I liked the review. Personally I didn't notice anything strange about your voice like the other comments are mentioning. Everything was very well said and helped a lot
started on serum 3 years ago, always was jealous of massive users and wanted to get it, but, I'm happy i solely stuck with serum as it helped me focus on one vst and all of it's parameters. nice review. looking forward to our lesson sunday!
so u aren't able to learn two vst together? muhuahauhauahuahu very sad, further, serum is the most overpriced vst in the whole world, it costs like an entire daw
Programmer here, visual feedback stuff is SUPER east in comparison to 99% of the programming that goes into a synth, it's just a stylistic choice if anything
If I'm looking more for a library of good/new sounding factory presets that I can tweak here and there, then is Massive X a good option? I feel like the presets in Massive sound dated and I'm hesitant to buy Serum because that also came out like 4 years ago and has been widely used already
I just got Massive X because it was in a project file i bought, and have always wanted Massive but could never afford it, and always wondered if I needed it. I've also had Serum for a few years now- that said I really have been waiting for your explanation that you provided all this time.
Pretty decent chance he's not confident that he knows what he's talking about. A year or two ago there was a big collab project with synth and sound design youtubers like Seamless, Mr. Bill, Slynk, etc. and this guy was a part of it. He spent the vast majority of his time doing nothing and trying to be funny, ultimately contributed basically nothing to the song, and got roasted by the audiences of the other guys who actually make music.
@@bobyatron7525 I'm a few minutes in and he's described everything succinctly and correctly. Now if you were an expert on the subject matter yourself you could tell us for sure if he knows what he's talking about, but then again you wouldn't be in the comments\.
It sure could but I found myself disappointed with the filters. Very little in the way of selection and I wasn’t drawn to the sound. Which is weird Cos I love kilohearts in general. Maybe I should try again. Shame I used my demo up! But the concept is great.
As someone who really likes to choose his words carefully and like to WORK WHILE LISTENING TO TUTORIALS.. and as someone WHO HAS ADHD... I loved the conversational characteristics of this! It shows he is thinking and there are no.. UHms and uhhh.. and its a linear thought process.. no repetition... no redundancy.. Good S***
I have falcon, all the NI synths, avenger, serum and a few others. I bought zebra a few months back and its my fav out of all of them. I'm probably using maybe 10% of what is capable of. It's a fucking beast and the sound quality is amazing
@@housebrigade Totally agree. I have all the majors but I like Zebra the best and it's my work horse (pun intended). But it doesn't get a lot of love on reviews like these as they're always framed as Massive vs Serum. So I wanted to see what Multiplier thought of it.
I have not spent a _ton_ of time with Massive X, but coming from Serum and Vital, it feels so foreign and esoteric. I consider myself fairly comfortable with most synths, but Massive X has so much stuff on it I have no idea what it does. It feels unfriendly. And without the visual feedback, I feel like a blind person.
The depth and breadth of Multiplier's feedback on Massive X in this video is impressive. Well thought out. Hopefully someone at NI comes across this when working on the future updates.
got it yesterday. presets are crap (5 good ones in 316, lol), the synth itself looks as complicated and unintuitive as massive is. probably a pain in the ass to work with. We´ll see
I have never tried Massive X or Serum, so cant compare it to those... But i think the original Massive is a really good starting synth, as it is fairly easy to understand. Although, once you know how a synth works, and what features you want in it, Reaktor is by far the most awesome and fun and versatile tool, IMO..! Even for me who barely knows the basics of how to use it. It looks "intimidating" at first, but there are some pretty good YT videos on how to make a simple synth and sequencer and reverbs and stuff, and if you just follow those videos, you will quickly learn the basics... The selection of waveforms is not very impressive - BUT you can add a module that allows you to draw in your own waveforms, OR you can download some zip file with thousands of "single cycle waveforms" to use in the reaktor sampler. And as you design it just the way YOU want it, you are not limited to some "factory selection" of what waveforms you can morph between or anything like that. I really like being able to place as many modifiers as i want, anywhere i want, so i can create some really good "analog emulations" to fatten up the synth sounds - AND having individual envelopes and/or LFOs on all the parameters i want it is also REALLY nice. I hate limitations of only having a handful of modifiers, or not the perfect waveform that im looking for... And i also LOVE that i can design the GUI exactly the way i want it, with custom made knobs, faders, buttons, images, and all that stuff that makes the instrument look anything but "dull". Im a sucker for visual stuff :P Here is a FB link to a project i have been working on. Its not finished though. Especially the synth part ("green" section in the bottom) needs some more work... Still think it sounds pretty good, with plenty of "analog emulations" that i can turn as warm/fat/"analog" or as pure/digital as i want, just turning a single knob :P facebook.com/espen.eventyreren/videos/974389686082575/
@@EspenFrafalne Oh, wow, thanks a lot for the long answer! I just bought Massive with the current NI sales for half the price. I'm amazed by it and I haven't even scratched the surface. Feels like a nice tool to have for my production and once I master it I think I'll get to the next level. Now that I'm a NI customer I'll consider Reaktor as the next step on my sound design game. Thanks for the recommendation! I'll check your stuff.
agree with almost everything you said. except the filter part. While it is very nice to have the Routing section which is missing in Serum, I find myself always teaming up Massive X with SerumFX to achive what I am looking for in a sound now. Why? because of the missing second MAIN filter - not just to correct, but also to do more crazy stuff to the signal. The original Massive had two filters plus Aux.Filters as insert FXs and everybody loved it. Why the change? I don't know.
you know whats the problem in massive x? the sound is always moving. it never stays the same. i dont know if its because of the filter but there is clearly something wrong here.
Thanks for this 👍 Just upgraded this morning and booted. I mostly use presets, so sorely disappointed at small library, early days evidentaly. UI is funky but where is the extensive Browser of the original Massive? How do you save to favorites? First impression is irritating user experience just on those few points. Sonically it obviously has great potential and the professional sound designers will no doubt mine it for it's full worth.
I really enjoyed this video. - You gave signposts to significant parts of the video - something I wish more youtube reviewers would employ. - You emphasised the importance of visual feedback, acknowledging the cognitive labour which must be enacted to make sense of poor visual displays. This is something I wish synth designers would pay attention to - in particular synth designers who use the spreadsheet (aka. 'mod matrix') format for their modulation. My favourite attempt to bridge the thought-reality barrier (turning a thought or idea into reality via synth parameters) is U-He's Bazille, which lets you plug any output into any input, minimizing the need to think logically using drop-down menus and other non-intuitive, administrative layouts. - You have an unusual way of speaking, but I don't find this distracting. The things you say are interesting, much more so than other youtubers, who seem to think that because they have many subscribers, anything they say must be interesting by default.
All you guys should really check out MSoundFactory. It takes a while to "get it" but once you do, you will realize it's the most comprehensive synth on the planet that fits somewhere between Reaktor and regular synths. That is to say, you can design and build your own synth or you can just use existing stuff and tweak away. It comes bundled with ALL of the Melda Production audio FX built into the synth (they are not extras, they're all there for the price of entry). I have it. It's mind-blowing.
I really like this video. It's very thoughtful about what's strong about Massive X (routing! noise!) and what puts distracting cognitive burdens on the user (lack of visual feedback! which in a complex synth is indeed a great source of irritation). Equally impressive, you obviously made deliberate and thoughtful choices about your presentational style. Your gestures, facial expressions and even your pauses seem to me to be an effort to show your process of thinking (and feeling, which is part of thinking) to the viewer. This video made me realize that youtubers who choose never to have their face appear on camera (loopop would be one example of a very thoughtful hardworking 'tuber whose face I've never seen, just his earnestly gesticulating fingers) are leaving out a lot of opportunities to, well, communicate with the viewer. Which is what you-all are here to do, right? It's striking to me that some of the commenters here, who probably enjoy adventurous, formally experimental music and other kinds of art, seem baffled by someone who pushes (a little bit) the envelope of stylistic choices in public speaking. One would think that might be celebrated, rather than derided out of hand. Well, different strokes. Best regards to everybody.
I feel the opposite about showing faces on YT actually. I assume people do show their face when they don't need to (like gaming/Twitch guys that have a window of their face while showing the game) is because they found some study showed people feel more connected, but the voice and its tones are good enough for me. I don't need to know what someone looks like if they aren't talking about themselves. I prefer the focus to be on the subject, not the reviewer. However I'm sure since we're a very visual and shallow culture (or species?) we're more likely to continue to watch people with attractive faces than not which is disappointing. I value body language very much when it's natural and not consciously forced but nuances in speech are good enough for understanding its meaning and context ie sarcasm when it comes to a subject other than the speaker.
@@DanielLeschziner Originally I had the same reaction towards him and the way he communicates until I thought that maybe he always had a speech impediment like stuttering, or general problems communicating in general, so I don't know if that's the case or not. I can applaud him for continuing to do his videos the way he wants to despite the negativity but if he doesn't have any problems and just does it that way or consciously chooses to do it that way then it's annoying af.
Excellent review! What’s clear is that they have a really strong platform to start with. That’s the most important that right out of the box it can do new great things and is a solid product. I’m sure they will add all most requested features as time goes on.
Jackson List a bunch.. 1.3: ADDED Parameter Readouts: Values are now shown below/above the parameters, including macro parameters. ADDED Custom Noise Samples: External samples in various file formats and sample rates can now be loaded into the Noise section. ADDED Embedded Noise Samples: Custom noise samples that are saved with the preset are embedded into the preset file. ADDED Noise One Shot mode: In one shot mode noise samples are only played once. One shot mode can be accessed through the Voice section in the Noise generator drop-down menu. ADDED Noise Keytracking mode: Added an option to the Noise section to enable keytracking for sample playback. ADDED 50 new Noise Samples (25 Loops and 25 One Shots). 1.2: ADDED The Lightguide on KOMPLETE KONTROL S-Series Keyboards indicates the remote octave of the Performer ADDED Dropping presets on the UI saves them in the user folder ADDED 100 new Factory Presets 1.1: Exciter, Amp and Mod Envelope displays reflect their actual state and respond to user input. UI Themes (Default, Dark, Light, Flat Default, Flat Dark, Flat Light). The flat themes increase compatibility with older graphic cards. New factory presets now have a separate section/type in Browser. Rise/Fall parameter in both LFO Switcher and LFO Random Envelope displays the actual parameter state and responds to user input. Grid labels to the Tracker. Full manual available as a download
In all seriousness, thank you for this in depth review, and showing the powerhouse that this VST is. I was having trouble with figuring out how to route parameters to the macros, but found exactly what I needed to know through your review. Nice job, dude.
The visual feedback you’re asking for isn’t hard to program for professional programmers... it’s somewhat odd that they’ve done the visual feedback in the original Massive, or Reaktor and yet haven’t thought about it here.
Your face when describing the lack of envelope feedback was EXACTLY the same as mine. Disbelief. Great sounding synth. Fantastic, even, but when you look at the competitors (pigments for one) it is nothing short of bizzare.
I think the thing that makes serum so nice is because you can really see what is happening to the wavetables and also the filters. In the first massive I would always feel lost because it was just knobs and so you couldn't really see what you were doing when you turned them.
Very good overview and thanks. Yes massive x can be more visual and animated and that will be the icing on the cake.When is the alpha version coming out??
Good review. If you can make the Massive X plugin as it is now, those little feedback dots on the rings are easy to do. Possibly will take away some CPU but not much.
official .kombad Relax, it’s only been in 1.0 state for a few hours :) they market it as ”the synth for the next decade” so i’m sure it will evolve soon enough. Till then it’s still a special synth already.
@@epicon6 yeah i know =D but i think they will get some rant from those peeps who just started with serum and didnt even know about the real no import wavetable synth times XD i like this synth allready just on watching the reviews the routing section is massive , massive x i would say =D cant wait to get my hands on and play with it
As someone relatively new to sound design with soft-synths, Serum’s layout has been a JOY. I’ve learned so much without even really trying too hard just because it does such a good job explaining itself visually. Massive X sounds great though. This is a golden age of software sound design
Nicely done! I agree with you on all points regarding the UI, and I hope/expect that’s something NI will address via updates. Overall, I do like the synth for many of the same reasons you do. I have Serum installed on my workstation(s) as well, and certainly won’t stop using it, but Massive X has already begun to grow on me, not as a replacement for Serum, but as a complementary synth. I’m also definitely looking forward to see where NI takes it.
NI had the chance do make a killer synth, but honestly, they fucked it up. This is not a Serum killer, it's just okay. Nothing more. Don't get me wrong, this is a solid synth, but not a synth that's worthy to be released in 2019 by such a big company with so much experience in the field.
his new version of Massive X left thousands of users in the hand, not open, it installs but does not open due to a lack of CPU compartment unfortunately left to be desired, we asked the team of developers to correct this bug. Even the user having a super machine, the plugin DOES NOT OPEN!, And all other plugins work perfectly, except Massive X, MASSIVE X requires an AVX compatible processor..!😕
Yep. And i’m one of them.. they say it’s because of the amount “power/force”it needs.. But it’s sounds a little weird to me ( the latest OMNISPHERE,wich it a real POWERFULL!!💪🏻💪🏻 synth(one of the most powerfull synths out there),works fine..
Bram B I am a Computer Scientist and as one let me tell you this, if you stop using AVX instructions and go to SIMD instructions you‘ll decrease the speed about 2-4 times depending on how much you use it and if you don’t even use SIMD instructions, than you’ll lose about 6-8 times the speed as in comparison with AVX instructions. You’re CPU would need 24 GHz to compensate for that. SIMD instructions are instructions that let the processor calculate multiple things at once. An integer in a computer is 32 bit long. Now imagine I have to multiply four integers by let‘s say 7. If I want to do that I have to load the number from memory into the processor‘s registers (special on chip memory), multiply the number by 7 and then store it back. With SIMD I can do vector operations, because those registers are larger (128 bit) and are specialized to be able to do one operation on multiply bit simultaneously. That means I can take 4 integers and multiply them at the same time, which increases the computing speed tremendously. You won’t really get 4 times the speed because you‘ll have to do some compensation operations, but overall an double to triple increase in speed is possible for this part of the program. With AVX instructions those registers got even bigger (256 bit), which means you can make an operation on 8 numbers simultaneously. Nowadays there are even registers as large as (512 bit), which are called AVX2 instructions, with which you can do 16(!) operations on an vector/array of numbers simultaneously. In audio processing the only thing you do is actually permanently applying an operation on an array of numbers from which I don‘t know how large these vectors/arrays actually are and I think you can change the buffer size in your DAW somewhere (sample rate maybe or sample size). But typically it’s between 256 to 2048 samples long and each sample represents an 64 bit floating point number. So imagine you have a buffer length set to 512 and don‘t use AVX2 instructions but do it "the normal way" then you have to do 512 operations (remember this is the number of float we have) one after the other, which includes loading and storing a value. With AVX2 instructions you only have to do 512/(512/64) = 64 operations excluding loading and storing (buffer size/(AVX_Register_Size/64bit)). So you’ll get an increase of about 8 times the speed. Practically it’s maybe 4 times the speed I would say because of the overhead of vector operations but overall you get that the speed of an processor is not only determined by the fancy GHz number on the box. Caching is also an important thing, but that’s not we discuss here (the processor only uses about 15% of its time to calculate something actually and the rest of it it is just waiting for numbers to be loaded from or stored into memory)
The neck situation on that shirt got me through worrying about his weird pauses. But great review otherwise. I needed this as I installed Massive X a few weeks ago and just can't get myself to open it as Serum continues to deliver.
I don't agree with your opinion about the single main filter. I think it's a step back. I'm testing Vital beta (check out vital.audio) the two filters let me create something non-trival. A single filter will usually sound more or less obvious. For many sounds it's not a problem, but sometimes you want to mask that out, make something more comex. For involved bass sounds I often use the two filters and another insert filter. And the EQ even. To.create motion in the sound. Make it feel alive. Plus - the insert oscillators are taking away space for other effects! This seems quite limiting to me.
I keep promising myself that if they ever drop Largo down to around $100 or less, I’ll buy it just so I have a software version of my Blofeld to use. :)
Great video about this controversial synth. I'm not concerned about what it doesn't have to offer compared to it's predecessor or other soft synths. I am interested in what Massive X has to offer that other soft synth tools cannot achieve and why it is worth having in my collection. Nice user patches btw!
To be honest I think they took a great interface (the original) and messed it up ….. this just looks like any other generic vst synth …… they should have just stuck with the original UI but made the features more betterer…….
I'm glad you are commenting on this because someone like me who does love synths but doesnt know as much about all the lfo and env, I would just accept their half ass product "as is". But you are right about everything here. NI, dropped a weak product that they made people actually wait on. They may have known it was weak when they released K12 without this and promised a date. This Massive sucks! I only like maybe a handful of sounds here. Thanks man, love the vid. 17:15 tho lmao.
what spells are you casting as you describe this synth, asking for a friend
too much wizard unite ? XD
indeed, WTF?!
i was just thinking this. the pausing before finishing a sentence with deep inhale.
TheRealCritique jeez who cares dude keep it to yourself
hahahaha
I liked the review. Personally I didn't notice anything strange about your voice like the other comments are mentioning. Everything was very well said and helped a lot
started on serum 3 years ago, always was jealous of massive users and wanted to get it, but, I'm happy i solely stuck with serum as it helped me focus on one vst and all of it's parameters. nice review. looking forward to our lesson sunday!
so u aren't able to learn two vst together? muhuahauhauahuahu very sad, further, serum is the most overpriced vst in the whole world, it costs like an entire daw
@@SjN7HETIK lol massive x is slightly more expensive than serum. Also you could opt for a student discount too or something.
The gate release is way too fast on your vocal - sounds like the video has frozen every two seconds
Yeahhhh that was tripping me out. Harder to understand the VO.
I doesn’t matter how much music you make or how long, never forget your personal care.
Programmer here, visual feedback stuff is SUPER east in comparison to 99% of the programming that goes into a synth, it's just a stylistic choice if anything
Patrick Wulfe they’ve also done it before, so if they’re really confused they could pop down the hall and ask someone.
@@bobafruti honestly, a novice programmer could do it without too much effort
Christopher Walken does soft synths 😂
you could always route your midi to serumfx through an external instrument. That would fix the bad filters on this
Pigments is great for visual feedback, maybe even a little too good.
Pigments is one of the best sounding synths out
@@L.DOT.P. agreed, I'm big fan of Arturia. It's hard to see how you replace Serum though, it's so simple but powerfulm
Pigment’s GUI was brilliantly designed so much I think it caused Native Instruments to delay releasing Massive X. I’m not impressed with Massive X.
So true.
If I'm looking more for a library of good/new sounding factory presets that I can tweak here and there, then is Massive X a good option? I feel like the presets in Massive sound dated and I'm hesitant to buy Serum because that also came out like 4 years ago and has been widely used already
Should rename this video "Review of Massive X while on X amount of drugs"
They need to sort out visual feedback for the envelopes.
Thank you for the in-depth review! It was great to hear so many detailed comparisons and contrasts with Serum.
WHat's this "groof 3" course you talk about? I can't seem to find it anywhere?
I just got Massive X because it was in a project file i bought, and have always wanted Massive but could never afford it, and always wondered if I needed it. I've also had Serum for a few years now- that said I really have been waiting for your explanation that you provided all this time.
everything he said sounded like he was so unsure about what he just said lol😂
I was thinking this guy would be a horrible witness! I feel like there are multiple periods at the end of his sentences lmao
@@IfIGottaTellYou infact his name is Multiplier 😁
Pretty decent chance he's not confident that he knows what he's talking about. A year or two ago there was a big collab project with synth and sound design youtubers like Seamless, Mr. Bill, Slynk, etc. and this guy was a part of it. He spent the vast majority of his time doing nothing and trying to be funny, ultimately contributed basically nothing to the song, and got roasted by the audiences of the other guys who actually make music.
Captain Ellipsis reviews a synth.
@@bobyatron7525 I'm a few minutes in and he's described everything succinctly and correctly. Now if you were an expert on the subject matter yourself you could tell us for sure if he knows what he's talking about, but then again you wouldn't be in the comments\.
phase plant from kilohearts could be a serum competitor
its more than that, its a serum killer in a lot of ways
phase plant fucking destroys serum. i have yet to learn all the ins and outs but its sooo much better so far as ive seen
Arturia pigments is nice as well. Havent used it tho
It sure could but I found myself disappointed with the filters. Very little in the way of selection and I wasn’t drawn to the sound.
Which is weird Cos I love kilohearts in general. Maybe I should try again. Shame I used my demo up!
But the concept is great.
@@sunblooom Andy Simper from Cytomic did Serum filters, and oscillators. I didn't know that, but makes sense because sound's amazing
Yeah, the lack of visual feedback is mystifying. Moronic even.
Can I play chords, on my keyboard with massive x? Like does massive have sine/pad sounds that can be made?
The point you made at 1:55 is so true I put the wavetables in serum and use them there.
I just read it’s not stand alone. Does this mean I need to buy reaktor first?
does this dude always have this vocal delivery ?
I was very confused by the way he's talking
He's British
Isn't it a sort of stutter?
As someone who really likes to choose his words carefully and like to WORK WHILE LISTENING TO TUTORIALS.. and as someone WHO HAS ADHD... I loved the conversational characteristics of this! It shows he is thinking and there are no.. UHms and uhhh.. and its a linear thought process.. no repetition... no redundancy.. Good S***
@Multiplier I'm curious what you think of Zebra. It has some interesting routing possibilities though not quite as fluid as Massive X.
I have falcon, all the NI synths, avenger, serum and a few others. I bought zebra a few months back and its my fav out of all of them. I'm probably using maybe 10% of what is capable of. It's a fucking beast and the sound quality is amazing
@@housebrigade Totally agree. I have all the majors but I like Zebra the best and it's my work horse (pun intended). But it doesn't get a lot of love on reviews like these as they're always framed as Massive vs Serum. So I wanted to see what Multiplier thought of it.
I have not spent a _ton_ of time with Massive X, but coming from Serum and Vital, it feels so foreign and esoteric. I consider myself fairly comfortable with most synths, but Massive X has so much stuff on it I have no idea what it does. It feels unfriendly. And without the visual feedback, I feel like a blind person.
Drugs are bad, OK?
depends
have you compared it to bigwigs new modular beauty ?
I can't find any info online, i believe ADSR is now visual unlike before?? i hope someone can confirm for me
Yes, envelopes have visual feedback
Lovely Review. Your personality reflects your knowledge and love for this stuff too my brother. one luv
Damn, how did you make the last sound showcased? The boat horn i mean
I think Arturia pigments is better, and it’s also a learning synth
The depth and breadth of Multiplier's feedback on Massive X in this video is impressive. Well thought out. Hopefully someone at NI comes across this when working on the future updates.
got it yesterday. presets are crap (5 good ones in 316, lol), the synth itself looks as complicated and unintuitive as massive is. probably a pain in the ass to work with. We´ll see
So, is the original Massive still worth it for someone looking to get their first synth?
I have never tried Massive X or Serum, so cant compare it to those... But i think the original Massive is a really good starting synth, as it is fairly easy to understand. Although, once you know how a synth works, and what features you want in it, Reaktor is by far the most awesome and fun and versatile tool, IMO..! Even for me who barely knows the basics of how to use it. It looks "intimidating" at first, but there are some pretty good YT videos on how to make a simple synth and sequencer and reverbs and stuff, and if you just follow those videos, you will quickly learn the basics... The selection of waveforms is not very impressive - BUT you can add a module that allows you to draw in your own waveforms, OR you can download some zip file with thousands of "single cycle waveforms" to use in the reaktor sampler. And as you design it just the way YOU want it, you are not limited to some "factory selection" of what waveforms you can morph between or anything like that. I really like being able to place as many modifiers as i want, anywhere i want, so i can create some really good "analog emulations" to fatten up the synth sounds - AND having individual envelopes and/or LFOs on all the parameters i want it is also REALLY nice. I hate limitations of only having a handful of modifiers, or not the perfect waveform that im looking for... And i also LOVE that i can design the GUI exactly the way i want it, with custom made knobs, faders, buttons, images, and all that stuff that makes the instrument look anything but "dull". Im a sucker for visual stuff :P
Here is a FB link to a project i have been working on. Its not finished though. Especially the synth part ("green" section in the bottom) needs some more work... Still think it sounds pretty good, with plenty of "analog emulations" that i can turn as warm/fat/"analog" or as pure/digital as i want, just turning a single knob :P
facebook.com/espen.eventyreren/videos/974389686082575/
@@EspenFrafalne Oh, wow, thanks a lot for the long answer! I just bought Massive with the current NI sales for half the price. I'm amazed by it and I haven't even scratched the surface. Feels like a nice tool to have for my production and once I master it I think I'll get to the next level. Now that I'm a NI customer I'll consider Reaktor as the next step on my sound design game. Thanks for the recommendation! I'll check your stuff.
agree with almost everything you said. except the filter part. While it is very nice to have the Routing section which is missing in Serum, I find myself always teaming up Massive X with SerumFX to achive what I am looking for in a sound now. Why? because of the missing second MAIN filter - not just to correct, but also to do more crazy stuff to the signal. The original Massive had two filters plus Aux.Filters as insert FXs and everybody loved it. Why the change? I don't know.
you know whats the problem in massive x? the sound is always moving. it never stays the same. i dont know if its because of the filter but there is clearly something wrong here.
No MPE Support (
It’s be nice to hear the sounds and things you described
Agree 100%
Massive X is my go-to synth, I even use it for simple FM synth sounds
Can you save Performer patterns or must you draw them for every patch created?
Thanks for this 👍
Just upgraded this morning and booted.
I mostly use presets, so sorely disappointed at small library, early days evidentaly.
UI is funky but where is the extensive Browser of the original Massive?
How do you save to favorites?
First impression is irritating user experience just on those few points.
Sonically it obviously has great potential and the professional sound designers will no doubt mine it for it's full worth.
There is no Browser. Yes, I am serious. No categories or filters, just a big ol preset list.
Did you try the new Arturia serumish app?
I wanna see whats off to the right of the screen
What the fuck had you taken before recording this video, and where can I get some?
What are you thoughts on the aliasing though?
As an alternative to Serum & Masive X, which synth(s) would you recommend, especially based on the amount of creative possibilities?
Pigments
Phase Plant
Union Soundspot. Cheap east wavtable synth right now
Good vid.. thanks !! Is there a randomizer anywhere ?
I really enjoyed this video.
- You gave signposts to significant parts of the video - something I wish more youtube reviewers would employ.
- You emphasised the importance of visual feedback, acknowledging the cognitive labour which must be enacted to make sense of poor visual displays. This is something I wish synth designers would pay attention to - in particular synth designers who use the spreadsheet (aka. 'mod matrix') format for their modulation. My favourite attempt to bridge the thought-reality barrier (turning a thought or idea into reality via synth parameters) is U-He's Bazille, which lets you plug any output into any input, minimizing the need to think logically using drop-down menus and other non-intuitive, administrative layouts.
- You have an unusual way of speaking, but I don't find this distracting. The things you say are interesting, much more so than other youtubers, who seem to think that because they have many subscribers, anything they say must be interesting by default.
Watched whole video, no nip slip. 1/5 v disappoint.
I only came here for a nip slip. Very upset
All you guys should really check out MSoundFactory.
It takes a while to "get it" but once you do, you will realize it's the most comprehensive synth on the planet that fits somewhere between Reaktor and regular synths. That is to say, you can design and build your own synth or you can just use existing stuff and tweak away. It comes bundled with ALL of the Melda Production audio FX built into the synth (they are not extras, they're all there for the price of entry). I have it. It's mind-blowing.
I really like this video. It's very thoughtful about what's strong about Massive X (routing! noise!) and what puts distracting cognitive burdens on the user (lack of visual feedback! which in a complex synth is indeed a great source of irritation). Equally impressive, you obviously made deliberate and thoughtful choices about your presentational style. Your gestures, facial expressions and even your pauses seem to me to be an effort to show your process of thinking (and feeling, which is part of thinking) to the viewer.
This video made me realize that youtubers who choose never to have their face appear on camera (loopop would be one example of a very thoughtful hardworking 'tuber whose face I've never seen, just his earnestly gesticulating fingers) are leaving out a lot of opportunities to, well, communicate with the viewer. Which is what you-all are here to do, right?
It's striking to me that some of the commenters here, who probably enjoy adventurous, formally experimental music and other kinds of art, seem baffled by someone who pushes (a little bit) the envelope of stylistic choices in public speaking. One would think that might be celebrated, rather than derided out of hand. Well, different strokes. Best regards to everybody.
I feel the opposite about showing faces on YT actually. I assume people do show their face when they don't need to (like gaming/Twitch guys that have a window of their face while showing the game) is because they found some study showed people feel more connected, but the voice and its tones are good enough for me. I don't need to know what someone looks like if they aren't talking about themselves. I prefer the focus to be on the subject, not the reviewer. However I'm sure since we're a very visual and shallow culture (or species?) we're more likely to continue to watch people with attractive faces than not which is disappointing. I value body language very much when it's natural and not consciously forced but nuances in speech are good enough for understanding its meaning and context ie sarcasm when it comes to a subject other than the speaker.
@@Nomo_Popo I think you are right, also i think he shouldn`t be using intonation in his voice that is also disturbing
@@DanielLeschziner Originally I had the same reaction towards him and the way he communicates until I thought that maybe he always had a speech impediment like stuttering, or general problems communicating in general, so I don't know if that's the case or not. I can applaud him for continuing to do his videos the way he wants to despite the negativity but if he doesn't have any problems and just does it that way or consciously chooses to do it that way then it's annoying af.
Awesome review! Your ability to present this software is amazing. good job!!
Did someone with a giant head hand you down that shirt?
I can't save presets. Anyone got the Same Problem?
The original Massive is still my main synth to these days. Still the best for me.
Great video. Very informative. It is clear you have a deep understanding and I am thankful that you have shared with us. Keep making videos like this!
Excellent review! What’s clear is that they have a really strong platform to start with. That’s the most important that right out of the box it can do new great things and is a solid product. I’m sure they will add all most requested features as time goes on.
bro were you paid by native instruments or something? what kind of comment was that lmao
Jackson List No. But i was right. X is already much more than it was 11 months ago.
@@epicon6 what has been added?
Jackson List a bunch..
1.3:
ADDED Parameter Readouts: Values are now shown below/above the parameters, including macro parameters.
ADDED Custom Noise Samples: External samples in various file formats and sample rates can now be loaded into the Noise section.
ADDED Embedded Noise Samples: Custom noise samples that are saved with the preset are embedded into the preset file.
ADDED Noise One Shot mode: In one shot mode noise samples are only played once. One shot mode can be accessed through the Voice section in the Noise generator drop-down menu.
ADDED Noise Keytracking mode: Added an option to the Noise section to enable keytracking for sample playback.
ADDED 50 new Noise Samples (25 Loops and 25 One Shots).
1.2:
ADDED The Lightguide on KOMPLETE KONTROL S-Series Keyboards indicates the remote octave of the Performer
ADDED Dropping presets on the UI saves them in the user folder
ADDED 100 new Factory Presets
1.1:
Exciter, Amp and Mod Envelope displays reflect their actual state and respond to user input.
UI Themes (Default, Dark, Light, Flat Default, Flat Dark, Flat Light). The flat themes increase compatibility with older graphic cards.
New factory presets now have a separate section/type in Browser.
Rise/Fall parameter in both LFO Switcher and LFO Random Envelope displays the actual parameter state and responds to user input.
Grid labels to the Tracker.
Full manual available as a download
In all seriousness, thank you for this in depth review, and showing the powerhouse that this VST is. I was having trouble with figuring out how to route parameters to the macros, but found exactly what I needed to know through your review. Nice job, dude.
Massive x is good . I love the modular aspect and crazy waveforms. I just don’t like the macros
The visual feedback you’re asking for isn’t hard to program for professional programmers...
it’s somewhat odd that they’ve done the visual feedback in the original Massive, or Reaktor and yet haven’t thought about it here.
bobafruti it's probably because you can't hear with your eyes so it's useless .
haizroc drums right, seeing the adsr envelope at a glance certainly is useless.
Your face when describing the lack of envelope feedback was EXACTLY the same as mine.
Disbelief.
Great sounding synth. Fantastic, even, but when you look at the competitors (pigments for one) it is nothing short of bizzare.
this looks like plugin from reaktor
I think the thing that makes serum so nice is because you can really see what is happening to the wavetables and also the filters. In the first massive I would always feel lost because it was just knobs and so you couldn't really see what you were doing when you turned them.
I have to agree on the original Massive having the best wavetables thing.
Very good overview and thanks. Yes massive x can be more visual and animated and that will be the icing on the cake.When is the alpha version coming out??
The way you are talking is really off putting. I lasted 10 minutes.
The Rave Music Archive I wonder if he thinks it looks cool.
Yeah, writing a script and going off that would help remove all the painful awkward pauses.
@Jonathan Holland LOL
It was very relaxing for me lmao
This is like watching David Dickinson doing an impression of Jamie Oliver
Absynth does everything massive or any other contemporary synth does.
I don't want hear how good YOU are but how did you do that. TEACH, MAN!
Good review. If you can make the Massive X plugin as it is now, those little feedback dots on the rings are easy to do. Possibly will take away some CPU but not much.
the fact that they didnt implement import own wavetable is sad.
official .kombad Relax, it’s only been in 1.0 state for a few hours :) they market it as ”the synth for the next decade” so i’m sure it will evolve soon enough. Till then it’s still a special synth already.
Wave tables can be found by searching your pc for *.mxwt files. They are in a binary format though and I have no idea how to edit them
@@epicon6 yeah i know =D but i think they will get some rant from those peeps who just started with serum and didnt even know about the real no import wavetable synth times XD
i like this synth allready just on watching the reviews the routing section is massive , massive x i would say =D
cant wait to get my hands on and play with it
still wondering why NI doesn't implement this kind of routing to reaktor's windows 95 stupid system.
As someone relatively new to sound design with soft-synths, Serum’s layout has been a JOY. I’ve learned so much without even really trying too hard just because it does such a good job explaining itself visually. Massive X sounds great though. This is a golden age of software sound design
I like to think it will only get better and better ;)
Nicely done! I agree with you on all points regarding the UI, and I hope/expect that’s something NI will address via updates. Overall, I do like the synth for many of the same reasons you do. I have Serum installed on my workstation(s) as well, and certainly won’t stop using it, but Massive X has already begun to grow on me, not as a replacement for Serum, but as a complementary synth. I’m also definitely looking forward to see where NI takes it.
NI had the chance do make a killer synth, but honestly, they fucked it up. This is not a Serum killer, it's just okay. Nothing more.
Don't get me wrong, this is a solid synth, but not a synth that's worthy to be released in 2019 by such a big company with so much experience in the field.
The it synth for hipsters maybe.
Now THIS is truly redemption, Massive!
1:19 it was....massive?
his new version of Massive X left thousands of users in the hand, not open, it installs but does not open due to a lack of CPU compartment unfortunately left to be desired, we asked the team of developers to correct this bug. Even the user having a super machine, the plugin DOES NOT OPEN!, And all other plugins work perfectly, except Massive X, MASSIVE X requires an AVX compatible processor..!😕
Yep. And i’m one of them.. they say it’s because of the amount “power/force”it needs.. But it’s sounds a little weird to me ( the latest OMNISPHERE,wich it a real POWERFULL!!💪🏻💪🏻 synth(one of the most powerfull synths out there),works fine..
Well, it is the synth of the next decade, so doesn't make sense to have to make it compatible with last decade's processors. (I'm half joking)
Bram B I am a Computer Scientist and as one let me tell you this, if you stop using AVX instructions and go to SIMD instructions you‘ll decrease the speed about 2-4 times depending on how much you use it and if you don’t even use SIMD instructions, than you’ll lose about 6-8 times the speed as in comparison with AVX instructions. You’re CPU would need 24 GHz to compensate for that.
SIMD instructions are instructions that let the processor calculate multiple things at once. An integer in a computer is 32 bit long. Now imagine I have to multiply four integers by let‘s say 7. If I want to do that I have to load the number from memory into the processor‘s registers (special on chip memory), multiply the number by 7 and then store it back.
With SIMD I can do vector operations, because those registers are larger (128 bit) and are specialized to be able to do one operation on multiply bit simultaneously. That means I can take 4 integers and multiply them at the same time, which increases the computing speed tremendously. You won’t really get 4 times the speed because you‘ll have to do some compensation operations, but overall an double to triple increase in speed is possible for this part of the program. With AVX instructions those registers got even bigger (256 bit), which means you can make an operation on 8 numbers simultaneously. Nowadays there are even registers as large as (512 bit), which are called AVX2 instructions, with which you can do 16(!) operations on an vector/array of numbers simultaneously.
In audio processing the only thing you do is actually permanently applying an operation on an array of numbers from which I don‘t know how large these vectors/arrays actually are and I think you can change the buffer size in your DAW somewhere (sample rate maybe or sample size). But typically it’s between 256 to 2048 samples long and each sample represents an 64 bit floating point number. So imagine you have a buffer length set to 512 and don‘t use AVX2 instructions but do it "the normal way" then you have to do 512 operations (remember this is the number of float we have) one after the other, which includes loading and storing a value. With AVX2 instructions you only have to do
512/(512/64) = 64 operations excluding loading and storing (buffer size/(AVX_Register_Size/64bit)).
So you’ll get an increase of about 8 times the speed. Practically it’s maybe 4 times the speed I would say because of the overhead of vector operations but overall you get that the speed of an processor is not only determined by the fancy GHz number on the box. Caching is also an important thing, but that’s not we discuss here (the processor only uses about 15% of its time to calculate something actually and the rest of it it is just waiting for numbers to be loaded from or stored into memory)
11:07 When your parents don't believe your pregnant...
I've never watched to punch someone so much in my life.
Creator's Remorse Why are you here again?
HAHAHAHAHAH
The neck situation on that shirt got me through worrying about his weird pauses. But great review otherwise. I needed this as I installed Massive X a few weeks ago and just can't get myself to open it as Serum continues to deliver.
Fantastic review. Great commentary and user-oriented insights.
I'm pretty sure that moving dots and morphing envelopes are pretty easy to make.
been waiting for this !!! let's go Multiplier !!
I have an italian friends makes your same gestures and kind of speech (are u italian origins? 😂). So funny the editing too . Anyway Thanx for sharing
just glad he doesnt do that plastic rapper voice,,,think you know about that
I don't agree with your opinion about the single main filter. I think it's a step back. I'm testing Vital beta (check out vital.audio) the two filters let me create something non-trival. A single filter will usually sound more or less obvious. For many sounds it's not a problem, but sometimes you want to mask that out, make something more comex. For involved bass sounds I often use the two filters and another insert filter. And the EQ even. To.create motion in the sound. Make it feel alive.
Plus - the insert oscillators are taking away space for other effects! This seems quite limiting to me.
the way this man talks is oddly hypnotic. i find myself more inclined to listen.
No mention of UVI Falcon, or Waldorf Largo, or u-He Diva (or Hive 2.0) ....
I keep promising myself that if they ever drop Largo down to around $100 or less, I’ll buy it just so I have a software version of my Blofeld to use. :)
contact AudioDawg in Dallas, Tx -- they help with you!
Are you ok mate?
thanks for the review!
I feel like you’re speaking to someone just off screen to the right.
UA-cams algorithm feeds content creators to the far right. This is just more proof.
David Carlyon Surely this is the near right?
It's probably the promoter.
Great video about this controversial synth. I'm not concerned about what it doesn't have to offer compared to it's predecessor or other soft synths. I am interested in what Massive X has to offer that other soft synth tools cannot achieve and why it is worth having in my collection. Nice user patches btw!
Haters gunna hate. Loved you since b4 your collab alliance debacle. Keep doing you M.
MrFumoWITz collaboration debacle?
Hey man! good to see you again. Where were you? Try Zebra2 Synth, it is GREAT! it is still the best I would say.
To be honest I think they took a great interface (the original) and messed it up ….. this just looks like any other generic vst synth …… they should have just stuck with the original UI but made the features more betterer…….
Hello Multiplier. Massive X is the rabit hole that I will enjoy.. cant wait to buy. really great stuff
What’s the point
I'm glad you are commenting on this because someone like me who does love synths but doesnt know as much about all the lfo and env, I would just accept their half ass product "as is". But you are right about everything here. NI, dropped a weak product that they made people actually wait on. They may have known it was weak when they released K12 without this and promised a date. This Massive sucks! I only like maybe a handful of sounds here. Thanks man, love the vid. 17:15 tho lmao.
Anyone remember when Clint Eastwood talked to the chair?