MASSIVE: Massively overloads my sound card? Inconsistencies.

[RubyVesper]

Hey guys,

A learning producer here. I have run into a very major problem with MASSIVE. I am getting inconsistent results. Occasionally, for example, one of the oscillators cuts off and does nothing except for pitch, sometimes all of my bass just disappears, sometimes it just screws up. Problem is, I can put down a couple notes in Logic and throw MASSIVE at it, and every time I play it again, it sounds different and worse.

I figured that it might be because of my sound card, seeing as I'm on a 2009 base model MacBook white, and not a pro or something. If anyone would know a solution that does not involve getting a new rig, I would appreciate it a lot.

I have already tried increasing the buffer size of MASSIVE to four times the original. Also, when using the "export" function in logic, the inconsistencies do not occur. It is however, still impossible to get it consistent in the timeline or when bouncing. This might suggest that it could be Logic, but it only happens with MASSIVE...

[HMage]

It has nothing to do with your sound card.

It seems like you have a pirated copy of Massive and it's copy protection has kicked in and making your life difficult.

[itroitnyah]

If it's not the pirated copy of massive thing that HMage suggested, it may be because Massive is using up all of your CPU power or something.

[ArisingFlame]

Now now, people. Let's not do any DAMAGE

[RubyVesper]

I have removed MASSIVE and installed a legit demo version. Problem was even worse than before, since I didn't increase the audio buffer size yet. Also, the fact that increasing the buffer size did help it might also indicate that it could be my sound card. It is NOT my CPU, seeing as MASSIVE only uses 20% with complicated synths.

So, it is not copy protection and not my CPU, my RAM is fine and my HDD doesn't play a role, so I think there are only two pointers left. Logic and my sound card. What is it?

PS: My reasons for piracy are fairly simple: ridiculous price tags on things that aren't necessarily going to be useful for me.

[CitricAcid]

Massive is only $200. That is CHEAP for audio equipment. The good stuff costs a lot more. Making music is expensive business.

[itroitnyah]

Then it's more than likely a problem with Logic or Massive, assumably massive, since you aren't experiencing these problems with any other synths. If it were a problem with your soundcard (since you're using a laptop it's more than likely an onboard soundcard), then you'd experience the same problem you're experiencing with massive, but with everything else on your computer, including watching youtube videos and playing around with your other synths or listening to music.

Maybe, could you go more into detail about how the sound changes? Perhaps it's something you're doing in Massive that's causing this ordeal to happen.

Massive is only $200. That is CHEAP for audio equipment. The good stuff costs a lot more. Making music is expensive business.

For somebody with no money, it can be tough to save up for and get. But I digress, I bought Massive while it was on 50% sale, and then FL Studio 10 signature bundle, for a total of $400, sooo....

[RubyVesper]

Well, the thing that happens is that upon playing a new tone, the sound often changes. Most often the powerful low end just cuts out. It happens to any synth I make using two or more oscillators. Any pitch influence remains, but it seems that the rest of one of the oscillators just randomly disappears.

In short: Almost all effect of one or two of the oscillators disappears.

[Injustrial]

Could it be as weird as destructive interference? I'm not very technical when it comes to music, but I understand the physics: If 2 waveforms of equal shape and intensity meets, they will start cancelling each other out. What happens if you change one of the two oscillators slightly?

[ArisingFlame]

PS: My reasons for piracy are fairly simple: ridiculous price tags on things that aren't necessarily going to be useful for me.

MASSIVE is worth it.

Anyway, seeing how you had a pirated version before, some residual files would be left over after uninstalling it. you'll have to uninstall the demo, go into your registry editor, and remove any and all instances of MASSIVE (Or anything Native Instruments related tbh)

[itroitnyah]

Hm, this is indeed very strange, although I doubt still doubt that it has anything to do with the soundcard still. I'd go onto the Logic forums and see if anybody else has been having this problem, and if not check out the NI Massive forums.

[the4thImpulse]

It's sounding more like a phase problem with the oscillators, the waveforms aren't starting from the zero point in the cycle each time you hit a note. This will randomly change the 'tone' of what you hear, like less bass/more bass it sounds like they are cutting out entirely when really they just are out of alignment.

Get rid of massive and get a much more simple, freeware, synth vst to start with. Learn the fundamentals to synthesis, and then work your way up.

Pirating will get you no where, and you will not appreciate what you've stolen like you would if you'd bought it.

[vladnuke]

yo just fix up your asio or smth man

[RubyVesper]

yo just fix up your asio or smth man

It would help me if you could explain a bit more, detailed. And perhaps also in comprehensible language.

I am rather new to the world of music production, so I honestly do not know what asio/smth is... The only asio thing I've ever seen in my entire life was an application called "asio4all" on windows and I don't know what it does...

Excuse me for being blind, I need to hit the books/internets harder than I'd ever want my bass to drop.

[itroitnyah]

asio4all is the audio driver. It's what pretty much every daw runs its audio through. He's saying that you should check to see that in the settings, the audio driver is doing just fine, there's nothing that seems out of the odd. Maybe try updating the asio4all driver?

[RubyVesper]

asio4all is the audio driver. It's what pretty much every daw runs its audio through. He's saying that you should check to see that in the settings, the audio driver is doing just fine, there's nothing that seems out of the odd. Maybe try updating the asio4all driver?

That was in Windows. Now I remember, that was installed alongside FL studio when I tried it. I got confused by FL, so I moved to LogicLand. Smth is the same for Mac I guess?

Also, Logic is ruled out, MASSIVE in standalone also does this. It's MASSIVE.

[Injustrial]

Get rid of massive and get a much more simple, freeware, synth vst to start with. Learn the fundamentals to synthesis, and then work your way up.

This

I've wasted so many hours using synthesizers that were way above my head. Now I just use a simple, additive synthesizer and some modified presets to fill out what I can't do on my own, and the results are far better and way less time-consuming

[Nine Volt]

asio4all is the audio driver. It's what pretty much every daw runs its audio through. He's saying that you should check to see that in the settings, the audio driver is doing just fine, there's nothing that seems out of the odd. Maybe try updating the asio4all driver?

That was in Windows. Now I remember, that was installed alongside FL studio when I tried it. I got confused by FL, so I moved to LogicLand. Smth is the same for Mac I guess?

Also, Logic is ruled out, MASSIVE in standalone also does this. It's MASSIVE.

I'm pretty sure he said smth as a short version of 'something'. Did you try fully uninstalling your pirated version of massive and then reinstalling a legit version. Also please just write it as Massive. All caps makes me feel like you're yelling the name of the software. Pet peeve.

[RubyVesper]

Get rid of massive and get a much more simple, freeware, synth vst to start with. Learn the fundamentals to synthesis, and then work your way up.

This

I've wasted so many hours using synthesizers that were way above my head. Now I just use a simple, additive synthesizer and some modified presets to fill out what I can't do on my own, and the results are far better and way less time-consuming

Okay, so I've done some googling, but I couldn't really find any good freeware synths, can you recommend a couple to me? (must support OS-X and Logic)

[Injustrial]

Not sure on the OS requirements, but there's DaHornet, for some nice cool sounds.
Tonebyte's Bleep is fun for those chiptuney bleeps and bloops and I'm personally very fond of TAL-NoiseMaker

[RubyVesper]

Not sure on the OS requirements, but there's DaHornet, for some nice cool sounds.
Tonebyte's Bleep is fun for those chiptuney bleeps and bloops and I'm personally very fond of TAL-NoiseMaker

Alright, I had already downloaded DaHornet two days ago, but I couldn't find a way to run it, I need to look into a way to. The Bleep thing sounds attractive to me, as I can see a lot of use in retro bleeps. I saw Noisemaker before and it might be something for me. After all I always found the third oscillator of Massive to be excessive and just noisy. Now I also need a way to run .component synths, I need to do research but it's gaming time, lol.

I'll try some stuff in the weekend.

Edit: darnit, Bleep is only for Windows. Welp, I'll need to find something else for that.

[itroitnyah]

Synth1 is awesome. Check it out.

[HMage]

I support synth1.

It's ugly, but if you actually focus on results this thingie is fantastic.

You don't need paid synths for most sounds.

[itroitnyah]

I like how you say most, because I'm pretty certain that a lot of synths have effects that aren't really replicateable with other synths. Such as ring modulation in Massive. I don't think there's a ring modulation plugin (although I may be wrong), and if there is, it won't be able to target one of the oscillators individually, it'd target the entire synth, including the onboard effects of the synth. I also don't know of many other synths with parabolic shapers, unisono spread pitch cutoffs, and some synths don't even have an option to add more voices.

However, that still does not change the fact that you can make some awesome basses and leads and pads with Synth1 if you work at it.

[RubyVesper]

Okay, so I've downloaded Noisemaker (64 bit) and Synth1 (64 bit I guess?), however I cannot get logic to detect them. They are in their respective plugin folders, and Logic does not find them. I've googled my butt off but I cannot find a way to get logic to detect them. any help?

(I should really post this in the logic forums...)