Native Instruments Massive tutorials

Funky House Stab (Passion Pit and Madeon-esque Style) in NI Massive!

OhmLab — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 07:43:19 +0000

See how you can make a classic funky synth stab sound that is perfect for soul, pop, disco, dance and many other forms of music. It’s also perfectly suited for break downs, complextro, etc.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Classic Sounds!

A touch of retro in a new style song is always well recieved!

YouTube user SteezTracks is back with another great sound to share with all of us. This time its all about the old style funky synth stabs, with a little vibrato tossed in to help bring it into the here and now. Retro sounds like this one come back into fashion and stay relevant for a reason, they sound good! And it only takes a few minutes to make the sound, so it’s also easy to fall back on.

Two oscillators, a lowpass filter, a little reverb, some chorus and a little noise. This along with some shaping of the main amp envelope get you the main sound of the synth stab we are after here. He then makes the overall sound bigger through the introduction of a second voice, adding some panning width and a small amount of phasing through pitch cutoff. After that, it’s finding the right mix of vibrato to polish it off with and we’re done.

Cheers,
ΩhmLab

Bitcrushed Lead Synth Tutorial for NI Massive

OhmLab — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 07:42:41 +0000

If you have been looking for a nice unique sounding lead synth, without too much complication this may just be the one for you. And it only takes a few minutes to make!

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Leads With Character!

A lead synth to remember is what your listeners want to hear!

Taking an old school 8-bit style synth to a whole new level by introducing multiple layers, some chorus and phasing through offsetting the pitch cutoff this instrument starts to take on new appeal very quickly. Automate some cutoff on the lowpass filter and you get a much more gentle, almost background quality sound for extra dynamic range in your projects.

NI Massive makes it so easy to take one simple sound and turn it into something more complex, without introducing elements that are not needed. If you want to take this sound to another place entirely, you can add some delay or echo effects to create an even bigger feel and round it out with subtle ring-shifting to actually begin moving it through space. This type of development of sound over time can really suck in your audience and make them get lost in your sounds.

This type of sound also holds up quite well in filter sweeps, frequency passes and other kinds of long transitions and builds. Perfect for songs with a drops and breaks. Run it through an auto filter and you can use it in an even wider range of music. This sound is great on its own, and is a great place to start for new instruments as well.

Cheers,
ΩhmLab

Doctor P & Flux Pavilion “Superbad” Bass Tutorial for Ni Massive

OhmLab — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 07:41:49 +0000

A super funky nasty bass sound is covered here in this very helpful NI Massive video Tutorial, showing you how to replicate the Doctor P & Flux Pavilion bass used in the song Superbad.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Wicked Basslines!

Having an instrument with this much flexibility is worth the attention to detail!

This sound has so much character and interesting points to emphasize through modulating parameters, that it has almost endless possibilities as far as what it can do for adding a little funk and sizzle to your productions.

With only two oscillators working to make the main part of the sound, some phasing is introduce through a modulation osciallator to begin shaping the sound. A tube amp and dimension expander will pump up and widen the over sound for you, along with a touch of pitch cutoff in the voicing tab. Top it all off with a parabolic shaper and hard clipper and you get a serious edge added. The vibrato is a key element to the motion of the bass sound, as well as a few plugins he mentions quickly at the end of the video.

If you do not have these particular plugins, do not fret. They are all free and very popular, so they are also easily found! If you really want to add your own flavor to this, try using a filter, some noise and perhaps even some multiband distortion. It is also a sound that some side compression does well with to add an extra touch of fatness.

Cheers,
ΩhmLab

Nero Style Bassline in NI Massive

OhmLab — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 06:31:33 +0000

A very quick and simple way to recreate the popular Nero style bass sound, perfect for hard hitting dubstep and electro house projects!

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Sick Bass!

Everyone can appreciate the complex sound of a Nero Bass, they don’t have to know how easy it was to make!

YouTube user TheBassTutorial has put together a very concise NI Massive video tutorial here for us to make good use of. It only take a minute or so to go through, but you end up learning a sound that you can use for years to come!

The base of the sound come from a two oscillator supersaw but has an additional oscillator running a Drive III wavetable to add the character. An LFO controls the cutoff of an Acid filter which is what provides the signature modulation of the bass. Add a boost to the low end EQ and you have the classic Nero Bass sound replicated! Of course, this leaves plenty of room for you to begin adding your own twists and tweaks to really make it your own sound. Try a little distortion, some cabinet modeling or a touch of noise to bring unique elements to the forefront, as well as take a little digital edge off in general.

Cheers,
ΩhmLab

Talkbox with Native Instruments Massive

OhmLab — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 07:47:07 +0000

Every once in a while we share with all of you a video that is a little different from what you have come to expect from us in the way of tutorials and reviews. Here you can see a very different way to make use of NI Massive, and one that some popular artists have recently caught onto themselves.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Real Funky!

Get ready to drop a serious funk bomb with this tasty trick!

Made famous by artists like Peter Frampton and The Who, the earliest examples of the talk box being used in music performances actually date all the way back to the 1930′s. Today, YouTube user dilliot2k shows us how he has found that Massive is actually one of the most ideal soft synths on the market to use with this crazy cool device.

Making use of some cleverly programmed macros and the professionally designed wavetables offered by Massive, he is able to produce incredibly smooth and pure funky sounds. Quickly sampling many different ways of interacting with the synth through the talk box, he runs through some of his favorite parameters to tweak like vibrato, glide, tempo sync, cutoff and pitch.

As this idea catches on with other NI Massive users out there, this classic sound is bound to make many more appearances in the clubs very soon. Guys like Rusko, KOAN and DJ Fresh are already doing it, so keep an ear to the airwaves and see if you can identify it in any funky fresh tunes out there.

We would love to hear from members of the MassiveSynth.com community who have already used the talkbox with Massive. So if you’re out there, let us know!

Cheers,
ΩhmLab

How to Make Flux Pavilion’s Bass Cannon in NI Massive

OhmLab — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 08:39:41 +0000

Another good Flux Pavilion inspired NI Massive tutorial, this one showing you how to use some clever sound design skills to produce the iconic bass cannon sound.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Insane Bass!

Make your audience feel the bass, not just hear it!

YouTube user JicloTuts is obviously a seasoned NI Massive user, so some of your folks newer to to the synth may need to hit the pause button a couple times but this video is full of useful information. With only two oscillators and a very minimal amount of effects this sound is already set to go. He uses a plugin called Camel Crusher in this lesson, and you can find it for download free of charge at the camel Audio website.

What’s really great about this particular tutorial is that he has taken the time to show you the isolated frequencies to boost to get the same kind of high pitched appeal that the Flux Pavilion instrument has. Also worth noting is the fact that the sub was completely removed from the Massive sound and a clean sine wave based sub bass signal was added back for support. he then goes into the actual midi programming, including the pitch automation, of the sound in his DAW, Ableton Live. Of course, you can use any program you choose to and will not make any difference to the sound at all.

All said and done, a very solid tutorial. If you enjoyed it, show him some support. If you have a request for similar walkthroughs, leave a comment below letting us know!

Cheers,
ΩhmLab

How to make the Flux Pavilion Synth in NI Massive

OhmLab — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:11:03 +0000

Flux Pavilion has a nice signature sound that a lot of producers strive to emulate. This helpful NI Massive video tutorial can help you get a little closer.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Sweet Lead Synth!

Producing a synth that is recognized as a signature sound is huge!

One of the most influential groups in the dance music scene, Flux Pavilion has become one of the more iconic representations of hot club sounds and innovative sound design in today’s music world. When so many other people are focused on the wobble, these guys have created incredible higher pitch sounds to counter their immense bass elements and have absolutely shredded the charts because of it. This video tutorial by YouTube user MrMassiveTutorials shows you just how easy it can be to recreate one of their more popular synth sounds with NI Massive.

Starting with a slightly de-tuned modern talking wavetable, and layering it with a cicada and polysaw oscillators , the sound is them send through a modulation oscillator to really change it up and you can already begin to recognize a little bit of a Flux Pavilion sound. A few other additions like a bit crusher, tube amp, phaser and an envelope adjustment build up the majority of the rest of the sound. Round it out with a little glide and you are there.

You should experiment a bit with some different wavetables, some subtle noise and perhaps even a filter or two to really make this your own sound. After all, it’s great to be able to recreate someone else’s sound, but what you really want it to have you own!

Have a request for a tutorial, or perhaps just some feedback for us? Leave a comment below and join the conversation!

Cheers,
ΩhmLab

How to make Feed Me’s High Pitch Synth in NI Massive

OhmLab — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 07:05:04 +0000

The high-pitch laser style synth is a very hot sound these days, and we finally have a tutorial from Ryan Enzed to sahre with all of you on this topic!

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Killer Lasers!

Adding a high pitch signature synth to your mix will attract some more attention!

Ryan always does a great job of explaining how to go about recreating popular sounds in a way that can be followed by both beginners and seasoned vets alike. This NI Massive video tutorial is no exception!

Sampling the sounds for you using different wavetable types, setting up the filter, FX, EQ and inserts plus automating the pitch automation using an envelope, he walks you through each of the most important parameters to tweak in order to achieve this type of synth. He also points out that this is a basic sound and that you should try your best to arrive at a sound that is your own and will work best with your music.

You may also want to play around with a small amount of delay and/or distortion in your DAW, too. These subtle additions can take a simple sound like this to a whole new level of character and creativity, giving you a new signature sound to entertain your audience with. Some other interesting ideas to experiment with are using some slight chorus, phasing or panning to enhance the size and development of your sound. Of course, automating these things over time in your song will add even more interest and allow your music to stand out above others.

Cheers,
ΩhmLab

RAW / Roar Synth Tutorial for NI Massive

OhmLab — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 08:42:13 +0000

Here is a helpful video from a relative newcomer to the NI Massive tutorial community showing how to go about making a rather raw sounding roaring synth bass.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Macros Rule!

Setting yourself up for big changes through Macros is intelligent sound design!

This tutorial comes to you compliments of YouTube user cobiproductions who recently contacted us letting us know a little about himself and wanted to begin sharing with the MassiveSynth community right away. Taking advantage of several controllers and macros, he shows how easy it is to gain a lot of manipulation power that pay off well. Cobi also makes a good point in taking the time to name the Macro controls something that is both descriptive and simple, which is a very good habit to get into. You can hear the audio example at the end of his video showcasing the sound created in the walkthrough and see the Macros at work. This being his first video, I am sure he would love to hear your thoughts and see some comments on this post.

Cheers,
ΩhmLab

Quick & Easy Series: How to Use Key Tracking in NI Massive

OhmLab — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:37:35 +0000

What the Heck is KTr?! Good question, and one I get all the time. KTr stands for Key Tracking.

Tips & Tricks!

Sometimes it’s the little programming tricks that makes all the difference!

This installment of the NI Massive Quick & Easy Series will hopefully help to demystify one very cool feature of NI Massive that many people are simply baffled by, intimidated by or perhaps are even unaware of. AND we will show that you do not need to be using a midi controller of any kind to take advantage of it, which is a common misconception in many circles.

Simply put, key tracking allows you to automate the modulation of certain parameters in relation to the notes being played. So if you were to control an LFO through key tracking, by default the lower the note the slower the rate of modulation and the higher the note played, the quicker the rate of modulation. Massive also gives you the ability to change how key tracking behaves, but for this quick tutorial, we will stick to the basics so you can begin playing around with it right away, without introducing too much confusion.

Sometimes you just need to experiment a bit to really get things going in a song.

Let’s start by choosing something we want to control through key tracking? For this example I have decided to go with an LFO, as I feel it is the easiest to understand for most people already familiar with Massive and how it works. All you need to do is drag n’ drop the KTr icon onto the empty slot below the Rate knob on the 5 LFO tab. Set a starting point (maybe no too low) and then set the end point to max (for ultimate effect).

Now we need to assign our LFO to something. I went ahead and set up OSC 1 with the A.I. wavetable (because it gets overlooked a lot) and assigned our LFO to the Pitch control. You can already here the effect when you begin playing notes. It’s really that easy to set up! Check out the audio sample below the image.

You can also control parameters directly with the KTr feature, rather than going through a controller like an LFO. For instance, we can add it to modulate the Wt-Position of OSC 1. As you will hear in the audio sample below, it has begun to automate the parameter right alongside the Pitch modulation that the LFO is controlling.

Take things one step further and you quickly see just how cool this feature can be for adding a little more character to your projects. Let’s set up a couple Filters, in a Serial fashion. I selected Daft for Filter 1 and Comb for Filter 2. I then assigned our LFO to Cutoff and Pitch, respectively. A small adjustment to the Resonance and Feedback knobs and we have a totally different effect than if we chose to automate these parameters any other way. You can hear it in action in the audio example below.

Like I mentioned at the beginning of this lesson, we will not be getting into the more advanced options of key tracking in Massive, but if you want to poke around a bit, you can check out the KTR FLT tab and do some experimenting. As always, I am available for questions on this and any other audio production relating to NI Massive and just about any other program. So if you have one (or a ton) drop me a line or leave a comment below.

Cheers,
ΩhmLab