One of the best VSTs

You will hear quite a lot that Nexus isn't that good anymore and generally some hate. I have to disagree. People usually judge this synth purely on its core library from 2007. Although the main library sounds like average dated electro, this synth is still updated, has brand new expansions added every 2-3 months and it sounds so good and professional. One downside is that this is not your average synth, but it is more of a Rompler, meaning you cannot do much sound design and have to rely on tweaking presets if you want to be creative with this thing. Other than that this is 11/10 for me.

Preferred Settings + Usage:

Industry Standard ROMpler

Synths or samples? In our day and age, this question presents itself to nearly any producer looking to push their sound out of the bedroom and into the bigroom. Sound-selection is, no matter the genre, by and large one of the most crucial aspects of any project. With hard drives full of sample folders and our DAWs packed full of every synth plug-in under the sun, producers spend hours of their lives searching, digging, frantically combing their files for that perfect kick or snare…that perfect bass hit or noise fill.

That’s where Nexus comes in. Described by reFX as a "next generation ROM synthesizer-plug in" (ie ROMpler), this beast of a plug in can be found in the project files of the vast majority of Beatport top 100s tracks... and for good reason. There is something undeniably alluring about a central hub to command those hundreds of samples, with familiar controls that any synth programmer can easily maneuver. It’s difficult to pinpoint what it is about Nexus that makes it so usable: the sleek interface with quick controls and organized library, the nearly endless samples that both come with the base synth or the dozens of expansions that can be added, or the CPU friendly user interface that blends right into your projects.

But what about the sounds? Purchasing Nexus is much more about the samples that come with it than simply just a shiny plug-in. The factory banks are designed for most modern dance and electronic genres, providing bread and butter sounds for all your drums, synths and fx needs. The samples are engineered to fit easily into a mix, with the UI providing quick ADSR, filter and arpeggio controls to tweak. The built in delay and reverb modules are of a surprisingly good quality, allowing you to polish your sounds without needing a massive fx chain on your channel, saving those precious CPU cycles for your other demanding synths. If you’re looking for infinite parameter controls and fine-tuning then you may find that Nexus does not exactly cater to your needs. Where Nexus really shines is giving you a pallet of quality sounds that can be layered or blended with your go-to synths to create bigger and fuller patches. Piano leads, supersaws and bass hits are in no short supply yet the expansions are there to offer add-ons that may fit better for particular styles.

For such a usable product, the downfalls are stark and hard to ignore. The plug-in and factory banks come with a hefty price tag of $249 and each expansion costing an additional $55, there is no two-ways about it, this is not a purchase most aspiring producers would make lightly. The need for a dongle may turn some off as well, yet the reality is that despite the difficult to swallow price, producers can rest assured that with little effort and some minor tweaks, they are certain to get their money’s worth.

Nexus is more of a comprehensive database of sounds than it is a synthesizer...

reFX’s Nexus2 synthesizer is one of the most notable and widely used pieces of software in the production world. The user interface is slick, the sounds are sublime, and the possibilities are so large in number, you would be hard pressed to ever actually use them all in a hundred projects. reFX has clearly done an amazing job with Nexus and has garnered a large amount of success and support from high profile users. I myself use Nexus on a fairly frequent basis. Unfortunately, Nexus has some glaring design flaws that, for me, knock it out of the upper echelon of software synthesizers.

When first looking at Nexus, it’s quite appealing. It has a sleek design and focuses your attention clearly on the main window straight in the middle. This window has several tab selections that allow you to flip through the possible parameters and what you’re able to modify within each sound. On either side you can find the ‘Filter Modifier’ and ‘Amp Modifier’ panels that are fairly straightforward and have well labeled knobs. Below all of this is the effects section of Nexus, where you will find the reverb, delay, and filter controls along with the master output knob. Nexus is well organized and easy to grasp, even if it’s your first time using it; all you do is load a preset and go to work. Its ease of use has led to its huge success in the music industry and, coupled with its high quality library, you’d be hard pressed to find a dance music producer that doesn’t have Nexus as part of their arsenal.??

Nexus is more of a comprehensive database of sounds than it is a synthesizer. Nexus comes with a comprehensive native library and a constantly expanding set of preset packs that can be easily loaded into the program. The best part is that all of the sounds are created using the legendary Virus TI2 hardware synthesizer. With that said, Nexus is not the most versatile product when it comes to uniqueness. While it has thousands of handpicked and meticulously created sounds, it gives close to no leeway for creative experimentation. Instead, it seems Nexus was intentionally curated to be a work flow tool for producers. Personally, I use it for the high quality orchestral sounds it provides and other various sounds that are of such high quality there’s no reason to remake them with a different synth. If you spend time exploring Nexus and all of its sample packs it can become a great asset, just don’t be surprised if you end up hearing many of the sounds in other songs.??

As an artist myself, I like to have more control over the sounds I use in my productions. Nexus’ strongest aspect is the real instrument presets that reFX provides and some of the vocal presets are amazing as well. However, Nexus seems to be more of a taste maker than a synth. You basically have to choose from sounds that somebody else has put together and leaves producers little room for adding their own personality. I still think Nexus is a valuable tool to have, especially if you have the money to get all of the preset packs, and I would encourage both experienced and new producers to include it in their studio.

God VSt

reFX’s Nexus2 synthesizer is one of the most notable and widely used pieces of software in the production world. The user interface is slick, the sounds are sublime, and the possibilities are so large in number, you would be hard pressed to ever actually use them all in a hundred projects. reFX has clearly done an amazing job with Nexus and has garnered a large amount of success and support from high profile users.

Amazing Sounds...!!!

It's a ROMpler, so if you're into programming it might not satisfy; however, if you just love playing a great sounding synth, you will get lost in the jungle of options and inspirational sounding patches that this synth has to offer... I absolutely love playing with it; still haven't found the end of the tunnel with this one (but I do MORE than just EDM, and I think that's where a lot of the magic resides in this synth because even though it's great for EDM, you can find an application for it in so many other genre's...)

It shouldn't be slated so much as it is!

reFX's Nexus gets slated a lot for being a plugin that dosen't give the user the flexibility to make their own sounds, which is bullsh*t in my opinion. This plugin is perfect for those who don't have a clue what they are doing when they start out, it simply contains a sound library which you can load any sound from, and simply start composing. No mucking about!

And for those who want to take it a step further, the layers from every sound can be disabled and then layered with other sounds from the vast amount of expansions provided, to create an entirely new kind of synth! Plus, changing/adding arpeggiator patterns and delay, stereo, bitcrush and so many more effects also contribute to personalising your sounds. Whats more, in DAW's such as FL Studio, almost all of the parameters in the VST can be automated for variation!

While I am praising reFX's creation, it does of course have it setbacks. With not all parameters automatable, layer or effect volumes also cannot be so, instead users have to open several instances of each layer to do this.

But despite this, the people who say Nexus is 'cheating' and the easiest plugin in the world to use, obviously won't dedicate their time to try it out. If I had never found this, I would have never had the courage to explore more VST's, or even understand what a VST was! xD

One of the most Fun VSTs on the market!

Absolutely in love with this VST. Its easy to setup, and is extremely intuitive. They also give you a great tutorial on their youtube channel. The additional sample packs you can purchase are nearly endless in scope, and can get you that desired sound in no-time. This is a great way to get that professional sound when still learning the ins and outs of sound design. Would recommend this as our #1 software synth in a heartbeat. Get this synth and you will have a lot of fun making the music you have always dreamed of! Pair this with Ableton Live and the Push and you will be soaring soon enough : )

Great sounding but limited synth.

This VST has a massive amount of sounds which are ready to use and just great. The FX sound incredible as well. However, it has very little ability to tweak sounds, which means it's harder to get something unique. The fact that it's sample based also means you're relying on presets completely although great sounding expansions keep on coming out. Basically I feel that it's great for getting into the feel for a track but then switching to something a little more versatile for some parts of a track.

Great for Quick Composition

Great Plugin! I highly recommend it for producers just starting to get into Digital production. The library of presets is amazing. The only downside is that all the presets are built off of recorded sounds. the "Oscillator" knob is basically a gain knob. So sounds can't really be manipulated past effects. No modulation that i know how to use (or that is easily learned). Great for all genres.

Works for me!

As an EDM artist working with creativity is vital for my flow. I love this synth because not only can you modify the sound - but because of the high quality presets already packed in, the "ease" of creating something new becomes so fresh and fun. I would recommend this product to anyone looking for some Hot top leads - such a great pack different and versatile sounds to be expanded and used!

Much Love,

• Chase Caffey