Massive VST

[Jay Selway]

Has anyone used it yet?

Just got a copy but haven't had time to install it. Just curious what people think.. :mj1:

[Shakey]

It's dreamy.
It truly is a marvel of a tool for audio engineering.
It has almost 500 onboard preloaded presets.
The modulation implementation is well, massive.

from some blog about massive:
* High-end audio engine sets a new standard both in sound quality and sonic character

* Flexible signal flow delivers huge range of sounds: from deep, brutal basses to delicate, crystalline leads

* Wave Scanning oscillators generate sounds of both a digital and an analog nature

* Innovative and intuitive features allow fast and easy creation of fresh new sounds

* Combination of simplicity with revolutionary, advanced features make MASSIVE ideal for both beginners and experts

* Easy-to-use knobs with dynamic value indicators, drag’n'drop modulation assignment

* Integrated step sequencers and an effects section with 17 master and insert effects

* MASSIVE uses the KoreSound™ format, ensuring perfect integration with KORE

* KoreSound™ Browser for easy searching of 420 KORE-configured sounds

* Advanced sequencing and remote features make MASSIVE perfect for live performance

[john c]

yeah forgot to tell u: i installed this thurs. its HUGE. very few VSTis sound like this. Its really up there in the top league. I havent figured out how to program it. it looks mad complex. i need the full version,.

[Shakey]

it has hangups with other NI products.

it causes everything to freeze up

I have problems when trying to load it with battery and absynth.

there will be a patch though to fix it.

[john c]

in which sequencer?

[Shakey]

oh sorry....
cubase.

and its not a problem with my comp, other people have the problem as well.
http://www.native-instruments.com/forum_us/showthread.php?p=262759

[cjweaver]

absolutely amazing, almost better than FM8

[john c]

havent even tried FM8 yet. Man i got a lot of catching up to do. Whats ur review of FM8?

[method]

honestly i'm more impressed with fm8 than massive so far, but i haven't even made it through the manual for one of them yet, so i don't have a complete understanding to make a judgement...

however, i will go out on a limb and say: both a fuckign BADASS

[NightWatch]

Massive: The NI ripoff continues.

[method]

shut up dude we're all rich.

[Jay Selway]

Yes, I'm rich.

[NightWatch]

it's a rip at half the price. i hate their begging emails too. i hope they go out of business.

[Shakey]

What is your problem with NI?

I have no complaints, really.

Except for the occasional hangups with cubase, but that will be fixed soon by a patch.

[Jay Selway]

it's a rip at half the price. i hate their begging emails too. i hope they go out of business.


Um. I don't. Native Instruments rules.

[NightWatch]

Um. I don't. Native Instruments rules.

Nah. Not really. Do you promote for them?

[NightWatch]

What is your problem with NI?

I have no complaints, really.

Except for the occasional hangups with cubase, but that will be fixed soon by a patch.

Massive recycles old technology into a new package. And it's a CPU hog that won't even give you multi-timbral operation. After all this time all they have managed to get out is a softsynth that did what a Wavestation or a PPG was doing 20 years ago. Everything else is an upgrade of an existing product they already have. They don't even get the upgrades right. Spektral Delay hasn't seen an upgrade in years.

I hate their interfaces for one. When you look at the quality of GUI on things that have been out there during the last 18 months or so, you really can't be a fan of the horrible NI interfaces. They look like they were made for DOS.

I hate their support. You pay good money and you get crap service.

Their products are absolute CPU hogs and often buggy. Nobody can disagree on this point.

And most importantly, their stuff isn't all that smart/useful and just doesn't sound all that great. They have maybe three great products where they do it better than most. The rest of their line is just average at best but they charge high-end prices anyway. They do tons of PR and they attach themselves to trendy producers to sell product. They generate a lot of talk but there are people making better things out there. Some boutique software makers do great things. And now people like Yamaha/Steinberg are tearing it up. Cubase 4 is insane with all the sound generation and sound processing that it gives you for the price.

[john c]

have u listened to Massive and FM8? Everybody I know, including some of the top artists in dance music i talk to all agree, they sound absolutely fantastic. Ur too highstrung. if they r not ur cup of tea fine but why the rant? i think many people love slagging the big boys in the biz. u prob will hate on NI even if they hypothetically came out with the best soft synth of all time.

also Steinberg isnt exactly a saint right. Cubase 4 seems like a pile of crap thats 1/4th finished and banged out b4 the holidays. its not close to ready for real use. steinberg included tons of plugins we dont need really and didnt finish sidechaining, group routing, 64bit audio, etc etc. plus the shit they did bundle is all buggy and slow.

oh ya and the best synths are all CPU hogs cause they rule. My fav synth is Z3ta+ and it can kill the cpu. But its worth it. Record it, bounce it down and move on.

[john c]

ps: u can get Massive for $120 at studica. FM8 for $90. no need to pay $350+
bottom line is they sound HOT as fuck.

[Shakey]

have u listened to Massive and FM8? Everybody I know, including some of the top artists in dance music i talk to all agree, they sound absolutely fantastic. Ur too highstrung. if they r not ur cup of tea fine but why the rant? i think many people love slagging the big boys in the biz. u prob will hate on NI even if they hypothetically came out with the best soft synth of all time.

also Steinberg isnt exactly a saint right. Cubase 4 seems like a pile of crap thats 1/4th finished and banged out b4 the holidays. its not close to ready for real use. steinberg included tons of plugins we dont need really and didnt finish sidechaining, group routing, 64bit audio, etc etc. plus the shit they did bundle is all buggy and slow.

quoted for truth.

[Jay Selway]

quoted for truth.


John C for the win.

[Cortex]

I think I remember reading that Massive was really good for trance and d'n'b type stuff. Is this accurate? What other synths is it comparable too? I've got Trilogy, Korg Legacy Collection, and Rapture - will Massive really be able to do anything that these can't?

[john c]

Massive screams "use me for an electro tune!!"
seriously!

about ur q: i wouldnt compare romplers to synths. it looks lke massive can do stuff rapture cant.
its got routing stuff thats very interesting. it also has preset morph where u select 2 presets and u can morph
between the two. im a newb to massive but i can tell its def unique. rapture is great too though.

[kindofblue272]

it also has preset morph where u select 2 presets and u can morph


now THAT is damn cool.

[Cortex]

Massive screams "use me for an electro tune!!"
seriously!

about ur q: i wouldnt compare romplers to synths. it looks lke massive can do stuff rapture cant.
its got routing stuff thats very interesting. it also has preset morph where u select 2 presets and u can morph
between the two. im a newb to massive but i can tell its def unique. rapture is great too though.

Rapture is a rompler? I know Trilogy is, but I thought Rapture was a straight-up synth.

[OhNoesIt'sJohn]

have u listened to Massive and FM8? Everybody I know, including some of the top artists in dance music i talk to all agree, they sound absolutely fantastic. Ur too highstrung. if they r not ur cup of tea fine but why the rant? i think many people love slagging the big boys in the biz. u prob will hate on NI even if they hypothetically came out with the best soft synth of all time.

also Steinberg isnt exactly a saint right. Cubase 4 seems like a pile of crap thats 1/4th finished and banged out b4 the holidays. its not close to ready for real use. steinberg included tons of plugins we dont need really and didnt finish sidechaining, group routing, 64bit audio, etc etc. plus the shit they did bundle is all buggy and slow.

oh ya and the best synths are all CPU hogs cause they rule. My fav synth is Z3ta+ and it can kill the cpu. But its worth it. Record it, bounce it down and move on.

in order to properly make NICE sounds, the CPU is gonna get taxed...especially when working in higher sample rates(reaktor)

oh, and it's easier to hate on gear when you aren't making music.

i have yet to find a soft synth i can't use in some fashion....

there are some bad ass 303 freeware emulators that when processed heavily sound amazing.

[method]

i still think rebirth is one of the best 303 emus out there and it's fucking free. wish they had an osx version :(

[john c]

Rapture is a rompler? I know Trilogy is, but I thought Rapture was a straight-up synth.

i was referring to trilogy. then i talked about rapture's differences because yes it IS a synth so it wa worth comparing. hehe

method: i could have sworn the osx finally came out back in 2005 or so.

[john c]

now THAT is damn cool.

method here told me u can do this with 4 patches in FM8! :bbjohnson:

[NightWatch]

now THAT is damn cool.

Morphing is not a new thing. Nord micromodular was doing it long ago. The Yamaha desktop synths (at $200 a pop mind you, cheaper than Massive) have been doing it since the late 90s. It's cool, but it's nothing new.

Massive is basically a wavetable synth, a first for NI I believe. But it's been around for a long time. If you get Korg Legacy digital edition, you get the wavestation with all 19 sound upgrades included. Classic wavetable stuff that is probably more *musical* than Massive. Other examples of wavetable synthesis are Waldorf PPG (available as VSTi also), DSI Evolver (which also has true analog), Korg Wavestation, and of course the new Virus but that's too pricey for most. Wavetable synthesis is more flexible than strict analog and allows for more movement and progression in the sound.

[john c]

i dunno why ur comparing hardware synths to software. Now to the soft syths u mentioned: does the Waldorf PPG VSTi sound better than Massive? I think I tried it once and Im not sure I liked it. Plus how much does tha cost? Also Massive seems great because its got the flexibility of the oldschool hardcore synths in terms of routing, but it allows u to do it in a much easier, more up to date way. THe routing in Massive is pretty interesting, check it out.

[Corcyra]

in order to properly make NICE sounds, the CPU is gonna get taxed...
Get Ableton. Utilize your CPU-hogging VSTs. Freeze the track. CPU usage returns to lower level. Continue on with the rest of the track. Simple.
<3.

[john c]

Or we stick to Cubase and freeze there

[OhNoesIt'sJohn]

Or we stick to Cubase and freeze there

lol

yeah.

problem i run in to is when i get carried away with stuff like building 6 oscilator synths with individual filters, lfo's and envelopes for each as well as a main filter and envelope amongst many other routable things

3.2 ghz p4 chip, 1.5 gigs of ram and that alone takes like 70% of resources...but sounds amazing...

still just need to build a box and run just reaktor off of it

[Corcyra]

Or we stick to Cubase and freeze there Ha, that too.

[TheLoopKing]

Creamware anyone? Powercore? WHAT!?

[kindofblue272]

Morphing is not a new thing. Nord micromodular was doing it long ago. The Yamaha desktop synths (at $200 a pop mind you, cheaper than Massive) have been doing it since the late 90s. It's cool, but it's nothing new.

Massive is basically a wavetable synth, a first for NI I believe. But it's been around for a long time. If you get Korg Legacy digital edition, you get the wavestation with all 19 sound upgrades included. Classic wavetable stuff that is probably more *musical* than Massive. Other examples of wavetable synthesis are Waldorf PPG (available as VSTi also), DSI Evolver (which also has true analog), Korg Wavestation, and of course the new Virus but that's too pricey for most. Wavetable synthesis is more flexible than strict analog and allows for more movement and progression in the sound.

i have the legacy collection. i don't really know what you mean by one synth being more *musical *than another. as far as I'm concerned: more synths > less synths.

[method]

anyone else moving beyond the presets yet? it's actually pretty easy to program, but i don't really get how the sidechain envelopes work...anybody have an idea...or better yet...a link to the manual?

[Jay Selway]

Morphing is not a new thing. Nord micromodular was doing it long ago. The Yamaha desktop synths (at $200 a pop mind you, cheaper than Massive) have been doing it since the late 90s. It's cool, but it's nothing new.

Massive is basically a wavetable synth, a first for NI I believe. But it's been around for a long time. If you get Korg Legacy digital edition, you get the wavestation with all 19 sound upgrades included. Classic wavetable stuff that is probably more *musical* than Massive. Other examples of wavetable synthesis are Waldorf PPG (available as VSTi also), DSI Evolver (which also has true analog), Korg Wavestation, and of course the new Virus but that's too pricey for most. Wavetable synthesis is more flexible than strict analog and allows for more movement and progression in the sound.

Yeah morphing has been around, but it's been shitty or too expensive to really use in a budget studio. The yamaha desktop synths sound dorky and thin, so not worth really getting.

Massive sounds GREAT as does FM8 which both do morphing, and do it REALLY well.

Just curious, have you used either of these synths are you just saying they suck cuz you have a chip on your shoulder against NI ?

Waldorf synths are bleh, i've had several of them and always hated how they sounded. In my opinion FM8 owns both the Q & Microwave (which I had).

[method]

jay where is this audio morpher in massive? so far i can only find envelope morphing...