Asus NEXUS 2-1A003A User Manual

User Manual

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The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of reFX Audio Software Inc. The software described by this document is subject to a License Agreement and may not be copied to any other media unless specically allowed in the License Agreement.

INTRODUCTION

NEXUS2 User Manual

INTRODUCTION

elcome and thank your for purchasing NEXUS2. You are now the owner of a high-

quality product that includes a professional and comprehensive sound library and an

computer’s CPU are surprisingly low.

NEXUS2 is a sample-ROM based synthesizer (often called a “rompler”). This means that NEXUS2

accesses sampled waveforms from your hard disk to generate its sounds. Apart from the low

demands on your CPU mentioned above, this method also has other benets: It allowed us to

sample several prohibitively expensive analog hardware devices and make these quality sounds

available to you, the NEXUS2 user. Furthermore, the complex sound architecture in NEXUS2 gives

you extensive control over the most important parameters to customize the sounds to suit your

personal tastes.

The internal architecture lets you generate highly complex soundscapes, stacked sequences and/

or extreme modulations – all with a depth and clarity you’ve never heard before.

Dive into the world of NEXUS2 and experience a totally new dimension of sound.

Specications and features:

 Over 4 gigabyte library of high quality multisamples

 Eight alias-free classic waveforms

 Over 890 factory presets covering all popular genres

 Four dierent lter types with exible envelopes

 Two freely editable master eects

 Freely programmable 32-step arpeggiator with note transpose

 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 (27 already available)

easy-to-use but powerful patch management system. The demands placed on your

NEXUS2 User Manual

INSTALLATION

NEXUS2 User Manual

INSTALLING NEXUS2 ON A WINDOWS PC

To install NEXUS2 on your Windows PC, please follow these simple steps:

1. Insert the NEXUS2 DVD into your DVD drive.

2. Double click the le “NEXUS

Setup.exe” from within the “Windows Setup”

folder on the DVD and follow the on screen instructions.

3. Continue with “DOWNLOADING THE LICENSE” on page 8

MINIMUM PC SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

 Pentium III @ 800MHz or better (or AMD equivalent)

 Minimum of 512Mb RAM (1Gb recommended)

 Hard drive space required: 4Gb

 Operation system: Windows XP/Vista

 Graphics (minimum resolution): 16-bit 800x600

 Host: Any application supporting the VSTi standard (e.g. Cubase, FL Studio, Sonar etc.) or Pro

Tools 7.3 or better

NEXUS2 User Manual

INSTALLING NEXUS2 ON A MAC

To install NEXUS2 on your Mac, please follow these simple steps:

1. Insert the NEXUS2 DVD into your DVD drive.

2. Double click the le “NEXUS

Setup.dmg” from within the “OSX Setup” folder

on the DVD and follow the on screen instructions.

3. Copy the folder “Nexus Content” from the DVD to any location on one of your hard drives, but make sure that the hard drive has enough space to t the entire factory content (4 Gb) and please also make sure there is enough space left for expansions you might want to import in the future.

4. Continue with “DOWNLOADING THE LICENSE” on page 8.

MINIMAL MAC SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

 Mac G4 800MHz or better / Mac Intel 1.4 GHz or better

 Minimum of 512Mb RAM (1Gb recommended)

 Hard drive space required: 4Gb

 Operating system: OSX 10.4 / 10.5

 Graphics (minimum resolution): 16-bit 800x600

 Host: Any application with VSTi support (e.g. Cubase, Nuendo, Live), AU (AudioUnit) support

(e.g. Logic, Garageband, Live) or RTAS support (Pro Tools 7.x & DP 5.x)

NEXUS2 User Manual

DOWNLOADING THE LICENSE

NEXUS2 requires a valid license to be present on the USB eLicenser in order to run. You have to

download this license from the internet using the activation code you received via email when

you ordered NEXUS2.

To download your license to a connected USB eLicenser, please follow these simple steps:

1. Download the “License Control Center” from http://www.elicenser.net/

2. Install the “License Control Center”.

3. In the “Wizards” menu, choose the option “License Download”.

4. Follow the on-screen instructions.

5. That’s it. The license has been stored on your USB eLicenser and the activation code has become invalid.

 Please note that you do NOT need to download the license on the same computer you plan to

use NEXUS2 on.

 You can use ANY Windows or Mac compatible computer to download the license.

 In case your music-computer isn’t connect to the internet, simply use another one to download

the license to the USB eLicenser.

 The computer that downloads the license needs the “License Control Center” installed.

 You can download the latest version of the “License Control Center” from

http://www.elicsense.net/

NEXUS2 User Manual

MANUAL INSTALLATION OF THE CONTENT

To install the NEXUS2 content manually, please follow these simple steps:

1. Insert the NEXUS2 DVD into your DVD drive.

2. Copy the folder “Nexus Content” from the DVD to any location on one of your hard drives, but make sure that the hard drive has enough space to t the entire factory content (4 Gb) and please also make sure there is enough space left for expansions you might want to import in the future.

NEXUS2 User Manual

QUICK START

NEXUS2 User Manual

QUICK START

it hin this section we will describe, step-by-step, how to load NEXUS2 into your host

application and how to open it within a Cubase or Logic project. If you use neither

manual that came with your specic host application.

Please make sure that NEXUS2 has been installed correctly before starting your host application

(see previous chapter).

using NEXUS2 in Steinberg Cubase 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 and a list of all your VST instruments

should appear. Select “NEXUS” from this list. An instance of NEXUS2 will be loaded and its name

will appear in the selected instrument slot.

Cubase nor Logic, or if you have other host-related questions, please consult the

Now, create a MIDI track and route this track’s MIDI

output to the instance of NEXUS2 you loaded earlier.

If your system has been congured correctly, you should

now be able to hear a sound when playing a key on

your MIDI keyboard (the patch “Saw Init” is loaded by

default).

NEXUS2 User Manual

To select a dierent preset, open NEXUS2 (click on the “e”

button within the instrument rack). You’ll now be able to

see the NEXUS2 preset browser (Library). Double-clicking

a preset name in the column to the right will load that

particular preset.

Alternatively, you can use the cursor keys to select a

preset. The up/down keys scroll through the presets in

the currently selected category. Use the right cursor key

to load the currently highlighted preset.

QUICK START

using NEXUS in Apple Logic 8

Create a new song and then create a “Software Instrument” track. When the newly created track is

selected, you will see the track inspector on the left hand side.

Click on the gray button under the letters “I/O” but above the button labeled “Out 1-2”. A big list

of instruments and plug-ins will appear. In this list, select “AU Instruments -> reFX -> Nexus ->

Stereo”.

To select a dierent preset, open NEXUS2 (click once on the same button you used to load NEXUS2

in the inspector). You’ll now be able to see the NEXUS2 preset browser (Library). Double-clicking

a preset name in the column to the right will load that particular preset.

NEXUS2 User Manual

QUICK START

general information

Because NEXUS2 receives on all 16 MIDI

channels simultaneously, there is no need to

set its MIDI input channel manually. If you’d

like to add a second NEXUS2 sound (or more),

simply load another instance of NEXUS2 in

your host and select another preset.

NEXUS2 is delivered with over 800 factory

presets from all musical genres. We recom-

mend that you audition them rst to gain an

impression of the power and versatility that

NEXUS2 has to oer.

expansions

Your NEXUS2 sound library can be expanded

with additional presets (and their referenced

samples). Each expansion holds a minimum

of 128 new presets.

To learn how to import these expansions into

NEXUS2, please read the section “importing

data” on page 44.

special features

NEXUS2 parameters can be automated via

MIDI continuous controller data. You’ll nd a

list of the supported continuous controllers

and their assignments in appendix A (at the

end of this document).

NEXUS2 is also able to interpret automation

data sent from your sequencer. For further

information about instrument automation,

please refer to the manual that came with

your host application.

NEXUS2 User Manual

NEXUS REFERENCE

NEXUS2 User Manual

BASIC FUNCTIONS

hen NEXUS2 is started for the very rst time, it will appear with its white skin (see “gui-

skin” on page 42). The central dot-matrix area displays the NEXUS2 preset browser

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

(“library”) by default.

lter modier

Provides simultaneous control over basic

lter parameters for all four layers.

central display

Various functions (see “Central Display” on

page 18).

amp modier

Provides simultaneous control over volume

and pan parameters for all four layers.

NEXUS2 User Manual

master lter

An extra lter applied to NEXUS2’s main

output.

delay

Master delay settings. Please refer to page 23

for more information.

reverb

Master reverb settings. Please refer to page

24 for more information.

output

Volume control and metering for NEXUS

main output.

BASIC FUNCTIONS

the Vengeance / reFX logos

If you click on these logos, the NEXUS2 “rear

panel” will appear, giving you access to sev-

eral global settings and functions:

export with “ultra” quality

If this option is selected, NEXUS2 will always

use the best possible audio quality while ex-

porting. The default setting for this option is

“o”. Currently only the Steinberg hosts such

as Cubase & Nuendo support this feature.

overwrite warnings

This option allows you to deactivate the

warnings usually seen when attempting to

overwrite data. The default setting for this

option is “on”.

delete warnings

This option deactivates warnings when

attempting to delete categories, presets or

patterns. The default setting for this option

is “on”.

page speed

Allows you to change the speed with which

the mouse-wheel scrolls through lists.

Please note that not all hosts have mouse-

wheel support for their plug-in windows.

We’re working with these vendors to add this

functionality in future releases of their host

software.

NEXUS2 User Manual

CENTRAL DISPLAY

The NEXUS2 display has several distinct functions. These are selected using the eight buttons

you’ll nd to either side of the display:

library

Click on this button to show the preset brows-

er. This is used for loading, saving, renaming,

deleting and managing your presets.

mod

Click on this button to access the modulation

matrix, LFOs and their associated param-

eters.

arp

Click on this button to access the freely edit-

able arpeggiator.

Click on this button to access the NEXUS2

“Trance Gate”.

NEXUS2 User Manual

freq

Click on this button to display the scope / FFT

frequency analyzer.

mix

Click on this button to access the Master Ef-

fects, Feature Matrix, Oscillator mixer and

Master EQ.

live

News, updates, expansions, skins and more -

the whole world of NEXUS2 is just one click

away!

sys

System settings for this particular instance of

NEXUS2. These settings are stored with the

current song/project i.e. they are not saved

along with a preset itself.

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