Opinions on MassiveX

[experimental.crow]

It's good that they keep on updating the synth.
As for the numbering. In my firm, we deploy a new production version after almost every (2 week) sprint. We are now at 3.29. I'm OK with the numbering. It's just a reference number.

I keep coming back to this synth more and more as the sound does appeal to me.
It's just that this synth is literally a pain to use.

I spent quite some time with the performer as I think the osc's and filter respond very well to glides and stuff. But it's so fiddly to work in it.

Just look how fiddly this is compared to the MSEG editor in Zebra.
I wish this synth could be more like Zebra (or we could make a custom UI, but that's not possible).

perhaps you needed just a bit more time ...
it's really quite usable ...

[Stefken]

Thanks for the tip.

[pdxindy]

Isn’t the performer global only? Not per voice?

[glokraw]

At the current pace it will be years before it will be a synth that solidly meets my needs. So that’s why 1.2 is disappointing for me... not because there is some conventions that NI didn’t follow.

Coding teamwork doesn't move in stricktly linear fashion.
I'll bet that NI is working hard on new infrastructure, tying up
two decades of loose code from a huge number of contributors,
who had/have a wide range of skills and propensities.
U-he began doing that ages ago, and is reaping the benefits
of codebase sharing. I see Raum and Massive X
as the tip of the iceberg, poking above
what will be a next-gen Kontackt/Reaktor product line.
Raum and Massive X have gui size options, so I doubt any new products
will lack it. Pure speculation, based solely
on reading too many forum posts
Merry Christmas, to all the Berlin coders!
(well, it might be two years, but might not arrive alone
Cheers

[BERFAB]

Installed MX 1.2 last night. Nice update. Great new presets.
A couple of questions though about these two additions:

Massive X 1.2 - 2019-12-18
ADDED The Lightguide on KOMPLETE KONTROL S-Series Keyboards indicates the remote octave of the Performer
ADDED Dropping presets on the UI saves them in the user folder

I've got an NI S-88, but can't figure out what "indicates the remote octave of the Performer" means or how I would use it. All I saw was blue lights everywhere for every patch.

I also like the idea of just dragging preset I like into the user folder. Try as I might though, I can't figure out how this feature works either. Where am I "dropping" presets from onto the UI? I was trying to take them out of the preset browser to the "user" area, or anywhere on the UI. Nothing. What am I missing?
Is this in the manual somewhere? Or, better yet, a video tutorial?

Cheers
-B

[experimental.crow]

Installed MX 1.2 last night. Nice update. Great new presets.
A couple of questions though about these two additions:

Massive X 1.2 - 2019-12-18
ADDED The Lightguide on KOMPLETE KONTROL S-Series Keyboards indicates the remote octave of the Performer
ADDED Dropping presets on the UI saves them in the user folder

I've got an NI S-88, but can't figure out what "indicates the remote octave of the Performer" means or how I would use it. All I saw was blue lights everywhere for every patch.

I also like the idea of just dragging preset I like into the user folder. Try as I might though, I can't figure out how this feature works either. Where am I "dropping" presets from onto the UI? I was trying to take them out of the preset browser to the "user" area, or anywhere on the UI. Nothing. What am I missing?
Is this in the manual somewhere? Or, better yet, a video tutorial?

Cheers
-B

chapter 5 , in the manual , covers the presets , w/ 5.3 addressing the drag and drop ...
chapter 16 , in the manual , covers the performers ...
chapter 17 , in the manual , covers the remote octave of the performers ...

no videos yet , afaik ...

[Ohlson_M]

I have played around with Massive X demo for quite some time now, and I must say I have mixed feelings.

1. My eyes have problem distinguishing between the different synth sections. The UI is messy. All I see is knobs everywhere. But you do get use to it. But some better visual feedback would be nice. Although, it can be a good thing since you are forced to rely a lot more on your ears, and not be easily tricked by visuals.

2. This is perhaps the best sounding software synth I have ever heard. It’s breathtakingly good.

When I get over point 1, I will get this beast.

[BERFAB]

Installed MX 1.2 last night. Nice update. Great new presets.
A couple of questions though about these two additions:

Massive X 1.2 - 2019-12-18
ADDED The Lightguide on KOMPLETE KONTROL S-Series Keyboards indicates the remote octave of the Performer
ADDED Dropping presets on the UI saves them in the user folder

I've got an NI S-88, but can't figure out what "indicates the remote octave of the Performer" means or how I would use it. All I saw was blue lights everywhere for every patch.

I also like the idea of just dragging preset I like into the user folder. Try as I might though, I can't figure out how this feature works either. Where am I "dropping" presets from onto the UI? I was trying to take them out of the preset browser to the "user" area, or anywhere on the UI. Nothing. What am I missing?
Is this in the manual somewhere? Or, better yet, a video tutorial?

Cheers
-B

chapter 5 , in the manual , covers the presets , w/ 5.3 addressing the drag and drop ...
chapter 16 , in the manual , covers the performers ...
chapter 17 , in the manual , covers the remote octave of the performers ...

no videos yet , afaik ...

Thanks for doing the heavy lifting of actually reading the manual!
Cheers
-B

[EvilDragon]

Isn’t the performer global only? Not per voice?

Correct. Was intended really as a more of a performance tool (hence 12 keyswitchable performer presets) rather than a MSEG.

[pdxindy]

Isn’t the performer global only? Not per voice?

Correct. Was intended really as a more of a performance tool (hence 12 keyswitchable performer presets) rather than a MSEG.

Yeah... so they might not have a per voice option added as it doesn’t make sense for the performance aspect.

There’s quite a bit of per voice modulation without it... is a bit surprising considering original Massive has MSEG’s

[mholloway]

... is a bit surprising considering original Massive has MSEG’s

Uh, does it though? It has envelopes much like those in MX, and also the stepper / performers, much like MX, but also a lot more primitive... there are no MSEG envelopes in Massive, certainly none like Zebra's....

[EvilDragon]

Original Massive didn't have true MSEGs (as say in Zebra or elsewhere).

That said, performers in OG Massive DID have a per-voice option. But no keyswitching between performer presets... You could xfade between two states, though (and modulate that xfade). So, two quite different beasts there.

[SLiC]

I think one of the problems with MX is just it is now being compared with some recently updated and highly developed WT synths like Icarus 2 and Pigments 2, both have had the kitchen sink thrown at them and include MPE etc. All good for the user (especially free major updates like P2) but must be really hard for developers to keep up...

[EnGee]

I'm curious (really). What kind of music that requires MPE and all those "micro" modulations? It can't be done with what exist in MX? I only can imagine exotic music (kind of ambient) and maybe like the music you can play while making Yoga. Are there other kind of music that uses such advanced modulations?

Even such complex music. It can't be done with macros modulation and internal ones? Anyway, I might be just getting old now!

[Stefken]

I think one of the problems with MX is just it is now being compared with some recently updated and highly developed WT synths like Icarus 2 and Pigments 2, both have had the kitchen sink thrown at them and include MPE etc. All good for the user (especially free major updates like P2) but must be really hard for developers to keep up...

Pigments was released in december 2018; MX was released in june 2019. So MX is more recent.
But it's a domain where NI clearly has lost ground. And comparisons are inevitable.

If Pigments and MX could have a baby (with the UI of Pigments and the DSP of MX) that would be like the next generation synth that was advertised.