Massive X or Twin 3

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Massive X$199.00Buy Twin 3$149.00Buy

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I had both of these. Sold them both :neutral: Been recording HW only recently but now craving for a desert island SW synth when laptoping and idea generating in the box.

I know they are apples and oranges synthesis and feature wise, but they are both similar in a way that they are not emulations of a specific analogue synth and don’t look like one, but they can both sound rather warm and analogue (more so than some emulations of actual gear.)

Which one’s core sound you KVR people prefer? I remember MX having better filters, but Twin 3 oscillators sounding warmer. They are on sale around same price atm thinking of re-buying (only sold Twin 3 a week ago lol). Always missed MX. I thought UAD Opal would substitute but not. Despite all the NI palaver their DSP is just top notch man, but FabFilter seems more forward thinking and future proof, as of now. I am also a big Reaktor Blocks user. I would never sell that one

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I mean, if you want a desert island synth it would have to be Massive X, because of flexibility.

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In terms of sound I think Massive X shits on just about every other synth VST. It sounds like a flagship hardware synth. But on my system the user experience is diminished by an interface that takes a while to open and freezes the DAW UI while it's doing it.

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Twin 3. Easy to use, low on CPU and sounds great.

Massive X sounds amazing, possibilities are awesome, but GUI is sluggish and really uninviting to use.

I have them both and i prefer to use Twin 3

Or better yet Vital - free and sounds great
OsTirus - if you have a rom also free and sounds amazing

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Vortifex wrote: Sun Nov 24, 2024 12:38 pm In terms of sound I think Massive X shits on just about every other synth VST. It sounds like a flagship hardware synth. But on my system the user experience is diminished by an interface that takes a while to open and freezes the DAW UI while it's doing it.
Yes, I agree on the sound and also recall similar performance issues, especially loading time. I love Twin’s interface and efficiency. I guess what I need is Twin’s GUI with MX’s sound, but I have to admit, I found MX a breeze to tweak

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Why go back to one of those 2? IMO Phaseplant or Current are better dessert island synths. Heck I'd rather have Serum over Twin or MX.

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billinder33 wrote: Sun Nov 24, 2024 1:19 pm Why go back to one of those 2? IMO Phaseplant or Current are better dessert island synths. Heck I'd rather have Serum over Twin or MX.
Sorry mate, but to me it’s about the core sound. Phase plant and Serum don’t sound as good as MX. The VCA modelling, the filters, the envelopes, the feedback/ distortion. Could go on about. Just not on the same level

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Massive X is objectively better.

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When it comes to audio quality , massive x blows all of the mentioned synths out of the water .
I also don't really get the cricticism about it's gui , sure it's busy but imho logicaly laid out .
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gentleclockdivider wrote: Sun Nov 24, 2024 3:20 pm When it comes to audio quality , massive x blows all of the mentioned synths out of the water .
I also don't really get the cricticism about it's gui , sure it's busy but imho logicaly laid out .
I don’t get it either,especially when compared to Massive. It’s no more difficult to understand than the Original Massive.

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Sound quality - Massive X
Third Party (trending) presets availability - Serum

Other options: u-he Diva, VPS Avenger. Also heard that Falcon is a beast, I'm yet to try it for myself though. Arturia Pigments looks brilliant but always sounded plasticky to me.
Ableton Live | Pro Tools | Launchpad X | Numark Party Mix II | Arturia MINILAB 3

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If you’re looking for an “analog” sound it’s hard to beat Twin3.

There’s a few others out there that are emulations that sound great, too.

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audiouser720 wrote: Sun Nov 24, 2024 1:45 pm
billinder33 wrote: Sun Nov 24, 2024 1:19 pm Why go back to one of those 2? IMO Phaseplant or Current are better dessert island synths. Heck I'd rather have Serum over Twin or MX.
Sorry mate, but to me it’s about the core sound. Phase plant and Serum don’t sound as good as MX. The VCA modelling, the filters, the envelopes, the feedback/ distortion. Could go on about. Just not on the same level
I think you answered your own question, if it's about the sound then Massive X.

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Everything sounds great today, so it really comes down to what your personal tastes are like. I have both and if I had to choose one of them, it would be Massive X. I own a lot of hardware synths, and Massive X is one of the only ones that gets feedback right, so if you like aggressive “coming apart at the seams” type sounds, Massive X will do it and few others will. It was the reason I was able to sell my Pro 2 and not miss it that much. It also does filter FM very well, even better than Dune. The ability to move modules around is going to make it more flexible than most anything.

Is it without issue? No. The UX is a mess, but I won’t go into it again. (To be honest, I don’t find Twin 3 to be that fun to use either.) No MPE or polyphonic aftertouch, despite NI making controllers with polyphonic aftertouch. No wavetable editor or import.

For me, neither of these synths are in what I’d call “heavy rotation” here. Phase Plant and Dune 3 probably get the most. Pigments gets a lot of love too, and has really great analog modeled filters. Plasticy? Hardly. Even Icarus gets more use.
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On a desert island you will need something fun and engaging. Go with twin 3, no doubt. It is only subtractive synthesis but hell what a flawless implementation.

Plus, twin 4 will arrive, no doubt. Massive X, I really don't think it will have a sequel. Or at least not a good one.

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