Massive X - the thread

[pixel85]

So you feel like electronic music pioneers!

Hehe.

Well, the GUI looks pretty sterile, that's true. Frankly, though, i don't make music with the eyes. It's functional, and it does the job. It's not very self-explanatory, though. WTH is "Int on" and "Int off", for example? Or Gorilla mode. Still have to decipher the Performer section as well, as i never used that in Massive 1. Guess i'll have to wait for the manual.

This may have a huge impact. I use old Massive all the time so a lot of functionality in MX was instantly straight forward for me. Gorilla mode concept can be figured out by ear (maybe someone is even able to tell what technically is going on) but Int On/Off is a mystery Definitely it does something when Osc is send to PM but yeah... f* knows what it really is

[EvilDragon]

Int on/off sounds like Interpolation on/off. Could be wrong, tho.

Gorilla mode itself sorta sounds like a wavefolder to me.

[Stefken]

So you feel like electronic music pioneers!

Hehe.

Well, the GUI looks pretty sterile, that's true. Frankly, though, i don't make music with the eyes. It's functional, and it does the job. It's not very self-explanatory, though. WTH is "Int on" and "Int off", for example? Or Gorilla mode. Still have to decipher the Performer section as well, as i never used that in Massive 1. Guess i'll have to wait for the manual.

I saw a nice video on the performers. You can select them all, and like bend them all at the same time or use the buttons on the left to warp all the segments like a pinch effect. The grid icon left of P1 opens a pane on top that gives more options like (remote) triggering.

Edit: this one:

[Stefken]

Int on/off sounds like Interpolation on/off. Could be wrong, tho.

Gorilla mode itself sorta sounds like a wavefolder to me.

Apparently the technical explanation is on the NI website.

Well, the lab gives some info.
I consider gorilla a over the top wavefolder.
https://blog.native-instruments.com/mas ... r-section/

[Functional]

So you feel like electronic music pioneers!

Hehe.

Well, the GUI looks pretty sterile, that's true. Frankly, though, i don't make music with the eyes. It's functional, and it does the job. It's not very self-explanatory, though. WTH is "Int on" and "Int off", for example? Or Gorilla mode. Still have to decipher the Performer section as well, as i never used that in Massive 1. Guess i'll have to wait for the manual.

The "Int on" and "Int off" seems to mean "initialize on/off". As to why it exists, I can't figure out any other explanation than one: to make a patch consume less CPU than it has to (which, in case of Massive X, seems unnecessary because I can't even make a patch that puts any significant dent into my 4790k)

You see, normally synths have a way to turn an oscillator on and off in a more sleek manner. For example, by not having any volume output or alternatively by selecting "none" wavetable or something like that. Well, this seems to be it in Massive X.

The existence of it doesn't really make all that much sense to me, if it's this reason. You could turn the osc off by simply not connecting it to anything in the routing section (or, code it in a way that that's how it turns off, if it doesn't work like that already). On the other hand, this design allows you to turn it off without going to routing section. Although this benefit is entirely insignificant, it also occupies space that wouldn't be useful for anything else.

In case of Gorilla Mode, Int on and Int off does the same thing, but it doesn't turn the "gorilla osc" off (it seems that Gorilla Mode actually involves adding a second oscillator into the mix that copies the actual wavetable but does some weird stuff with its harmonics and phase). I can't quite explain it, but if you play at incredibly low octaves, you'll hear what gorilla mode does a bit better. I doubt that Gorilla mode really can be explained that well even in a manual. All I hear is something that would probably be useful mostly to EDM producers, so I don't bother with it myself

The Performer section doesn't seem too complicated. You can set the grid as you'd like, both, horizontal and vertical. Vertical grid is useful if you're doing sequences (i.e. arpeggio sequences) there. As you enter into performers, left of P1 you get a new icon which you should click to get into their setup. Under Launch, Remote means that, as soon as you press any assigned key, it starts playing those associated performers, whereas Key means that performers start to play as soon as you actually play something (whereas the assigned keys merely become keyswitches). Loop & Oneshot mode should both be fairly clear about what they do.

In the performer view, you can also drag the rectangular boxes from one to another to essentially copy & paste them. Really handy.

And you can easily make polyrhythms with them. The 3/4 & 4/4 polyrhythm for example is used in the patch "Obstacles" to a very nice effect (seek the "Best Of" for it).

I can't sadly tell much more about the Gorilla mode, honestly I don't find it personally too interesting and figuring out exactly what it does is beyond my capabilities. It just seems to be one of those "try it and find out" things, like you'll instantly know if you'll love it or hate it. I'm in the latter camp. Do not like.

All of this also applies to the other osc modes. ART and Gorilla seem EDM:ey to me, random & jitter on the other hand are very much to my liking. For example, Random -> Divide -> P.Switch with max jitter and the left knob dialed little past 9 o'clock will produce random octave hopping at quite a nice frequency. Make it a saw, filter that and boom, you're in Jon Hopkins territory. And it's safe to say that essentially, here the random divide p.switch at least results into tune hopping; at max jitter value you get one octave, anything less than that and you get less than an octave all the way down to nothing (i.e. no hopping). The other dial instead is for frequency: the higher it is (clockwise), the less frequent it becomes.

[spunkmuffin]

Mike explained to me that there's some psycho-acoustics happening in the LFO waveforms and in the way their phases are set up depending on the mode you're in. Could be that

Hmmm intriguing. Is there any more information about this somewhere?

[Functional]

So you feel like electronic music pioneers!

Hehe.

Well, the GUI looks pretty sterile, that's true. Frankly, though, i don't make music with the eyes. It's functional, and it does the job. It's not very self-explanatory, though. WTH is "Int on" and "Int off", for example? Or Gorilla mode. Still have to decipher the Performer section as well, as i never used that in Massive 1. Guess i'll have to wait for the manual.

I saw a nice video on the performers. You can select them all, and like bend them all at the same time or use the buttons on the left to warp all the segments like a pinch effect. The grid icon left of P1 opens a pane on top that gives more options like (remote) triggering.

Edit: this one:

Holy smokes, I actually didn't know about that whole thing where you can select segments and bend them together as if pinching. That's actually incredibly useful

[chk071]

So you feel like electronic music pioneers!

Hehe.

Well, the GUI looks pretty sterile, that's true. Frankly, though, i don't make music with the eyes. It's functional, and it does the job. It's not very self-explanatory, though. WTH is "Int on" and "Int off", for example? Or Gorilla mode. Still have to decipher the Performer section as well, as i never used that in Massive 1. Guess i'll have to wait for the manual.

I saw a nice video on the performers. You can select them all, and like bend them all at the same time or use the buttons on the left to warp all the segments like a pinch effect. The grid icon left of P1 opens a pane on top that gives more options like (remote) triggering.

Edit: this one:

Thanks.

[EvilDragon]

The "Int on" and "Int off" seems to mean "initialize on/off". As to why it exists, I can't figure out any other explanation than one: to make a patch consume less CPU than it has to (which, in case of Massive X, seems unnecessary because I can't even make a patch that puts any significant dent into my 4790k)

You see, normally synths have a way to turn an oscillator on and off in a more sleek manner. For example, by not having any volume output or alternatively by selecting "none" wavetable or something like that. Well, this seems to be it in Massive X.

The existence of it doesn't really make all that much sense to me, if it's this reason. You could turn the osc off by simply not connecting it to anything in the routing section (or, code it in a way that that's how it turns off, if it doesn't work like that already). On the other hand, this design allows you to turn it off without going to routing section. Although this benefit is entirely insignificant, it also occupies space that wouldn't be useful for anything else.

In case of Gorilla Mode, Int on and Int off does the same thing, but it doesn't turn the "gorilla osc" off (it seems that Gorilla Mode actually involves adding a second oscillator into the mix that copies the actual wavetable but does some weird stuff with its harmonics and phase). I can't quite explain it, but if you play at incredibly low octaves, you'll hear what gorilla mode does a bit better. I doubt that Gorilla mode really can be explained that well even in a manual. All I hear is something that would probably be useful mostly to EDM producers, so I don't bother with it myself

I don't think it's "initialize", as you start changing the knobs int on vs int off sound markedly different, both in Standard and Gorilla modes. Response to phase modulation and aux is also different between the two modes.

[fisherKing]

It doesn't browse user presets... cause there is no directory structure. I cannot organize files according to type of sound. They are all just thrown in one folder and that's it. I consider that non functional

You can consider a cow a horse, but that doesn't make it so.

And you can consider that thing in MX to be an actual browser and that doesn't make it so.

it is a browser, just not a very good one. but you can 'browse' presets and you can group together your own. joseC's suggestion, above, can certainly help as well.

it's not a browser... in a browser you can create directories and organize files... MX is a shoebox, not a filing cabinet.

It's certainly not a browser as we understand it in 2019. Even NI would admit that. Not the fanboys apparently. This game is getting old...

you said 'as we understand it', am sure you meant 'as i understand it'. it is not much of a browser, but technically (ie functionally), it is a browser. a browser NI needs to (vastly) improve...

and here's your chance to let it go.

[chk071]

Browser is functional, though. It browses and loads patches, does it not? Basic requirement is there. A non-functional browser would either not show any patches, or not load any patches.

It doesn't browse user presets... cause there is no directory structure. I cannot organize files according to type of sound. They are all just thrown in one folder and that's it. I consider that non functional

You can consider a cow a horse, but that doesn't make it so.

And you can consider that thing in MX to be an actual browser and that doesn't make it so.

What is it then, if not a preset browser?

Just because you miss some functionality doesn't make it something different to a preset browser, or, non-functional.

[vurt]

[pixel85]

Basic browser without additional functionality and enhancements.

It's really that simple

[EvilDragon]

Got the answer.

"Int" means "use internal phase on/off". On - uses main oscillator's phase, off - uses phase of mod oscillators (PM1/PM2) - can be used to make the sound inharmonic.

[Stefken]

and here's your chance to let it go.

Well, what is certain it that you just blew your chance to let it go.