Massive X Play browser doesn't reflect external browsers

Hi there,

Massive X play functionality seems quite interesting.

However, when I am browsing for sounds using a Maschine with Maschine 3 software, the choice I make within Maschine are not reflected in the browser in the Massive X Play panel. This doesn't change to accommodate changes I make within the Maschine Browser neither are changes I make within the Massive X Play browser reflected in Maschine.

This is both silly and very annoying. The two browser elements should reflect one another and whichever I decide to use (the browser on Maschine or the Play browser) should overwrite the other. Otherwise I have no idea of what is going on.

Maschine and Massixe X Play browser conflict.png

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Accepted answers

Lionzinio

Hi Jeremy,

I'm not sure your answer to the other post really addresses the issue raised by my question.

I'm not seeing the browser in Maschine X Play reacting in any way to the input and choices made in either Maschine or Komplete Kontrol.

This absolutely isn't the same as wanting previous Maschine X presets to be updated to reflect the new features of Massive X player.

I absolutely do not consider that my question has been addressed, let alone answered. It feels as if the fact that there is no integration between the Massive X Player browser and any of NI's hardware controllers has simply been ignored.

Is this something that will be addressed or is this just the way the Massive X player is going to work?

Lionzinio

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/236316#Comment_236316

Hey Jeremy,

That's great. Thanks for the response.

Looking forward to the update.

Jeremy_NI

Hey @Lionzinio I reached out to the responsible teams, got their feedback and what @Kymeia wrote here sums it all pretty nicely.

Unfortunately, and this is true for all NKS instruments: "the NKS contains info about the preset that enables that preset to be recalled but it does not 'tell' the plugin's internal browser (if the plugin has one) what do" (copyright Kymeia)

As you can check for yourself, it would be the same for any plug-in, NI or third party, it's only more visible with Massive X Player as it shows the browser as soon as you open a recent preset in Maschine or Komplete Kontrol. I do understand that it feels inconsistent but unfortunately, there are limitations with the plug-ins being hosted in Komplete Kontrol or Maschine.

Sorry if I mislead you into believing this particular aspect would be fixed. It was indeed two separate issues. My apologies for not catching that up earlier.

All comments

Sc0ttkid

It's just as confusing on Komplete Kontrol.

I can select a preset on the keyboard (KK Browser) but neither of the Massive x browsers reflect this choice or vice versa. Same sound, different browser view showing 3 options.

I do appreciate NI trying to improve my memory skills but shouldn't it be one browser to rule them all ?

Lionzinio

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/236044#Comment_236044

If you think that is bad my friend, try saving one of your new presets

Jeremy_NI

Hey @Lionzinio @Sc0ttkid It's been flagged already here:

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/46897/any-plans-to-update-older-nks-presets-in-massive-x-libraries

Lionzinio

Hi Jeremy,

Is this something that will be addressed or is this just the way the Massive X player is going to work?

Jeremy_NI

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/236314#Comment_236314

As I mentioned in the other thread, I have forwarded all of this information, the older Massive X presets and the discrepancies between the Maschine/Komplete Kontrol browser and the Massive X Player browser, to the responsible teams. I'll update the thread as soon as I get more feedback. I only redirected you to an existing thread, where you also participated to stream line communication, for you and for the other users out there having the same questions or reports. Is that ok with you? It's usually easier to communicate this way rather having several threads about the same issue in the end.

Lionzinio

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/236316#Comment_236316

Hey Jeremy,

That's great. Thanks for the response.

Looking forward to the update.

Kymeia

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/236314#Comment_236314

This has been an issue from way before the player came out, when you load a NKS preset from the KK/Mas browser it loads that preset correctly but it doesn't change the bank that is visible in the internal Massive X Browser - and now doesn't do that either in the Play tab. However I do not know if that is fixable as this is an issue with any plugin loaded via NKS - the NKS contains info about the preset that enables that preset to be recalled but it does not 'tell' the plugin's internal browser (if the plugin has one) what do - for example if I load a NKS preset from the Blue Flamingo expansion for u-he Repro 5 it correctly loads that preset but does not move the browser in Repro 5 to the Blue Flamingo bank either. I think this is just about the limits of interaction between host and plugin. As far as I am aware there are not even protocols for allowing one host or plugin to control another plugin's internal browser - or if there are they are not used universally.

The best I have seen is in Bitwig where the Bitwig browser can access the presets of certain plugins - but only if those are allowed by the developers (eg u-he presets and also CLAP plugin presets where preset discovery is enabled in the plugin).

Jeremy_NI

Hey @Lionzinio I reached out to the responsible teams, got their feedback and what @Kymeia wrote here sums it all pretty nicely.

Sorry if I mislead you into believing this particular aspect would be fixed. It was indeed two separate issues. My apologies for not catching that up earlier.

Sc0ttkid

I've personally all but given up with Native Instruments. Keyboards that don't work with controllers. Controllers that don't work with keyboards. Software that doesn't work with neither, you couldn't write it.

I could be way off the mark here but could you take a leaf out of Arturia's book and make Massive X a standalone. (Lose the Komplete Kontrol wrapper). I'm not sure this would help in Maschine but you never know. It clearly doesn't work for all in its current config so just putting an idea out there. I'd imagine that's not the first time that's been suggested..

Kymeia

It wouldn't make a difference in Maschine as it would still be the plugin being loaded, but a standalone would still be a good idea.

For me the big issue around lack of integration is the lack of poly aftertouch support in Massive X which is ridiculous.

Sc0ttkid

@Kymeia it just seems like an endless list of half baked attempts. I'm pretty sure poly aftertouch was announced a couple of years ago and yet it's still be chased 😞

Sorry NI, I don't mean to be negative but the potential to make it great is there for the world to see and yet somehow over looked.

Tom Mosler

@Jeremy_NI @Kymeia I find that it is not consistent across NKS plugins. NI Massive, FM8 or even Reaktor based instruments do not have this problem.

Kymeia

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/236383#Comment_236383

Thanks Tom - it may be that there are exceptions but I tried verifying this in Massive and FM8 and could not. For example here I am loading a patch from a bank (Chromatic Fire) via the KK browser - then opening the Massive browser and as you can see the the bank is not selected in the browser, nor are its presets in the presets list on the right. It has loaded the correct patch but you would have to navigate in the internal browser to find the rest of the bank

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/lypj2hehxqix0vuuv0py5/Screen-Recording-2025-08-04-at-19.01.56.mov?rlkey=wnt531k70acql4c8tjlytt0vm&dl=0

Not sure about Reaktor but I could not find an example of a patch that loaded the associated bank - only the associated ensemble. I am open to the possibility of exceptions and, for example, have found one developer where presets loaded from NKS do load the associated bank and that is AAS plugins. However these seem more an exception than the rule although the fact that it is possible in principle might be useful information for future development. I think AAS plugins have a very clear concept of presets being tied into banks though - every preset is numbered and linked together in the same bank file (which conforms to the 128 patch per bank format which is a hangover from MIDI). In plugins like Massive X a bank is just a name really and helps group presets but has no distinct meaning other than that.

Lionzinio

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/236326#Comment_236326

Hmmm.

I can understand how a plugin with its own browser system (eg FM8) might not be easy/possible to integrate into the NKS browsing system.

I find it pretty ridiculous that an NI product can't sync with another NI product.

If it's really impossible to have plugins communicate with the NKS browser system, then the best solution for me would be to have the option to remove the browser from the Play view. having a browser that doesn't reflect the contents of my libraries is just utterly pointless.

This ends up feeling like everything else about Massive X, one desperately poorly made and untested design decision after another, piled on top of one another. All combining to create a synth that is both intimidating and hard to use. What is the point of having a browser that doesn't communicate with the browser in Massive or Komplete Kontrol? One that often doesn't even reflect the preset that has been chosen by the user ?

It feels like the entire design has been developed to make Massive X player a standalone plugin that is never intended to do anything other than provide a gateway to sell preset packs.

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