from your DAW, apply its effect, and pass the result to the next plugin in the chain.

Many plugins use oversampling or floating-point calculations for the best quality during processing. Oversampling increases the internal sample rate to reduce aliasing, while floating-point processing preserves dynamic range and avoids clipping.

If oversampling is used, the plugin must eventually downsample the audio to its original rate for the next step in the chain.

In complex effects chains, these processes may occur repeatedly, consuming valuable CPU resources at each step.

It’s one of the reasons why some manufacturers have developed effects racks that combine their most popular plugins. In these multi-effects plugins, oversampling and other conversions occur only once, resulting in increased efficiency.

Multi-effects workflow benefits

If that all sounds a bit technical, you’re not wrong.

The performance and sonic benefits are real, but most producers are concerned about workflow.

Luckily, multi-effects plugins have a lot to offer here too.

Here are my top workflow benefits that come from using Multi-FX in place of multiple single effects

Fast and easy sound design

When you work with a folder full of plugins, there’s always a bit of option paralysis that comes with deciding which one to use.

After all, if you spend twenty minutes tweaking a patch only to discover that you’ve chosen the wrong tool, you’ve wasted your precious production time.

But that can make it all the more difficult to choose. If you’re like me you might have hundreds of plugins—or more.

Finding one that works, especially in combination with others in the chain can leave you scrolling through options instead of making music.

Multi-effect plugins give you a set menu of options designed with care to work in tandem.

It gives you easy access to a set of complimentary effects without loading up new plugins in your channel strip.

We designed Transit 2 to be a perfect palette of paints for the most creative effects tasks in your workflow.

Each module complements the others and they’re meant to be used together in unique ways!

While Transit 2 is most commonly known as a transition effect, plenty of producers love to use it as a standalone multi-fx workstation for creative processing.

Here’s Andrew Huang demonstrating a few his favorite multi-fx patches from Transit 1.

Global capabilities across effects

When you have a selection of effects acting on your sound, the real fun comes when the properties of one can influence the others.

You can always automate multiple effects or sidechain them into one another in your DAW, but that can be time consuming in its own right.

One of the best things about Transit 2 is how easy to it is manipulate multiple parameters, set them into motion and even let them react in unpredictable ways to your incoming audio signal.

There are too many possibilities to even list here, so I’ll

Less is more?

One complaint often leveled against multi-effects is that they only offer simplified versions of the effects they bundle together.

While this is not always true, it can be a benefit in cases where simplified effects are more effective.

Some single-purpose plugins are outfitted with so many features that you could spend hours learning them and still not be an expert user.

When something is designed to be the most capable it possibly can for a single task, there’s a tendency for features to get out of control.

If you’re focused on creativity, inspiration and moving forward in your workflow, you know that the right tool for the job is sometimes the simplest one.

In fact, that’s often been our philosophy here at Baby Audio—simple and fun beats complex and slow every time!

When it comes to Transit 2, we wanted to include effects modules that were simple enough to fit within a tile in the plugin’s grid layout, but offered enough unique behavior and raw power to give you inspiring results right away.

You’ll have to try it yourself to see if we succeeded!

5 Multi-effects Ideas with Transit 2

With the basics out of the way, here are five multi-effect ideas to try with Transit 2

Aggressive Pumping Reverb

Combining reverb with other effects can be lots of fun if you’re willing to experiment with effect order.

For example, try setting up an OTT module with aggressive settings after a long reverb tail with the Retro Verb module.

The reverb’s trailing decay will accentuate the pumping effect from the combined compression and expansion, adding even more intensity.

Sidechain effects accents

Sidechain is one of Transit 2’s most interesting new motion modes.

This option lets you trigger motion-enabled effects with the dynamics of an external source signal.

Try connecting a busy signal like a drum loop to trigger multiple dimensions of motions

Multi-dimensional lo-fi

When people think of lo-fi effects, they’re usually referring to a number of different qualities found in vintage recordings.

Combining multiple lo-fi elements together can help create a more convincing retro texture that doesn’t lean too heavily on a single effect.

It’s the reason why lo-fi effects are often bundled together, like in our classic Super VHS plugin.

Try using a mix of the Noise, Speaker, Distortion and Bitcrush modules to dial in an engaging lo-fi effect with diverse characteristics.

Swept filter washouts

Adding a filter after a chain of reverb, delay and modulation gives you powerful sweeping effects that sound great in a transition.

Transit 2 makes it easy to create thrilling filter sweeps with as much textured ambience as you can create with its multiple delay and reverb options.

Try adding saturation or distortion on top to increase the harmonic content in the filter sweep for even more radical transitions.

Dynamic glitch effects

Glitch effects need to shift and evolve to stay interesting over time.

With Transit 2, it’s easy to use the dynamics of the incoming signal to add animation to glitchy effects that moves in time with the beats.

Try using the Loop, Reverser, and Warp modules together in Follower mode to create tempo-synced chorus of glitched out effects

Multi-effect madness

Multi-effects provide a distinct set of creative possibilities in your production workflow.

From handy combinations of related effects to full suites of sound design tools, they’re great for anyone who loves experimenting with new combinations in sound.

If you’re looking for a unique take on the concept, Transit 2 combines the inherent power of a great effects library with inspiring dynamic control.

Try it for free to see what’s possible with Transit 2’s 28 effects modules.

Andrew Huang on Transit 2 and the Future of Music Tech

Andrew Huang is one of the most widely followed music producers on social media.

With a YouTube audience of 2.37 million and counting, Andrew’s ability to blend sophisticated music education into watchable and inspiring content has put him at the center of a new generation of producers.

We first reached out to Andrew in 2022 with vague plans for a collaboration. Ideas started flowing almost immediately, and the concept for Transit 1 was born out of Andrew’s real-world process in the studio.

With a knack for identifying common roadblocks in modern production, Andrew’s perspective on music tech proved invaluable as the collaboration continued with Transit 2.

Andrew played a pivotal role in the development of the sequel, bringing even more fresh ideas and game-changing insights to the plugin.

We sat down with the Toronto-based producer to talk about Transit 2 and the future of music technology.

BA: As a creator covering music tech, you have access to the latest tools and technologies. What makes a plugin stand out to you in the sea of new releases?

Andrew Huang: At the end of the day it’s about whether it can do something that nothing else can - that might be about a particular sound, or removing friction in the workflow, or inspiring different kinds of ideas. I also love a fun, flashy UI - but it wears off quick if there's no substance behind it.

BA: The idea for Transit 1 came from a workflow blocker in your own creative process. How did firsthand experience inform your ideas for the sequel?

AH: There were always dreams of doing more extreme effects with Transit. The Loop module was something we started working on with V1 but it took much more fine-tuning than any other effect. I found so many glitch use cases for Transit and was excited that we could expand into that territory even further. The Mod Filter module was something I wanted to do because I've gotten very into filter banks in the past couple of years and I love that they can add motion that's not as easy to pinpoint as, say, a filter or phaser sweep. I also found it limiting to only be able to set one sequence length, and ended up thinking that in the same amount of space we could just put individual launch buttons for all the most common lengths.

Of course the team at Baby Audio brought so many amazing ideas to the table too, and I have to credit our users for dreaming up some of the things we incorporated into the new version. In particular I want to shout out my friend Recue who was the first I saw controlling Transit with an envelope follower!

What new features in Transit 2 are you most excited to share with users?

The Follower and Sidechain modes - having the macro react to either incoming audio or the audio on another track respectively - open up completely new ways to explore sound and I feel like they are shortcuts to finding an interesting and dynamic vibe. You simply get more interesting modulation by deriving it from audio, and of course it's directly musically related to that audio. I'm also particularly excited about the Warp, Loop, and Reverser modules, because they bring Transit beyond standard effects and into areas of messing with time and pitch and achieving things that would often require editing.

The original Transit use case shines in genres that call for complicated effects transitions. How can producers use Transit 2 to go beyond buildups and beat drops?

We're calling Transit 2 a "motion effects playground" because it's so fun and easy to get lost in playing with it and exploring the movement it will add to any track. I've been delighted to find it's one of those rare plugins that offers many viable possibilities in almost any situation, as opposed to the more common experience - that I have anyway - of finding one preset you're ok with after auditioning 30. We really feel Transit 2 now goes completely beyond transitions and can be an amazing tool for adding life to any part of a mix.

Here are some ideas for getting the most out of it:

1. Use the macro knob as a "sweet spot finder": While sweeping it from 0 to 100 is the classic transition use case, trying out different presets while exploring different static positions of the macro knob can quickly get you to an inspiring vibe.

2. Experiment with all the modes: The same effects chain can sound very different when comparing it in, say, LFO mode vs Follower. And the same goes even for different Detection settings when using Follower or Sidechain.

3. Try the Follower on everything: Many DAWs don't even include an envelope follower, and the ones that do will require you to map it to effect parameters individually. But it can sound incredibly cool to have effects respond so closely to your input rather than being static. So not only is Transit 2 making a less common effects processing approach more accessible, it lets you try tons of creative possibilities fast because the 800+ presets are already fine-tuned with parameters pre-mapped to the Follower.

4. Inverting the Follower: Setting the Range control to travel backwards (it turns pink to let you know) means that your effects chain will come into play when your input volume is low. This is fantastic for effects that are better when they're filling space rather than being added on top of your sound. For instance, inserting glitches in drum tracks using any combination of Loop, Warp, Delay, and Reverser. Or to keep your mix clean even with a heavily verbed out vocal, you could have your Reverb Length, Tone, or Mix turn down when the vocal is present, and then turn up during the spaces.

5. Use DAW automation to open up even more possibilities: Macro control is fast and powerful and Transit already lets you fine-tune the range and acceleration of the effects parameters, but these parameters are also exposed to your DAW if you want to have things moving in completely different ways from one another. It's even possible to automate macro-linked parameters (you can use DAW automation to change their start and end points while the macro itself is in motion) as well as mode parameters like Detection, Range, and LFO Rate!

6. Forget that Transit is a macro-controlled multi-effect: We have 28 modules and some of them are incredibly creative all on their own. Load up just a Warp to do a tape stop effect. Put a touch of Mod Filter or Analog Chorus on a part that needs just a little extra sauce. Our Distortion has multiple modes that all sound awesome - I particularly like using Fold on bass sounds. Treat it like you have a big bag of individual plugins. And by the way, there are module-level presets that you can load (and save your own!) using the 3-lines "burger menu" in each effect slot's title bar.

You’ve said Baby Audio was a natural fit to work with on your first plugin. What made that collaboration so effective?

I was always drawn to Baby Audio plugins for having fresh, forward-thinking designs that never sacrificed - and usually enhanced - workflow. We share very similar values in terms of wanting to innovate while keeping things super easy to use. (And also wanting to put randomizers on everything.)

Many new producers look to your channel to learn essential skills for making music. What insights do you bring to plugin design from your role as an educator?

Because of the range of topics and genres I cover and the size of my audience, I've gotten insights into what lots of people go through in their creative process, beginners and pros alike. So I've gotten to see at scale what things often come up as workflow obstacles and feature requests. I think there's also a parallel between the way I communicate - trying to find the best examples and the most concise explanations - and the way I think products should work - getting to the heart of what's important, making sure that even if something is complex it's not convoluted.

“We’re calling Transit 2 a “motion effects playground” because it’s so fun and easy to get lost in playing with it and exploring the movement it will add to any track.”

— Andrew Huang

What new developments in music tech are most exciting to you at the moment?

If you know me at all you know I'm a Eurorack nerd, and there are super creative things happening in that space all the time. Mzourack Pebbles comes to mind - it's sort of like an envelope follower, but it generates rhythmic triggers based on audio crossing a certain threshold, and there's even an option to have a second trigger generated when a signal crosses the other way - going from above the threshold to back below it. Joranalogue and Hainbach recently condensed the functions of an entire wall of nuclear test equipment into a single module. Also, as much as there are issues with AI, I see a lot of companies going about it in interesting and ethical ways. I'm not interested in pushing a button to have a song written for me automatically, but I think vocal transformation has a lot of untapped creative possibilities, and I'm having fun with this plugin Combobulator which can resynthesize your input with the sound design flavor of producers who have given permission for their music to be trained on!

It seems like you’re just getting started as a creative partner with Baby Audio, can you hint at any future developments with the company?

We've been working on another plugin in conjunction with Transit 2 that I'm just as excited about - it's so different from anything else I've seen out there. I think it may have the potential to inspire people's productions, and save their time, even more than Transit!

Beat Drops and Buildups : How to Make 8 Powerful Audio Transition Effects

Beat drops and the buildups that precede them are how you create rising tension and satisfying payoffs in your songs.

They’re an essential part of modern arranging technique in almost all of today’s pop and electronic genres.

Even so, many producers find programming buildups to be tedious and time consuming, despite their powerful effect on listeners.

Luckily, it’s not difficult to create thrilling transitions with the right tools and basic knowledge of the most common transition types.

In this article I’ll break down the 8 of the most impactful transition effects and how to create them.

Let’s get started.

What are audio transition effects?

Transition effects are production elements that embellish sections of a song that build tension and expectation before a beat drop, breakdown or new section.

Transition effects are most often used in electronic genres to signal to the audience that a peak in energy or intensity is approaching.

In addition to arrangement choices that build toward the beat drop, transition effects add new interest to repeating sections and develop over time as a buildup plays out.

While they often give producers the opportunity to show off their creative flair with special processing, transition effects help define boundaries between sections and give listeners cues about the structure of the song.

How to create transition effects for buildups

Traditionally, producers create transition effects by automating multiple effects and parameters one-by-one.

With many different automation lanes required across several effects, keeping track of each curve over the progression of a transition requires some effort and patience.

But there’s an easier way to create stunning transitions than automating them by hand. We teamed up with Andrew Huang to create the simplest and most powerful solution for creative transitions.

Our Transit 2 plugin lets you create change over time in up to seven separate effects all controlled by a single macro parameter. V2 comes loaded with 4 new motion modes and 10 new effects modules for any kind of transition you can imagine—and beyond.

Simply click and drag the macro control or automate it to create any of the transition effects described in the next section.

On to the techniques.

1. Filter sweeps

Filter sweeps are one of the original transition effects from the early era of electronic music.

The term refers to sweeping the cutoff frequency of a synthesizer's low-pass filter. While the effect is striking on a synthesizer, it works even better when an entire mix is routed through a synth-style resonant LPF.

When swept from high to low, the filter gradually removes more high frequencies from the signal.

The result is an indistinct, bassy character that often sounds like it’s coming from the next room.

Sweeping from low to high adds the high frequencies back, uncovering more detail as the filter opens up.

Producers use filter sweeps in both directions to enhance the drama of a transition with a predictable trajectory that emphasizes different frequency areas in the mix.

Creating this classic type of transition couldn’t be easier in Transit 2. Simply link the Filter 12 or 24 modules’ cutoff frequency to the motion control and listen as the filter moves in sync with the macro control.

2. Risers

Risers are simple tones that increase in pitch over the course of a transition.

Often created with a single synth oscillator, risers provide an unmistakable signal that tension in the song is…rising.

Since the pitch rises freely over the span of the transition, it doesn’t always align with the key of the song.

This results in extra tension as the tone increases in pitch and occasionally clashes with the song.

Transit 2’s OSC module lets you create instant risers with your choice of sine, saw, square or triangle waveforms. You can even beef them up with thick stereo enhancement using the spread control.

Baby Audio · Full Mix - Classic Riser

Producers often add ambience effects such as delays and reverbs to enhance the basic character of a riser, so try adding these after the OSC module for even more stylish risers.

3. Washout

Speaking of delay and reverb, washouts are another popular transition created with effects.

Washouts are heavy ambience effects that increase in depth and intensity, obscuring the mix almost entirely in delay and reverb at their peak.

Washouts typically involve a gradual increase in the wet mix of the effects as well as rising intensity of other parameters such as delay feedback.

In some cases a washout ends with 100% wet mix, leaving only the reverb trails and decaying delay repeats for dramatic effect.

Baby Audio · Full Mix - Panned Washout

The new Retro Reverb in Transit 2 is perfect for extreme washout effects thanks to it’s crunchier, vintage character.

4. Tape stop

Tape stop is a classic effect that creates an abrupt drop off in pitch similar to turning off a tape machine while the transport is running.

In transitions, a tape stop often appears as the last element in a complex sequence to emphasize the silence before a beat drop.

The new Pitch+ Module in Transit 2 can create instant tape stops like the one seen in this preset.

Just make sure the pitch motion starts at a neutral position with no pitch change and rapidly decreases to a near-stop.

To make sure it feels authentic, try making the slope more severe by dragging the line inside the pitch parameter up and to the right.

5. Lo-fi

Sometimes the most effective transitions can come from intense distortion and lo-fi signal degradation.

During these transitions, the signal gets progressively more distorted until the entire mix is unrecognizable.

While basic distortion is usually a component of this technique, additional lo-fi elements can help add character to the effect.

Transit 2 comes with a host of modules for adding grit, grime and lo-fi goodness to your sound.

The Bitcrusher for an intense digital downsampling effect, or use the Speaker module to make it sound like your mix is coming out of a tinny transistor radio.

6. Pumper

Sidechain ducking is one of the most popular techniques in electronic production.

In fact, Transit 2 comes with a full sidechain mode to let any linked motion parameters react to any source signal in your mix.

But you can also create a traditional four-on-the-floor sidechain ducking effect without any complex routing using the pumper effect.

Especially effective when used on the entire mix, pumper gives you a configurable sidechain ducking effect that can increase in intensity as your transition builds.

Try this module last in the chain after a washout for a pulsing rhythmic reverb wash.

7. Loop

Glitch effects can give your transitions the unique flavor of a scratched CD or corrupted audio file.

While there are plenty of great ways to create glitch effects, some can be as time-consuming as automating your transitions by hand.

The Loop module in Transit 2 is built for easy stutter and repeat effects that work perfectly in transitions.

Watch Andrew demonstrate how easy it is to setup compelling glitch effects using the Loop module:

For transitions, try reducing the loop length progressively throughout the buildup to transform your sound into a garbled digital tone at the 1/64th setting.

If the effect is too aggressive, you can soften the onset and release of the looped slices with the Smooth control.

8. Autopan

Another classic technique from the early era of effects, panning back and forth from left to right still sounds psychedelic in 2024.

Of course, modern autopanners use an LFO to generate their motion, so the possibilities go far beyond what an engineer could do with the physical pan control on a mixing console.

For example, Transit 2’s tempo-synced autopanner can increase speed by tempo divisions like the Loop module I described earlier.

At extreme settings, the rapid panning sweeps create a whirlwind effect that’s perfect for the peak of an intense buildup transition.

The ultimate transition designer

Getting transitions right can be tricky, but it doesn’t have to be difficult or daunting.

If you find it confusing to create them with multiple plugins and automation lanes, Transit 2 provides a complete workflow with deep creativity.

The next time you need to create any of the transition effects described above, try Transit 2 to see how you can get your mix moving.

Vocal Synthesizers: 4 Ways to Create Synthetic Voices and How to Use Them

Vocal synthesizers blur the line between natural and artificial like no other type of effect.

Since the early days of sound synthesis, engineers have looked for convincing methods to emulate the sound of a human voice.

And while some approaches were more successful than others, vocal synthesis technologies have become a part of the language of modern music production

But what exactly is vocal synthesis? What are the key types, and where are they most useful in a mix?

In this article I’ll break down the most common approaches to vocal synthesis and suggest three creative ways to use them in your workflow.

Let’s get started.

What is vocal synthesis?

Vocal synthesis refers to a group of technologies that simulate the sound of human voices or augment vocal recordings with synthetic properties.

Vocal synthesis began in the 1970s with the introduction of analog vocoders. Short for ‘voice encoders,’ these devices became popular in early electronic music production.

Since then, vocal synthesis has developed with new techniques and technologies, sparking trends in vocal production across musical genres.

Here are the main four types of vocal synthesizer in common use today:

Vocoder

As I mentioned above, analog vocoders were the first widely used vocal synthesis tools.

They work by imparting the characteristics of a speaker’s voice onto a synthesized tone.

A vocal recording or microphone input provides the modulator signal and a synthesizer oscillator provides the carrier signal. The modulator’s amplitude and frequency characteristics are used as the modulation source for the synth's envelope and filter, creating a distinctive ‘talking synth’ effect.

There are plenty of great vintage vocoder plugins out there if you’re looking for the classic version of this effect, including the free TAL Vocoder.

Formant synthesis

As synthesis and acoustics matured, researchers identified unique characteristics of human speech known as formants.

Formants are fixed resonant frequencies that arise from the shape of the singer’s vocal tract. They’re unique to every person and play a significant role in how we differentiate between voices.

Whether using physical modeling or frequency modulation, formant synthesis recreates known formant patterns such as those of vowel sounds to simulate speech.

The Yamaha FS1R rackmount synth was one of the most advanced hardware units to include formant synthesis.

Vocal Resynthesis

Vocal resynthesis is another method of synthesizing vocal timbres that starts with an existing vocal recording.

With this technique, the frequency information in the original audio is analyzed, deconstructed and then remapped onto a new signal.

Unlike a traditional vocoder, the analysis phase extracts information about the harmonic partials that are present in the original vocal.

This gives vocal resynthesis tools even greater control of the resulting timbre of the sound, which is vital for creating a realistic voice.

Our Humanoid plugin uses a complex resynthesis process to dramatically alter the timbral qualities of the incoming vocal.

In addition to hard tuning and pitch correction, Humanoid morphs your voice into a synth waveform as you turn up the Transform dial.

Watch Alex demonstrate how Humanoid combines powerful tuning, formant shifting and resynthesis to create a uniquely synthetic vocal texture.

AI Voice Generators

The latest developments in vocal manipulation use neural networks to map the characteristics of one voice onto another.

By training on many recordings of one speaker or vocalist, AI systems can identify the unique qualities present in their voice.

AI vocal transformation is not a traditional form of synthesis, but a completely new process that uses machine learning in place of signal processing techniques.

This method has some unique advantages, as the neural network can identify subtle qualities in the target signal that can’t be easily modeled in a virtual signal path.

In fact, our TAIP plugin uses this approach to create an accurate simulation of a vintage tape machine.

In the case of AI vocals, the realistic accuracy of the simulated voice is the subject of some controversy, as it raises concerns about the potential for misuse.

Even so, AI vocals have exciting creative applications that artists like Holly Herndon have embraced to explore the boundaries of art and technology.

How to use vocal synthesizers in your mix

With the background out of the way, here are some creative techniques to consider using vocal synthesis.

To take advantage of any of these ideas, you’ll need a capable vocal synthesis plugin in your arsenal.

We built Humanoid to give producers access to multiple vocal manipulation and resynthesis tools with a simple and creative workflow.

If you’re looking for a single plugin that can transform your vocal sound into something new and synthetic, Humanoid is a powerful option for all the techniques I’ll describe in the next section.

On to the tips.

1. Classic robot voices

Robotic voices kicked off listeners’ fascination with synthetic vocals in the early era of analog synthesis.

The uncanny sound is still just as captivating when used effectively.

Humanoid can evoke the familiar sound of retro vocoding, but it can also push the technique into the future.

With the Transform control turned up, the original vocal texture gets forcibly mapped onto a synthesis waveform. Try using a simple square or saw wave to emulate the primitive texture of early analog vocoders.

Or try playing rich polyphonic chords in MIDI mode for a modern, detailed vocoder effect.

2. Augmented natural voices

Modern vocal synthesis often serves to enhance a natural vocal, or exaggerate it’s qualities for a stylish effect.

While Humanoid isn’t exactly subtle, it can work with the incoming vocal texture to create a distinctive synthetic layer that adds interest to an arrangement.

Use Humanoid’s mix controls to balance the blend of tuning, resynthesis and dry vocal to create a robotic hybrid that stands out in the mix.

3. Vocals as an instrument

One interesting aspect of extreme vocal synthesis is that it can completely replace the incoming vocal with a synthetic tone.

This is useful when you want the phrasing and expression of a vocal line without an identifiable voice quality.

With the Transform dial fully clockwise, Humanoid eliminates any trace of the original voice, leaving only the resynthesized synth tone controlled by the vocal input.

Try improvising melodies with Transform at 100% to come up with unique hooks you might not discover on your instrument.

Synthetic voice machine

The singer is often the focal point of a song’s drama and emotional intensity.

Vocal synthesizers give you the ability to alter their sonic persona in ways that can be surprising and uncanny.

If you’re looking for a way to add a unique dimension to your vocal tracks, get back to your DAW and try out the techniques covered in the article.

How to Make Synthwave: 9 Tips for 80s-Inspired Tracks

Synthwave is a musical throwback to one of the most iconic decades in pop culture.

But it’s also a thriving modern genre with an active community of fans.

If you’ve ever heard its distinctive blend of glossy synths, retro drum machines and 80s pastiche, you might have wondered how to get started producing synthwave tracks.

Luckily, it’s possible to get an authentic 80s flavor in your productions if you know a few key techniques.

Of course, you’ll need more than just tips and tricks to master the genre, but this article will give you some basic ideas to get started.

Let’s dive in.

What is synthwave?

Synthwave is a genre of electronic music that draws inspiration from stylistic trends of the 1980s in music, cinema, games and design. It celebrates the unique aesthetics of the era with a nostalgic take on its core elements.

“Synthwave is a genre of electronic music that draws inspiration from stylistic trends of the 1980s in music, cinema, games and design.”

Synthwave developed in the mid 2000s among French house producers and grew in popularity with the rise of 80s-inspired media like the 2011 film Drive and Netflix’s Stranger Things.

Sometimes referred to as Outrun or retrowave, synthwave tracks often feature analog synths, lo-fi samples, gated reverb and other staples of 1980s electronic production.

Musically, synthwave leans toward the cinematic side of the era’s musical landscape, with a special reverence for the early electronic film scores of Vangelis, Tangerine Dream and John Carpenter.

9 production tips for synthwave music

To produce synthwave tracks, you’ll need a convincing palette of sounds and a keen ear for chords, melodies and beats that evoke the 1980s.

As daunting as it seems, getting the sounds themselves isn’t the hard part. Synthwave has gained enough popularity that there are many plugins available to help you get an authentic 80s-inspired sound.

If you’re looking to add synthwave sounds to your plugin folder, consider the Baby Audio Synthwave bundle for a greatest hits package of popular tools for the genre.

Now, here are 9 production elements you can try to capture the genre’s distinctive sound.

1. Repeating sequenced plucks with delay

Advanced hardware sequencers first started to appear in the early 80s.

Unlike the analog units of the original modular synthesis era, these sequencers were meant to program musical sequences of notes for other electronic instruments to play.

While it was still difficult to build full-scale arrangements with these tools, composers seized on their ability to generate hypnotic sequences that could repeat indefinitely as they manipulated their synths.

Combined with tempo-synced delay, these sequences could create an immersive atmosphere that was perfect for the gritty genre films of the era. Tangerine Dream’s Love on a Real Train is a perfect example of this trick in action.

Synthwave producers picked up on the technique, with many tracks including hypnotic looped sequences enhanced by delay.

Try experimenting with short sequences of synth plucks with dotted-eighth note delay to find patterns that can drive your track’s rhythmic pulse.

2. Lush analog pads

Another key feature of the 80s in music production was the introduction of affordable polyphonic synthesizers.

These made it possible for producers to create rich sustaining chords to serve as the backdrop for other elements of the track.

Synthwave relies heavily on lush and dreamy analog pads to set the stage for its late-night mood.

80s pads have an instantly recognizable sound, so consider an accurate vintage emulation if you don’t have a classic hardware unit in your studio.

BA-1 is based on one of the most popular beginner synths of the 80s. With the digital version, we added full polyphony and a second oscillator to turn it into a powerful vintage pad machine.

Check out Sunglasses Kid’s demo clip to hear BA-1’s pad capabilities in an 80s-style track.

3. Vintage-style drum machines

Drum machines began their takeover of pop music in the 1980s. But even the most high tech early machines were challenging to program and not nearly as sophisticated as modern plugins.

To keep it authentic to the era, most synthwave tracks feature simple drum patterns that wouldn’t sound out of place coming from a vintage Linndrum.

Speaking of the Linndrum, it’s best to choose vintage-style samples with that characteristic compression and lo-fi feel of early digital hardware.

Look for a good set of drum samples from an 80-s era drum machine, and enhance them with modern techniques like parallel processing if you need more weight and punch.

4. Arpeggiated octave bass

Many of the most popular 80s synths featured onboard arpeggiators.

Producers quickly realized that holding down a single bass note with the arpeggiator set to a 1 octave range would create a bouncing rhythmic octave effect.

You can hear it all over classic recordings from the 80s like in the verse bassline on Blue Monday by New Order

BA-1’s built-in arpeggiator makes it easy to recreate this behavior without any additional MIDI effects.

Simply turn on the arpeggiator, set the octave range to +1 and hold down a note for instant 80s octave bass.

5. Vocoder vocals

Vocals can pose a challenge for electronic genres that evoke a specific mood with their sound palette.

The wrong vocalist can easily break listeners’ sense of immersion in the production.

One solution is to use a heavily processed vocal like the one found in Kavinsky’s classic early synthwave track Nightcall.

Humanoid is a great choice for classic vocoder-style sounds that can completely reshape a singer’s natural voice.

Its polyphonic MIDI mode means you can easily turn your vocals into a rich synthetic chord element in your arrangement.

Try this approach if you’re struggling to get vocals to sit right in your synthwave track.

7. Gated reverb

Gated reverb is another stylistic hallmark of the 1980s that’s been revived in synthwave production.

It adds characteristic punch and upper midrange density to percussion by abruptly cutting off the reverb decay.

Even if you already have a nice punchy snare, a little gated reverb can add even more 80s flavor.

Crystalline comes with a built-in gate function to turn any setting into a classic gated reverb.

It also comes with plenty of presets for 80s-style gated snares, toms and percussion.

8. Sidechain compression

One modern element in synthwave production is the extensive use of ducking sidechain compression.

It’s usually implemented so that the sustained sounds like pads and bass move out of the way for the kick drum pulse.

You can create sidechain ducking with any compressor in your plugin folder, but both BA-1 and Crystalline come with a built-in sidechain function so that no setup is required.

Simply turn up the sidechain amount to get an internal 4/4 ducking effect linked to your track’s tempo.

9. Lo-fi

If there’s one defining aspect of the 80s in music technology, it’s the limited fidelity of the equipment available at the time.

While pro recording gear was capable of impressive results, the final listening medium could be vinyl, cassette, analog radio or quirky formats like 8-track and VHS audio.

These all brought various flavors of analog saturation, warbling wow and flutter, especially as they decayed over the decades.

Most synthwave productions have some way of augmenting the lo-fi qualities.

While there are plenty of plugin options out there for lo-fi, Super VHS offers a unique approach that emulates the specific qualities of VHS audio.

Check out how Super VHS can enhance everything from percussion to synths in your mix.

Under neon lights

The best synthwave tracks create an irresistible nostalgia for a unique period in pop culture.

But many of the production techniques to make it are modern processes in a DAW-based workflow.

If you’ve made it through this article, you’ll have great start for creating your own synthwave songs.

Ambient Pads: 5 Synth Ideas With Physical Modeling

Ambient pads are one of the best ways to add texture and atmosphere to an arrangement.

But they’re especially powerful in genres where they can become the main event.

In ambient, new age and experimental music, pads can be as creative as any other element of the song.

But how can you create truly great pads that hold listeners’ interest without fading into the background?

In this article, I’ll break down six techniques that take advantage of a unique form of synthesis called physical modeling to create compelling ambient pads for any genre.

Let’s get started.

What are pads in music production?

Pads are rich sustained chords or drones that provide a sonic backdrop for the other action in the arrangement. They’re a fundamental type of patch in sound design with synthesizers.

“Pads are rich sustained chords or drones that provide a sonic backdrop for the other action in the arrangement. ”

Pad sounds are typically polyphonic, allowing complex chords to fade in and out with the harmonic progression.

They became more common in music with the development of affordable polyphonic synths in the late 70s and 80s.

By now, synth pads are found in almost every genre of music, but they play a special role in ambient styles that call for dense, textural walls of sound.

While any polyphonic synth can produce a pad sound with the right settings, some synthesizer types are known for the strength of their pads.

That said, producers often enhance the ambient qualities of a synth pad by adding stylized reverb, delay and other creative effects.

A great pad sound is usually the result of a well programmed synth patch enhanced by tasteful effects and good arranging.

How to build a pad sound on any synth

The basics of creating pads with a typical synthesizer are straightforward. Turn your VCA envelope attack time up for a long, slow fade in.

Then turn up the release time so the notes gradually fade away when you take your hands off the keys.

Aside from those basic qualities, sound design for pads is limited only by your imagination.

But as any experienced ambient producer knows, stopping there will leave you with a flat, uninteresting sound that can obscure other elements in the mix.

The most engaging pads contain subtle movement and evolving details that unfold over time and react to your playing in musical ways.

Ambient pads: 6 creative tips

With the background out of the way, I’ll outline a few tips to help create pads that do more than just fill space.

But first, it’s worth noting that you need to choose the right type of synth for the job.

Your choice of synthesis style plays a big role in the end result as you build your patches.

For example, analog-style synths can create breathtaking ambient textures. But the pads built with these synths often have a vintage character reminiscent of the early polysynth era.

If you’re after this flavor, consider an 80s-style synth like BA-1. It models well-known analog hardware from the 80s and adds capabilities like polyphony to turn it into a great platform for pads.

But if you want to push the envelope into modern sound design territory, there’s much more to explore than recreations of vintage classics.

In fact, some of the most exciting ambient pads are being made with physical modeling. In contrast with analog synthesis, physical modeling relies on mathematical approximations of real world instruments.

That means they can create organic, hybrid textures that blur the line between synthesis and reality. It’s the reason why our physical modeling synth, Atoms’, has been popular among ambient producers.

On to the creative tips.

1. Go wild with LFOs

LFOs are one of the principal ways to create change over time in synthesis.

They’re repeating periodic waveforms that modulate synth parameters at slower-than-audible speeds.

Simple LFOs can add motion to core aspects of your synth sound, but using them creatively can unlock more than just filter sweeps or choppy tremolo.

To create truly evolving soundscapes, try experimenting with multiple LFO waves controlling different parameters at different rates.

It’s especially effective to contrast slow evolving motion with faster periodic cycles between parameters.

Use a wide variety of waveforms and invert the direction of some waves relative to the others to see how they interact with each other.

You can even modulate LFOs with other LFOs to create change in the rate of change!

If all that sounds like a lot to manage, you’re not wrong. Many advanced synths use a system called a modulation matrix to manage sources and destinations in a list.

It’s a convenient system once you wrap your head around it, but it takes some getting used to if you haven’t tried it before.

That’s why we created a simplified LFO system to make it easy to set your sound in motion with Atoms.

Atoms’ intuitive motion controls makes it easy to orchestrate all 6 of its LFO-controllable parameters with multiple waveforms, rates and behaviors.

2. Add noise

Noise is often a good thing when it comes to sound design.

After all, many acoustic instruments create sound by exciting a resonator with a noisy source.

Atoms works in much the same way, exciting its network of interconnected masses and springs with a virtual bow.

While noise can be overwhelming when heard on its own, a little bit can animate the action of LFOs and add density to frequencies affected by filters.

Of course, noise is also a great parameter to modulate to create an ambient wash that ebbs and flows.

Try adding some low level noise to your pads to add texture and bring out resonances during filter sweeps.

With Atoms, you can increase the noisy qualities of the sound by turning up the Force and Overtones parameters.

These increase the pressure and stickiness of the virtual bow as it drags across the vibrating strings, creating a unique profile of noisy harmonics.

3. Introduce randomness

While LFOs can create compelling cycles of change, they always follow a repeating pattern.

Randomness is a great way to ensure that your pads develop differently from chord to chord.

A little goes a long way, but a bit of random modulation can ensure you get unique variations with every new note.

Atoms’ random LFO settings are based on another physical model that drifts back and forth through the parameter’s range with unpredictable twists and turns.

Subtle randomness with the Drift mode works great when applied to the overall pitch for warped-vinyl style vibrato.

Speaking of which…

4. Go lo-fi

It’s easy to reach for the glossiest, most futuristic sounds when you’re looking to create an engaging pad.

But it’s worth exploring the other end of the spectrum to create pads that truly stand out.

Sometimes a hazy, warbling lo-fi pad can work magic for an arrangement that lacks organic feel.

Atoms comes equipped with four unique profiles that model different arrangements of its masses and springs.

The lo-fi mode intentionally reduces the number of nodes in the system to create a grainier, earthier sound that produces great lo-fi pads.

If you’re using a different synth, a lo-fi plugin can help add a bit of dusty vintage vibe to your sound.

Here’s an example of how SuperVHS brings a unique lo-fi flavor to any sound in your mix.

5. Extend the ambience with effects

As I mentioned above, pads are a blank canvas for processing with effects plugins.

Time-based effects like delay and reverb can extend the duration of notes and obscure the onset and decay of each chord in a sequence.

When used well, they create a powerful blending effect that makes your pads feel more expansive and enveloping.

But it’s possible to take it too far and create a sludgy mess that lacks definition.

Make sure to consider whether your pad really needs additional ambience before slathering it in reverb.

But if your sound really does call for a rich textural reverb, it helps to match it with the right type of reverb plugin.

Many producers prefer algorithmic reverb for cavernous, larger-than-life reverb since it doesn’t strictly model a real physical space.

Crystalline is an algorithmic reverb that’s capable of epic decay times and lush modulation. Here’s how it sounds adding stylish decay to a synth pad:

Baby Audio · Synth Pad

Creative launch pads

Ambient pads are used across music genres for a reason.

They provide a perfect textural canvas that immerses listeners in the song’s texture.

Whether you choose physical modeling, virtual analog or any other style of synthesis, the creative tips in this article will help you build better pad sounds.

Now that you have some ideas to inspire you, get back to your DAW and keep designing sounds.

What is a Phase Vocoder? How Pitch Correction Works in Music Production

Phase vocoder is the signal processing technique that enables some of the most common operations in modern vocal production.

But few producers know the term, or understand how it affects the results they get from their plugins.

But if you ever used pitch correction to polish a vocal performance or get the classic hard-tuning effect, you’ve used this technology.

In this article, I’ll explain the basics of phase vocoder processing and why it matters for getting the most from your vocal tracks.

Let’s get started.

What is a phase vocoder?

Phase vocoder is a signal processing algorithm used for manipulating pitch information in audio signals.

It was primarily developed for processing speech, so it’s often considered within the broader category of voice encoding technologies, or vocoders. But it has little in common with synth-based vocoders that work by modulating a carrier signal with a modulator signal.

In fact, technologies that use the phase vocoder technique often focus on pitch shifting and time stretching rather than voice modulation.

“Phase vocoder is a signal processing algorithm used for manipulating pitch information in audio signals.”

Even so, phase vocoder plays a role in some of the most common vocal effects in music production, including pitch correction and hard tuning.

How does phase vocoding work?

The phase vocoder algorithm breaks the incoming signal down into chunks and performs an analysis called the Fourier transform on each successive block.

The Fourier transform takes simple information in the audio waveform and uses it to extract a profile of the frequency content it contains.

This frequency information includes the position of the signal’s harmonics and their intensity relative to one another.

Since every sound is made up of many harmonic partials at different frequencies, this information can be used to guess the musical note that’s being played or sung during that analysis frame.

But once the analysis has taken place, the phase vocoder algorithm can also manipulate the frequency information before reconstructing the signal.

That means it can shift the pitch by moving the location of the harmonic partials while preserving their relationship to one another.

As a result, the algorithm can change the pitch without impacting the timbral qualities of the voice, since these are determined by the unique distribution of harmonics in the singer’s voice.

What does the Phase part mean?

If you’ve been following along closely, you may have spotted a potential problem with this method—phase coherence.

Since each incoming frame of audio must be analyzed and processed separately, the changes affect each portion of the signal differently.

Without correcting for this problem, you’d hear audible changes in sound from frame to frame, including distracting skips in phase.

The issue is made worse by the fact that successive analysis frames need to overlap each other for us to perceive a continuous sound.

Modern implementations of the phase vocoder use advanced techniques to ensure that the phase relationships between frames remain coherent.

Phase vocoder and pitch correction

With the basics out of the way, here’s how the phase vocoder technique works in pitch correction.

As I mentioned above, the algorithm can determine the pitch class of a sung note by extracting the positions of its harmonics and their intensity.

The sounds we perceive as having a musical pitch are usually periodic waveforms with a distribution of harmonics that follow an identifiable pattern.

In these types of sounds, you’ll find a strong fundamental frequency followed by harmonics that occur at integer multiples of the fundamental.

For example, imagine a bowed string instrument playing a rich, sustaining note at concert pitch, or A4 = 440 Hz.

The sound will contain a strong fundamental frequency at 440 Hz, followed by a 2:1 harmonic at 880 Hz, a 3:1 harmonic at 1420 Hz, a 4:1 harmonic at 1760, and so on.

This pattern is known as the harmonic series and it’s common to pitched sounds.

Knowing this, the analysis algorithm can use the pattern to identify the most likely fundamental frequency for an incoming signal.

When you set a pitch correction plugin to recognize the notes in a musical scale, it simply moves the harmonic content of the signal from the detected pitch toward the closest pitch in the set scale.

Parameters such as retune speed or Humanoid’s quantize parameter affect the behavior of the pitch remapping from detection to scale.

Fast retune speeds are responsible for the characteristic “stair step” effect that made hard-tuning famous.

But Humanoid takes it further than just retune speed to let you dial in the exact behavior of the tuning algorithm.

Watch out break down of how the quantize function lets you get the results you need from any incoming vocal with Humanoid:

Phase vocoder plugins

Some of the most common tools used in vocal production rely on phase vocoder tech for their key functions.

I’m talking about vocal pitch correction tools that allow you to adjust the tuning of a vocal performance to fix mistakes and improve the sound.

In most cases, these plugins are made to minimize their impact on the original vocal timbre. That’s why maintaining phase coherence is so important.

But there’s a lot more that can be done with FFT analysis and the phase vocoder technique if you’re willing to experiment.

Humanoid is our over-the-top pitch corrector and vocal transformer that uses phase vocoder technology in an unconventional way.

It can hard tune your vocals to a scale using a process similar to the method I’ve described above. But it can also perform other operations on the harmonic content of the vocal signal to manipulate the sound.

For example, even harmonic sounds with partials that follow the pattern of the harmonic series contain a little variation.

Whether it’s a slight deviation from exact integer ratios, or the presence of some inharmonic partials, each human voice is unique.

But what happens when you force all the harmonics into a perfect ratio and remove any noisy partials from the signal? The result is a uniquely synthetic vocal texture you can increase by turning up the Robotify knob in Humanoid’s pitch section.

Check out the official tutorial to hear Humanoid in action and see the creative possibilities of this approach.

A new phase of creative vocals

Phase vocoder technology enabled a huge shift in what was possible for producers to do with recorded audio.

As common as it seems today, fixing the pitch of a vocal performance has long been a holy grail for music technology researchers.

But creative musicians and producers always find the artistic applications of any new technology.

Humanoid is just one tool for exploring the possibilities that come with phase vocoders and pitch correction.

Now that you have an idea of how they work, get back to your DAW and manipulate some vocals.

Formant Shifting: 4 Creative Techniques To Alter Your Voice

Formant shifting is one of the most transformative effects you can apply to the human voice.

The reason why has to do with the physical qualities of the vocal tract itself.

But what exactly is formant shifting? How does it work and how can you use it creatively to reshape your vocal tracks?

In this article, I’ll explain what formants are, how to alter them with vocal plugins and the creative applications for formant shifting in a mix.

Let’s get started.

What are vocal formants?

Formants are fixed resonant frequencies that occur in human speech and singing. They play a big role in shaping the overall timbre of a person’s voice.

Formants are known scientifically as “local maxima” for frequency intensity. That just means concentrations of energy that build up at specific frequencies.

The frequencies where vocal formants occur are determined by the shape of the singer’s vocal tract.

While their exact resonant frequencies are unique to each person, patterns can be found in voices we recognize as having a low or high timbre.

Though we might not realize it directly, the quality of the vocal formants gives our brains a lot of clues about the speaker.

You’ll understand why when you hear the result of manipulating them with a formant shifter!

What is formant shifting?

Formant shifting is a signal processing technique that gives the illusion of changing the resonant frequencies of a voice without changing the pitch of the sung material.

“Formant shifting is a signal processing technique that gives the illusion of changing the resonant frequencies of a voice without changing the pitch of the sung material. ”

It works by moving the frequencies of the resonant peaks up or down to simulate changes in the shape of the vocal tract.

Since formants are fixed resonant frequencies, they add emphasis in the same areas regardless of the sung or spoken pitch. It’s the reason why moving them up or down can be done without changing the melodic features of the vocal.

Formant shifting is sometimes measured in semitones to maintain a similar taper to pitch shifting controls, but it may also be freely adjustable in cents or with other scale measurements.

How to use formant shifting in your mix

With the background out of the way, here are four creative applications for formant shifting in music production.

Of course, to take advantage of these techniques you’ll need a plugin with formant shifting capabilities.

While there are plenty of options available, we built Humanoid specifically for radical voice manipulation.

It features robust formant shifting controls in addition to pitch correction, additive resynthesis and a whole host of other vocal transformers.

If you like the power of formant shifting and want to take it further, consider trying Humanoid to see how it can reshape your voice.

On to the creative techniques.

1. Contrast formant frequencies with voice type

As I mentioned above, we often associate specific formant patterns with common voice types.

Rich, resonant low voices often have lower formant frequencies, while higher, squeakier voices have higher formant frequencies.

Creating an intentional contrast with the original formants in the source signal is one of the most striking ways to use the technique.

Try shifting the formant lower on a higher vocal or higher on a lower vocal for a disconcerting mismatch of high and low timbres.

2. Combine formant shifting with pitch remapping

Since pitch and formant are independent of each other, you can manipulate both in either direction with plugins like Humanoid.

Making slight changes to the formant frequencies can help mask the effects of altering the pitch.

It can also expose different qualities in the original vocal that you might not have perceived before.

Humanoid can remap incoming vocals to any target pitch in MIDI mode without artifacts.

But there can still be a noticeable difference between the source vocals and the remapped pitch at extreme settings.

Try subtle adjustments with the formant control to rebalance the timbre after shifting the pitch by large intervals.

3. Use multiple formant shifts to differentiate sections

Vocal timbre is one of the key signals we use to identify the difference between speakers.

You can exploit this natural tendency to create contrasting characters or personas in your music.

This technique was famously used by The Knife on their 2006 album Silent Shout to give vocalist Karin Dreijer a wide range of characters and identities to inhabit from section to section.

Try using automation to manipulate formants between verse and chorus, or turn on formant shifting to build intensity during transitions.

4. Blend formant shifted vocals with dry signal

Radically shifting the vocal formants can make any voice seem unrecognizable.

But in many cases, you may want to retain some of the original vocal’s original quality. This way, you can layer in the formant shifted version for additional power and interest.

Humanoid offers a handy wet/dry mix control for the entire plugin.

Try using extreme formant settings with some dry signal blended in to maintain the basic character of the original vocal.

Vocal shapeshifting

The human voice has a huge range of natural expression.

When you add the possibilities of formant shifting, you open up a whole new dimension of sound design for vocals.

In combination with other manipulation techniques, plugins like Humanoid let you alter nearly every aspect of a vocal performance.

Now that you understand the basics, get back to your DAW and try shifting formants in your own vocal tracks.

Creating Presets for Atoms: Sound Design With Physical Modeling

This guest post is written by Christoph Strauss. Christoph is an audio engineer, freelance journalist and owner of soundchills.de. In this article he shares his take on sound design with Atoms.

Atoms is a complex physical modeling synthesizer that is yet simple to control. I have made a preset pack called “The Zen Expansion” for it and will not only share with you my method but hopefully also ignite your creativity.

Baby Audio have enriched the world of music makers and sound designers with the release of Atoms once again. The plugin is based on a unique take on physical modelling that specializes in otherworldy, dark, and melancholic sounds. I won’t get into the details of physical modelling at this point. Baby Audio have released a post as well as a deep-dive-video explaining it.

Move it, move it!

While reviewing it for my blog I really got to learn the ins and outs of it, the strengths and weaknesses. During the process I ended up creating an Expansion Pack (which anyone can do within Atoms) with 17 presets that Baby Audio and I are giving away on their Discord, so head over there!

Now, back to making presets. The most important thing to keep in mind when using Atoms is that the final sound heavily relies on the internal automations – but let’s start from the beginning.

Before jumping into the sound design, I decided what kind of sound I wanted (i.e. Pad, Bass, etc.) to have. Accordingly, I began setting a base sound. This was done by utilizing the upper four knobs for Chaos, Order, Force, and Overtones and pause all automation. Choosing the right profile can enhance the characteristics even more. Then, I would adjust the attack and release and experiment with the automation of said parameters. For “regular” sounds (excluding sound effects and such) I listened to a loop for a bit and made sure no unwanted artefacts occur, especially when not using synced automation.

Once happy with that, I added Drive and Filter to taste. Especially the filter will have a great impact on the audio and can, if automated, turn a long held note into a sequence, for example. In general, I found “Drift” to be a cool mode that can introduce subtle variations which keep things interesting but are not overwhelming.

My final step was to polish things up using Movement, Modulation, Vibrato, and Space. They add an organic feel and the latter places the sound in a desired distance.

Let’s sum things up

The beauty of sound creation lies in diversity. My approach on Atoms is one of many and I did jump back and forth between the above mentioned steps a lot. The combination of different automations brings out very interesting sounds that can be unpredictable. Although Atoms only has few parameters, a variety of complex sounds can be generated. As so often, experimenting is key.

What is City Pop? The Producer's Guide to Classic Japanese Pop

City Pop is one of the most fascinating genres to see a resurgence in popularity in modern music.

With roots in the sophisticated, jazz-inflected styles that emerged in Japanese cities in the late 70s, City Pop has gone global with many producers chasing its nostalgic feel into the 2020s.

But what is City Pop exactly? What are its defining features and how can you capture the sound in your own productions?

In this article, I’ll give a brief intro to City Pop, break down what makes it unique and suggest three essential techniques to help you create it.

Let’s get started.

What is City Pop?

City Pop is the term for a style of Japanese pop music that arose during a period of rapid economic growth and technological development in the 1970s and 80s.

Influenced by contemporary trends in western music, City Pop was a uniquely Japanese take on the adult-oriented genres of the 70s and 80s like funk, disco, AOR and soft rock.

As the genre progressed through the 80s, City Pop artists developed a distinctive style that combined a unique musical vocabulary with the cutting edge music technology that was being pioneered in Japan at the time.

Regarded as an important stage in the evolution of Japanese musical culture, City Pop has found a broader audience in recent times as listeners around the world rediscover its unique sound and aesthetic.

City Pop songs and artists

Although the term City Pop was rarely used during the movement’s heyday, there are dozens of landmark releases now considered touchstones of the genre.

Here are a few essential artists and tracks that highlight key aspects of the City Pop sound.

Taeko Onuki

A founding member of the band considered by some to be the original City Pop act, Taeko Onuki’s 1977 album SUNSHOWER showcases the early roots of the genre.

In the synth solo on “ Tokai” you can hear how jazz and R&B influences began to collide with new technology.

The rich polyphonic synth patch is played in a pianistic style that shows how traditional musicians were willing to embrace new sounds during the City Pop era.

Kingo Hamada

Kingo Hamada’s 1982 album midnight cruisin’ is a touchstone of the City Pop genre among original fans and revivalists.

The song “Machi no Dorufin” is the basis for the wildly popular Englewood edit “Crystal Dolphin” that took off on social media in the late 2010s.

The album highlights the escapist, tropical flavor of City Pop that has become synonymous with modern takes on the genre.

Makoto Matsushita

Incorporating the orchestral accents of 70s pop and the airtight grooves of Steely Dan, Matsushita’s 1981 single “Love Was Really Gone” shows off the sophisticated side of City Pop.

The song’s effortless solos and rich instrumentation capture the cosmopolitan feel of contemporary urban life.

How to make City Pop

City Pop may not have strict genre conventions that are easy to imitate, but it does have a recognizable feel that comes from common elements found in many classic productions.

With the background info out of the way, here are some general pointers to help you get a more authentic City Pop sound in your own productions.

1. Jazz and fusion inspired harmony

Rich, jazz-inflected chords and progressions are a defining aspect of the City Pop sound.

The Japanese artists that popularized the genre were often reacting to developments in western music that saw a creeping influence of jazz and R&B into mainstream rock and pop.

In the US, west coast jazz had evolved into the smoother, “Quiet storm” radio format and its breezy, laid-back feel was influencing pop acts like Steely Dan, Hall and Oates and McDonald-era Doobie Brothers to experiment with more complex harmony.

As City Pop developed, it picked up a harmonic vocabulary associated with these broader trends in music.

Jazz itself was changing in futuristic directions that resonated with listeners experiencing the rapid technological progress occuring in Japanese urban centers.

Forward-looking fusion acts like Weather Report and Michael Brecker’s Steps Ahead were popular among urban professionals keen to show off their brand new cassette decks and hi-fi gear.

As a result, harmonic concepts from jazz such as major 7th chords, sus4 chords, ii-V-I progressions and even tritone substitutions are often found in City Pop.

Throw in a healthy dose of the IV-V-iii-vi progression found elsewhere in Japanese pop and you’ll start to hear the essence of the sound come alive.

If you need a refresher on jazz chords and progressions, head over to this guide to get the basics: 8 R&B and Jazz Chord Progressions Every Musician Should Know.

2. 80s-style synth patches

Pioneering synthesizers were being developed alongside the rise of City Pop as Japanese companies like Roland, Yamaha and Korg led a wave of innovation in music technology.

Many of these boundary-pushing devices made their way into the hands of City Pop musicians and recording engineers during the peak of the genre.

Vintage-style monophonic and polyphonic synth patches can be heard all over records from City Pop’s 80s heyday.

If you’re looking to capture the sound, you might consider an 80s-inspired synth plugin like BA-1.

A go-to choice for retro genre heads, BA-1 was such a hit among modern City Pop producers that we created two preset packs dedicated to the style.

Check out City Pop Volumes 1 and 2 for 128 authentic 80s-style patches.

Inspired by the classic portable CS01 synth, BA-1 has instant retro feel on tap with analog-modeled sound that gives you the best of what made this era of synthesis so iconic.

Tight, but natural percussion

Most City Pop artists relied on session musicians to fill out the ensembles for albums and performances.

Drawing from the best of the best, many of the classic albums and singles feature expert rhythm sections that feel accurate, but not rigid or mechanical.

The result is a tight, human take on disco and R&B grooves with a distinctive dry sound.

To keep your own productions from feeling too sterile, avoid quantizing percussion hits directly to the grid where possible.

On top of that, consider choosing sampled loops with a more human feel rather than sequenced drum machine hits if you can.

Sonically, the drum recording techniques of the day often focused on a punchy, direct sound with ample isolation between individual microphones.

If you need some resources to help you get the 70s dry drum sound, there are plenty of excellent sample packs and tutorials to help you.

Horns, backing vocals and aux percussion

Classic City Pop often incorporated elements that signified large budget productions in the era of limited tracks and expensive analog tape.

Slick horn sections, syrupy backing harmonies and additional percussion elements helped provide the sense of a large, perfectly arranged ensemble backing the vocalist in singles like Anri’s “Remember Summer Days.”

Try stacking up multi-tracked backing vocals for important sections and punctuating transitions with horn section stabs.

City Pop nostalgia

There’s a light and carefree feel to the best City Pop tracks that’s impossible to resist.

It’s no wonder producers want to recapture a bit of that magic in their own music.

And even though you can’t travel back in time to 1980s Tokyo, you can still understand the basics of the genre and find great sounds to help you get close.

If you’ve made it through this article you’ll have a great start for producing City Pop.