Mayday is a little jet that makes huge risers on demand. Hold a note and the sound climbs for exactly 1, 2, 4 or 8 bars, then holds at the top until you let go. Truly intense risers are weirdly hard to find. Now they live on one key.
Get started in 3 steps
1. Put Mayday on a MIDI track. It is an instrument. One held note is all it needs.
2. Set LAUNCH to match your build. 4 bars before the drop? Pick 4 bars. It lands exactly on time.
3. Hold the note until the drop hits. Release exactly on the downbeat. Clean fade, no mess.
Make it yours
LAUNCH. How long the climb takes. Tempo-synced bars or free seconds.
CLIMB. How far it rises, 1 to 4 octaves. More octaves, more panic.
JET. The engine-noise layer that sweeps up underneath. Adds the whoosh.
INFINITY. Shepard mode. The riser climbs forever and never arrives. Unsettling in the best way.
SHAKE. Flutter that speeds up near the top, like the airframe rattling.
AFTERBURN. Drive and stereo width that kick in as you approach the peak.
Pro tip
Stack two Maydays an octave apart with slightly different LAUNCH times. The offset makes the rise feel enormous, like the whole mix is lifting off.
Common questions
What is a riser plugin? It generates the climbing tension sound before a drop or chorus. Instead of hunting sample packs for one that fits your key and tempo, Mayday builds the riser live from the note you hold, synced to your song.
Is Mayday really free? Yes. Enter your email and the download starts right away. Full version, no locked knobs, no trial timer.
What DAWs does Mayday work in? Any macOS DAW that loads VST3 or AU plugins: Ableton Live, Logic Pro, FL Studio, GarageBand, Reaper, Studio One and more. Logic and GarageBand pick up the AU version automatically.
Is there a Windows version of Mayday? Windows builds are finished and getting their final polish. macOS is live today and Windows lands soon. Join the email list when you download and you will hear the moment it drops.
How do I install Mayday? Run the installer and it puts the VST3 and AU files in the right folders for you. Restart your DAW, rescan plugins if needed, and it shows up like any other plugin.