# Is Massive still worth learning/using for cheap presets to tweak?



## AnhrithmonGelasma (Dec 31, 2022)

I want to cancel Splice, but I still have a very large number of unused credits, and the easiest way to use them up without buying whole packs is to buy individual synth presets. But they seem to only have presets for Serum, Sylenth, Massive (not Massive X, bizarrely enough), and Splice's own apps. Since Massive is the only one I have---because I got it for free this year---and the NI voucher would let me get a Massive preset collection for $4, it's a little tempting, but I feel like I should spend more time learning to use other more recently updated synths that have MPE support. (As a Seaboard player, Massive's lack of MPE is a massive negative, though to a lesser extent for monophonic sounds.) Some of these synths have substantial overlap with Massive though, at least in terms of wavetable and subtractive synthesis---Equator2 and Vital in particular---and I could try to reproduce Massive presets in them.

I did watch and take some notes on a few Producertech tutorials using Massive so I have a decent idea of how it works. But it seems like it's basically been abandoned in favor of Massive X. While I could use Massive as a preset tweaking quasi-rompler without wasting too much mental space-time remembering the quirks of its gui, I guess that since Massive X came out very few new preset packs have been being released for Massive? And unlike some other older synths (Zebra2 for example) it doesn't have a cpu advantage over Massive X (which also lacks MPE, and doesn't seem particularly interesting).

I've heard a lot of Massive presets that I like but nothing so far that also really seems extraordinary relative to what I already have in other synths....


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## Teksonik (Dec 31, 2022)

Like you I also got Massive free a month or so ago courtesy of Focusrite. To be honest the GUI is too small at modern monitor resolutions to be comfortable here. 

I can use it but I have to put my nose on the monitor in order to see and adjust some controls. 

I get the feeling that N.I. will discontinue the original Massive like they did Absynth but I see it's still for sale at $149 which is silly compared to what you can get with other synths in that price range these days.

I doubt Massive will ever be updated and I highly doubt it will ever receive a modern resizable GUI.

So for me Massive is a synth I'll keep in my collection but not something I can justify spending time with in 2023.

I just have so many other synths that are still in active development and do have GUIs that aren't 15 years outdated and quite frankly sound better to me. 

Massive is not a bad sounding synth but to me it's a Generation 1 softsynth and we're at Gen 2 or 3 by now.


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## Crowe (Dec 31, 2022)

Massive is... Fine, but a bit odd. I have no real problem with its resolution as I very much dislike 2 and 4k on computers.

But it does have some engine oddities under the hood that annoy me to no end (Massive's interpretation of the word 'attack' leaves something to be desired) so I've just taken all the Massive waveforms and now use them in Serum.

If you like working with Massive and what it can do (honestly, this is all that should matter so figure that out first) I don't see why you shouldn't. It's not my first choice anymore though. And if you're on high res, there's better options.

Also. Massive X isn't Massive 2. I find it's been named quite foolishly. The only thing they have in common is that they have wavetables.


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## AnhrithmonGelasma (Dec 31, 2022)

Crowe said:


> But it does have some engine oddities under the hood that annoy me to no end (Massive's interpretation of the word 'attack' leaves something to be desired) so I've just taken all the Massive waveforms and now use them in Serum.


Interesting---so recreating Massive patches in other synths (like Vital or Equator2) would not be as simple and straightforward as I'd thought. Unless I just want to use the wavetables and general concepts.


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## Teksonik (Dec 31, 2022)

Crowe said:


> Massive is... Fine, but a bit odd. I have no real problem with its resolution as I very much dislike 2 and 4k on computers.


I'm still running 1920x1080p on both systems. It's still the most popular resolution today.

I've resisted going to 4k just because of these kinds of issues.

Like I said I can use Massive but it breaks the "lean in rule". If I have to lean in to get closer to my monitor just to see any element of a plugin then to me its GUI is outdated.


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