DH Plugins Halo 2 £99 PC MAC

Halo has become known for its capabilities in the bass music realms. We explore what the latest update has to offer

Halo 2 (AU, VST, VST3) is the latest version of DH Plugins’ hybrid synth. Its predecessor delivered powerful sounds aimed squarely at bass music genres, and we fully expect version 2 to continue down this path.

To recap, the excellent hybrid engine combines three sound generators (Sample, Sub and Synth) coupled with editable distortion, four LFO-controlled filters (three pre and one post distortion), pitch and amplitude envelopes, two tempo-synced editable LFOs, step modulator, powerful parameter modulation system, effects and EQ. The Sampler generator is a ROMplerstyle affair with a genre-specific sample set, but also supports sample import. The core factory sound set can also be expanded via the MonoSynth, Borg Bass and Beast-Mode (£15 each) add-on packs.

Bass desires

Halo 2 retains the same look as version 1, with new features slotted into the existing layout. At the top of the list, and maybe a surprising omission from the original, is a 16-step arpeggiator. Accessed via the centre section button, you can edit it in the regular centre section or launch the better equipped expanded view. You adjust pitch on the top row, and note length on the bottom row, plus there are 47 varied arp presets. For a creative path there’s also an intelligent randomiser with a choice of six scale types. For us, the best feature is that you can assign the arp selectively to each of the sound generators. Nice.