NEXUS

polyphonic ROM Synthesizer

A reFX / Vengeance software synthesizer

reFX Lanzelhohl 49 55128 Mainz Germany email:support@refx.net www.refx.net Vengeance Am Rundacker 3 65366 Geisenheim email:info@vengeance-sound.com www.vengeance-sound.com

Version 1.0, released December 1st, 2006 Copyright 2006 by reFX All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted 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. The software described by this document is subject to a License Agreement 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.com GUI design: Shaun Elwood / www.decoderdesign.com Additional programming: Marc Kamradt Manual: Manuel Schleis & Michael Kleps English translation: Oliver Imseng / Howard Scarr

VST PlugIn Technology by Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH.

NEXUS Manual

ii

Table of contents
1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................. 4 Specifications and features: ................................................... 4 2. INSTALLATION ................................................................... 5 Minimum PC system requirements .......................................... 5 Installing NEXUS on a Windows PC.......................................... 5 Minimal Mac system requirements .......................................... 5 Installing NEXUS on a MAC .................................................... 5 3. QUICK START..................................................................... 6 Using NEXUS in Steinberg Cubase SX or Nuendo ....................... 6 Using NEXUS in Apple Logic ................................................... 7 General information ............................................................. 7 Expansion Sets.................................................................... 7 Special features................................................................... 8 4. NEXUS REFERENCE ............................................................. 9 Basic features ..................................................................... 9 The Display section ............................................................ 11 Signal flow........................................................................ 12 The Filter Modifier section.................................................... 13 The Amp Modifier section .................................................... 14 The Master Filter section ..................................................... 15 The Delay section .............................................................. 16 The Reverb section............................................................. 17 The Library browser ........................................................... 18 Saving presets .................................................................. 19 Modulation........................................................................ 20 MOD Matrix....................................................................... 21 Portamento....................................................................... 21 ARP The Arpeggiator ........................................................ 22 The Step Sequencer ........................................................... 23 Loading arpeggio presets .................................................... 23 The Trance Gate ................................................................ 24 Editing Trance Gate patterns................................................ 25 Loading Trance Gate presets................................................ 25 The Frequency Analyzer / Scope ........................................... 26 MFX Master Effects .......................................................... 27 The Feature Matrix ............................................................. 28 Output EQ ........................................................................ 28 reFX Live .......................................................................... 29 The system settings ........................................................... 30 5. APPENDIX........................................................................ 32 Appendix A MIDI Implementation Chart .............................. 32 Appendix B MIDI Continuous Controller Support ................... 33
NEXUS Manual iii

1. Introduction
Thank you for choosing NEXUS. Having purchased NEXUS, you are now the owner of a high-quality product that includes a professional and comprehensive sound library and an easy-to-use but powerful patch management system. The demands 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 control over 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 and clarity 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

NEXUS Manual

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 Windows Setup 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.

NEXUS Manual

3. Quick Start
This section describes step-by-step how to load NEXUS into your host application, 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 you have 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 starting your host application.

Using NEXUS in Steinberg Cubase SX or Nuendo Cubase and Nuendo have so-called Instrument Slots. Open your VST instrument rack (in Cubase, the default shortcut for this is F11). Click on an empty slot. A list of all your VST instruments appears. Select NEXUS from this list. NEXUS will 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 when you orderer NEXUS. Simply point the file-selector to this ZIP-file and the license will automatically be added to your system. Create a MIDI track, and route this tracks MIDI output to NEXUS (see the image below). If your system has been configured correctly, you should now be able to hear a sound whenever you play a key on your MIDI keyboard. To select a different preset, open NEXUS (click on the e button within the instrument rack). You will now be able to see the NEXUS preset browser. Double-clicking a preset name in the table to the right will load that particular preset. Alternatively, you can use the cursor keys (cursor up/down = selection, cursor right = load preset).
NEXUS Manual 6

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 -> AU Instuments -> reFX, then NEXUS. 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 when you orderer NEXUS. Simply point the file-selector to this ZIP-file and the 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 a second 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 the power and versatility NEXUS has to offer. Expansion Sets Your NEXUS sound library can be expanded with additional presets (and their referenced samples). To install a newly-purchased expansion set, go to the NEXUS system page (sys) and select import exp. The file browser will open. Select the NXP file that corresponds to your new expansion set. NEXUS will take care of the rest for you. Note that the import procedure can take quite a while. For further details, please refer to the manual that came with your expansion set.

NEXUS Manual

Special features NEXUS parameters can be automated via MIDI continuous controller data. You will find a list of the supported continuous controllers and their 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 to the manual which came with your sequencer application.

NEXUS Manual

4. NEXUS reference
Basic features When NEXUS is started for the very first time, it will be appear with its white 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 Modifier Simultaneous control over basic filter parameters for all 4 layers. Contrast control Adjusts the brightness / contrast of the display area. MIDI status LED Flashes briefly whenever a MIDI message is received or transmitted. Central display Various functions. See The DISPLAY section on page 11. AMP modifier Simultaneous control over volume and pan parameters for all 4 layers. Master filter An extra filter applied to NEXUSs main output.
NEXUS Manual 9

Delay Master delay settings. Please refer to page 15 for more information. Reverb Master reverb settings. Please refer to page 16 for more information. Output Volume control and metering for NEXUSs main output. The Vengeance / reFX Logos If 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 will always use the best possible audio quality while exporting. override warnings This option lets you deactivate warnings that appear while overwriting data. delete warnings This option deactivates warnings when deleting categories or presets. restore factory presets Pressing this button sets all NEXUS presets back to their initial states. If you have inadvertently deleted, changed, moved or renamed sounds or wish to revert to the original presets for any other reason, press this button.

NEXUS Manual

10

The Display section

The NEXUS display has several distinct functions. These are selected using the 8 buttons you will find to the immediate left and right of the display: library Click on this button to open the preset browser. This is used for loading, saving, renaming and managing your presets. mod Click on this button to access the modulation matrix and its associated parameters. arp Click on this button to access the freely editable arpeggiator. tg Click on this button to access the NEXUS Trance Gate. freq Click on this button to display the scope / FFT frequency analyzer. mfx Click on this button to access the Master Effects, Feature Matrix and Master EQ. live News, updates, expansion sets the whole world of NEXUS is just one click away!

NEXUS Manual

11

sys System settings for this particular instance of NEXUS. These settings are 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 change the presets to your hearts content. To use all control elements and fully understand them, you should know all about the basic structure of a NEXUS preset All sound starts out at the oscillator level. Up to four oscillators generate 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 of them are used within a preset, can be seen in the Feature Matrix in the MFX 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 the filter envelope). Note that the filter section is very similar to the one available in the main page - the Master Filter. After passing through the filter stage, the signal reaches the amplitude section (controlled by an amplitude 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 Layer Delay. If Layer Delay is switched on, the master delay effect (See The Delay) is automatically disabled - and vice versa. Only one of the two can be active per layer. The same rule applies to the Trance Gate and to the 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.

NEXUS Manual

12

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, it will 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 values proportionally for all 4 layers at the same time. Similarly, turning a modifier knob up i.e. above the neutral position, will increase all values proportionally for all 4 layers at the same time. Because these knobs work proportionally, the minimum and maximum positions will always set minimum or maximum values for all 4 layers, irrespective of the original values. on Pressing this button switches the entire filter modifier on or off. When switched off, the original sound of the filters is not affected. This switch can therefore be quite handy for A/B comparison while adjusting the filter modifier knobs. env This knob determines the strength of filter envelope modulation. The envelope amount set here is added to all filters in all layers. cutoff This knob modifies the cutoff frequencies of all 4 layers at the same time. res This 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 parameters of all 4 layers at the same time. Again, you should remember that values are added or subtracted as percentages of the original values.

NEXUS Manual

13

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 for a general explanation of how modifier knobs work. on Pressing this button switches the entire amp modifier on or off. When switched off, the original amplitude settings are not affected. This switch can therefore be quite handy for A/B comparison while adjusting the amp modifier knobs. pan This knob modifies the pan positions (left/right) of all layers. spike This knob modifies the Spike value. Spike increases the amplitude during the first 3 miliseconds of a note, resulting in a noticeably more percussive, more punchy sound. spread The spread knob modifies the width of an an alternating (ping-pong) panning of the signal (for all layers, as usual). The pan position will swap left/right for each note you play. atk, dec, sus, rel These four knobs modify the corresponding amp envelope parameters of all 4 layers. As is always the case for modifiers, values are added or subtracted as percentages of the original values.

NEXUS Manual

14

The Master Filter section on This button activates / deactivates the Master Filter. By default, the Master Filter is switched off to maximize CPU performance. Please remember to switch the Master Filter off whenever you arent using it. cutoff Controls the cutoff frequency - perhaps the most important parameter in 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 and Slope settings... type This button cycles through several different filter types: LP: Low pass filter HP: High pass filter BP: Band pass filter NTCH: Notch filter

slope Selects the steepness of the chosen filter type. NEXUS offers 3 types: 6: 6db/Octave rolloff 12: 12db/Octave rolloff 24: 24db/Octave rolloff

NEXUS Manual

15

The Delay section on This button activates / deactivates the master delay effect. Whether or not this is active by default depends on the selected preset. To maximize CPU performance, dont forget to switch Delay off whenever you arent using it. type This 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.

mix Used to adjust the dry/wet ratio of the signal i.e. the amount of delay. mod A special funtion of the delay. The MOD knob controls the amount that a simple integrated LFO modulates the Delay Time (see below), resulting in a slight pitch modulation of the delayed signal. This can cause the mixed signal to appear warmer and wider. time This knob adjusts delay time. The available values are standard note lengths (synchronized to your host application), triplets or dotted notes. f-back This knob adjusts the amount of delay feedback, effectively the number of repetitions before the delay fades into silence. lo-cut The amount of lowpass filtering applied to each iteration of the delay. Higher values make delays warmer. hi-cut The amount of highpass filtering applied to each iteration of the delay. Higher values make delays brighter.

NEXUS Manual

16

The Reverb section NEXUS includes a professional-quality reverb effect licensed from ArtsAcoustic. It is unsurpassed in the software sector - no other software synth has such high quality reverb already on board. Now you dont need to add external reverb effects to your synth sounds. on Activates / deactivates the reverb effect. Whether or not reverb is active by default depends on the selected preset. To maximize CPU performance, remember to switch off the reverb when not in use. type Use 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.

mix Used to adjust the dry/wet ratio of the signal i.e. the amount of reverb. mod A special function of the reverb, the MOD knob controls the amount that a simple integrated LFO modulates reverb times, resulting in a slight pitch modulation. Use it sparingly to make the reverb signal softer and less metallic. pre-dly This knob (pre-delay) adjusts the time it takes before the reverb signal appears, affecting the perceived size of the room. dec Adjusts 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-cut The amount of highpass filtering applied to the reverb signal.

NEXUS Manual

17

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 as folders. Selecting a category here causes its contents to be displayed in the 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 on your computer keyboard, then confirm your selection by pressing the cursor-right key. The bottom of the library browser displays useful information about the currently selected preset. Click on the right-hand header to display different 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 with 5 stars. By default, all presets have zero stars.

NEXUS Manual

18

Right-clicking on a category will open a context menu in which you can (from top to bottom) delete, rename or create a new category. You can also create a new favorites folder into which you can copy your favorite presets: Right-click on the desired preset and then select add to favorites from the context menu. The option new search creates a new folder, the search function looks for all sounds that fit your criteria, then displays the results in this new folder. You can also search according to ratings (see above). Simply enter *** (for instance) as your search criterium. This would find all presets that you have rated with at least 3 stars. If you would like to perform a fuzzy search, enter your search criteria in quotation marks. An example: With the search criterium bass (include the quotation marks!) you will also find presets that contain brass as part of their names. Letters and ratings can be combined e.g bass *** will find all presets that contain the letters bass (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 the name itself), a new preset can be created. If, however, the name remains identical to the original preset, it will be overwritten (after you have confirmed the alert).

NEXUS Manual

19

Modulation

vib-source The MIDI source used to control vibrato depth: modulation wheel, aftertouch, or both. vib-speed This slider adjusts the vibrato speed i.e. the rate of an LFO dedicated to pitch modulation. vib-depth Permanent vibrato depth. Data from the vibrato source (see vib-source above) is added to this amount. pb-range+ The amount (in semitones) that pitch is increased when the pitchbender is at maximum. pb-rangeThe amount (in semitones) that pitch is lowered when the pitchbender is at minimum.

NEXUS Manual

20

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 to select from a list of modulation sources, and on the right row to select targets. The slider inbetween adjusts modulation depth, which is bipolar i.e. values can be either positive or negative. The current value is displayed (numerically) to the left of these sliders. The bottom row is always 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 between notes) 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).

speed Determines the portamento rate. The available values are standard note lengths (synchronized to your host application), triplets or dotted notes.

NEXUS Manual

21

ARP The Arpeggiator

status Turns the arpeggiator on / off. mode Selects how the arpeggiator processes and repeatedly plays back any notes 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.

octaves Determines the range of the arpeggio i.e. arpeggios can be transposed (in octaves) after each iteration. speed Arpeggio rate. Available values are standard note lengths (synchronized to your host application), triplets or dotted notes. gate This 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

NEXUS Manual

22

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 and clicking 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 note and 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 also transpose 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 library browser described above. Double-click to load a preset.

A right click on the preset name lets you store your own arpeggio patterns (known as arp presets).

NEXUS Manual

23

The Trance Gate

status These buttons activate / deactivate the Trance Gate. mode Selects whether the Trance Gate works in mono or stereo mode. If you switch it to stereo, a line appears in the center of the pattern editor, effectively seperating the left (top) and right (bottom) channels. length Determines the total length of the trance gate pattern. You can select either 8, 16, 24 or 32 steps. speed Should you want to change the speed in which the pattern is played back, you can do that here. By default this value is set to 1/32. mix This slider determines the dry/wet mix i.e. the relative levels of nongated and gated signal. contour If you find that the resulting sound is too choppy for your tastes, you can adjust its smoothness by increasing the value of contour (actually the attack and release times of an envelope). Higher values make the Trance Gate softer. width This slider determines the stereo width of the trance gate.

NEXUS Manual

24

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 you can 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 you store your own Trance Gate patterns (known as tg presets).

NEXUS Manual

25

The Frequency Analyzer / Scope

freeze This button freezes the current waveform display. clear Lets you delete the current display and start from scratch. filled Waveform appearance. Switches between solid and line display. Scope / FFT This button switches the display mode between waveform (Scope) and Fast Fourier Transform i.e. frequency analysis. L+R This button switches the display mode between a mixture of both channels (L+R) and left (L) or right (R). zoom x, zoom y Use these sliders to change the vertical and horizontal zoom factors.

NEXUS Manual

26

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 timemodulated very short delays to the original signal. flanger: A very popular effect similar to chorus except that a portion of 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 is comparable to an LFO-modulated notch filter. ensemble: A more complex variation of the chorus effect. The ensemble effect sounds more dense because it uses more delays and more modulation. degrader: Bitcrusher and sample-rate reduction effects. The sample rate 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.

NEXUS Manual

27

The Feature Matrix At the top right of the MFX screen is the Feature Matrix. It shows the structure i.e. the signal flow of the selected MFX preset. The numbers to the left (1-4) show the used layers. The 5 slots on the lines 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 one delay can be active at a time (either layer or master delay).

Output EQ A freely adjustable dual-band equalizer: bass freq Bass cutoff frequency. treble freq Treble (high) cutoff frequency. gain Cut (negative values) or boost (positive values) for each band.

NEXUS Manual

28

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 click on 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 way you will never miss a NEXUS update, you will always be up to date.

NEXUS Manual

29

The system settings

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

mst tuning Master Tuning fine-tunes NEXUS (globally, in steps of 1Hz). Standard tuning for the root key A ist 440Hz. transpose This slider lets you transpose the incoming midi data of NEXUS up or down in octave steps. Especially owners of smaller MIDI keyboards without transpose buttons will welcome this feature, which effectively increases the range of their keyboard. vel-curve Velocity Curve determines how NEXUS interprets velocity data when playing notes on your keyboard. Adjustable from -10 (very soft) and +10 (very hard). voices This slider lets you limit the maximum number of voices that NEXUS can play back simultaneously. Especially older and slower computers can 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 the voices value. arpvelsrc Arpeggiator velocity source. Establishes whether the first note or the most recently played note determines the velocity of the arpeggio.

NEXUS Manual

30

outgain Output 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 slower systems will benefit from the low setting. Otherwise we recommend keeping 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. Even changing the current skin while NEXUS is open - it does not have to be reloaded. Click on import skin to integrate newly purchased skins into NEXUS. To do this, simply select appropriate NSK file in the dialogue and NEXUS will automatically take care of the rest. The import procedure will be completed almost instantaneously.

Expansions The righthand column displays any/all installed expansions. Click on the import exp button to integrate newly purchased expansions into NEXUS. 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 minutes to complete on older or slower systems.

NEXUS Manual

31

5. Appendix
MIDI Control
Appendix A MIDI Implementation Chart NEXUS supports the following MIDI messages:
Function Basic Channel Mode Note number Velocity Aftertouch Pitchbend Control Change Program Change System Exclusive System Common Txd x x x x x x x x x x o x x x x x x x x x x x Rxd 1-16 1-16 Mode 1 x 0-127 o x x o o o x x x x x x x x o x x Remarks Messages are always received on all channels OMNI Mode is always on

Default: Change: Default Messages Sound range Note On: Note Off: Keys: Channels:

Actual No. Song Pos: Song Sel: Tune: Clock: Commands: Local On/Off: All Notes Off: Act. Sensing: Reset:

System Realtime Aux Messages

Txd: Transmits MIDI message Rxd: Receives MIDI message o = implemented x = not supported

NEXUS Manual

32

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 controller messages are recognised, affecting the parameters listed below. By sending MIDI CC messages from your host application, you can change or even automate these parameters at any time. NEXUS supports the following MIDI continuous controller messages:

CC 7 8 10 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 71 72 73 74 75 91 94

Name Volume AMP Spread AMP Pan AMP Sustain Delay Feedback Delay Highcut Reverb Decay FLT Attack FLT Decay FLT Sustain FLT Release Master Filter Resonance AMP Release AMP Attack Master Filter Cutoff AMP Decay Reverb Mix Delay Mix

NEXUS Manual

33