KVR Audio

chk071 · Post by **chk071** » Fri May 06, 2022 9:13 pm

If you go on and on and on about it, even after an update which is supposed to fix most complaints people had, then, I would say there is definitely some truth to that.

I wonder what good it will do you, if you keep thinking "Meh... this is worse than Massive was 15 years ago..." when you work with the plugin. Especially as that's pretty much a subjective impression, nothing tangible.

Anyway, no crime in negativity, I guess. But, as we talk about "character flaws" (or, rather, you talked about it, not me), I surely prefer to try to work with what I have, and look past potential inadequacies. That's just... my character. Nothing's perfect. And, what we have today is surely a LOT better, has a LOT more functionality, and is also a LOT better to operate, compared with most stuff 15 or 20 years ago.

chk071 · Post by **chk071** » Fri May 06, 2022 9:15 pm

BTW, talking about what surely won't be missing from a typical KVR thread: Bitching. Lots of it.

digitalboytn · Post by **digitalboytn** » Fri May 06, 2022 9:31 pm

chk071 wrote: Fri May 06, 2022 9:13 pm I surely prefer to try to work with what I have, and look past potential inadequacies. That's just... my character. Nothing's perfect. And, what we have today is surely a LOT better, has a LOT more functionality, and is also a LOT better to operate, compared with most stuff 15 or 20 years ago.

noiseboyuk · Post by **noiseboyuk** » Fri May 06, 2022 9:33 pm

chk071 wrote: Fri May 06, 2022 9:13 pm If you go on and on and on about it, even after an update which is supposed to fix most complaints people had, then, I would say there is definitely some truth to that.

I wonder what good it will do you, if you keep thinking "Meh... this is worse than Massive was 15 years ago..." when you work with the plugin. Especially as that's pretty much a subjective impression, nothing tangible.

Anyway, no crime in negativity, I guess. But, as we talk about "character flaws" (or, rather, you talked about it, not me), I surely prefer to try to work with what I have, and look past potential inadequacies. That's just... my character. Nothing's perfect. And, what we have today is surely a LOT better, has a LOT more functionality, and is also a LOT better to operate, compared with most stuff 15 or 20 years ago.

I agree with that. Massive X ain’t for me. Every update I give it another go, still don’t like it, and that’s that til the next update. (And to be clear - poor though this new browser is, it’s still better than the non-tag version they had before).

But I do work with other tools that other people say are unusable. They work just great for me.

But as a company, NI fascinate me. So many of their products - ongoing - are just fantastic. But this and the absolute hellscape that is Komplete Kontrol make me so curious as to how one company can be so wildly variable.

pixel85 · Post by **pixel85** » Fri May 06, 2022 9:45 pm

tbh in functionality and workflow, original Massive is great to this day. For example it has true double-filter with parallel/serial option while MX has only predefined SVF filter to imitate this behaviour. Step sequencer is also faster to work with in og Massive.
I work with MX since it was released and I'm happy with it, but I can see where og Massive is superior to MX. I love sound of MX but after few years I can see that I had better symbiosis with og Massive for sound design.

chk071 · Post by **chk071** » Fri May 06, 2022 9:50 pm

noiseboyuk wrote: Fri May 06, 2022 9:33 pm I agree with that. Massive X ain’t for me. Every update I give it another go, still don’t like it, and that’s that til the next update. (And to be clear - poor though this new browser is, it’s still better than the non-tag version they had before).

That's absolutely fair. E.g., I tried Dune a lot of times, and really wanted to like it, because, I like the workflow and the GUI a lot, but, in the end, it simply doesn't do it for me, because the sound character just isn't for me. There's nothing fundamentally wrong with it, and, it does what it does well, it's just that it doesn't work for me.

I can also understand many of the complaints people have with MX, it's just that it doesn't mess up the user experience for me.

chk071 · Post by **chk071** » Fri May 06, 2022 9:53 pm

pixel85 wrote: Fri May 06, 2022 9:45 pm tbh in functionality and workflow, original Massive is great to this day. For example it has true double-filter with parallel/serial option while MX has only predefined SVF filter to imitate this behaviour. Step sequencer is also faster to work with in og Massive.

Massive's operation is nice. But, I find the sound very lacklustre (especially the filters, IMO, they have no character at all). Up to the point where I wonder why it's such a popular synth. Even comparing it to Sylenth1, which is the same generation, it just sounds completely bog standard to me. Actually, it has some pretty cold touch to it, I find it hard to get warm sounds out of it.

seangm · Post by **seangm** » Fri May 06, 2022 9:55 pm

zvenx · Post by **zvenx** » Fri May 06, 2022 9:57 pm

you have to click on the head profile icon on the right..(its that way on most if not all modern NI vsts)

rsp

seangm · Post by **seangm** » Fri May 06, 2022 9:58 pm

zvenx wrote: Fri May 06, 2022 9:57 pm you have to click on the head icon on the right..

rsp

Got it thanks, just figured that out and deleted my post/rant. Thanks

pdxindy · Post by **pdxindy** » Fri May 06, 2022 10:08 pm

noiseboyuk wrote: Fri May 06, 2022 8:20 pm It’s kinda depressing that NI are taking an eternity to make something that you say will now go across their range and is worse than what they did a decade and a half ago. It does, however, look prettier I’ll grant you.

Can you use the arrow keys to move through presets in the updated browser in 1.4?

Vortifex · Post by **Vortifex** » Fri May 06, 2022 10:33 pm

Edited

chk071 · Post by **chk071** » Fri May 06, 2022 10:43 pm

Vortifex wrote: Fri May 06, 2022 10:33 pm My biggest gripe with MX is the slow interface loading and the slow preset switching, neither of which seem to be improved with this update.

I will still use it though, as it sounds pretty amazing and unique.

Which shows that you rather live with imperfections than emphasize them.

Could just be my new computer, but, I found that Massive X's interface loads a bit faster now. Well, it probably is my new computer...

soulelle · Post by **soulelle** » Sat May 07, 2022 12:10 am

Pushing the new SVF LP4 to the limits with high reso boost, tanh and feedback.
Controls via AT and Mod Wheel.
Wanderlust to give some space, two detuned saws as oscs, VR and LFO6 to give it some life.

https://mega.nz/file/jU530a5B#FXJW1Xo-o ... 3TyT55EjS8

Performed and recorded live using KK S88 and CbB.

Careful (!) with your ears, monitors and neighbours, especially in the second part.

pixel85 · Post by **pixel85** » Sat May 07, 2022 3:57 am

chk071 wrote: Fri May 06, 2022 9:53 pm
pixel85 wrote: Fri May 06, 2022 9:45 pm tbh in functionality and workflow, original Massive is great to this day. For example it has true double-filter with parallel/serial option while MX has only predefined SVF filter to imitate this behaviour. Step sequencer is also faster to work with in og Massive.
Massive's operation is nice. But, I find the sound very lacklustre (especially the filters, IMO, they have no character at all). Up to the point where I wonder why it's such a popular synth. Even comparing it to Sylenth1, which is the same generation, it just sounds completely bog standard to me. Actually, it has some pretty cold touch to it, I find it hard to get warm sounds out of it.

I've been using it to make sfx for sci-fi games. At some point I was able to make 90% of all sfx just with Massive. For this kind of stuff, filter doesn't need to have character. It just doesn't have to sound bad.
Another thing is this is "proudly digital wavetable synth". Not the right place for analogue mojo

Even MX is not for this purpose although it's possible to squeeze nice warm sounds out of it. I must agree though that commercial preset libraries are not exploring that part of MX. DIY recommended

Massive X 1.6.1 update (September 2025)!