B.I.T.

If you were alive during the 1970s, or the 1980s, or the 1990s, or the 2000s… If you were ever born then you probably like early analog synth sounds. It’s not even a nostalgia thing, those early slightly eerie sounds have a certain warmth about them that not only evokes the time when they were created but also makes them make them more than capable of carrying a song today.

It’s no surprise that countless contemporary synths – both physical and digital – are created with the sole purpose of emulating and recreating the sounds of yore. Today we’re going to take a look at one that’s called B.I.T., which stands for Back In Time.

To expect anything less than quality from audio plugin developer Rob Papen would be a bit unwise. His portfolio includes some really innovative and surprisingly affordable pieces of software that sound great. Even though it takes inspiration from the past, B.I.T. is no exception. The sounds are unmistakably analog, and you can create them by manipulating a fairly intuitive interface.

At its core are two oscillators that can generate 12 types of waveforms; these can be easily modified with the help of a few knobs or by simply clicking and dragging them. The sound can then be adjusted with a sub-oscillator, a simplistic noise unit, an LFO, a pitch LFO, two filters, and two envelopes. The effects that you can use are fairly limited, and their section is almost identical to Rob Papen’s Go2; you can use a chorus, a flanger or a phaser, and a delay or a reverb.

Finally, you can use the synth’s sequencer/arpeggiator to add rhythm to the notes and chords you play. Like many of the early synths, B.I.T. has modulation capabilities. You can use the modulation matrix, or you can just use the oscillators’ advanced settings for some quick connections with the LFO and envelopes.

With many presets to use in your compositions or as starting points for your ideas, it’s easy to recommend B.I.T. to anyone who can’t get enough of analog synth sounds.