16. Grimey, distorted 808s

Distorted 808 kicks are a staple of modern grime production. Let’s make a custom version in Massive

1

A distorted 808 kick can be created using samples and any distortion plugin, but it’s just as simple to replicate a customisable version using Massive. From the initialised patch, set the Voices to 1 and Osc 1 to Sin-Triangle with the

Wt-Position fully left to give a pure sine. Set Pitch to -24.

2

Route Env 1 to Osc 1 pitch by +24. Shape the envelope with 0 Attack, a short Decay and 0 Sustain or Release. This gives a punchy, kick-like hit. In the Insert 1 slot add Hard Clipper, push the Drive to max and Wet/Dry to around 50%. Add Classic Tube into FX1 with both Drive and Wet/Dry at around 30%.

3

That’s plenty distorted and punchy. We can now use the amp envelope (Env 4) to shape our sound. A Lowpass 2 filter with plenty of Resonance will add even more punch. Tweak the Cutoff to taste and try using another of Massive’s envelopes to sweep the filter for even more bounce and punch!