Why Massive is still everywhere: Lawrence Hart on its ongoing influence

New plugins, sample libraries, and production tools drop every day, but only a handful of VSTs and soft synths keep showing up in producers’ go-to arsenals. One of those is Massive. It’s a staple – one that artists in our community keep coming back to and talking about almost every week.

So what makes the original Massive so enduring? We sat down with Lawrence Hart, a UK-based DJ, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, to find out.

Hart is gearing up for a big year – Come In Out Of The Rain is out now on Domino’s Double Six, which you can get here. Both digitally and as an exclusive Domino Mart LP with a limited signed and hand-numbered artwork poster, Standard black LP, CD and download, blending garage, soaring synths, and melancholic vocal samples into a euphoric, club-ready record.

The album includes his recent singles “Closer to You,” “NoMoreLuv4U,” and “Just Belong,” which have already earned support from BBC Radio 1, Mixmag, and Spotify’s Altar playlist. Fans can also grab a limited-edition LP with signed artwork and posters ahead of his upcoming live performance at iconic Corsica Studios in London in late April.

With so much in motion, Hart leans on tools he knows inside out. Massive has been a key part of his sound for years, shaping everything from his deep synth textures to his use of modulation.

Jump to these sections:

• Massive’s staying power
• Is Massive better for beginners or pros?
• Why its the secret sauce to a unique sound
• How Massive has shaped wavetable synthesis
• The best effects in Massive
• How to stay ahead of the curve these days

In this interview, we cover what makes it a classic, how to keep it fresh, its impact on wavetable synthesis, and why it’s still a go-to for producers looking for a unique, expressive sound.

If you’re not familiar with Massive, hit the link below before diving into this comprehensive interview with Lawrence Hart.

Demo Massive free

Massive has been a mainstay in electronic music for nearly two decades – what do you think has contributed to its staying power?

The main one for me is just how good the subs are. I’ve made basses on a number of different synths and plugins over the years and Massive always has a power and consistency in the low end where others don’t. The sub still feels consistent even when detuning oscillators, where you’d expect some phase cancellation.

The range of oscillator sources is another one. On most synths and plugins, you get bored of the same choice, sawtooth or square? Massive’s long list of waveforms never tires and means you can go to some pretty interesting places sonically.

The architecture is simple enough but allows for more than enough modulation. Things like having two filters or being able to set an LFO to modulate another LFO’s rate means the possibilities are broad enough without getting overwhelming.

Pro tip from Lawrence Hart:  Need better bass? If you want a more consistent sub under a Reese bass, separate the sub to a new channel and filter everything below 80HZ on the original channel. This will stop the sub from phasing out.

What is it about Massive’s design that appeals equally to beginners and experienced sound designers?

The fact that everything’s bracketed off into little boxes simplifies things for both beginners and sound designers. It means you can concentrate on what you are editing at that moment or as a beginner just focus on what you understand.

The drag drop system for modulation is a big help too. It means you’re not looking around going “what’s modulating that?!” You can see exactly what’s going on in the sound.

Pro tip from Lawrence Hart: Need better noise? In the routing, you can send the noise to a different filter to the oscillators, this way you can get your bass filtering set and still open the noise out for builds.

For producers who’ve built their careers using Massive, how do you think mastering one synth like this can help them stand out?

Everyone’s heard what standard synth patches sound like now, so I think you need to work a bit harder to get people’s attention. For example in my track “Try Repeat” the main arp is a Juno 60, one of the most recognisable synths, so to make it interesting I had to experiment to find the uniqueness in the sound.

With that one it was self-resonating the filter in key and then using an odd rhythm into the arp clock, so sonically it sounds unusual but also the arp falls over itself adding to the interest.

If you can push an instrument to the edges of what it’s capable of, you’ll invariably get some interesting results. If you can then understand every aspect of the instrument you’ll be able to tame that wildness into something people haven’t heard before.

I’d always advocate for learning a few things completely, rather than having a bunch of gear you only half know. With Massive there was a point where I got really into understanding the LFOs and was using a synced LFO to modulate the rate of an unsynced LFO and then had that modulating the one of the filters on Low Pass and then inverted the modulation to the other filter on High Pass, it literally carried a whole track.

When you go deep with a synth or plugin you’ll find patches that just need a simple beat under it and that’s all you need.

Pro tip from Lawrence Hart: Don’t know when to use phasing? Set a slow LFO to phase in the modulation oscillator to get slow movement in your bass sound.

How do you think Massive’s reputation in the producer community has influenced the way new synths are developed?

It’s hard to say but I reckon having multiple filters might be one. The main thing I pair with Massive in my productions is the Moog One and that has two filters, it’s not something you see much on older gear but you’re seeing it more and more. It’s something people say should be a staple.

You see other plugins having a modulation matrix similar to Massive, for a while Massive was leaps and bounds above other plugins for its modulation possibilities. Others are catching up but it’s still the best sounding and easiest to use in my opinion.

What are your favorite effects within Massive to process bass to get interesting results even after all these years?

Number one is hands down the Dimension Expander. It’s the best effect I’ve found for widening the bass without losing the power in the middle. I’ve recorded basses I’ve loved on the sh101 in the past and then subsequently been really frustrated. I couldn’t put it through Massive’s Dimension Expander. It should be its own standalone plugin! I used to own an original Roland Dimension D and still that wouldn’t cut it.

The modulation oscillator is another, I love using that with phase and ring mod. Also, the reverb doesn’t get in the way like others do, so more often than not I’ll use that instead of any third-party reverb.

Pro tip from Lawrence Hart: If you want to get that high resonance acid sound but don’t want to lose the fullness of the sound, send the oscillators to both filters on Lowpass 4 and set one to high resonance.

What do you think producers need to focus on in 2025 to stay ahead in electronic music production?

I think it depends on what kind of music you make. If your music has a lot of movement and interest in the harmony and melodies, then you don’t need as much sonic movement. But if you’re making simple, focused club music, then sonic detail becomes a lot more important.

Whatever kind of music you make I would try and push it as far as it can go, don’t be lazy. If you’ve got the same 909 hi-hat sample throughout, try bussing it to an effects chain and riding it throughout the track, or set the sample end point to a random wave LFO, or make the decision that what you want is a simple and direct hi-hat and that’s what works for the track. Consider every sound in there.

I think now it’s so easy to automate and keep the sonics moving that if anything is too static it can become quite boring in today’s sonic landscape.

Pro tip from Lawrence Hart: Play around with using synced LFOs, with a rate of 1 or 2 bars, then send that to the rate of another LFO that’s unsynced. You get some really interesting rhythms going on.

Start using Massive to create your sound

Massive’s influence on modern electronic music is hard to ignore, and it’s clear why producers like Lawrence Hart continue to rely on it. Its wavetable synthesis, deep modulation capabilities, and rich effects make it an essential tool for shaping expressive, club-ready sounds.

For Hart, tools like Massive help bridge the gap between technical precision and raw emotion – something that’s central to his upcoming debut album, Come In Out of the Rain. The 12-track record blends garage, euphoric synth work, and deeply personal themes.

With a limited-edition LP featuring signed, hand-numbered artwork, the album is a major moment for Hart as he continues to build his legacy.

If you want to dive deeper into Hart’s process and see Massive in action, now’s the time.

If you haven’t already, hit the link below to explore Massive for yourself – it’s a synth that continues to earn its place in producers’ arsenals year after year.

Demo Massive free