Everyone who reads my blog regularly knows that I’m a dedicated Baby Audio fan. I use many of their tools in my sound design work, and since I mostly produce Techno, Minimal, and Dub Techno Sample Packs, their new drum synthesizer instantly felt like a natural fit. Once I started working with it, I realized how much creative potential it actually unlocks.

More than just another drum machine

The name might suggest a tool designed purely for techno, but Tekno quickly proved itself to be far more versatile. It’s a true drum synthesizer with 18 dedicated engines, covering everything from kicks and snares to claps, hats, percussion, and more experimental voices. Because every hit is synthesized in real time, the results feel alive and varied instead of static.

What impressed me most is the sound quality. These drums hit hard and cut through the mix. You can shape huge, floor-shaking kicks, metallic hats, glitchy tones, or even surprisingly acoustic-like textures by carefully adjusting resonance and decay. Compared to samples, the range and flexibility here is on another level.

Interface and workflow

Tekno’s interface is clean and intuitive. The hexagonal layout gives you quick access to all voices. Basic sliders like Length or Click make instant tweaks easy, while the deeper calibration menus unlock detailed control: transient shaping, filtering, modulation, and effects for each drum.

Randomization is especially well done. You can shuffle an entire kit in one click or randomize voices individually. This makes it easy to explore new directions step by step, without losing control of your overall groove. It’s an inspiring way to work that constantly feeds new ideas. This feature is really brilliantly implemented – I love it!

Another strength is the drag-and-drop workflow. Any sound you design can be exported directly to your DAW or sampler, making Tekno a flexible drum sound design lab that adapts to different setups.

Sound shaping and effects

Each engine includes its own effects such as tape saturation, compression, ring modulation, exciters, and reverb. The master section adds a filter, global reverb, and a limiter/clipper, which helps the entire kit feel cohesive and powerful.

The Humanize introduces subtle variation in timing, velocity, and timbre, making patterns feel more organic. Used gently, it adds realism, pushed harder it can create glitchy, unstable grooves that spark creative accidents. I find this humanize function particularly valuable for dub techno loops, as here an “authentic/handmade feel” is key.

Although Tekno is unapologetically synthetic at heart, it can produce organic results when envelopes and decay are shaped carefully. This hybrid character, somewhere between analog punch and acoustic nuance, is part of what makes it so enjoyable to use.

Presets

Stepping through the presets alone shows just how diverse Tekno can sound. From heavy techno kicks to airy percussions and experimental textures, the range is impressive. The preset library gives you a great starting point, but it also invites you to tweak and make the sounds your own.

Limitations

One feature I miss is an integrated MIDI sequencer. However, Tekno integrates smoothly with any DAW, but an internal sequencer would make sketching ideas even faster. Not essential, but it would have been a nice extra. For many years, I’ve enjoyed using Xfer Nerve, for example, which also includes a sophisticated sequencer. However, the whole thing is based on samples – a completely different approach.

Pricing and availability

Tekno is available at an intro price of $79 (regular price $129) or via rent-to-own at $14.99 per month. It supports VST, VST3, AU, CLAP and AAX on macOS (including Apple Silicon) and Windows. The plugin ships with 73 full kit presets and 1,314 voice presets, created by designers like Richard Devine, Mr. Bill, Virtual Riot, and Yoad Nevo.

Pros

• Hard-hitting and flexible drum synthesis
• 18 engines with wide sonic variety
• Excellent randomize functions (global and per-voice)
• Humanize adds realism or creative chaos
• Per-voice effects plus strong master section
• Smooth drag-and-drop workflow
• Large preset library for instant inspiration
• Very fair intro price

Cons

• No internal MIDI sequencer (that’s what I miss most)
• I would also love to have velocity-sensitive dynamics for timbre/parameters. This would allow for even livelier and more expressive rhythms, especially since the sounds are generated live and not based on static samples.

Verdict & Summary

After working with it extensively, I can say: Tekno is a highly inspiring drum VSTi. It’s powerful, versatile and constantly pushes me to try new ideas.

Whether I’m sculpting a dubby kick, layering metallic percussion, exploring acoustic-like tones or stumbling into a randomized groove that becomes the seed of a track, Tekno always delivers.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with creating your own individual drum library with Tekno and then refining the drums with additional VST effects such as high-end distortion modules, etc., or combining them with samples.

Even though modern DAWs now offer great features, I still hope that Baby Audio will include an internal sequencer in a future update. I simply find it more intuitive to work this way.

If you’re producing electronic music and want drums that feel alive and flexible, Tekno deserves a permanent spot in your arsenal.

Visit my BLOG for other vst recommendations, production tips and more!

Cheers,
Oliver Schmitt aka Sounds of Revolution (SOR)