Understanding the NI Massive Internal Envelope Modulators

Let’s clear up some confusion around an often overlooked and misunderstood feature called the NI massive internal envelope and how you can use it to design more complex and expressive patches.

I have slowly worked through many individual features of this powerhouse synth over the last few years and realized recently that one that has received some attention but not nearly enough for how powerful it can be in your sound design sessions. The NI Massive internal envelope is present in both the LFO tabs and the OSC tab. It can be assigned just like any other modulation controller (LFO, Envelope, Stepper, Performer, KTr, Vel, AT or TrR), but only on their own tabs. It may look like something other than what it is at first to many people. In fact, I get a lot of questions about it. So this means that although it is quite simple in it’s design and intended use, there is still plenty of need for a deeper explanation. So let’s take a look at it!

The first thing you may notice about the NI Massive internal envelope feature is that it only has two parameters, Attack and Decay. This makes it a very simple envelope and it is intended to function as a modulator of various parameters on its own tab.

Pro Tip: The NI Massive internal envelope does not do anything unless it has been assigned to modulate a parameter!

Often times it is easiest to explain a feature’s function by applying some extreme settings, as it is readily apparent what it’s affect on a given parameter as compared to very subtle modulation assignments. So for this first example, I have take a basic sawtooth synth and set both the Attack and Decay parameters of the NI Massive internal envelope from the OSC tab to maximum and assigned it to control both the rate and Depth of the Vibrato feature. The results are very easy to hear in this small audio sample.

Pro Tip: The small blue “AD” you see appear in the modulation controller box when you assign an NI Massive internal envelope stands for Attack/Decay.

Here is another example of some extreme settings applied to the same synth, only the NI Massive internal envelope has been assigned to control both the Rate and Amp parameters of an LFO that is controlling the pitch of an oscillator.

So how can you use this feature in your own patches you may wonder? Easy. Let’s say you have a nice gentle pad synth and you want some modulation to kick in well after you begin playing a sustained note. This is a perfect job for the NI Massive internal envelope controller! Of course, it has many other potential uses, but discovering this for yourself is what makes learning fun. Go ahead and try experimenting with this feature and see what kind of new things you create with it. Feel free to reach out to us and share what you ended up with – it’s always fun to see what kind of great ideas different people come up with on their own. Just leave us a comment below before you depart.

Cheers,
OhmLab