Baby Audio Crystalline Next-Gen Reverb Plugin

Description

Crystalline – Next-Gen Algorithmic Reverb

Make Space For Lushness

• Crystalline is a new
• state-of-the-art
• reverb plugin with a pristine and modern sound.
• Gives you unprecedented creative control to shape your reflections.
• Lets you sync reverb start and decay times to your song’s tempo.
• An evolution of classic 20th century studio reverbs – fully upgraded for today.

A ‘perfect algorithmic reverb’ is often considered the holy grail of digital audio effects. In fact, the idea can be traced all the way back to research papers from the 1960s.

Throughout the 20th century, algorithmic reverbs evolved thanks to companies like EMT and Lexicon. But limited computing power at the time forced manufacturers to work within narrow constraints.

Fast forward, and we now have the resources to do things that couldn’t be done during the golden age of studio reverbs. Both in terms of sheer sound quality. But also in terms of adding creative features that weren’t possible in the hardware days.

Crystalline stands on the shoulders of 60 years of chasing ‘the holy grail of DSP’. We’ve asked ourselves what the pioneers of the legendary digital reverb would have done if they had the resources we have today – and then we’ve made exactly that plugin. With all the bells and whistles a modern engineer would need.

Unrealistic Expectations Allowed

When we’re talking reverbs, there are two fundamental philosophies: Algorithmic and Convolution reverbs. Convolution tries to mimic the sound of a real physical space using impulse responses, while an algorithmic reverb seeks to create an artificial space from mathematical algorithms, free from the constraints of the natural world. The idea of an algorithmic reverb was first conceived in the 1960s – and evolved over the following decades, redefining the sound of modern music with every new technology leap (and improved memory chip!).

Crystalline follows in the tradition of the classic algorithmic reverbs, but adds new features and higher fidelity thanks to modern computing power. It is meant to sound unreal – in the most positive sense of the word. Its rooms and halls won’t sound anything like those in your house – but closer to those of your dreams!

Preset Creators

Crystalline comes loaded with more than 300 presets created by BABY Audio and friends of the house – including:

• Damian Taylor (Bjork
• The Prodigy
• The Killers
• Arcade Fire)
• Michele Canova (John Legend
• Alicia Keys
• Olly Murs)
• Eric J Dubowsky (Flume
• St. Vincent
• Chet Faker
• Kygo)
• Matt Sim (Nicki Minaj
• Big Sean
• Gucci Mane)
• M-Phazes (Eminem
• Madonna
• Demi Lovato)

Top Features

Tempo-Synced Pre-Delay & Decay: Automatically syncs reverb timing to your track’s BPM for a natural, rhythmic feel.

High-Fidelity Algorithm: Ultra-clean, modern reverb with a pristine signal path and lush, musical reflections.

Advanced Tone Shaping: Control sparkle, damping and transient emphasis to tailor the reverb’s response to any source.

Creative Effects & Modulation: Includes shimmer, reverse reverb, stereo width control, and dynamic ducking for mix-friendly results.

Zero-Latency & Low CPU Usage: Optimized for efficiency, delivering studio-quality reverbs without excessive CPU drain.

Additional Features

BPM-Synced Start And End Times – Crystalline lets you hard-sync the reverb attack and decay time to your DAW’s tempo. This will generally result in cleaner mixes where the reflections are naturally in sync with the music. Prefer the classic way? Just hit the “Sync/MS” switch and Crystalline lets you set pre-delay and decay times in milliseconds instead.

Reflections Section – ”Size” lets you set the room size from tiny to large. This control is detached from the “Length” control, meaning you can get any size/length combination you want, including esoteric settings like huge spaces with very short tails or tiny spaces with very long tails. “Sparkle” emphasizes high frequencies inside the reverb algorithm. This generates reflections that are naturally brighter, which will help you achieve that extra shine on vocals or snares.

Depth Section – “Resolution” sets the complexity of the algorithm from ‘basic’ to ‘pristine’. More complex settings will give you an ultra-clean reverb response, free of metallic artifacts – while the ‘Basic’ setting will give you an efficient CPU performance at a normal fidelity. ”Modulation” creates pitch variations inside the reverb algorithm. This results in a richer sound that works especially well to fatten up synths, guitars and vocals. “Shimmer” makes the high frequencies of the reverb shine

Clean-Up Section – “Damping” is a dual filter control that lets you remove high and low frequency content from the reverb reflections. This control offers a fast way to get rid of clutter and muddiness in your mixes. “Sides” is a high-pass filter that removes stereo information from the low end of the reverb, while keeping the mono-information intact. This is especially helpful for creating wide vocal or lead instrument reflections without muddying-up your low end.

Shape Section – “Tone” is a tilt EQ that lets you quickly shift the frequency balance of the reverb to brighter or darker. “Smoothing” gradually applies an EQ-curve custom-designed to address the frequency areas that tend to get resonant and sharp. It mellows out harshness and gives Crystalline a more subtle feel. This allows you to add a little more reverb without drenching your mix. “Transients” lets you shift the reverb algorithm’s emphasis to either the attack or sustain part of the incoming signal.

Output Section – “Ducker” lowers the reverb signal when the dry/incoming track is playing. This gives you a cleaner mix, where you can turn up the reverb more without compromising the dry track. “Ducker Gentle” mode offers a slow and natural ducker setting, while the standard ducker mode has a more pumpy feel. ”Reverse” reverses the reverb playback, giving you some radical sound design possibilities. “Freeze” is another creative effect that takes a granular snapshot of the reverb when clicked.

Top Panel – “Color” lets you change between light and dark background colors. “Eco Mode” lets you run Crystalline in a low-CPU mode by setting the resolution to “Basic” and disabling the shimmer effect. “Save As Default” lets you save your own default preset that will appear when the plugin initializes or you hit the reset button. That way you can save your preferred color+size settings. “Reset” resets the plugin’s state to your default preset. “Tool Tips” gives you help texts explaining each control.

Why You Need Baby Audio Crystalline

Baby Audio Crystalline was created to provide a modern, high-fidelity reverb plugin for music producers and sound engineers who demand superior clarity, flexibility, and creative control in their mixes. Designed to meet the needs of professionals working in a variety of genres, Crystalline was built to offer pristine, musical reverb without the complexity of traditional plugins. Its intuitive interface and advanced features, such as tempo-synced pre-delay and decay, make it an ideal tool for both complex sound design and straightforward mixing applications.

Who This is For

The target market for Baby Audio Crystalline includes music producers and engineers, particularly those working in electronic, pop, and modern music genres. It also caters to sound designers in the film and gaming industries, providing the depth and customization required for immersive audio experiences. Additionally, Crystalline is perfect for mixing and mastering engineers who need a transparent and versatile reverb tool, as well as home studio musicians looking for a professional-quality reverb that is easy to use and doesn’t require a steep learning curve.

What This Package Competes With

Several prominent reverb plugins compete with Baby Audio Crystalline, including Valhalla VintageVerb, FabFilter Pro-R 2, LiquidSonics Seventh Heaven, and Lexicon PCM Native Reverb Plugin Bundle. While these alternatives offer unique features, Crystalline excels in several areas. For example, Valhalla VintageVerb focuses on retro-style reverbs, while Crystalline offers a modern, ultra-clean sound with more customizable features. FabFilter Pro-R 2 provides a natural decay control but comes at a higher price point, whereas Crystalline combines flexibility and a lower cost. LiquidSonics Seventh Heaven offers realistic convolution reverb, but lacks the deep customization options that Crystalline provides, such as tempo-syncing and advanced modulation. Lastly, the Lexicon bundle, though industry-standard, is much more expensive and limited in its tweakability compared to Crystalline’s intuitive interface and broad sound-shaping options.

Baby Audio Crystalline System Requirements

Mac

Version: Mac OS 10.7 and up (including Native M1 Compatibility)
Internet_required: No
Plugins: VST-2, VST-3, AU, AAX

Windows

Version: PC Windows 7 and up
Internet_required: No
Plugins: VST-2, VST-3, AAX

Baby Audio Crystalline Demo Video