Test: Baby Audio Atoms
Sounds the world has never heard before! With this promise, Baby Audio presents its innovative physical modeling synthesizer, Atoms. We can‘t wait to find out whether it sounds as futuristic as it looks!
Atoms does not use classic oscillators or samples. Rather, it relies on advanced Physical Modeling. This plugin goes one step further than sound generators that emulate the behaviors and vibrations of real instruments; and also offers enormous potential for creating new and otherworldly sounds. The basis for the system is the simulation of interconnected masses and springs that are excited by a virtual arc. Sound complex?
Thanks to the inviting user interface, Atoms is pleasantly accessible: with six main parameters, you can customize the properties and dimensions of the physical model. The 250 supplied presets, including the „Radioactive“expansion by well-known producer and DJ, Zardonic, demonstrate the sonic diversity of this synthesizer.
Order and Chaos
The Chaos control gives the sound beats, but can also create detuning and glide effects. You can use Order to achieve the high frequencies, for example, to achieve fast decaying vibrations, like you find on guitars with nylon strings. Force, on the other hand, determines the pressure with which the virtual bow stimulates the springs, from gentle to noisy, rich in overtones and with a concise attack. You can adjust the position of the virtual bow with the Overtones Control, which can vary the sound from muffled to sharp. Finally, drive controls the intensity of the overtones through to cutting and overdriven sounds. The resonant lowpass filter allows the sound to be attenuated and also modulates filter sweeps or wobble effects with an LFO.
Six LFOs with Sine and Sawtooth shapes can modulate several parameters simultaneously. They are tempo-synchronized and can also be triggered individually for each voice. Drift provides subtle sound variations and, if an MPE controller is used, modulation can also be carried out using Polyphonic Aftertouch. Additional waveforms, such as Sample & Hold, or step sequences, would be a great addition here, as would the option of using velocity and MIDI controllers for modulation.
Want to create fresh and inspiring sounds? This is easy with the intuitive Random Generator. The great thing is that the results are always musically useful, and you can also lock certain parameters or restrict the random range. If you like a sound, you can generate variations at the touch of a button using the Recycle function.
Effects as sound generation
All Atoms effects except Reverb are integral parts of the physical model. This means that the effects fit perfectly into the overall sound. The option to choose between four profiles of the mass-spring network (Standard, Inharmonic, Alternative and Lo-Fi) is inconspicuous, but very productive in terms of sound. Each profile has its own sound character.
Thanks to the adjustable Attack and Release parameters, aggressive plucks are just as possible as soft, long decaying pads. Movement allows you to influence the intensity and speed of the bow movement, resulting in subtly changing sounds and, at higher values, Tremolo effects. Modulation, on the other hand, provides Chorus-like effects and, as with Movement and Vibrato, is also synchronized to the project tempo. The Space effect is operated with an X/Y pad and masters both subtle ambient effects and lush reverberation.
Verdict
Atmospheric, dynamic and with a pinch of stubbornness - Atoms from Baby Audio presents itself as a synthesizer that plays to its strengths in the organic, as well as surreal, world of sound. The palette ranges from sounds reminiscent of traditional instruments such as guitars, violins and pianos to pulsating and lively hybrid sounds. Whether it‘s atmospheric pads, captivating drones or vibrating textures Atoms serves an impressive range of expressive possibilities.
Like an organic body of sound, the synthesizer‘s sound is lively, expressive and always in flux. The random musical functions provide endless inspiration, generating soundscapes from crystal-clear textures to distorted basses, aggressive leads and hyperactive sequences at the touch of a button. ⸬