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tarrtime « Industry Standard Synth »
Published on 12/28/12 at 05:29Massive is a software application and plug-in that can be used as a stand-alone software instrument, or as a plug-in inside a DAW. It is a software synthesizer with internal sound generators and effects processing. There are many different waveform generators to choose from, and all the typical effects are available (filters, distortion, reverb, delay, etc). There is also a pattern sequencer to automate some of the effect internally.
The software can be purchased on its own, however I received it as part of the Native Instruments Komplete Bundle. It can be downloaded off the NI website and installed. Authorization is completed using the NI Service Center application.
SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE
Getting started with Massive is easy. There are tons and tons of included presets. I have pretty much used the presets with Massive exclusively since I purchased it in 2008. There are plenty of ways to create your own synth sounds from scratch if you want, however I have never really taken the time to really figure the software out. There are tons of videos on YouTube if you want to learn how to create your own synths in Massive. However, if you are like me, I just want to find usable sounds fast, with minimal tweaking and get on to making music. Therefore, the library of presets is one of the most valuable aspects of Massive to me.
OVERALL OPINION
Software synthesizers are a dime-a-dozen at this point. There are so many to choose from, its hard to know which one is best. They all have many of the same exact features, but are also slightly different. Massive has been around along time (and might benefit from an update soon), but remains a favorite to many synth geeks despite many other synths that have come along since Massive was released.
The GUI really needs to be updated. It looks almost 'prehistoric' in comparison to many software applications that have been released recently. Native Instruments has some of the best looking interfaces in the music market, but they also have some of the most outdated interfaces because some of their products have been around for a really long time without update.
Massive was just included with the latest update to Maschine. Hopefully this means NI will be moving forward with Massive and not cutting off support for the software anytime soon.
The software can be purchased on its own, however I received it as part of the Native Instruments Komplete Bundle. It can be downloaded off the NI website and installed. Authorization is completed using the NI Service Center application.
SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE
Getting started with Massive is easy. There are tons and tons of included presets. I have pretty much used the presets with Massive exclusively since I purchased it in 2008. There are plenty of ways to create your own synth sounds from scratch if you want, however I have never really taken the time to really figure the software out. There are tons of videos on YouTube if you want to learn how to create your own synths in Massive. However, if you are like me, I just want to find usable sounds fast, with minimal tweaking and get on to making music. Therefore, the library of presets is one of the most valuable aspects of Massive to me.
OVERALL OPINION
Software synthesizers are a dime-a-dozen at this point. There are so many to choose from, its hard to know which one is best. They all have many of the same exact features, but are also slightly different. Massive has been around along time (and might benefit from an update soon), but remains a favorite to many synth geeks despite many other synths that have come along since Massive was released.
The GUI really needs to be updated. It looks almost 'prehistoric' in comparison to many software applications that have been released recently. Native Instruments has some of the best looking interfaces in the music market, but they also have some of the most outdated interfaces because some of their products have been around for a really long time without update.
Massive was just included with the latest update to Maschine. Hopefully this means NI will be moving forward with Massive and not cutting off support for the software anytime soon.