Review: Transit 2 by Baby Audio

Baby Audio recently released an update its audio plugin in collaboration with Canadian musician, YouTube personality and video producer Andrew Huang.

Josh Turvey of NoiseQuest shares his thoughts on Transit 2.

Summary

Originally designed to simplify the process of creating impactful and engaging transitions, Transit 2 has morphed into an inspiring, multi-effect plugin that confidently navigates a wide range of creative applications.

Pros:

Large selection of high-quality, easy-to-use effects modules.
Inspiring workflow that’s simple to understand and implement.
Streamlined, one-page interface that makes it easy to build complex effect chains.
Excellent preset system and randomisation features.

Cons:

Effect modules can’t be duplicated and can only be inserted into one slot at a time.
Effect parameters can only be modulated by one ‘motion control’ (Macro, LFO, Follower, Sidechain, Gate and Sequencer) at a time.
Effect chains can’t be organised into banks. Multiple instances of Transit 2 are required to create alternative transitions or processing chains.

Intro

Originally released in August 2023, Baby Audio and Andrew Huang’s collaboration for ‘Transit’ garnered industry-wide attention for its innovative approach to creating complex effects transitions.

As a hugely important, but highly repetitive task, the release of Transit — described by Baby Audio as being a “transition designer” — aimed to solve this problem by significantly reducing the time it takes to add and automate multiple effects. Key to this idea was the ‘motion control’, which is capable of modulating multiple parameters simultaneously (see GIF below), therefore adding movement and animation to a transition without the user needing to create multiple automation lanes within their Digital Audio Workstation (DAW).

Baby Audio Transit 2 modulate parameters

At the time of its release, Transit received acclaim for its novel approach and for creating a multi-effect that homes in on a niche problem experienced by producers working across a multitude of genres. Now, just over a year on from its initial launch, Transit 2 has arrived, possibly sooner than expected, with a suite of new effects and features, all designed to enhance and elevate the process of designing immersive transitions. Below, we explore whether it delivers on its promise to “create endless forms of movement to energise” and enliven static productions.

Design & Features

Interface Overview

Transit 2 features a functional and elegant design, which is housed in an eye-catching, one-page layout. Divided into three sections (see image above), users have access to the Top Menu (red box), the Effects Section in the middle of the page, and the Bottom Panel (blue box).

As expected, the Top Menu (see image above) provides access to the plugin’s settings (red box) and preset menu (green box). Users can also quickly disable the plugin by clicking either of the logos (Baby Audio and Andrew Huang). The top-right corner (blue box) features parameter-locking and randomisation, both providing extensive control over Transit 2’s excellent randomisation capabilities, which will be discussed later in the review. Finally, the eraser icon initialises the plugin so that users can start building an effect chain from scratch.

The majority of the interface is dedicated to the Effects Section (see image above). This window contains eight slots, the top-left of which is dedicated to Transit 2’s unique ‘motion control’ (blue box), with the remaining seven slots able to switch between twenty-eight effect modules, all of which feature a unique set of controls.

The Bottom Panel (see image above) features two global sliders: ‘Mix’ (blue box) controls the overall strength of the effect chain via a dry/wet slider, and ‘Out’ (green box) controls the overall volume output of the plugin. Notably, both of these parameters can accept modulation from Transit 2’s motion controls, which is engaged by clicking on the hollow circles to the right and left of the sliders respectively.

Motion Control

Occupying the first of eight available slots, the ‘motion control’ (see GIF above) is Transit 2’s most important feature. Users can choose between six motion modes, though it’s important to note that only one can be active at any given time:

Macro: This is a potentiometer that is manually controlled by the user. It controls the amount of effect modulation and is designed to be automated within the DAW.
LFO: A low frequency oscillator that provides continuous modulation for the effect parameters assigned to it.
Follower: Generates an envelope based on the incoming audio signal. When assigned to the effect parameters, this creates dynamic modulation that moves in time with the original audio source.
Sidechain: Similar to ‘Follower’, this uses an external audio source to generate an envelope that is used to modulate the effect parameters.
Gate: Like the ‘Macro’ option, ‘Gate’ is also controlled by the user. Mainly intended for live performance, this only affects the modulation destinations when one of the selectable values is held down.
Sequencer: Similar in function to ‘Gate’, however; modulation is triggered automatically and values don’t need to be held down by the user.

Once the ‘motion control’ has been selected, the process of assigning it to the relevant effect parameters is as simple and straightforward as clicking on the hollow circles in the centre of each effect module (see GIF above). Doing so will engage a modulation ring that can be resized by clicking and dragging on its edges, visually indicating the range of modulation. Additionally, the rings are conveniently colour-coded so that the user can easily identify the modulated parameters:

Yellow: No modulation. The parameter is static.
Blue: Positive parameter modulation.
Pink: Negative parameter modulation.

The implementation of the ‘motion control’ is mostly worthy of praise and remains an innovative feature of Transit 2. The four, new motion controls (LFO, Follower, Sidechain and Gate) are excellent additions that effortlessly breathe life into the effect chain, however; only being able to use one ‘motion control’ at a time does feel like an unnecessary limitation. For example, if the four, automatic motion controls (LFO, Follower, Sidechain and Sequencer) were freely assignable via a modulation matrix, then they could be used alongside the two, manual motion controls (Macro and Gate). This would give the user deeper control and would expand Transit 2’s modulation capabilities.

Indeed, not being able to use the six motion controls together feels like a missed opportunity, given the creative potential this would provide. Finally, it should be noted that being able to assign the motion controls to the Global Mix and Output (in the Bottom Panel) is a thoughtful touch that helps to control the plugin’s overall intensity.

Effects

With the addition of ten, new effects (Warp, Loop, Reverser, Speaker, EQ, Analog Chorus, Shifter+, Mod Filter, Retroverb, and Compressor), Transit 2’s twenty-eight modules provide near-unlimited creative potential across seven effect slots (see image below).

True to Baby Audio’s reputation, the effects sound fantastic, belying their compact design. This is especially true when they’re combined to create complex and evolving effect chains, which is simple to achieve with Transit 2’s intuitive layout.

Once loaded into a slot (click to see image), each effect is easy to navigate. The modules can be bypassed and moved around (red box), but each effect is also equipped with an individual preset menu and a randomisation feature (blue box).

Clicking on the ‘Plus’ symbol of an empty effect slot will open the effect menu (click to see image), which allows the user to select a module of their choice. This menu can also be accessed by clicking on the title of an existing effect (blue box), thus making it easy to quickly swap and experiment with different effects.

Transit 2’s arsenal of effect modules creates an endlessly inspiring, creative environment, and they are guaranteed to inject motion and life into transitions, individual tracks and static mixes. Importantly, the new modules bring unique timbres and processing options not possible in the previous version, with notable standouts being: Warp (time-stretching), Loop (glitch and repeat effects), Reverser (reverse effects), and Mod Filter (stereo filtering).

Given the incredible sonic potential on offer here, Transit 2 would certainly benefit from having a series of effect banks, so that users could load multiple pages of effect chains and switch between them on the fly. This would eliminate the necessity of needing multiple instances of the plugin loaded onto a given channel. Additionally, a feature to ‘A/B’ test different effect combinations would also be a welcome workflow enhancement.

In Use

Transit 2 offers a deeply inspiring workflow that makes it simple and fun to create dynamic and evolving effect transitions. The ease with which different effects can be combined and modulated invites the user to experiment with unorthodox effect chains that would be cumbersome to create directly within the DAW.

A fantastic method to help new users get acquainted with the plugin involves leaning heavily into Transit 2’s excellent preset system and randomisation features. Presets come in two sizes. First, there are global presets in the Top Menu (see image above). These work as expected and are conveniently grouped by function (red box) so that users can easily locate and apply pre-built effect chains that are ready-to-use. Notably, the preset menu is capable of loading a random preset (green box), which can be a great cure for preset fatigue or for unearthing surprising results.

Although these global presets are well-curated, Transit 2 has some additional tricks up its sleeve that make it easy to customise and manipulate the existing effect chains. In addition to disabling, re-ordering and swapping out the effects, each module is also equipped with its own, independent preset menu (see image above, green box). This provides extensive control over the individual modules, making it easy to quickly explore various effect combinations without needing to change the global preset and the overall effect chain.

Further contributing to this spirit of experimentation, Transit 2 features intelligent randomisation that is controlled by an extensive, parameter locking system (see GIF above). Users can therefore make wholesale changes by randomising the entire effect chain, or they can carefully select the settings they want to preserve by locking various parameters and restricting the extent of the randomisation taking place throughout the chain.

This approach has huge creative potential, which is limited only by the number of effects that the plugin can accommodate. Used effectively, the randomisation capabilities inject a sense of controlled chaos into the process of creating complex effect chains, which can be extremely rewarding.

Transit 2 shines as multi-effect when inserted on individual channels, especially when using the automatic motion modes (LFO, Follower, Sidechain and Sequencer). However, its power as a “transition designer” really comes to the fore when it’s placed on the Group (e.g. Drum Bus, Vocal Bus, Bass Bus etc.) and Master Buses throughout the mix, where it can process multiple tracks simultaneously. Outlined below is an example of this use-case. Please note that this technique tends to favour the manual motion modes (Macro and Gate), but experimentation is encouraged, as always:

Load Transit 2 onto the Master Bus and select a preset to taste. Remember to make use of the extensive randomisation and parameter-locking features.
Solo the various channels within your DAW that require processing and listen to how these channels interact with Transit 2 as they run through the Master Bus.
Identify the transitionary sections throughout the composition and record automation for the motion mode (e.g. Macro or Gate) of your choice. The goal here is to create motion and interest throughout the various transitions of the song.
Bounce the automated result to a new audio file and set aside for later use.
Repeat Steps 2-4 multiple times, experimenting with different presets and motion modes, making sure to render a new audio file each time.
After building a collection of audio files featuring different transitionary effects, splice and edit them throughout different areas of the composition, adding energy, movement, and surprise to the composition.

By rendering Transit 2’s output to audio, the method outlined above aims to avoid the necessity of loading multiple instances of the plugin onto one channel, simply to generate different effect transitions. In addition to saving processing power, this approach is an effective way to fully commit to a transition idea and move forward with the production process.

Conclusion

Transit 2 is a deeply inspiring plugin that has the potential to ignite creativity both for and beyond its intended use-case. As a “transition designer”, it addresses an underserved niche, offering a fresh approach to a common and necessary task. Deployed as a traditional multi-effect, Transit 2 carries over some minor shortcomings of its predecessor, namely: no effect banks, and limited modulation capability.

Despite having room to grow, it remains an excellent sound-design tool that can be used across multiple, creative use-cases. Whether building new effect chains from scratch, or using the brilliant preset and randomisation features, Transit 2 is a fantastic addition to Baby Audio’s ever-expanding library of high-quality plugins.

Technical Info

Simple download, installation and one-time authentication process. No user account is required, but it’s a good idea to take note of your licence codes should they be needed in the future.
Mac & PC are both supported, with options for VST3, AU, AAX.
The manual is available online and as a downloadable PDF.
CPU usage is well optimised, but it can get quite demanding depending on the number of instances loaded into your project, as well as the amount of effect modules and modulations within the processing chains.

Alternatives

Whilst there aren’t any direct alternatives that are solely designed for creating transitions, there are numerous, multi-effect plugins that make excellent substitutes and can adequately cater to this task, albeit with different workflows:

Turnado (Sugar Bytes)
Effectrix (Sugar Bytes)
Infiltrator 2 (Devious Machines)
Shaper Box (Cableguys)
Snap Heap/Multipass (Kilohearts)

Thanks for another comprehensive overview, Josh!

Regularly priced $129 USD, Transit 2 is currently on sale for only $79 USD at the Baby Audio store and from distributors Plugin Boutique and ADSR Sounds. A free trial version is available to download to give it a try.

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