Native Instruments Massive X Synth - Sequel to Massive (Out Now!)

[Touch The Universe]

I'd like some reese presets for massive x? Can you share?

https://gyazo.com/7578d39f1191c63e276a85b6259a7774

This is my first sketch and I'm pretty much set with this. This isn't how you normally make a reese because you'd normally detune 2 oscs but given the structure here, I didn't bother with routing insert osc. If you want to do it that way, you could do something like 1 insert osc (with saw) at 0 pitch, then the wavetable ones at +12 and you detune the wavetable ones -15 cents and +15 cents respectively.

If you do the reese like that and go lighter on the unison detune, it sounds less harsh when you open the filter cutoff. This one sounds quite harsh when you open the filter cutoff, but I don't really do that. I like these heavily filtered reeses and they're part of my staple thing.

Do note, if you copy these settings, you will need to highpass the sides or else you will have ton of stereo information at sub frequencies which is something you DO NOT want.

Thanks. I'll study your preset and give it a try myself

[McLilith]

I have a 64-bit one on my Dropbox. Will PM it to ya.

Thank you!

[EvilDragon]

The quality roughly corresponds to Serum processing at 48kHz in Draft mode (not oversampled), which is rather awful. Can somebody confirm?

So, my request to NI would be to add a HQ mode to PM which does oversampled processing.

The difference in aliasing between Serum (by default 2x OS) and MX that I found with, say, square wave, is about -10 dB in Serum's favor. So there IS some OS going on in MX as well - but obviously they don't use the same algorithm.

I wouldn't call a -10 dB difference "awful", especially since it's already at -130 dB.

It could also be that, assuming that MX does 2x OS internally at 48k, they simply don't do OS at 96k to save CPU on 96k (because 96k can already be considered as 2x OS, kinda).

[EnGee]

Probably why AVX is needed too

I still don't know what this AVX is! I need to read about it though. Oh Ok! I read about it here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_ ... Extensions

There are CPU supported list. NI should maybe warn the buyers before purchasing as still some are using old/not supported CPUs.

[digidennis]

Where's the scope on this thing? Come on, a tiny scope in the top bar or in the patching area is all I need

Tiny scopes are useless.

It's not the size that matters its how you use it!. I am sure we can agree that it thrumps a static envelope graphic any day?

[4damind]

What is your opinion compared to Dune 3 (sound-wise, not because of the features)?

[Liero]

Where's the scope on this thing? Come on, a tiny scope in the top bar or in the patching area is all I need

The lack of visual feedback ANYWHERE on this synth is just an atrocity.

Coming to grips with the different wavetable scanning modes would be so much more intuitive with something akin to Serum... I think this has a lot to do with Massive X seemingly being built on an entirely new platform at Native Instruments - it has all the hallmarks of a developers first synth. Great concept, great sound, but really lacking in usability and UX polish.

[Functional]

Another fun thing: somehow Massive X is actually capable of doing... Boards of Canada sounds?

If anyone is interested here I could try and make it into an usable preset and upload it somewhere. This thing seriously sounds like Boards of Canada. I know that this claim is extremely dubious because often "BoC"-presets are just some detuned presets that barely sound like BoC but this is honestly as close as I could imagine a softsynth ever getting to them

[karrikuh]

The quality roughly corresponds to Serum processing at 48kHz in Draft mode (not oversampled), which is rather awful. Can somebody confirm?

So, my request to NI would be to add a HQ mode to PM which does oversampled processing.

The difference in aliasing between Serum (by default 2x OS) and MX that I found with, say, square wave, is about -10 dB in Serum's favor. So there IS some OS going on in MX as well - but obviously they don't use the same algorithm.

I wouldn't call a -10 dB difference "awful", especially since it's already at -130 dB.

Careful, I'm only talking about aliasing with PM enabled, which is way above -130 dB and easily perceptible.

It could also be that, assuming that MX does 2x OS internally at 48k, they simply don't do OS at 96k to save CPU on 96k (because 96k can already be considered as 2x OS, kinda).

After having done more tests, I don't think so. Rather, it seems like MX is processing at a fixed samplerate independent of the host's rate.
What I did is render MXs output at 192kHz (by setting project samplerate in REAPER).
While the same test unsurprisingly results in greatly reduced aliasing with Serum (and other synths), with MX it does NOT. Thus, it looks like there is currently no way of improving PM quality in MX...

[EnGee]

As far as I know, oversampling outside the synth (external) has no effect if there is aliasing already.

Anyway, as it is mentioned before, all digital synths aliasing (with various degrees). Unless there is a bug in the coding, I wouldn't be concerned about it But that's me! I'm not a perfectionist!

[FapFilter]

I personally think the only thing regarding sound quality that truly matters is, if it is sounding good and inspiring to you. If it does, it doesn't matter wether some oscilloscope or other kinds of measuring tools are showing you things that would be mathematically unpleasant, or not.
If it's not, then use something else that is giving you the results you are pleased with, but the latter can be the case of too many unpleasant artifacts (which others might not even notice or regard as unpleasant), but also due too much lack of any kinds of artifacts, as in: too sterile sounding.

I personally don't even mind aliasing, as i must have really bad ears, because i also like a lot of stuff that is supposed to have large(r) amounts of aliasing.
Then again, i'm also enjoying Amiga MOD Tracker sounding stuff, despite even i might notice some homeopathic amounts of aliasing and stuff every now and then on those.

Regarding Massive X: i'm also one of those who doesn't even intent to demo it, because i think i'm very well covered with what i already have. Though it also helps that my aging CPU most likely doesn't even have these mysterious ARX (or whatever it was) instruction sets

[chk071]

I personally think the only thing regarding sound quality that truly matters is, if it is sounding good and inspiring to you. If it does, it doesn't matter wether some oscilloscope or other kinds of measuring tools are showing you things that would be mathematically unpleasant, or not.

Exactly. Actually, the opposite, i think anti-aliasing, and "hi-fi" sound (meaning a very bright sound, with lots of top end frequencies) are the reasons for all those super clinical and sterile sounding soft synths these days.

[Stefken]

I personally think the only thing regarding sound quality that truly matters is, if it is sounding good and inspiring to you. If it does, it doesn't matter wether some oscilloscope or other kinds of measuring tools are showing you things that would be mathematically unpleasant, or not.

Exactly. Actually, the opposite, i think anti-aliasing, and "hi-fi" sound (meaning a very bright sound, with lots of top end frequencies) are the reasons for all those super clinical and sterile sounding soft synths these days.

I have to agree with this one .

[McLilith]

Though it also helps that my aging CPU most likely doesn't even have these mysterious ARX (or whatever it was) instruction sets

For anyone who might be interested, here's some info about AVX, including a list of processors that support it.

https://forums.ubi.com/showthread.php/1 ... Out-Forums

Note: That list is slightly out of date, but most AVX capable processors up until the year 2018 are listed.

[chk071]

Or... just Google for your CPU, and check the ark.intel.con link with the technical features.