MASSIVE X

Joe is the Editor of Computer Music magazine and has been releasing electronic music for the past 15 years. Find him on Instagram, @joerossitter

The arrival of Native Instruments’ Massive X softsynth has been met with divisive opinions across the board. In our review, we called it “a hugely characterful, immensely powerful synth with a number of issues, some of which feel like the result of a rushed release”.

NI itself has made it clear that those omissions will be addressed with forthcoming updates, but even in its current state, Massive X is still a worthy virtual instrument with unique talents—especially when it comes to creative modulation.

When synthesizing drums and percussion, for example, you need a synth with envelopes that give you microscopic control over short-term shape. And if you’re producing cutting-edge musical genres such as DnB, bassline house or techno, you’ll want to arm yourself with fresh timbral-scanning techniques that can be conformed