NI Massive X
…but it looks like we’ll have to wait a little longer to hear it in action
It’s no exaggeration to say that Native Instruments’ Massive X is one of the most eagerlyawaited plugin synths in history. Announced in 2018 alongside the Komplete 12 bundle, we were initially told that it would be released in February of 2019, but this date then slipped, and detail has been scant.
Now, finally, that detail is starting to arrive, thanks to the new Massive X Lab blog series on Native Instruments’ website. In coming months, this will cover all aspects of Massive X – design, oscillators, filters, preset design, etc – but the starting point is a general overview.
As you can probably see, the Massive X interface is a big departure from the original Massive and, arguably, much clearer. There are nods to its predecessor, though, such as the ‘saturn rings’. It’s worth repeating, though, that this isn’t ‘Massive 2’ – it’s not compatible with Massive and isn’t a replacement for it. It is, however, being created by the same team.
Massive X specs
In terms of architecture, you get two wavetable oscillators that will offer 125 wavetables at launch. These come from the creator of the original Massive and they’ve been designed in order to showcase what the new synth can do.
Go deeper down the rabbit hole and you discover that these oscillators have 10 modes (some of which have up to three sub-modes), each of which has its own character, and that the main oscillators can be modulated by two phase modulation oscillators. What’s more, some of the oscillators are specifically designed to be phase-modulated.
Moving on, there’s a dedicated Noise section that lets you use two simultaneous noise sources (you can choose from more than 100). Options here extend to ‘natural’ options such as rain and birdsong.
Elsewhere, the Massive X brings eight all-new multimode filters. These cover low-, high- and band-pass options, plus comb filtering. You also get dual filters: one parallel, one serial, with selectable filter combinations for both.
Massive X effects
The three Insert FX slots, meanwhile, can be used to introduce new elements and polyphonic processing into the internal signal path. In fact, in addition to effects, you can also drop in Insert Oscillators (sine, pulse width, modulation-capable pulse, or saw), which will enable you to work in a subtractive synthesis manner (without even having to use the wavetable oscillators) or to create some really intense DX7-style phase modulation environments.
There are also Unit FX; up to three of these can be applied
simultaneously to the final patch. All-new delay, reverb, distortion and flanging algorithms are included, and NI seem to think that they sound pretty special.
Flexible audio routing is part of the Massive X package, too. You can drag connections between different modules, letting you shuttle audio around as you wish, and to multiple destinations. You can even use one wavetable osc to phase modulate the other, or set up a wavetable to modulate itself via aux input.
As in the first Massive, envelopes and LFOs sit side by side, but you can now use up to nine. The first of these is always an envelope, but the other eight can be configured as you like. New features include the Switcher LFO, which enables you to assign up to three modulation sources to the LFO to control morphing between shapes. You can also route the modulators into the audio bus.
Next, we have the three Performers, which allow you to draw precise rhythmic modulation using specific shapes at specific time signatures. The Remote Octave, meanwhile, promises live or sequenced triggering of up to 12 Performer snapshots. Finally, there are four trackers that can allow incoming MIDI data to operate as assignable modulators.
There’s plenty to chew over already, then, but what we still don’t know is when Massive X will be released or how much it will cost. You’ll note that video and sound examples are conspicuously absent at this stage, too.
This will inevitably lead to concern that the launch of Massive X is still actually some way off, and there will be a certain amount of frustration among Komplete 12 owners, who may have bought their bundle under the assumption that they would have Massive X in their hands by February.
The pressure is now well and truly on for Native Instruments, then: not only does Massive X have to meet the demands of those who have effectively already paid for it, but it will also have to attract some new users – who have far more options available to them than they did when the first Massive was released over a decade ago.
Let’s hope it’s worth the wait!