Building liquid drum and bass from scratch in Massive X is frustrating. The synth is powerful but the architecture is deep, and getting that signature rolling bass, warm on the low end, slightly open on the top, with just enough movement to breathe under a chord, takes time most producers don't want to spend before an idea goes cold.
Quick verdict: Liquid Drum & Bass NI Massive X by 5Pin Media is a focused, well-structured preset pack priced at $19 that answers that specific problem. It won't replace learning the synth, but it gets you to workable sounds in seconds instead of an hour. We'd score it 4.2 out of 5. It's built for liquid DnB producers who already own Massive X and want a shortcut to genre-correct tones, not a primer on synthesis.
The Problem Every Liquid DnB Producer Knows
You've got a chord progression and a rough drum loop. You open Massive X and hit a wall. The stock presets aren't liquid DnB. They're for techno, or for whatever the preset designer was feeling that week. You start building a bass from an init patch and forty minutes later you're still dialling in the filter envelope.
That's not a workflow. That's a creativity tax.
Liquid DnB has specific sonic expectations: smooth, melodic basslines with controlled movement, keys and pads that don't fight the mix, stabs that cut without hardening the vibe. Getting all of that from a cold init patch every session is a grind. This pack exists to cut that grind down.
What the Pack Actually Delivers
101 presets total. That's 45 bass, 20 stab, 11 pad, 10 lead, 10 key, and 5 FX presets. Every one of them is Macro-driven, so once you land on a sound, you're not stuck with it. You can push the tone brighter or pull it back, dial the effects in heavier or clean them off, and do it all without opening the synth's main editor.
That's the clever part. You browse a bass preset, you like the shape, and the Macros handle the rest. Load a stab, roll a Macro, and it goes from dry and punchy to something with trailing decay that sits deeper in the arrangement.
Beyond the presets, there are 37 WAV files covering drum loops, drum one-shots, and vocal loops, plus 19 MIDI files. Those extras make this more than a preset browser workout. You can use the MIDIs as starting points for melodic ideas, then dial in the right preset underneath them.
The sound palette is drawn from artists including Alix Perez, Monrroe, Zero T, GLXY, Spectrasoul, Icicle, Friction, Commix, and Logistics. That's not marketing. That list tells you exactly what register this pack is pitched at: sophisticated, modern liquid DnB with real genre authority behind the curation.
This is the fourth instalment in 5Pin Media's NI Massive X series, which means the design approach is mature at this point. The presets aren't the work of someone who just learned to use the synth.
Strengths and Weaknesses
The 45 bass presets are the heart of this pack and they're the strongest section.
The stabs are worth your time too. Twenty of them is a generous count, and liquid DnB stabs are finicky: too sharp and they kill the smoothness, too soft and they disappear. These land in the right zone.
The weakness is real: you need Massive X version 1.3.1 or higher. If you don't own it, you're buying presets you can't load. That's not a knock on 5Pin Media specifically, but it's the first thing to check before you spend $19. And the demo track on the product page sounds great, but those drums and vocals aren't part of what you're buying. Some buyers find that annoying, and honestly, we get it.
The pad and key sections are smaller at 11 and 10 presets respectively. They cover the basics, but if pads are central to your sound design approach, you'll wish there were more.
Value for the Price
At $19, this is priced at the low end of professional preset packs. For 101 Macro-driven presets plus 37 WAV files and 19 MIDI files, the content-to-cost ratio is hard to argue with.
The real value question is whether you already own Massive X. If you do, $19 is an easy call. If you don't, factor in the synth's cost before you commit. The pack itself is not overpriced. It's underrated for what liquid DnB producers specifically get out of it.
Who Should (and Shouldn't) Buy This
- ✅ Buy if you already own Massive X 1.3.1 or higher and produce liquid DnB regularly.
- ✅ Buy if you want fast access to genre-correct bass tones without deep synthesis sessions every time.
- ✅ Buy if the WAV and MIDI content is useful alongside the presets for building out full arrangements.
- ❌ Skip if you don't own Massive X. This pack does nothing without it.
- ❌ Skip if you produce harder, more industrial DnB styles. This palette is specifically liquid in character.
- ❌ Skip if pads and atmospheric textures are your main focus. The pad count is light relative to the bass-heavy split.
Specs & Technical Details
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Developer | 5Pin Media |
| Price | $19 |
| Plugin Format | NI Massive X Preset Pack (not a standalone plugin) |
| OS Support | Mac / Windows (dependent on Massive X compatibility) |
| Activation | N/A |
| CPU Usage | N/A (dependent on Massive X instance) |
| Trial Available | N/A |
| Version Reviewed | Requires Massive X 1.3.1 or higher |
Score Breakdown
| Category | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sound Quality | 4.5/5 | Genre-accurate palette with strong bass section and credible artist references behind the curation |
| Value for Money | 4.5/5 | Presets, WAVs, and MIDIs at this price is a strong content ratio |
| Ease of Use | 4.0/5 | Macro-driven presets make tone-shaping quick; requires Massive X knowledge to go further |
| Features | 4.0/5 | 101 presets plus 37 WAVs and 19 MIDIs is thorough; pad count is lighter than bass coverage |
| CPU Efficiency | N/A | Dependent on Massive X, not the preset pack itself |
| Overall | 4.2/5 | Focused, honest, well-priced for liquid DnB producers who know what they're buying |
If you produce liquid DnB and you're running Massive X, this pack closes a real gap fast. The bass presets alone justify the cost at $19. The Macro system means you're never stuck with a preset exactly as-is, and the MIDI and WAV content turns this into a usable session-starter kit. The pad section is thin, the demo track is a tease, and you absolutely need Massive X before this means anything to you.
But if the boxes are ticked? Hard to find a reason to pass on it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need NI Massive X to use this pack?
Yes. This is a preset pack built exclusively for NI Massive X. You'll need version 1.3.1 or higher installed and licensed before any of the 101 presets will load. The WAV files will work in any DAW regardless, but the core content requires Massive X.
What do the Macros actually control in these presets?
Each preset has Macros assigned to control tone and the degree of effects applied. In practice, that means you can dial the character of a bass brighter or darker, add or reduce movement, and push or pull the effect depth, all without touching the main synthesis architecture. It's built for speed during a session, not for deep editing.
Is this pack suitable for other DnB styles, or is it strictly liquid?
The palette is drawn from artists including Alix Perez, Zero T, Spectrasoul, and GLXY. Some of the bass and stab presets could work across crossover DnB styles, but if you produce neurofunk, jump-up, or industrial DnB, the character of these sounds won't sit naturally in your mix. It's built for liquid specifically.