How to Use Everything in MASSIVE X | Native Instruments

Watch as product specialist Matt Lara walks you through how to use MASSIVE X in this music production masterclass. By the end of this tutorial, you’ll understand what all the product's tools and parameters do and how to get creative with them, including MASSIVE X’s audio generators, modulation modules, routing, voicing, macros, presets, and much more.

Chapters:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:01:48 - Global commands

00:04:05 - Audio modules
00:04:30 - Oscillator wavetable modes
00:10:37 - Phase modulation
00:16:38 - Noise
00:18:38 - Filter
00:20:03 - Insert Effects
00:22:23 - Amp
00:23:11 - Stereo Effects

00:24:29 - Modulation modules
00:24:57 - Amp Envelope
00:28:56 - Modulation Envelope
00:31:38 - LFO (Switcher + Random)
00:43:18 - Exciter Envelope
00:46:37 - Key Trackers
00:51:36 - Performers
00:59:08 - Voice Randomization

01:01:32 - Routing

01:11:07 - Voicing
01:15:08 - Unison Mode

01:17:54 - Macros
01:19:56 - PB, Modulation, Aftertouch

PRESETS
01:21:25 - Synth Lead
01:22:53 - Bass
01:23:55 - Synth Pad

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For more than 25 years, Native Instruments has been at the heart of musical innovation. We’ve created communities, pushed technological boundaries, and opened new creative horizons for amateurs and professionals alike. Today, driven by our mission to make music creation more inclusive and accessible, NI’s hardware, software, and services including MASCHINE, TRAKTOR, and KOMPLETE bundles, provide fully-integrated solutions for musicians, producers, and DJs of all genres and levels of experience.

[ziaone]

Beautifully explained, no BS, no ego and very listenable voice! That really counts for a lot. Thank you.

[olastrandh]

Matt wins the award for most intelligible human. Thanks for a great vid!

[RandomNoiseMusic]

Im super glad NI are making this deep dive on Massive X. Its a complex instrument only because it is an extremely powerful and beautiful beast. Yes it has some issues, and the visual feedback may not be the best or easiest experience, but once you get a hang of it you start to realize how this is a synth that can stay relevant for many many years to come, capable of making rich and unique sounds like no other synth at that level. Its like having the power of Reaktor in a simpler and easier form

[BenCaesar]

But up for doing tutorials on “older “ plugins NI has an immense library so these kind of videos are keeping them relevant 👌🏾

[aapillusions]

I can't begin to tell you how great this tutorial is. So well crafted, comprehensive, well paced and about as easy to make understandable as possible. I can't wait to dive in. 2025? Bring it! Thanks again for the great vid!

[Alfred_English]

Got this in the Komplete bundle and thought I'd never use it. I'm more familiar with Vital, and I love that Vital is free.
However, the amount of fantastic presets in the komplete 14 standard bundle is mindblowing. I'll be flicking through these presets for the next decade. Shoutout to all the sound designers who worked on these patches, it's inspiring

[allisonwestbrook]

Someone might've said this already, but if you're following along, and you use the Blank template, then you need to connect OSC 1 to your output as seen Routing in his lower panel. It won't be connected at default. Which also means that at 7:53, where he turns up OSC 2, you have to connect the second OSC to get any output also.

[lost_valley]

I was skeptical at first with Massive X but once I began to understand it then it became the only synth I use in my productions.There is something about its audio engine that makes it so easy to blend with drum synths and vocals. Kudos Native Instruments for this fantastic piece of software

[itsruiguerreiro]

Fantastic job you guys are doing with this new "How to Use Everything..." series! Please do more :) Thank you!

[mefflecakes]

Great job. Thanks for doing these videos NI, it makes your products so much easier to understand. I know you're not going to do it just because I ask, but it'd be great if you did this for more of your products where possible 👍

[KnzoVortex]

honestly, I love Massive X. A lot of people complained about how it's not the next Phase Plant do-everything synth or whatever and complaining at the lack of user wavetables like it's a crime or something, but I think that's all part of its design philosophy/ethos. Massive X doesn’t really want to bring you to new sounds from the modern bass music perspective of infinite resampling and the rabbit hole of wavetable production/discovery. Instead, it keeps that dimension simple and to the point. In addition to giving the synth it's own charachter, it also invites the user to focus more on the other parts of the synth, qhich are honestly really interesting, unique and inspiring.
To me this is honestly quite refreshing as I don't find the task of hunting down or carefully crafting wavetables particularly exciting. I feel like Massive X invites you to have a more holistic approach the synth which I'm a big fan of. The signal routing section is reaaally sick, so much interesting stuff you can do, the oscillator bend modes are really gnarly and sick. the MSEG moduator is so cracked (it's actually so good tho), the effects are nice, some of the modulators are pretty unique too. The synth kinda gives me a west coast vibe with all it's modularity, feedback capabilities, bend modes, etc that's kinda hard to come by, and in a really well crafted way imo. Personally, from this perspective I'm kinda glad you can't import wavetables.

[giuseppelentini]

I was under the impression this synth needed an in depth tutorial, it's actually one of the most avantgarde synth architectures I ever saw, hearing it's structure so well explained is fascinating.

[adsupermusone]

Massive is such a great plugin, so complex and amazing sounds to choose from!

[heddshot]

About time. This plugin is so slept on, sounds way better than many popular synths both in it's core and effects, and you get such interesting sounds from it!

[paulguy]

Although I now fully understand how Modulation works in MASSIVE X & others like SERUM from Xfer Records etc, I found this video VERY helpful; the way you explain whats going on very simply. I'm getting to understand better now how things like Phase Modulation introduces Harmonic Under & Overtones (I already knew about hamonics, and the Fundamental). If I was a complete newbie to synthesis and this particular synth, I think it would have helped me in Less time to understand than the few years it has already! THanks man!!

[guitarforudude]

For $49 as part of the Summer Sale, I got Massive X plus 5-10 expansions. Holy cow, there's 5x the knobs and whatnot than Arturia's Pigments. I'll have to save this as my tutorial lesson.

[electropunkzero]

I’ve come back to Massive a year later and I am able to make sense of it a lot better. This video was a huge help

[zachary]

I just grabbed this synth. I love and still use Massive, so I’m excited to use this!!

[ydIbby]

Best tutorial on Massive X out there, really cool and good job!

[LABlukas]

Oh Yes! These Videos have so much value!