Tekno

Drum Synthesizer (VST/AU/AAX)

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Tekno drum synth main voice view and mix view
 

Supercharge your drum sound

■ Craft deep and massive synthesized drums – from the ground up, with total flexibility

■ Use onboard humanize features to create alive beats where each hit is different

■ A modern reimagination of the legendary drum machines that shaped music culture

 
 
 
 

Hear Tekno in action:

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Tekno drum voice synthesis

Produce Drums Without Samples

Stop browsing for the perfect sample and create your own infectious electronic drum sounds instead – with total control.

Tekno offers 18 fully synthesized drum engines, spanning kicks, snares, clap, hats, percussion and more. Craft unique drum kits full of punch and analog flavor to suit any musical genre.

Use MIDI to sequence Tekno directly. Or simply drag and drop your sounds into any DAW or folder for external sequencing.

Tekno playing a pattern with fader activity

Next-Generation Drum SynthesiS

To build Tekno we teamed up with Jatin Chowdhury, one of the leading engineers in analog circuit modeling. Our goal was to create a modern spiritual successor to the legendary drum machines of the 20th century. Not an emulation, but more.

Tekno stands on the shoulders of classic drum machines but hits deeper and harder. It utilizes a combination of circuit-modeling and cutting edge DSP to deliver the punchiest synthesized drums ever put in a plugin.

Tekno calibration parameters menu

Deep tweaking or Fast inspiration

Click the ‘Gear’ icons next to any synth voice or FX section to unlock deep calibration and circuit-bending options.

Or hit the onboard ‘Dice’ icons to let Tekno’s smart random-algorithm generate all-new drums with every click.

You can also start from the 73 global presets and 1314 individual voice presets by leading sound designers such as Richard Devine, Mr. Bill, Virtual Riot and Yoad Nevo.

User quotes

Tekno sequence visualizer

Each hit is Unique

Tekno is a synthesizer, it generates every drum hit from scratch through a complex non-linear VA circuit. That means it never hits exactly the same way twice – a quality it shares with the classic analog drum machines (and a big part of their magic). Compare this to samples, which are just static snapshots and you’ll find that Tekno’s subtleties make tracks come more alive.

Tekno allows you to exaggerate this behavior further: Use the on-board humanize parameters to introduce extra variation in timbre, velocity and timing every time a sound is triggered.

Tekno effects section

Loaded with analog-modeled Effects

Tekno’s onboard effects have been crafted with the same care and meticulous analog-modeling efforts as the drum voices.

There are no ‘copy-paste FX’ in Tekno, but a unique suite of coloration tools created especially for this instrument.

Beef-up individual drums with analog-modeled tape saturation, excitation and compression. And make the whole kit shine with a punchy limiter/clipper combo that will cut through any mix.

How to work with Tekno

 

Extra video content

Watch the interview with Jatin, the lead developer on Tekno and Alex’ sound examples using only BA instruments.

 

Frequently asked questions

 

  • ■ Plugin formats: VST, VST3, AU, CLAP, AAX (64-bit).

    ■ Platforms supported: Mac OS 10.11 and up (including Native Apple Silicon M-Chip Compatibility). PC Windows 10 and newer.

    ■ DAWs supported: All major DAWs, including Ableton Live, Pro Tools, Logic Pro, FL Studio, Cubase, Studio One, Bitwig, Reaper, Reason etc.

    💾 Download Manual

  • Yes. Get the free trial HERE.

  • Each of Tekno’s 18 on-board voices is a unique drum synthesizer with its own character and sweet spots. The voices utilize a combination of analog circuit modeling, FM and digital synthesis. They have open-ended names – and flexibility. All you have to do is tweak them and make them yours.

    1. Kick A

    2. Kick B

    3. Snare A

    4. Snare B

    5. Hat A

    6. Hat B

    7. Hat OP

    8. Tom L

    9. Tom H

    10. Clap

    11. Rimshot

    12. Conga L

    13. Conga H

    14. Ride

    15. Tonal

    16. Cowbell

    17. Block

    18. Crash

  • Any! Tekno’s versatility, depth and hard-hitting sound makes it useful in any musical genre that relies on electronic elements. From dance, hip-hop and pop to underground techno – and way beyond.

  • A big contributor to Tekno’s punchy sound is the analog-modeled clipper that sits at the end of the chain. However, you’ll want to calibrate this effect based on the intensity of your drum loop. Busier patterns will require you to dial-down the “Clip” slider (located in the master section) to avoid distortion. Single drum hits, on the other hand, tend to benefit from being clipped more aggressively.

    There’s no exact right or wrong here since Tekno is designed to never digitally clip in your DAW. So use your ears and tune the clipper - as well as the on-board limiter - to the right temperature that fits your tracks and your vision.

  • For the development of Tekno, Baby Audio collaborated with Jatin Chowdhury, one of the leading engineers in analog modeling. Jatin has made major contributions to the music software industry through widely used open-source projects and several academic publications. He holds an M.A. from Stanford University in Music, Science, and Technology and is currently pursuing his Ph.D. at MIT.

    We teamed up with Jatin in 2021 with a joint vision to make ‘the ultimate drum synthesizer’. Four years later, we’re proud to share the end result. You can explore some of Jatin’s popular tools and free plugins over at chowdsp.com

Buy Tekno or subscribe to own in 6 months for $14.99/month. Free trial available in the top menu.