nexus manual english

7/27/2019 Nexus Manual English

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NEXUS

polyphonic ROM Synthesizer

A reFX / Vengeance software synthesizer


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NEXUS Manual ii

reFXLanzelhohl 4955128 Mainz

Germany

email:[email protected]

www.refx.net

Vengeance

Am Rundacker 365366 Geisenheim

email:[email protected]

Version 1.0, released December 1st, 2006

Copyright 2006 by reFX

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced ortransmitted in any form, including photocopying or recording,without the written permission of the copyright holder, application

for which should be made to the publisher at the above address.Such written permission must also be obtained before any part of

this publication is stored in an information retrieval system of any

kind.

The information in this document is subject to change without notice

and does not represent a commitment on the part of reFX. Thesoftware described by this document is subject to a LicenseAgreement and may not be copied to any other media unless

specifically allowed in the License Agreement.

Concept and design: Michael Kleps & Manuel Schleis

Programming: Michael Kleps / www.reFX.net

Library and presets: Manuel Schleis / www.vengeance-sound.comGUI design: Shaun Elwood / www.decoderdesign.comAdditional programming: Marc Kamradt

Manual: Manuel Schleis & Michael Kleps

English translation: Oliver Imseng / Howard Scarr

VST PlugIn Technology by Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH.


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NEXUS Manual iii

Table of contents1. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................4

Specifications and features:...................................................42. INSTALLATION ...................................................................5

Minimum PC system requirements ..........................................5Installing NEXUS on a Windows PC..........................................5Minimal Mac system requirements ..........................................5Installing NEXUS on a MAC ....................................................5

3. QUICK START.....................................................................6Using NEXUS in Steinberg Cubase SX or Nuendo .......................6Using NEXUS in Apple Logic ...................................................7General information .............................................................7Expansion Sets....................................................................7Special features...................................................................8

4. NEXUS REFERENCE .............................................................9Basic features .....................................................................9The Display section ............................................................ 11Signal flow........................................................................ 12The Filter Modifier section.................................................... 13The Amp Modifier section .................................................... 14The Master Filter section ..................................................... 15The Delay section .............................................................. 16The Reverb section............................................................. 17The Library browser ........................................................... 18Saving presets .................................................................. 19Modulation........................................................................ 20MOD Matrix....................................................................... 21Portamento....................................................................... 21ARP The Arpeggiator ........................................................ 22The Step Sequencer ........................................................... 23Loading arpeggio presets .................................................... 23The Trance Gate ................................................................ 24Editing Trance Gate patterns................................................ 25Loading Trance Gate presets................................................ 25The Frequency Analyzer / Scope ........................................... 26MFX Master Effects .......................................................... 27The Feature Matrix ............................................................. 28Output EQ ........................................................................ 28reFX Live.......................................................................... 29The system settings ........................................................... 30

5. APPENDIX........................................................................ 32Appendix A MIDI Implementation Chart .............................. 32

Appendix B MIDI Continuous Controller Support ................... 33


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NEXUS Manual 4

1. Introduction

Thank you for choosing NEXUS.

Having purchased NEXUS, you are now the owner of a high-qualityproduct that includes a professional and comprehensive sound library

and an easy-to-use but powerful patch management system. Thedemands placed on your computers CPU are surprisingly low.

NEXUS is a sample-ROM based synthesizer (often called a rompler).This means that NEXUS accesses sampled waveforms to generate its

sounds. Apart from the low demands on your CPU mentioned above,this method also has other benefits: It allowed us to sample

prohibitively several expensive analog hardware devices, and make

these quality sounds available to you, the NEXUS user. Furthermore,the complex sound architecture in NEXUS gives you extensive controlover the most important parameters to customize your sounds to suit

your personal tastes.

The internal architecture lets us generate highly complex soundscapes,

stacked sequences and/or extreme modulations all with a depth andclarity you have never heard before.

Dive into the world of NEXUS and experience totally new dimensions of

sound.

Specifications and features:

over 4 gigabyte library of high-quality multisamples eight aliasing-free classic waveforms over 670 factory presets covering all popular genres four different filter types, flexible envelopes freely editable master effects freely programmable arpeggiator freely programmable 32-step stereo trance gate flexible delay with adjustable modulation production-quality reverb (licensed from ArtsAcoustic) can be upgraded via separately available expansions


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NEXUS Manual 5

2. Installation

Minimum PC system requirements

Pentium III @ 800MHz or better (or AMD equivalent) Minimum of 512Mb RAM Hard drive space required: 3Gb Operation system: Windows 2000/XP/Vista Graphics (minimum resolution): 16-bit 800x600 Host: Any application supporting the VSTi standard (e.g. Cubase SX,

Chainer etc.)

Installing NEXUS on a Windows PC

To installing NEXUS on your PC, please follow these two easy steps:

1. Insert the NEXUS DVD into your DVD drive.

2. Double click the file NEXUS Setup.exe from within the WindowsSetup folder and follow the instructions appearing on your screen.

You can now load your host application and load NEXUS as a VST

instrument.

Minimal Mac system requirements

Mac G4 800MHz or better / Mac Intel 1.4 GHz or better Minimum of 512Mb RAM Hard drive space required: 3Gb Operating system: Mac OSX Version 10.4.8 or later Graphics (minimum resolution): 16-bit 800x600 Host: Any application with either VSTi support (e.g. Cubase SX) or

AU (AudioUnit) support (e.g. Logic)

Installing NEXUS on a MAC

To install NEXUS on your MAC, please follow these three easy steps:

1. Insert the NEXUS DVD into your DVD drive.2. Double-click the Nexus Setup.dmg file you will find within the OSX

Setup folder, then follow the instructions appearing on your screen.3. Copy the folder Nexus Content from the DVD to your hard drive.

You can now start your host and load NEXUS as a VST/AU instrument.To finish the installation, please follow the instructions on your screen.


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NEXUS Manual 6

3. Quick Start

This section describes step-by-step how to load NEXUS into your hostapplication, how to open it within a Cubase or Logic project, and basic

operation of the program. If you use neither Cubase nor Logic, or if youhave other host-related questions, please consult the manual that came

with your specific host application.

Please make sure the NEXUS has been installed correctly before startingyour host application.

Using NEXUS in Steinberg Cubase SX or Nuendo

Cubase and Nuendo have so-called

Instrument Slots. Open your VSTinstrument rack (in Cubase, the

default shortcut for this is F11).Click on an empty slot. A list of allyour VST instruments appears.

Select NEXUS from this list. NEXUSwill be loaded and the name will

appear in the selected instrument

slot.

If you start NEXUS for the first time it will ask for its license file which

has been send to you as an attachment to the email you received whenyou orderer NEXUS. Simply point the file-selector to this ZIP-file andthe license will automatically be added to your system.

Create a MIDI track, and route this tracks MIDI output to NEXUS (see

the image below).

Ifyour system has been configured correctly, youshould now be able to hear a sound whenever you

play a key on your MIDI keyboard.

To select a different preset, open NEXUS (click onthe e button within the instrument rack). Youwill now be able to see the NEXUS preset browser.

Double-clicking a preset name in the table to theright will load that particular preset.

Alternatively, you can use the cursor keys (cursor

up/down = selection, cursor right = load preset).


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NEXUS Manual 7

Using NEXUS in Apple Logic

Create a new song and double-click on one of the AudioInst tracks.

Logics mixer will appear. Click and hold down the first empty (grey)button above the channels level display.

You will see a nested list of all installed Plug-ins. Choose Stereo -> AUInstuments -> reFX, then NEXUS.

If you start NEXUS for the first time it will ask for its license file whichhas been send to you as an attachment to the email you received when

you orderer NEXUS. Simply point the file-selector to this ZIP-file andthe license will automatically be added to your system.

From Logics arrange window, click on the MIDI track assigned to

NEXUS, then play your MIDI keyboard.

General information

As NEXUS receives on all 16 MIDI channels simultaneously, you dont

need to set its MIDI input channel manually. If you would like to add asecond NEXUS sound, simply load another instance of NEXUS.

NEXUS is delivered with over 670 presets from all musical genres. We

recommend that you listen to them first to gain an impression of thepower and versatility NEXUS has to offer.

Expansion Sets

Your NEXUS sound library can be expanded with additional presets (andtheir referenced samples). To install a newly-purchased expansion set,

go to the NEXUS system page (sys) and select import exp. The filebrowser will open. Select the NXP file that corresponds to your new

expansion set. NEXUS will take care of the rest for you. Note that theimport procedure can take quite a while. For further details, please refer

to the manual that came with your expansion set.


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NEXUS Manual 8

Special features

NEXUS parameters can be automated via MIDI continuous controller

data. You will find a list of the supported continuous controllers andtheir assignments in the appendix at the end of this document.

NEXUS is also able to interpret automation data from your sequencer.

For further information about instrument automation, please refer tothe manual which came with your sequencer application.


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NEXUS Manual 9

4. NEXUS reference

Basic features

When NEXUS is started for the very first time, it will be appear with itswhite skin (see gui-skin on page 31). The central area displays the

NEXUS preset browser (library) by default.

The individual sections are (from top left to bottom right):

Filter ModifierSimultaneous control over basic filter parameters for all 4 layers.

Contrast controlAdjusts the brightness / contrast of the display area.

MIDI status LED

Flashes briefly whenever a MIDI message is received or transmitted.

Central displayVarious functions. See The DISPLAY section on page 11.

AMP modifierSimultaneous control over volume and pan parameters for all 4 layers.

Master filter

An extra filter applied to NEXUSs main output.


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NEXUS Manual 10

DelayMaster delay settings. Please refer to page 15 for more information.

Reverb

Master reverb settings. Please refer to page 16 for more information.

OutputVolume control and metering for NEXUSs main output.

The Vengeance / reFX LogosIf you click on the logos, NEXUSs rear panel will appear, giving you

access to a few global settings and functions:

export with ultra quality

If this option is selected, NEXUS willalways use the best possible audio

quality while exporting.

override warningsThis option lets you deactivate warningsthat appear while overwriting data.

delete warnings

This option deactivates warnings when deleting categories or presets.

restore factory presetsPressing this button sets all NEXUS presets back to their initial states. If

you have inadvertently deleted, changed, moved or renamed sounds orwish to revert to the original presets for any other reason, press thisbutton.


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NEXUS Manual 11

The Display section

The NEXUS display has several distinct functions. These are selectedusing the 8 buttons you will find to the immediate left and right of thedisplay:

libraryClick on this button to open the preset browser. This is used for loading,saving, renaming and managing your presets.

modClick on this button to access the modulation matrix and its associated

parameters.

arpClick on this button to access the freely editable arpeggiator.

tgClick on this button to access the NEXUS Trance Gate.

freq

Click on this button to display the scope / FFT frequency analyzer.

mfxClick on this button to access the Master Effects, Feature Matrix and

Master EQ.

liveNews, updates, expansion sets the whole world of NEXUS is just oneclick away!


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NEXUS Manual 12

sysSystem settings for this particular instance of NEXUS. These settingsare stored with the current song/project i.e. they are not applied per

preset.

Signal flow

NEXUS is a pure ROM preset player. However, you can edit and changethe presets to your hearts content. To use all control elements and fully

understand them, you should know all about the basic structure of aNEXUS preset

All sound starts out at the oscillator level. Up to four oscillatorsgenerate the raw sound, and each of these can be either a multisample

or a classic waveform (sawtooth, square, sine etc.). A layer can contain

all four, just one, or no oscillator at all. Which layers, and how many ofthem are used within a preset, can be seen in the Feature Matrix in theMFX section. Portamento and/or arpeggiator can be switched on or off

for each layer.

Each layer is then sent through its own filter (Cutoff is controlled by thefilter envelope). Note that the filter section is very similar to the oneavailable in the main page - the Master Filter. After passing through the

filter stage, the signal reaches the amplitude section (controlled by anamplitude envelope). Next, the signal passes through one of 5 possible

effects (see The MFX section).

Each layer can optionally pass through a Trance Gate as well as a LayerDelay. If Layer Delay is switched on, the master delay effect (See The

Delay) is automatically disabled - and vice versa. Only one of the twocan be active per layer. The same rule applies to the Trance Gate and tothe arpeggiator. Master Effect is the exception to this rule, as this can

be used in addition i.e. without affecting the availability of layer effects.


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NEXUS Manual 13

The Filter Modifier section

The two modifier sections deserve some explanation: All modifier knobs

have a neutral position in the center. If a knob is set to this position, itwill have absolutely no effect on the underlying parameter, i.e. that

parameter has precisely the same value as was stored in the preset.Setting a modifier to a negative position (by turning the knob

anticlockwise) lowers valuesproportionally for all 4 layers at the sametime. Similarly, turning a modifier knob up i.e. above the neutral

position, will increase all valuesproportionally for all 4 layers at thesame time. Because these knobs work proportionally, the minimum andmaximum positions will always set minimum or maximum values for all

4 layers, irrespective of the original values.

on

Pressing this button switches the entire filtermodifier on or off. When switched off, the originalsound of the filters is not affected. This switch can

therefore be quite handy for A/B comparison whileadjusting the filter modifier knobs.

envThis knob determines the strength of filter envelope

modulation. The envelope amount set here is addedto all filters in all layers.

cutoffThis knob modifies the cutoff frequencies of all 4layers at the same time.

resThis knob modifies the resonance parameters for all 4 layers at the

same time.

atk, dec, sus, rel

These four knobs modify the corresponding filter envelope parametersof all 4 layers at the same time. Again, you should remember thatvalues are added or subtracted as percentages of the original values.


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NEXUS Manual 14

The Amp Modifier section

The amp modifier knobs behave in precisely the same way as the filter

modifiers. See the first paragraph about The Filter Modifier above fora general explanation of how modifier knobs work.

onPressing this button switches the entire ampmodifier on or off. When switched off, the original

amplitude settings are not affected. This switch cantherefore be quite handy for A/B comparison whileadjusting the amp modifier knobs.

panThis knob modifies the pan positions (left/right) of

all layers.

spikeThis knob modifies the Spike value. Spike increasesthe amplitude during the first 3 miliseconds of a

note, resulting in a noticeably more percussive,more punchy sound.

spreadThe spread knob modifies the width of an an alternating (ping-pong)

panning of the signal (for all layers, as usual). The pan position willswap left/right for each note you play.

atk, dec, sus, relThese four knobs modify the corresponding amp envelope parametersof all 4 layers. As is always the case for modifiers, values are added orsubtracted as percentages of the original values.


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NEXUS Manual 15

The Master Filter section

onThis button activates / deactivates the MasterFilter. By default, the Master Filter is switched off

to maximize CPU performance. Please rememberto switch the Master Filter off whenever you

arent using it.

cutoffControls the cutoff frequency - perhaps the most important parameterin any filter.

res

Adjusts the amount of resonance at the cutoff frequency. High values

will often result in a whistling sound, depending on the Type andSlope settings...

typeThis button cycles through several different filter types:

LP: Low pass filter HP: High pass filter BP: Band pass filter NTCH: Notch filterslopeSelects the steepness of the chosen filter type. NEXUS offers 3 types:

6: 6db/Octave rolloff 12: 12db/Octave rolloff 24: 24db/Octave rolloff


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NEXUS Manual 16

The Delay section

onThis button activates / deactivates themaster delay effect. Whether or not this is

active by default depends on the selectedpreset. To maximize CPU performance,

dont forget to switch Delay off wheneveryou arent using it.

typeThis button lets you select one of 4 different types of delay:

mono: Simple mono delay stereo: Simple stereo delay cross: The left and right channels are swapped at each iteration. pngpg: Ping-pong delay. The delayed signal bounces from 100% left

channel to 100% right channel, for extremely wide stereo effects.

mixUsed to adjust the dry/wet ratio of the signal i.e. the amount of delay.

modA special funtion of the delay. The MOD knob controls the amount that asimple integrated LFO modulates the Delay Time (see below), resulting

in a slight pitch modulation of the delayed signal. This can cause themixed signal to appear warmer and wider.

timeThis knob adjusts delay time. The available values are standard notelengths (synchronized to your host application), triplets or dotted notes.

f-backThis knob adjusts the amount of delay feedback, effectively the number

of repetitions before the delay fades into silence.

lo-cutThe amount of lowpass filtering applied to each iteration of the delay.

Higher values make delays warmer.

hi-cutThe amount of highpass filtering applied to each iteration of the delay.Higher values make delays brighter.


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NEXUS Manual 17

The Reverb section

NEXUS includes a professional-quality reverb effect licensed from

ArtsAcoustic. It is unsurpassed in the software sector - no othersoftware synth has such high quality reverb already on board. Now

you dont need to add external reverb effects to your synth sounds.

onActivates / deactivates the reverb effect.

Whether or not reverb is active by defaultdepends on the selected preset. Tomaximize CPU performance, remember to

switch off the reverb when not in use.

typeUse this button to select one of 3 reverb algorithms:

room: Simulation of smaller rooms and gated reverbs. hall: Standard reverb type. Simulates larger halls. Suitable for most

applications. arena: Very wide, long and deep reverb. Most suitable for extremely

rich or unusual spaces.

mixUsed to adjust the dry/wet ratio of the signal i.e. the amount of reverb.

modA special function of the reverb, the MOD knob controls the amount thata simple integrated LFO modulates reverb times, resulting in a slightpitch modulation. Use it sparingly to make the reverb signal softer and

less metallic.

pre-dlyThis knob (pre-delay) adjusts the time it takes before the reverb signal

appears, affecting the perceived size of the room.

decAdjusts the reverb signals decay i.e. how long it takes to fade to

silence.

lo-cut

The amount of lowpass filtering applied to the reverb signal.

hi-cutThe amount of highpass filtering applied to the reverb signal.


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NEXUS Manual 18

The Library browser

The library browser in NEXUS is divided into two main parts. The

column on the left displays a list of sound categories, which appear asfolders. Selecting a category here causes its contents to be displayed inthe right-hand column

There are two methods of loading presets: Either double-click the

preset name, or make a selection using the cursor up/down keys onyour computer keyboard, then confirm your selection by pressing thecursor-right key.

The bottom of the library browser displays useful information about the

currently selected preset. Click on the right-hand header to displaydifferent types of info: It cycles through info, mem, rating and

author:

The rating system lets you rate individual presets while working in

NEXUS. Your ratings are stored and can be used later as a search

criterium. For example: You can display all presets you have rated with5 stars. By default, all presets have zero stars.


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NEXUS Manual 19

Right-clicking on a category will open a contextmenu in which you can (from top to bottom)delete, rename or create a new category. You

can also create a new favorites folder intowhich you can copy your favorite presets:

Right-click on the desired preset and then

select add to favorites from the contextmenu. The option new search creates a newfolder, the search function looks for all sounds

that fit your criteria, then displays the results inthis new folder. You can also search accordingto ratings (see above). Simply enter *** (for

instance) as your search criterium. This wouldfind all presets that you have rated with at

least 3 stars. If you would like to perform a fuzzy search, enter yoursearch criteria in quotation marks. An example: With the search

criterium bass (include the quotation marks!) you will also find presetsthat contain brass as part of their names. Letters and ratings can be

combined e.g bass *** will find all presets that contain the lettersbass (in that order) with a 3-star rating or higher.

Saving presets

If you have edited a preset and would like to save it, right-click on the

name of the preset in the NEXUS library. A context menu will appear.

Select save preset from this menu.If you have changed the preset name

beforehand (by double-clicking on thename itself), a new preset can becreated. If, however, the name remains identical to the original preset,

it will be overwritten (after you have confirmed the alert).


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Modulation

vib-sourceThe MIDI source used to control vibrato depth: modulation wheel,

aftertouch, or both.

vib-speedThis slider adjusts the vibrato speed i.e. the rate of an LFO dedicated to

pitch modulation.

vib-depthPermanent vibrato depth. Data from the vibrato source (see vib-sourceabove) is added to this amount.

pb-range+The amount (in semitones) that pitch is increased when the pitchbenderis at maximum.

pb-range-The amount (in semitones) that pitch is lowered when the pitchbenderis at minimum.


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NEXUS Manual 21

MOD Matrix

The right half of the MOD screen is used for selecting modulation

sources, depths and modulation targets. Click on the left row of fields toselect from a list of modulation sources, and on the right row to select

targets. The slider inbetween adjusts modulation depth, which is bipolari.e. values can be either positive or negative. The current value is

displayed (numerically) to the left of these sliders. The bottom row isalways a new modulation field. As soon as you use it, another one will

be added below. The maximum number of modulation slots is 10.

Portamento

status

These 4 buttons select the type of portamento (gliding pitch betweennotes) as well as determining whether the sound will be polyphonic or

monophonic:

off:Poyphonic, no portamento. ply: Polyphonic, with portamento. trg: Monophonic, retriggered envelopes, permanent portamento. lgt: Monophonic, legato envelopes, legato portamento (i.e.

portamento is only applied between overlapping notes).

speedDetermines the portamento rate. The available values are standard notelengths (synchronized to your host application), triplets or dotted notes.


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NEXUS Manual 22

ARP The Arpeggiator

statusTurns the arpeggiator on / off.

modeSelects how the arpeggiator processes and repeatedly plays back anynotes you play on your keyboard:

up: Starts with the lowest note and ends with the highest one. down: Starts with the highest note and ends with the lowest one. alter: Alternate. Effectively up followed by down (see above). order: The arpeggio plays in the same order as you play the keys. random: Played notes are selected at random.octavesDetermines the range of the arpeggio i.e. arpeggios can be transposed

(in octaves) after each iteration.

speedArpeggio rate. Available values are standard note lengths (synchronizedto your host application), triplets or dotted notes.

gateThis value determines how long notes are held by the arpeggiator.For legato portamento within an arpeggio, you should set the gate to

127 and make sure that notes in the step sequencer are contiguous


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NEXUS Manual 23

The Step Sequencer

The step sequencer lets you program your own arpeggio patterns. The

total length of the pattern is set by holding down the shift key andclicking on the desired position.

Notes can be entered at any position with a simple mouse-click. Each

note can be adjusted in length: Simply click on the right edge of a noteand drag to the desired length. If you are using a 3-button mouse, you

can directly set velocity values using the middle button. You can alsotranspose notes up and down try entering notes anywhere in the grid.A right click deletes existing notes.

Loading arpeggio presets

The top righthand corner of this page is a small browser with which you

can load arpeggio presets. This works in a similar way to the librarybrowser described above. Double-click to load a preset.

A right click on the preset name lets you

store your own arpeggio patterns (knownas arp presets).


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NEXUS Manual 24

The Trance Gate

statusThese buttons activate / deactivate the Trance Gate.

modeSelects whether the Trance Gate works in mono or stereo mode. If youswitch it to stereo, a line appears in the center of the pattern editor,

effectively seperating the left (top) and right (bottom) channels.

lengthDetermines the total length of the trance gate pattern. You can selecteither 8, 16, 24 or 32 steps.

speed

Should you want to change the speed in which the pattern is playedback, you can do that here. By default this value is set to 1/32.

mixThis slider determines the dry/wet mix i.e. the relative levels of non-gated and gated signal.

contourIf you find that the resulting sound is too choppy for your tastes, youcan adjust its smoothness by increasing the value of contour (actuallythe attack and release times of an envelope). Higher values make the

Trance Gate softer.

widthThis slider determines the stereo width of the trance gate.


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Editing Trance Gate patterns

The bottom of the screen controls / displays the Trance Gate pattern.The positions can be switched on and off by simply clicking on the boxes

(full box = on, empty box = off).

Loading Trance Gate presets

The top righthand corner of this page is a small browser with which youcan load Trance Gate presets. This works in a similar way to the library

browser described above. Double-click to load a preset.

A right click on the preset name lets youstore your own Trance Gate patterns

(known as tg presets).


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The Frequency Analyzer / Scope

freezeThis button freezes the current waveform display.

clear

Lets you delete the current display and start from scratch.

filledWaveform appearance. Switches between solid and line display.

Scope / FFTThis button switches the display mode between waveform (Scope) and

Fast Fourier Transform i.e. frequency analysis.

L+RThis button switches the display mode between a mixture of both

channels (L+R) and left (L) or right (R).

zoom x, zoom yUse these sliders to change the vertical and horizontal zoom factors.


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MFX Master Effects

The left column of this page is used for controlling the master effects.The type option lets you select one of 5 effect types:

chorus: Generally thickens and widens the sound by adding time-modulated very short delays to the original signal.

flanger: A very popular effect similar to chorus except that a portionof the delayed signal is mixed back into its own input (feedback),causing complex resonance. Flanged sounds appear to float.

phaser: The classic phase-cancellation effect, the sound of which iscomparable to an LFO-modulated notch filter.

ensemble: A more complex variation of the chorus effect. Theensemble effect sounds more dense because it uses more delays andmore modulation.

degrader: Bitcrusher and sample-rate reduction effects. The samplerate and bit depth can be lowered, resulting in a very distorted and

qualitatively debased sound reminiscent of early computer recordings(e.g. on the Commodore C64) of the 4-bit era. The degrader also

offers standard distortion as well as a hi-cut filter.


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The Feature Matrix

At the top right of the MFX screen is the Feature

Matrix. It shows the structure i.e. the signal flowof the selected MFX preset. The numbers to the

left (1-4) show the used layers. The 5 slots on thelines show you which effects are activated for each

layer. You can activate / deactivate single elements by clicking on them.The abbreviations stand for following:

ptr: Portamento is active for this layer. arp: Arpeggiator is active for this layer. chr, fla, pha, ens, deg: The same effects as the master effect (see

above), but used as individual layer effects.

tg: The Trance Gate is active for this layer. dly: Layer delay. As soon as the master delay is activated, all layer

delay settings of a preset are austomatically deactivated. Only onedelay can be active at a time (either layer or master delay).

Output EQ

A freely adjustable dual-band equalizer:

bass freqBass cutoff frequency.

treble freqTreble (high) cutoff frequency.

gainCut (negative values) or boost (positive values) for each band.


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reFX Live

Open this page for information about the latest NEXUS developments as

well as new expansions and skins (see gui-skin on page 31). A left clickon the information will start your standard web browser, taking you

directly to the appropriate web-page. A right click refreshes the page(Menu: refresh). The page is automatically refreshed every minute.

On each launch of NEXUS, the reFX Live system checks for NEXUS

updates, which can be automatically saved to your desktop. This wayyou will never miss a NEXUS update, you will always be up to date.


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The system settings

The following settings only affect the currently active instance of NEXUSwithin the current song. They are not stored per preset.

mst tuningMaster Tuning fine-tunes NEXUS (globally, in steps of 1Hz). Standard

tuning for the root key A ist 440Hz.

transposeThis slider lets you transpose the incoming midi data of NEXUS up ordown in octave steps. Especially owners of smaller MIDI keyboards

without transpose buttons will welcome this feature, which effectivelyincreases the range of their keyboard.

vel-curveVelocity Curve determines how NEXUS interprets velocity data whenplaying notes on your keyboard. Adjustable from -10 (very soft) and

+10 (very hard).

voicesThis slider lets you limit the maximum number of voices that NEXUScan play back simultaneously. Especially older and slower computerscan benefit from a lower value. By default the slider is set to 32 voices.If you hear crackling or popping while playing many keys at once, this is

probably due to note-stealing, in which case you should increase thevoices value.

arpvelsrcArpeggiator velocity source. Establishes whether the first note or the

most recently played note determines the velocity of the arpeggio.


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NEXUS Manual 31

outgainOutput gain. Should you find that the output level of NEXUS is generally

too loud or too soft, you can change the output gain by 3 or +3 db.

quality

Quality setting for the interpolation algorithm. Especially older or slowersystems will benefit from the low setting. Otherwise we recommendkeeping the default high setting. The third option ultra should only

be necessary if you are listening on high-end audio monitors.

gui-skin

NEXUS lets you change the overall appearance of the plug-in. Evenchanging the current skin while NEXUS is open - it does not have to be

reloaded. Click on import skin to integrate newly purchased skins intoNEXUS. To do this, simply select appropriate NSK file in the dialogue

and NEXUS will automatically take care of the rest. The importprocedure will be completed almost instantaneously.

ExpansionsThe righthand column displays any/all installed expansions. Click on the

import exp button to integrate newly purchased expansions intoNEXUS. To do this, simply select the appropriate NXP file in the dialogue

box, and NEXUS will automatically take care of the rest. Importing one

of the larger expansion sets may take several seconds or even minutesto complete on older or slower systems.


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NEXUS Manual 32

5. Appendix

MIDI Control

Appendix A MIDI Implementation Chart

NEXUS supports the following MIDI messages:

Function Txd Rxd Remarks

Basic Channel Default:

Change:

x

x

1-16

1-16

Messages are always receivedon all channels

Mode Default

Messages

x

x

Mode 1

x

OMNI Mode is always on

Note number Sound range x 0-127

Velocity Note On:

Note Off:

x

x

o

x

Aftertouch Keys:

Channels:

x

x

x

o

Pitchbend x o

Control Change o o

Program Change Actual No. x x

System Exclusive x x

System Common Song Pos:

Song Sel:

Tune:

x

x

x

x

x

x

System Realtime Clock:Commands:

xx

xx

Aux Messages Local On/Off:

All Notes Off:

Act. Sensing:

Reset:

x

x

x

x

x

o

x

x

Txd: Transmits MIDI messageRxd: Receives MIDI message

o = implementedx = not supported


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Appendix B MIDI Continuous Controller Support

In addition to the messages specified in the MIDI implementation chart

on the previous page, the following MIDI continuous controllermessages are recognised, affecting the parameters listed below. By

sending MIDI CC messages from your host application, you can changeor even automate these parameters at any time.

NEXUS supports the following MIDI continuous controller messages:

CC Name

7 Volume

8 AMP Spread

10 AMP Pan24 AMP Sustain

25 Delay Feedback

26 Delay Highcut

27 Reverb Decay

28 FLT Attack

29 FLT Decay

30 FLT Sustain

31 FLT Release

71 Master Filter Resonance

72 AMP Release

73 AMP Attack

74 Master Filter Cutoff

75 AMP Decay

91 Reverb Mix

94 Delay Mix

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