808 Sound Design in Massive X

Producing 808s with Native Instruments Massive X is a great way to create fat, booming low end in your music. With its wide range of distortion and modulation options, you can really customize and finesse the sound of your 808s to fit any mix. Here’s how you can use these sound design techniques to get the most out of your 808s in Massive X.

The first step to designing your own 808 sounds with Massive X is to start with a classic one-shot sample. The classic 808 kick samples can be found in Massive X’s library. With some specific settings, these samples can be given a lot of depth, warmth and punch. The pitch, decay, and distortion controls allow you to tweak the sound of your 808 to perfectly fit the rest of your mix.

In addition to tweaking the one-shot sample, you can also use devices such as the Envelope Follower and Multi-band Compressor to craft a unique tone. The Envelope Follower helps to shape the attack, while the Multi-band Compressor gives you the ability to add more texture and colour to your sound. Other tools such as Delay and Reverb can be used to create a wide space and roominess in the 808 sound that adds extra punch to the low end.

Finally, creative modulation is key to making your 808s truly unique. With Massive X, you can use tools like the LFO, Sequence and Step Sequencer to bring life and movement to your 808s. Modulating different parameters such as pitch, distortion, and level helps to create dynamics and variation in your sound.

With the right sound design techniques, you can make the most out of your 808s in Massive X. From processing samples and adding effects, to modulating various parameters, sound design is the key to making your 808s sound incredible.

In this video ADSR presenter Jonny Strinati takes a look at creating 808 bass sounds in Massive X. We take a look at some of the fundamentals of designing sounds like this and then dive into some of the more unique features of Massive X to further sculpt this sound.

• Massive X tutorials : https://www.adsrsounds.com/massivex
• Download the 808 Massive X preset : https://adsrsounds.com/Free/ADSR_808_MassiveX.zip

0:05 Introduction
0:25 808 Sound design fundamentals
1:10 Shaping the sound with filters and wavetables
2:08 Controlling the pitch envelope with Performer
3:03 Feedback and modulation
4:37 Insert FX