Massive X 1.4 update!

[Vortifex]

But ultimately I agree with Dragon: MX just sounds way better than anything else I've got, synth-wise. I'm not sure what it is.

It is hard to describe. The way I'd put it is that it's proudly digital but with the heft and quality of a flagship hardware synth.

[EvilDragon]

You've described it exactly as it is, in fact.

[Noumena]

re: vital

Maybe I missed it with my tour through the synth -- I didn't see a way to attenuate pitch so that I can play the way that I prefer: I like to have pitch track on key down and then be attenuated on slide so that a small slide delta is a very small change to pitch and the larger the delta the more the pitch changes. This can be done in Cipher, Equator and the Grid. Also the way that the curves are handled in Vital... is there a way to manage slide/cc74 as relative? I confess that I tried it out in beta, but spent some time on it then... it is possible I missed the tricks.


re: Bitwig selector as MX MPE workaround:

When you use the intrument selector to make polyphony you MUST change the instances of the synth to be monophonic. Otherwise all sorts of glitches occur. Even so it is not perfect -- specifically when it comes to leaving sustained notes sustaining. Better than nothing, though. I just checked and this should resolve your issue. That said: since you are making the instances mono, it is good practice to disable all the time domain fx (reverb, delay) and to instead use single instances of these after the instrument selector. Also, BW puts all instances of the plugins in a selector on a single thread, so you will have limited poly. I usually get by with 4 instances of Mx. Lastly: when using an instrument selector, set up a single (mono) instance of the patch first, and map things that you wish to control over all instances (non-polyphonic paramters) with the Remote panel on the instrument selector itself. This way when you duplicate the instance these mappings will also be duplicated. Things that you want to map to cc74 you should map in the modulator panel of the instrument, not the selector... this way these paramters respond polyphonically. And then save your work by saving a Bitwig preset of the Instrument Selector (or make an Instrument Layer including the Selector and any post fx that you added if you put fx in too) -- this makes it so that you can bring up all your work with a single click, but also gives you a starting point for making new patches...)

[pdxindy]

re: Bitwig selector as MX MPE workaround:

When you use the intrument selector to make polyphony you MUST change the instances of the synth to be monophonic. Otherwise all sorts of glitches occur. Even so it is not perfect -- specifically when it comes to leaving sustained notes sustaining. Better than nothing, though. I just checked and this should resolve your issue. That said: since you are making the instances mono, it is good practice to disable all the time domain fx (reverb, delay) and to instead use single instances of these after the instrument selector. Also, BW puts all instances of the plugins in a selector on a single thread, so you will have limited poly. I usually get by with 4 instances of Mx.

Thanks, I'll try that again. I thought I had set it to mono, but I may be misremembering.

EDIT: I just tried it with MX instances set to mono... still makes pitch jumps. Play a low note and slide that note up an octave. Then play a high note. That high note will jump from +1 octave to the correct pitch. This is the most obvious way to hear it. MX doesn't reset pitchbend to 0 when the note stops sounding.

[Noumena]

Can't replicate this here. Make sure that you glide settings, etc, are all square. Not sure what's causing the issue for you, but it works properly for me... I use this config all the time. I'm using a ROLI Seaboard 49 as a controller.

[killmaster]

Can't replicate this here. Make sure that you glide settings, etc, are all square. Not sure what's causing the issue for you, but it works properly for me... I use this config all the time. I'm using a ROLI Seaboard 49 as a controller.

Is it possible you could post a preset or project file with the setup? Not sure if you are using the latest version of Bitwig.

[_leras]

But ultimately I agree with Dragon: MX just sounds way better than anything else I've got, synth-wise. I'm not sure what it is.

It is hard to describe. The way I'd put it is that it's proudly digital but with the heft and quality of a flagship hardware synth.

Well... expect perhaps having a third oscillator and a second filter that could be serial or parallel, or a complete browser, or easier to use sequencer.

I too love the sound, but still feel frustrated that these four good things from Massive didn't survive.

It's definitely better sonicly than vital... Even if it maybe has slightly less ease of use.

[pdxindy]

Can't replicate this here. Make sure that you glide settings, etc, are all square. Not sure what's causing the issue for you, but it works properly for me... I use this config all the time. I'm using a ROLI Seaboard 49 as a controller.

It's not glide...

I'm using a Linnstrument.

[EvilDragon]

So, time to inspect Linnstrument's MIDI output perhaps? MX won't reset pitch bend to 0 if it doesn't receive that event (nor should any synth do things it wasn't told to, really).

[pdxindy]

So, time to inspect Linnstrument's MIDI output perhaps? MX won't reset pitch bend to 0 if it doesn't receive that event (nor should any synth do things it wasn't told to, really).

I just tried with a few other synths... no issue, then I tried FM8 and it pitch jumps too. Now I just tried Obsession and it will pitch jump in mono mode, but not poly mode. MX does whether it is mono or poly.

Linnstrument cannot know how long a synths envelope release will last, so it needs to be the synth that decides the behavior.

[EvilDragon]

So how come it doesn't happen on a Roli then.

[Noumena]

(this was wrong)

[Noumena]

Are you talking about a very short (like 5ms or less) chirp that can sometimes be heard at note down? I'm not sure if it is BW 3.3.4 (just updatated, I see there are changes to note selector device) or that my patches all have slower attacks and a narrower pitch bend range (I use MPE pitch mod for vibrato, not legato play.) But if I do a square wave, 0ms attack, with PB set to +/-48 then press a low note and slide it up two octaves and press another low note on the same instance I hear a chirp. It's very subtle and sounds more like a filter envelope than a rapid pitch change... but I don't hear it when I don't bend up the previous note. If you set the envelope even a little longer than 0 it is hidden. Feels like a Massive X issue. Somone should file a ticket. I can get the same behavior with a non-MPE keyboard if I set the PB that high....

[pdxindy]

Are you talking about a very short (like 5ms or less) chirp that can sometimes be heard at note down? I'm not sure if it is BW 3.3.4 (just updatated, I see there are changes to note selector device) or that my patches all have slower attacks and a narrower pitch bend range (I use MPE pitch mod for vibrato, not legato play.) But if I do a square wave, 0ms attack, with PB set to +/-48 then press a low note and slide it up two octaves and press another low note on the same instance I hear a chirp.

Yup... that is it.

I heard that for a while now, so it is not Bitwig 3.3.4 - Besides various other synths don't do it. I first heard it on struck sounds like mallets cause of the sharp attack.

It happens with or without the Selector device. I hear it even with pitch slides of a few semitones.

[Noumena]

yeah! sorry I doubted it -- like I said, i always have softer attacks than is needed to demonstrate this glitch. a glitch it seems to be though.