Massive XL brings animated modulations, user wavetable import and other much-requested features to Massive X. But is it too little, too late?
Native Instruments Massive XL
Native Instruments is making up for lost time. Now that it’s freed from the yoke of private equity, the long-running (and much-loved) company is working hard to update its products, many of which customers have been asking for for years. Maschine recently saw 3.7, with the software/hardware hybrid beat-making platform receiving some much-needed sequencing functionality. Now Massive X is getting some refresh love too.
Remember Massive X? The 2019 follow-up to the massive (ahem) Massive, it was largely seen as a disappointment upon release, with many lamenting a lack of features like user wavetable import. Last year, NI let us know they hadn’t forgotten it with Massive X Player, a freeware version aimed at bass music producers. Now NI has gone full-on update, going so far as to give it a new name: Massive XL.
“Massive has always been about giving producers the freedom to create sounds that feel uniquely their own,” said Tim Adnitt, Senior Director of Product Management at Native Instruments. “With Massive XL, we’ve focused on helping users reach those sounds faster. It delivers the character, flexibility, and control Massive is known for while introducing new tools that make exploration, experimentation, and sound creation more immediate.”
Massive New Features
Massive XL is not an entirely new instrument, despite the name. It’s more of an evolution of Massive X. In that way, it has a redesigned interface, with modulation routing and assigning much clearer than before. Finally, it has visible and animated modulators, letting you see what parameters are being affected. Hallelujah.
Uniquely, the software offers a Preset Generator, which analyzes any audio file that you drop onto it and generates a new patch based on its qualities. It even includes stem separation.
NI has also looked to Absynth 6 for an idea, namely the Mutator, which lets you generate new patches with “similarity-aware mutations.” You can also randomize individual modules while keeping other elements intact thanks to the module sub-presets.
The Animator modulator and Morpher X/Y pad have also gotten a brush-up with a Freeze mode for note-triggered variations of your sound.
Massive New Sounds
NI have boosted the wavetable content in Massive XL with more than 100 new wavetables, including ones from the original Massive and classic PPG Wave synth. It also comes with more than 100 new noise tables. Still not enough? Massive XL also supports user wavetable import, with sample and sample library conversion also possible.
The effects section has gotten some attention too, with Raum reverb, Replika Shimmer and Tape Wobble joining the party.
There’s also polyphonic aftertouch and a new factory library. Note that Massive XL will open all Massive X presets and packs as well.
Price and Availability
It will be interesting to see the reaction to Massive XL. With so many other wavetable synthesizer options available, and this coming so late, will producers embrace the XL?
Massive XL is available now at Thomann* for €89. Upgrade and crossgrade pricing is also available.
More Information
- Native Instruments homepage
- More about Native Instruments
- More about synthesizers
- Buy synthesizers at Thomann*
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