- #Best gear for native instruments massive x mod
- #Best gear for native instruments massive x software
You get the same again, with another oscillator plus the addition of two mod oscillators in the form of phase modulators, each with drop-down menus with selectable shapes. Gorilla, on the other hand, is more midrange and ring-y, offering King, Kang and Kong modes and this time, the two dials control Over and Bend parameter options the former introduces some lovely sweeping, especially in Kong mode.Īlready, you’ll be thinking about modulating these and the main Wavetable dials for some exceptional sweeping drama and we’re not even out of the first oscillator yet. Each has a further drop-down menu of sub modes which will then determine what the two dials to their right control.īend, for example, offers a rather pleasant and drone-like result with three levels in the Sub Modes (Strong, Medium and Gentle) and the two dials add Filter and Bend parameters. Most are pretty self explanatory, such as Standard (not unlike the original Spectrum) Mirror (reverse) plus Random, Jitter and Formant. This is already a huge addition in terms of sonic scope, but it gets better with those Wavetable Modes, which determine how the wavetables are read. Wavetables start from a Basic folder, through some very interesting Monster, Drift and Formant options to what Native calls ‘Remastered’, where classic wavetables from the original have been dusted down. At the top left, you get the Dual Oscillator section with drop-down menus to select from over 170 wavetables – any feature underlined like this has a drop-down menu associated with it. However, really, these synths should perhaps be treated more individually as they are quite different and will coexist, so I will also try and judge X on its merits alone and, as we’ll see, it certainly has plenty of those.Ĭonsider Massive X as a synth of two halves, then, splitting the UI in two with the sound generators in the top and the bottom half for voicing, modulation and routing. Getting a little deeper into the synth and I’ll start with the caveat that I will probably keep veering off and comparing X with the original as, without doubt, that is what some people will want to read. (But it sadly makes the original look even more dated, though – sooo 2007.) Massive – not Massive This pared-down philosophy has certainly given the synth a much more appealing look that puts it right back up there as a 2020s soft synth. Massive X seems to be about simplifying the top layer – what you see and how you interact with it – but adding more should you need it, which is fine in my book. There’s also a stack of extra wavetables to choose from and more Wavetable Modes (essentially, how they are played). Massive X features two oscillators compared to Massive’s three, but actually has access to three more, via insert effects. Specs-wise, you might start by thinking that Massive X loses some of the features that Massive has – but you would be wrong. You get the huge sonic results, but the feature and cosmetic similarities aren’t exactly, er, massive.Īs we’ll see, though, there are certain Massive characteristics that have been carried through. In fact, on initial boot up, you might think Massive X is a completely different synth. Massive is still for sale, and there’s no cross-compatibility between the two. MainĪnd ‘successor’ is just how Native Instruments is pitching Massive X, although slightly confusingly, the two will coexist alongside one another, at least for the foreseeable. This year alone has seen some incredible releases and I’ve reviewed some stunning synths from Arturia (Pigments), Audiaire (Zone) and Softube (Parallels) that have refined the very way you interact with your software, so the successor to Massive, on test here, is long overdue.
#Best gear for native instruments massive x software
However, 12 years is a long time in anyone’s books – let alone software – and Massive has been overtaken in certain areas by other titles. It’s been as influential as any other synth before or since, so much so that you’ll still find it – alongside those previous synths I mentioned – as main recommendations across many dance forums.
Its then-slick three oscillator wavetable engine and ground-breaking modulation features helped it to massively (sorry) contribute to various dance sub genres, even arguably helping to invent a few along the way. When it was released over a dozen years ago, NI’s Massive shook up the market in a way that even the Berlin developer couldn’t have predicted. Soft synths have had a good couple of decades to bed in and at least half a dozen – including Serum, Sylenth, Diva and Native Instruments’ original Massive – have been as influential as the hardware that preceded them. Surely, you might say, this relatively young instrument category can’t be up there with the likes of the Odyssey, the 303 or the Jupiter? Yes, it can.
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