MH Thump

Name: MH Thump
Author: Metric Halo

by Metric Halo · Saturation · Low-frequency synthesizer

Not rated yet

MH Thump synthesizes low-frequency audio from a track's pitch and dynamics, to add low end or make a new sound.

It has two envelope-driven oscillators and a wet/dry mix, and it is free.

Best for: Drums, Bass, Drum Bus, Sound Design. Genres: Hip-Hop & Trap, Electronic & EDM, Pop, Rock & Indie.

Keywords: free, bass, synths, drums, inspired by, built-in mix knob, A/B compare, kick, metering, undo/redo, bus processing, drum bus, mixing, percussion, single-band, sound design, tight, warm.

What it does

MH Thump is a free Metric Halo plugin that synthesizes new low end under a track. It analyses the pitch and dynamics of the input and uses them to drive two oscillators; the developer's pitch is simply to "make your subwoofers shake".

Two oscillators: independent and envelope-driven, so two tones can sit under one hit instead of a single static sub note.
Envelopes: full control over both the pitch and the amplitude envelope of each oscillator, for 808-style pitch drops or short, tight thumps.
Wet/dry mix: blend the synthesized low end with the source, or run the synth on its own to make a new sound.
Presets: a dozen presets, managed by the MH Preset Manager, which shares presets across Mac and Windows.
Metering and interface: detailed metering, an adjustable UI size and graphs you can show or hide.
New in v4: undo/redo, A/B snapshots, smaller downloads and user-configurable themes.

This is version 4. It is free.

Source: Metric Halo product page

When to use it

MH Thump is the better pick when a kick, tom or bass line lacks real sub energy rather than just harmonics. Compared with Decapitator or Klanghelm SDRR, which add harmonics to the low end already there, Thump generates new low-frequency tones that follow the source. Against a static sub layer or a sample trigger, its pitch and amplitude envelopes let the added tone track each hit, so it avoids the one-note sub effect. It does less overall than a full saturator like RC-20 Retro Color, but for adding weight it is direct and costs nothing.

Best for: beefing up kicks and percussion, adding an 808-style tail under drums, and sub support under bass.
Genres: hip-hop, electronic, pop and rock.
Look elsewhere if: you only want harmonic thickening that small speakers can hear; a saturator such as Decapitator or SDRR does that better.

What producers say

Coverage is light, but the reaction to Thump has been warm, mostly because it is free and does one job well.

Production Expert called it "an oldie but a goodie", writing about the earlier Thump2 release.
Praised: the two oscillators with their own pitch envelopes, which give "all the bass without the 'one note sub' effect".

Production Expert article

Where to buy

Metric Halo: Free

Tutorials and reviews

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