Choosing a third party VST can be a tough decision, but the good news is, in the case of Serum VS. Massive there isn’t really a wrong answer. Determining which one to purchase depends on what is important to you. Each synth excels in its own areas. Let’s have a look at each one.
Situation Summary
Both Serum and Massive are wavetable synthesizers, but Serum allows you to load in your own wavetables or convert audio files to wavetable; a feature that Massive doesn’t allow. On the other hand, Massive comes with 1300 presets while Serum comes with only 499. Luckily, both synths allow 3rd party presets to be loaded in to supplement. They have similar enough prize points, that the cost shouldn’t be much of a deciding factor. Massive allows much more complex audio routing, but Serum has a large suite of audio effects. Serum is notably more visual than Massive, allowing you to see things like the shape of a given waveform, or the amount of time an envelope takes to open – this is not provided in massive.
Features Chart
| Feature: | Serum | Massive |
| Price | $189 | $149 |
| # Of Presets | 499 | 1300 |
| Wavetable Import | Yes | No |
| FM Synthesis | Limited | Via Modulation Osc |
| # of Oscillators? | 2 and a sub | 3 And a Modulation Osc |
| # of Filters | 1 and an FX Filter | 2 and an FX filter |
| Standalone Version | No | Yes |
| Visual Feedback | Yes | Limited |
| Built-In Sequencer | No | Yes |
| 3rd Party Presets? | Yes | Yes |
| Flexible Audio Routing | No | Yes |
Serum Features
Serum is the most user friendly synth I have ever worked with. Above all else, this, in my opinion, is the most powerful thing that sets it above the rest. Everything is visually obvious, which goes a long way for focusing on creating, and not on learning software.
Serum has quite a few more transformation options available than Massive, and also allows you to create your own wavetables. This makes up for the small number of presets.
Serum has a very intuitive and powerful unison feature, that allows you to see not only how many “voices” you are using, but all the distance apart they are from one another, and the “blend” between the true pitch, and the detuned voices.
The audio effects included in this Synth are of the highest quality, and like the rest of the synth, are very easy to use.
Massive Features
Massive has three oscillators, and a modulation osc, which feels like substantially more than Serum. Serum does have a Sub Oscillator, but it is limited in functionality compared to Massive’s third oscillator. Massive also allows you to change the audio routing within the synth to create interesting feedback loops. You can create very harsh abrasive sounds with this, but done tastefully, it can be quite exciting and add a lot of life to a sound. Massive also comes with 1300 presets, which is more than enough to get you going.
Which Should You Buy?
As I mentioned at the beginning, either will work just fine. However, I would recommend Serum if:
- You are new to sound design
- You like visual feedback
- You want lots of built in effects
- You don’t need a sequencer
I would recommend massive if:
- You are familiar with sound design and like to play around with a lot of details
- You like having flexible audio routing.
- You like having additional built-in filters
- You need an internal sequencer
- Visual feedback is not important to you
- You need a lot of presets to start with
If you are new to sound design, consider grabbing a copy of the quick synth map. There is also a companion course that will show you the basics and get you started creating pretty quickly.