5 New(ish) Plugins to Try [May 2023]

Baby Audio’s “BA-1” ($50 intro price)

This new synth from Baby Audio is beautifully designed and sounds just as vibey as their effect plugins. Based on the cult-y CS01, this synth has tons of character and plenty of manipulation capabilities baked in. Wether you’re making synth-wave, har hitting electro, or straight up pop, BA-1 brings a lot to the table. And of course, it’ll work great with your Jamstik as well.

Excite Audio’s “Lifeline Expanse” ($70)

“Lifeline Expanse” is a multi-effect plugin from Excite Audio. It’s rack like interface allows you to swap the order of effects and a dedicated mix knob lets you find the perfect wet/dry balance. A jack of all trades plugin, this one is sure to inspire new ideas and inject loads of vibe on whatever you put it on.

Waves “Vocal Bender” ($35)

A vocal plugin from Waves with a deceptively simple interface. Designed with vocals in mind (but can be used on whatever), this plugin gives pitch and formant control of the incoming signal. It also has an interesting sequencing feature and is latency free, which means you can use it on a vocalist in realtime - awesome. 

Cableguy’s “Shaper Box 3” ($99)

As utilitarian as it is creative, Shaper Box 3 can pretty much do anything. You can use individual shapers for specific needs or combine them to completely transform any sound. It can be a little tough to wrap your head around, but once you do a whole new world of wild sound design opens up. 

Kilohearts “Essentials” (Free)

Not just a singular plugin, but rather a collection of 30+ simple to use and extremely useful effects. These effects range from basic utilities like compression and EQ to fun manipulation tools like  the Trance Gate. We think the Kilohearts Essential bundle is a must have for beginners and pros the same. 

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