Today I’m checking out a new Kore pack from NI called Massive Threat.

It’s based on the Kore 2/Kore player concept and uses the MASSIVE engine.

This instrument collection was created in the full version of MASSIVE and all sounds can be used directly in MASSIVE.

But you don’t need MASSIVE to use these sounds, because they work in Kore 2 and even the FREE Kore Player.

Let’s check it.

So what is Massive Threat?

It’s a collection of 200 new cutting edge electronic synth sounds birthed from the digital dna that makes up the powerful MASSIVE synthesizer.

According to the website Massive Threat is made up of

“edgy, dynamic sounds of contemporary electronic music, taking its cue point from the dark, brooding atmosphere and raw, aggressive digitalism of dubstep, wonky and future garage”

sounds like a blueprint for an electronic eargasm if you ask me!

Quick Specs

• Content: 200 sounds (1600 variations)
• Format: Kore 2, Kore Player, MASSIVE
• Price: $59

So how does it sound then?

Massive! Hahahahaha…okay, that was a little corny.

Seriously, the sounds are huge, fat, aggressive, thick, and evolving.

I expected huge bass, lush pads, and fat leads….but I was totally caught off guard by the included loops/grooves.

The evolving soundscapes took me for a spin as well.  Both were very appreciated.

This kore pack is full of the thick and diverse sound that makes MASSIVE such a popular synth among electronic musicians.

I think this collection shows the depth of MASSIVE and fits in with esoteric film sounds and effects just as well as electronic music.

The variety of sounds in here makes this an all around power synth, and the 8 variations for each sound allow you to sculpt your own style even further.

Of course if you have the full version of MASSIVE you can really get deep with the tweaking.

So what’s the bottom line on Massive Threat?

Get it!

Seriously, if you like synth sounds, and want to add a whole new collection of sounds to your library without having to buy and learn a whole new instrument, this can’t be beat for 59 bucks.

If you already have MASSIVE then you know the power in it, why not refill it with some new and inspiring sounds?

I give this kore pack 4.5 out of 5 subs, I really liked the quality of it as well as the diversity.

I can honestly see this being used quite a bit by myself, the sounds are just “right”.

I’m totally a fan of Native Instruments and their Kore Pack/Kontakt Pack setup, it really allows people to get their hands on some amazing sounds without having to dish out the money for the full instruments, which many wouldn’t need.

If you like to tweak and create your own sounds from scratch, you definitely want the full instruments.

If you like to have a set of ready to go sounds that you can easily tweak without having to learn a new instrument, peep out the kore packs and use them with the free

Kore Player.

Checkout the Massive Threat over on NI’s website, listen to the demos…I find it hard to believe anyone will be able to justify passing this one up.

I am or shall I say was a hardware guy at heart…but times change and so do people.

I like a certain work flow.  Turn it on, play it, make music…done.

Native Instruments Kore 2 gives me that.  They sent it over for review. Let’s take a look shall we?

Into the Kore

I remember their name back when I used to read ‘Home Recording’ magazine, and I knew nothing about these plug-ins they were speaking of.

Let’s just say Native Instruments has been around for a while, and for good reason.

They continue to innovate and set the bar for software synthesis, sampling, and music creation tools.

To me, one that stands out AND consolidates the powerful juices of Native Instruments has to be their Kore 2 workstation.

This thing is a sound hounds dream come true!  Simple to pull up a sound, even easier to tweak it, yet powerful enough to satisfy even the most demanding power users.

It started Kore 1, the first software to come with it’s own controller, and to allow you to easily browse your entire plug-in database by “attributes” or characteristics.

Need a soft, digital, spacey lead that’s perfect for your down-tempo tune? No problem, just dial it up.

I can’t speak on Kore 1, I never had a chance to play with it, so I will speak on Kore 2, the software version.

Enough people must have complained because now you can get it with or without the custom hardware controller, maybe some folks want to use their own, fair enough.

So what the heck is Kore?

It’s a standalone sound module, vst plug-in host, and multitimbral music machine, that can also be used as a plug-in within all major DAW apps.

What’s at the Kore?

First off, you don’t need anything else but Kore to get started.  It has the sound engines from some of Native Instruments legendary tools like Absynth, FM8, the crazy modular Reaktor, the Kontakt super sampler, Massive, their gigantonormous synth monster, and even the tastey crunch of the Guitar Rig fx suite.

Forget all the technical stuff, I’m gonna tell you just like I tell my buddies.

Get this joint!

Why? Listen, it comes with 500 sounds out the box!

Each sound is programed with 8 variations that are easy to switch to via the interface.

But even more important, you get the EXACT SOUND ENGINES FROM THEIR FLAGSHIP PROGRAMS integrated into Kore.

This is like having each individual plug-in at your fingertips.  No, you can’t pull up the plug-in interface, but that don’t matter, remember we want to get in and get out!

(I must say that if you do end up liking one or more of the engines, you can purchase the individual plug-in you like and it integrates seamlessly with Kore 2.)

Why I love Kore

1. Variety -

I like variety. Many vst plug-ins you get either are sample based, or synth based, but very few offer multiple types of sound generation.

Kore has the top of the line sample playback engine of Kontakt, mixed with the crazy synth, wavetable, fm, other world goodness of absynth, fm8, massive and reaktor, and even the lovely guitar-fx-pedal-on-steroids engine from guitar rig.

No need to choose one over the other, you have them all.

2. Expandability-

You know, most hardware workstations you buy are limited in expansion to maybe a few cards, but not Kore.

Not only does it have it’s own sounds, but there are Kore Soundpacks available that give you the best of as well as new sounds from all of their other software products. (which are each amazing in their own right…more on those later)

Oh and if you want to skip the Kore Soundpacks and go straight for the full plug-ins, guess what?

Each of their instruments are already optimized to work with Kore, so anything you add from the native instruments library you’ll be able to pull up in Kore…it’s crazy.

What if I want something other than Native Instruments?

So you want to mix native instruments sounds with some other companies sounds? In hardware, that’s a pretty tough thing to do. Try to mix motif sounds with fantom sounds without buying both workstations….have fun.

Kore can load ANY other vst synths or effects, right within it’s own interface!

Yes, Kore is effectively the ONLY host you’ll need to hold ANY plug-ins you wish. You can even import the presets from those plug-ins, tag them how you wish, and allow them to be called up the same way as other sounds within Kore, via it’s attributes. (you must own the other plug-ins, Kore looks at the plug-in to handle the sounds)

3. Creativity-

one of the main functions of Kore 2 is also the ability to layer sounds together.   So you’re not just stuck with the presets, or just tweaking presets, you can layer however many sounds you computer can handle, creating you own new sonic love mojo!

Take a sexy sampled guitar from the Kontakt engine and mix it with a psycho lead from Massive, see what you get.  Your imagination is the only limit…well that and how powerful your computer is

This let’s you become a sound designer without knowing all the intricate details, just layer, tweak, save, and it’s yours forever.

Kore 2 The Bottom Line

To me, Kore is like my fantom or a motif or any other workstation…on steroids, protein shakes, and any other performance enhancing drug you can think of!

It gives me one interface for 10′s and thousands of sounds.

I can load all my other software workstations into it!

I can load this up standalone and sequence it with my mpc, or I can load it up in ableton live, flstudio, cubase, logic, or any other software sequencer and let it be my vst sound module.

This thing turned me into a Native Instruments groupie, I love how easy it is to expand, find sounds, and create new sounds.

It’s also easy to setup as a multi channel sound module, just like your favorite emu or roland racks…yeah, however many midi channels your computer can handle.

Kore can be your main sound module, period, trust me…try this thing out NOW.

Get it directly fromthe native instruments website, download the demo and play with it.

Or go on over to my favorite music stores and purchase.

You can buy native instruments kore 2 software edition at musician’s friend

or you can get the full kore 2 software synth system from american musical on their easy payment plan.

I’ll have many more articles and videos about Kore 2 as I learn more sexy ways to use it.

If you have any questions, just ask!

If you’ve tried it before, lemme know what you think.  If it’s new to you, lemme know what you think.