KVR :: Instruments » Is ReFX Nexus2 worth getting? [View Original Topic]
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chiron2009 - Sun Apr 29, 2012 11:53 am

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I am thinking of buying the product along with a few expansions etc. I have searched quite a few forums to read reviews on nexus, where some say its legendary VST and others say its over-used sounds that aren't worth listening to. What should I do?

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vivo - Sun Apr 29, 2012 12:12 pm

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Hi,

I love it with the expanders i have.

I've just made this track with it : http://soundcloud.com/viktorvos/sometimes

I use it a lot in my productions on www.soundcloud.com/viktorvos

Dance or downtempo it's usable for both (for me).

Regards,
Viktor Vos
www.section9records.nl

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JD Gaffe - Sun Apr 29, 2012 12:17 pm

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People have a really hard time selling it on the marketplace.

Lot of people on KVR like having a lot of control, and a rompler simply doesn't do that.

That's all I'll say.

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tdm71 - Sun Apr 29, 2012 12:27 pm

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Love nexus here! BTW... What expansions do you have?

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bronxsound - Sun Apr 29, 2012 12:27 pm

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A: in essence yes

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vivo - Sun Apr 29, 2012 12:32 pm

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house vol 1 , dance vol 1 & 3 , trance elements, pop, classic trance, hollywood , omicron 2 & 3, fm, bigtone signature 2 & 3 , future arps 2 , dance drums

and yes that was quiet some $

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mihai - Sun Apr 29, 2012 5:23 pm

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no.

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dusted william - Sun Apr 29, 2012 5:48 pm

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they don't come up on the Market that often, and I think it sells better than most.

At least that is my observation.

dw

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vata44 - Sun Apr 29, 2012 5:50 pm

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Yes, its amazing if you can afford it... but I cannot afford it.

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chiron2009 - Sun Apr 29, 2012 9:51 pm

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The price is definitely high being around £250 just for the starter package plus the £50 expansions (with VAT). I think I will end up getting it, has anyone used EastWest Symphonic Strings compared to Nexus Hollywood?

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JJBiener - Sun Apr 29, 2012 10:23 pm

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If it were me, I would go with Alchemy instead of Nexus 2. It has the sample capabilities, but it can also do granular, additive and spectral synthesis. It is also cheaper. It has plenty of expansion pack available both from Camel Audio and third parties. Check it out before you purchase Nexus 2.

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cyphersuit - Sun Apr 29, 2012 10:48 pm

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You really can't compare those expansions. nexus expansions are made of production ready sounds, they give you everything out of the box, instant gratification...

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muLperi - Sun Apr 29, 2012 11:52 pm

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I think Nexus is the only good rompler in the market along with Korg M1. It has lots of good and usable sounds and I guess is worth the money since there really aren't options.

I wouldn't compare it to Alchemy or Omnisphere or complex synthesizers.
Nexus is about good out-of-the-box sounds and straight forward bread and butter use like M1. Nothing else.

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osiris - Mon Apr 30, 2012 12:56 am

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I love Nexus, but I think it depends on what you already have. For an extra $100.00 you can get Komplete 8, which is just about everything (Instruments and effects)you need to make music.
Your money your decision.

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Ingonator - Mon Apr 30, 2012 1:28 am

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If i would pay as much money for a single VST synth i would add another 100 Euros (which is like 2 Nexus expansions) and get Omnisphere instead (which i still don't have currently).

For the price of Nexus with all expansions which is currently 2169 Euros (!!) you could get a decent hardware synth like e.g. a Virus TI2 keyboard or a workstation (e.g. Motif XF, Korg M3 XP or even a Kronos for a little additional money).

That "production ready sounds" hype for the Nexus expansions is just a marketing phrase IMO. This sounds like the soundsets/expansions for other synths are just "crappy" in comparison.

One important reason that i did not get either Omnisphere and Nexus until today is that there are no product demos for both so far. Just doing MP3 demos is not enough for me, especially for such expensive synths.


Ingo

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cyphersuit - Mon Apr 30, 2012 1:57 am

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there IS a difference... haven't found better expansion packs, than those refx ones. is there a synth which expansion packs come close? if so i would love to know!

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rob_lee - Mon Apr 30, 2012 2:02 am

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I used to own Nexus2. I just listened to the new expansion "Trance Leads" and think the sounds are amazing in the video demo here.

http://refx.com/products/nexus/expansions/

Looks like reFX has given Nexus2 a new look GUI which is very nice too. Shame the engine cannot be opened up so users can make their own expansions or i'd be on this again cause i have a tone of stuff i'd put in there.

It's well worth the money though if you want the best sounds bar none right out of the box ready to go, otherwise buy hardware synths.

Rob

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re_mute - Mon Apr 30, 2012 2:42 am

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Omnisphere has much, much higher quality samples included - night and day, there's heavy aliasing in Nexus and muddy, "flabby" bass where they've simply stretched the samples keyrange. Which isn't to say I don't love it, I do, especially for it's ease of use, range of sounds, light CPU/RAM and instant loading times but the sound quality could be improved IMO.
Omnisphere is great sounding but it's like wielding a tank- everything is sloooow, from opening the GUI to changing tabs to loading sounds, and once you've used Nexus's "lock" feature to freeze the arp, fx, envelopes etc you *really* miss it when loading sounds in Omnisphere.

They really complement each other IMHO.

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cyphersuit - Mon Apr 30, 2012 2:53 am

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When did you last check this? i read about that on the forums a few years ago, before i bought mine.

never experienced that problem. also afaik most of the bass-sounds are made from the nexus synth engine, not from samples, that's why they are listet as 0.0 mb files in the lower right tab.

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tehlord - Mon Apr 30, 2012 3:04 am

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Nexus sounds are either fine or good. There's nothing really amazing in there that you don't get with other well programmed banks.

The main difference is that Nexus and it's expansions are ridiculously overpriced, and that's my main issue with it.

If the plugin was £99 and the expansions were £20 each it'd be a no brainer.

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cyphersuit - Mon Apr 30, 2012 3:07 am

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i bought nexus and all expansions for around 2.000 €. before that i bought some korg workstations and a virus at around the same price.

guess what made me much happier and what is getting the most use?

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rob_lee - Mon Apr 30, 2012 3:29 am

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The engine needs to be opened up IMO.. i want to put my own sounds in that thing.

Rob

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tehlord - Mon Apr 30, 2012 3:31 am

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I can't see it ever happening dude, the closed engine is what lets them create the overpriced soundsets that you'd do as well as or better for less money.

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rob_lee - Mon Apr 30, 2012 3:37 am

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Yes it seems there are only a certain few allowed to do expansions for it which is a shame indeed. I reckon £25 for an expansion would be a fair price. I want to buy Nexus2 but i just don't want to use presets (EVEN THOUGH SOME ARE AMAZING) i prefer to do my own.
This thing is still cool for anyone LOADED with WONGA and want instantly useable sounds right out of the box.

Rob

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tehlord - Mon Apr 30, 2012 3:39 am

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What, like a Virus?

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rob_lee - Mon Apr 30, 2012 3:43 am

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LOL, well this months soundset sales went on the Virus Geoff.

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tehlord - Mon Apr 30, 2012 3:44 am

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Fcuk you

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trimph1 - Mon Apr 30, 2012 3:46 am

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I had this thing awhile back..come to think of it..I never did get rid of it..it is still lurking on my HDD....

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rob_lee - Mon Apr 30, 2012 3:50 am

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Lol next month a Slim Phatty

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tehlord - Mon Apr 30, 2012 3:52 am

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I thought you already had a Virus Snow?

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rob_lee - Mon Apr 30, 2012 3:53 am

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I did till a week ago.. that was sold to go toward the BIG BOY so less to pay.. saved my patches though cause a couple of Virus banks will be released in summer

Rob

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tehlord - Mon Apr 30, 2012 3:56 am

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I'll got one again too..........one day.

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rob_lee - Mon Apr 30, 2012 3:57 am

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Just put a sale on your soundsets you'll have the cash in 4 weeks "simple"

Rob

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tehlord - Mon Apr 30, 2012 3:58 am

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You're confusing me with Rob Lee

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rob_lee - Mon Apr 30, 2012 4:01 am

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LOL.. Just make more soundsets Geoff, the quality is high you'll soon have a few banks out there, IMO reFX should open up that engine so i can knock out half price expansions. Never gonna happen though im NOT in the CLICK

Rob

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zeep - Mon Apr 30, 2012 4:14 am

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Yes. Nexus 2 is a great production tool and most expansions are spot on.
Well worth the money.

Now refx should let rob make a bank.

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re_mute - Mon Apr 30, 2012 4:36 am

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A quick check of Rauschwerk2 and the FM soudnset show most of them using samples.

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Ingonator - Mon Apr 30, 2012 4:53 am

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Hi mate,

good choice. Then you could check the bank i'm working on for it...

The money i got last year from selling a bunch of my softsynths went all into buying the Slim Phatty but it was worth it IMO.
I am currently investigating my softsynth setup and will maybe do another "clearout" of my softsynth rig. This could maybe even include stuff like e.g. Sylenth1, Synth Squad or even Alchemy (?!).

BTW i still got my Virus TI desktop (first version which i got a round 2005/2006) which i wanted to sell already last year. I'm still not sure if i keep or sell it.


Ingo

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cyphersuit - Mon Apr 30, 2012 5:34 am

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obviously as those are based around sampling older synths. still most of the basses are synthesized in nexus2.

- so you have heavy aliasing with rauschwerk 2 and fm?
- nexus 1 or 2?
- which nexus version?
- what quality settings are you using?

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zvenx - Mon Apr 30, 2012 6:26 am

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Manuel did say in a similar thread that at some point refx2 will be open, but I think he couldn't say when.

rsp

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re_mute - Mon Apr 30, 2012 7:18 am

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Ahh, most of the bass sounds in Nexus don't use samples except those that use samples which is most of the bass sounds in Nexus.

The aliasing I'm referring to is heard in the higher notes for example in Single Layer Pad PD Ambient 3.
I'm not sure why you're treating my post as an issue to be solved or defended as I'm quite happy with Nexus2 - it's simply the sound quality compared to Omnisphere is poor IMO.

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DevonB - Tue May 01, 2012 5:00 am

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I find the price point complaining to be interesting, especially when I put it in perspective. Yes, VSTi banks are usually 'cheaper', but not always. I would expect patches with samples to be more expensive to start. If I look at it from a hardware perspective -

Audio CD were usually $99 for samples.
Samples in a particular format (Akai, etc.) were $199 to start.
ROM cards run from low $50 (some Roland JV80 cards that are NOT popular) to $150 for the Vintage and Voice cards.
EMU ROM's run $80 for the Composer card to $250+ for the Vintage ROM, depending on the day. Most EMU roms I'd say on average are about $125-$150. Not sure how much they were new back in 1999-2000 era.
Korg cards run $80-$300 for the orchestral two ROM set.

This is what the market sets it at as I'm basing it on Ebay solds over the last several years for new sound sets that would be "similar". Now granted, $10 for a sound set is a much easier impulse buy, but honestly, $65 for a good quality set of sounds (about $0.50 apiece) isn't too shabby.

Devon

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zvenx - Tue May 01, 2012 5:09 am

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I don't believe the comparison to prices of olden days are valid at all..or hardware vs software. Technology has brought down prices so much...I think my 8-track adat was $3,000 for that I can buy a computer and audio card that can record probably 11 times that amount of tracks.........etc

rsp

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DevonB - Tue May 01, 2012 5:59 am

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You're comparing apples and oranges here. You're talking about the manufacturing of electronic goods of a recording device. I'm talking about the making of sound banks of which really hasn't changed over the last 30+ years; you still have to program the synth, you still have to record samples, you still have to figure out a storage medium to distribute on, etc. However, the storage medium that it is distributed on does dictate some of the cost, so I'll agree with you that far, but not the time and effort to get the sounds onto the medium. That could be short, that could be very long, depending on the content delivered and the person/people doing it. The media is the easy part in the end.

And I am quoting TODAY'S pricing above. I regularily buy, sell, and research pricing for sound banks across the board in hardware. The hardware vs. software doens't hold water in my opinion because the arguement is always the same around here; hardware is software running on hardware, which is exactly what your VSTi is, software running on hardware. We're still talking the end result of programmed sounds for synthesizers, regardless of platform.

Devon

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zvenx - Tue May 01, 2012 6:06 am

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you are quoting today's prices on what might as well be vintage hardware or sounds for vintage hardware...no?

alo maybe I am missing your point....but weren't you the one who brought in hardware comparisons in the debate of nexus soundbanks being too expensive?


my whole point is that without a doubt every aspect of the recording process, cost of studio time, cost to make a studio, cost to buy tools to create a record etc have dropped tremendously, so a comparison of what it use to cost to me is moot.
rsp

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vivo - Tue May 01, 2012 6:09 am

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the OP asked for if it was worth getting it.....

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zvenx - Tue May 01, 2012 6:13 am

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yes you are right...
only he can determine that in the end though....
I bought it and hardly use it, but I know others who bought it and its their first call synth....

rsp

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vivo - Tue May 01, 2012 6:18 am

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well as i said i love it (i have no connections with reFX )

this song is mainly nexus2 with my expanders.

all a matter of taste. But one cannot deny that nexus2 sounds very clear and crisp that's all I want to say. Omnisphere damn good too. Combine them

http://soundcloud.com/viktorvos/wise-and-old

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zvenx - Tue May 01, 2012 6:25 am

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Also to me it depends on what genre you are planning to use it in......I do think the mp3's on the site give you a really good idea of the sound of it..even if not the scope.
rsp

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DevonB - Tue May 01, 2012 6:31 am

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No, I'm saying, in comparison to other sound banks out there, they are reasonably priced. People are comparing a few VST sound banks they get for $20, and thinking that $65 is too much. I'm saying it's still reasonable, and actually, middle of the road compared to other options out there for various platforms; pure samples, sample-based with presets, just presets, etc.



And again, I'm quoting todays pricing, that I can reasonably expect to go onto Ebay and buy it for today for a multitude of hardware synths, or banks of presets from other soundware makers that are on the web. VSTi's is only a portion of the soundware market, it's not the only soundware available.

It also depends on what you consider to be 'vintage' as well. Again, we're talking about soundware for a synthesizer. The platform, to me, is moot.

Devon

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zvenx - Tue May 01, 2012 6:39 am

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and that I submit is the great limitation in your comparison....

anyway as was pointed out on the top of the page all of this is OT...
take care

rsp

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1-2-Many - Tue May 01, 2012 6:52 am

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Does this underwear make me look fat???

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chiron2009 - Tue May 01, 2012 7:46 am

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My genre range is quite broad as I call the style of things I compose 'fusion' but the main genres that I like doing is ambient, slight trance/dance/electro and orchestral (looking at other VSTs for orchest.)

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chiron2009 - Tue May 01, 2012 7:49 am

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What Nexus2 expansions do you think a 'fusion' artist mind need? Do you recommend any good expansions - I like the sound of the Bigtone ones.

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vivo - Tue May 01, 2012 7:18 pm

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Well maybe indeed the Bigtone Ones and POP, FM

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deathwish - Tue May 01, 2012 7:33 pm

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It's a rompler which imo is a huge waste of money. Get Zebra or Diva instead. Far superior sound quality in those synths.

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cyphersuit - Tue May 01, 2012 10:40 pm

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Do you own Nexus2?

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highkoo - Wed May 02, 2012 12:13 pm

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+1
Worse than that.
Once you own it, it encourages you to be a lazy preset browser, because it is little more than that. Which would be fine if it werent talked about and sold like it was... a real synth.
Id also guess that after using it for a while other synths output seem pretty flat with their ol' single cycle wavs and whatnot...
I actually cannot understand why it sells until I realize that it is a happy meal.
It should come with a t-shirt or something.
Dont they charge for skins too?

Meh, looks like theyve bolted some things on in the new one?
I still dont see the point.

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re_mute - Wed May 02, 2012 1:47 pm

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Every f**king time Nexus is mentioned there's some elitist twat coming along and insulting those lame preset users.
It's like every Omnisphere user *never* just uses the built-in presets. Or the zillion Massive/Zebra banks are never, ever bought.
Sampletank? For losers.
All those Kontakt libraries with those pesky pianos and strings - pah, record your own or you're a "lazy preset browser".

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fisherKing - Wed May 02, 2012 1:50 pm

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i don't know what's wrong with presets. i want to MAKE MUSIC, not build a piano.
i LOVE having LOTS of presets; THEN i can tweak as needed. i want to open Logic, and make a song, not design a bass sound.

for many people, that's the deal. make music, not have to first spend an hour making a sound...

whatever works.

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ChestRockwell - Wed May 02, 2012 2:18 pm

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That's a fairly decent take on the situation. If you happen to fall into this category, then it's absolutely perfect for you.

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shponglefan - Wed May 02, 2012 2:48 pm

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I've never understood how there is no shame in using sample libraries for real instruments, but do the same with synths and suddenly you get silly elitists looking down their noses at it.

It's like some people turn making synth sounds into a fashion statement... which is just dumb.

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highkoo - Wed May 02, 2012 3:51 pm

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I agree.
I have no disrespect for that way of working. Fukk, I am jealous of it more every day. Not everyone wants to program synths. Thats cool. Thats fine. I... cant play any stringed instruments, or juggle, or cook. No ones mad at me. Realizing what you want/need and going after it is nothing to give or take shit for.

I just dont get the implication that Nexus is on par with something like Zebra, in any fukking way. Except price. Ha, well, almost;

Nexus: $299
Zebra2: $199

How in the hell do they sell this thing?
How many sample packs could be bought for $300?

I will accept 'twat', but Im not exactly an elitist man.
And I did not say lame. I said lazy. As in, not putting in as much effort for the sound. Is that inaccurate?
Well, I guess you guys do have to pony up the extra $100....

Logically a preset user is actually more likely to have more impressive sounds in the end. And in my mind that is the goal for a Nexus user; Good sounds. So you win! Why be offended?
Its like youre offended that you might be viewed to have lost a game that you do not play.
If I went and bought a cake, and a baker was in line behind me and started talking shit about my cake baking skills, I wouldnt really get offended, cuz I eat cake, I dont bake it.
Anyway, very sorry to be the bubble burster, in this thread.


So you think that those synths are just as likely/suitable to be used as preset machines like Nexus?
Well ironically that kind of sums up my feelings.
I basically think its crazy that Massiv/Zebra/Omni/etc are being compared to Nexus.
I think its crazy that for some people hearing a dope sound come out of Zebra and hearing a dope sound coming out of Nexus are the same thing.

Honestly, its when I realize prices that I really lol and get the urge to post.
And I think Nexus threads need a catfish. Keeps you guys active.


Wait, there isnt?
At all?

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shponglefan - Wed May 02, 2012 5:49 pm

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This is one thing I will agree on, the price of Nexus2 seems very high for what it is. In fact, first time I went to the site and saw the "complete" price of over two grand, I thought it was hardware. The little pseudo-hardware rendering on their site made it look like they were selling a h/w rompler.

But then finding out it's only software, that seemed insane to me.

Compare that to something like Omnisphere, which at $500 many consider to be a pricey VST. But you get over 5000 patches (most of which are good quality), plus a huge sample library and synth engine in which to make your own sounds. Plus the various other things like their free iPad app, etc.

Seems like no contest to me where the value is...



Let's just say I've never seen anyone take flak for not hiring their own orchestra.

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mikedw - Wed May 02, 2012 9:14 pm

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I had neexus but sold it, the sounds are processed and can be easier to do a mix but I think many soft synths sound better Tone2, U-he, Arturia and so on...

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deathwish - Wed May 02, 2012 9:29 pm

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Designing your own sounds is part of making ORIGINAL music.

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bronxsound - Wed May 02, 2012 11:40 pm

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i wouldn't be bothered too much being original or not if i could earn the descent money. and it seems that the ones who earn these days are not the ones who put originality as a priority.

N2 is a production workhorse. Being a rompler its main purpose is not sound design but sound delivery, which it does well. There are plenty options for sound design focused people around.

For me and many others it works and this is the actual measurement of its success.

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re_mute - Thu May 03, 2012 1:16 am

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Unless you've designed your own oscillators and filters though, it's not ORIGINAL.
And don't get me started on those frauds who play drums, violins, pianos and guitars built by other people, using amps and microphones they didn't spend years developing.
Who needs compositional skill when you can focus on knowing that a tiny minority of elitist hipsters know that the piece of shit you've just written has a bass sound you "made" using someone else's synth instead of using a preset.

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shponglefan - Thu May 03, 2012 7:48 am

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Not really. Making original music is part of making original music. If a person is just using pre-fab loops and arps, then yeah, that's going to be less than original. But using random preset leads, pads, etc, doesn't make the music unoriginal anymore than using a particular guitar, piano, or other instrument.

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fisherKing - Thu May 03, 2012 8:18 am

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crazy argument. i want to make music not be a sound designer. i doubt i'll go to hell for it...

i imagine 2 people who live on the same block. one dude spends the weekend designing an amazing pad on a synth plugin. the other guy makes a great song.

i'm aiming to be that other guy...

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bronxsound - Thu May 03, 2012 8:22 am

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^ be their girlfriend. steal midi project from one and copy fxp from another. release a smasher later

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deathwish - Thu May 03, 2012 9:58 am

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So now making your own presets is considered hipster? what a laugh riot
Playing drums, violin, guitars is completely different because the way the instruments make sounds in real time can vary greatly depending on their amp setup, space, and the way they play their instruments. In a virtual environment with a midikeyboard presets all sound the same.

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zircon - Thu May 03, 2012 10:18 am

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A piano is a piano. Nobody listens to solo piano music and says "wow, that piano sound is so unique and different." They only listen to the composition. While some acoustic instruments can be played or treated in unique ways, by and large they produce a certain set of timbres and that's it. Presets are just keyboard timbres. It's how you write with them that matters, and the context.

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dune_rave - Thu May 03, 2012 10:47 am

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Worth getting x,y,z ?
This question has no sense, because it's all subjective.
If your oppinion is that a synth has great values others still believe that it's totally shit. Who is right?

If you can't decide whether it's good or not, it's simply not for you.
If you have already 5-10 instruments, maybe you should decide not buying more.

And my oppinion : perhaps WusikStation can be good for you, if you really want some sample based monster...

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shponglefan - Thu May 03, 2012 11:29 am

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Presets can still sound different depending on how they are processed in a mix (EQ'd, etc), if they have FX applied to them, etc.

And I don't think anyone is ragging on anyone for doing sound design. But rather it's the attitude of people with this elitist view that using presets is "unoriginal". It's dumb because nobody else, esp. the average listener, cares. All that matters is whether the end result is good.

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Arglebargle - Thu May 03, 2012 11:43 am

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People who don't carve their own violin from scratch are total frauds.

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ATS - Thu May 03, 2012 11:53 am

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i say people who don't make their own tools to do the carving are frauds. Also you shuld grow the damn tree to get the wood. Don't go getting some tree someone else grew!

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Arglebargle - Thu May 03, 2012 11:56 am

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I agree. Any schmuck can use some tree that everyone else uses for everything. If you don't create brand new tree DNA to make your tools with, so you can carve a violin and play original music, preferably in a new molecular space that has never existed before, I don't want to hear your cookie cutter crap.

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fisherKing - Thu May 03, 2012 12:07 pm

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amen. NO listener cares whether it's a hardware synth, or a plugin; whether u used a drummer, or a drum machine.
the music moves you or...it doesn't.

this thread is making me laugh today (altho it could also be the meds...)

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chiron2009 - Thu May 03, 2012 12:31 pm

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Okay... this thread has gone off-track from the original question, I only wanted to know individual opinions but it's going like this. :/ But anyways, I'll be getting Nexus 2 as I am pleased with what it has to offer from recently looking at the samples on their website, but like other people said - I will probably used it for layering purposes and creating my sounds with Harmor, 3Osc etc.

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fisherKing - Thu May 03, 2012 12:42 pm

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just on topic for a second...
nexus2 is amazing for what it is. and the bottom line is, as always, what you do with it. bad ideas can't be saved by good sounds (or vice versa...or something).
get it, enjoy it's awesomeness, and make some awesome MUSIC with it...

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Old Crab - Thu May 03, 2012 4:17 pm

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It was a difficult decision for me to buy Nexus since it uses a dongle which I loathe. I even had buyers remorse while it was in the shipping process and I considered cancelling the order.

But when it arrived, I was completely thrilled with it. I now have no regrets whatsoever. The demos, while good, still don't do the actual sound justice imo.

Admiteddly, I'm a preset user, but I usually wind up tweaking quite a bit, and you can still do some tweaking in Nexus as well, at least you can modify the relative volume of the layers and of course change the ADSR, adjust the effects etc. It's just not for sound sculpting from the ground up.

I would advise you to listen carefully to the factory demo and also the various expansion sets.

Cheers

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braj - Thu May 03, 2012 4:46 pm

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Just to go off topic again, I think it is hilarious that some people who mock preset users make and sell presets That is pretty sad.

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izonin - Thu May 03, 2012 6:39 pm

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Presets are a good starting point for tweaking. With romplers you're pretty limited. Some limitations are good for creativity, though.

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trimph1 - Thu May 03, 2012 6:43 pm

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BTW...that tree DNA better be from some totally new substrates as well...none of that useless tree DNA that exist now...

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braj - Thu May 03, 2012 7:01 pm

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I think it really depends on the rompler. Omnisphere/Trilian for example could be called Romplers but the synth/arp/performance parts of them allow incredible cultivation of the sampled sounds. I haven't tried Nexus 2 and IMO it is just too expensive, I think that is the basic problem with it. I have Wusikstation and absolutely love it, but that admittedly has a lot to do with the $50 price tag If Nexus were less expensive I'm sure it would have more fans.

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payt69 - Fri May 04, 2012 1:02 am

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Ah yes the ole question of Nexus vs a real synth. To me it's expressed best this way:

Paint by numbers:


vs




Then again.. if you like the kinds of pictures you're getting with paint by numbers, then that's your thing. After all there are people who just need something to decorate their living room, as much as there are people who just need something to dance to on a dancefloor. Nothing wrong with that.

There will always be be people who invent new stuff. If enough people like this new thing, other people will want to make similar stuff.. so if you're smart, you're the one who provides 'the new flavour' in a ready to use package. And that's what Nexus does.

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braj - Fri May 04, 2012 1:04 am

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I don't think that's fair at all, a great pianist doesn't make a piano but they sure as hell can paint an incredible picture with music. There are plenty of people twiddling knobs that don't even know what a 'chord' is

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braj - Fri May 04, 2012 1:07 am

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There is much more to music than sound design.

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Richard_Synapse - Fri May 04, 2012 1:14 am

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There's much more to sound design than music?

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braj - Fri May 04, 2012 1:16 am

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Definitely A sound designer doesn't even have to be a musician, they may be painting a backdrop for someone else to paint a musical picture into.

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braj - Fri May 04, 2012 1:17 am

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And all the sound effects that are used in films etc.

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payt69 - Fri May 04, 2012 1:23 am

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I'd love that cup of tea

A piano is like a pianist's pencil or brush.. you sit down behind it with a blank sheet and start creating music.

In Nexus everything is much more predefined. You press a key and complete sequences and arps start playing, and it's all finetuned to sound like that song you heard on the radio or club or whatever.

Nexus' tagline is kinda similar to paint by numbers too: 'All you will need to create the next hit' isn't too dissimilar from 'I painted it myself!'. There's a similar philosophy behind both products: the company wants you to believe that you're the one who is doing the creating, while it was really the one who made the product who envisioned what the product was going to be used for in a rather specific way.

You can make a painting that looks like Van Gogh as much as you can make that track that sounds like Gaga or Deadmouse or whatever rules the charts or the floors these days. Just fill in the numbered shapes with the predefied colours, or just make a similar track using the predefined presets and there you go.

Nothing wrong with that.. it's just a different approach. There have to be Aphex Twins and there have to be Benga Boys..

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braj - Fri May 04, 2012 1:26 am

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Well I've never used Nexus nor really checked out their advertising, I am just speaking from a perspective of using a rompler, expecting they have all sorts of patches included, not just extremely specific presets. Nearly every synth out there has some finely tailored patches with very specific mimicry going on it doesn't mean that is all they are capable of.

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braj - Fri May 04, 2012 1:28 am

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Haha I have no idea who Aphex Twins or Benga Boys might be

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payt69 - Fri May 04, 2012 1:50 am

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Indeed.. even my Andromeda has some presets that lend themselves very well into a particular direction. The difference is that i can take that sound and change everything about it until it sounds nothing like what i started with. I don't think you can do that with Nexus, but correct me if i'm wrong.

And if your thing is to change sounds to the extent that you can really call them your own, then i don't think Nexus is the best choice of synth to start with, since there are synths out there that lend themselves to that purpose in a much better way. Nexus' strength is that it provides finished sounding presets that you can just drop in a track and be done with it.. kindof fire and forget.

Time and again you'll hear producers defend their use of Nexus by argueing that it saves them time. They need to meet deadlines and don't have time to fiddle around with 18db/oct notch filters, modulation matrixes, or even a chord scheme for that matter. They need to 'produce' and do it as fast as possible, because they need to make a living. They surf along the wave of whatever is the latest craze, and all they need is a tool to do it fast. That's where Nexus shows it's 'strength'.

I don't think i need to explain why this kind of music isn't interesting to me, and nor are the tools that are being developed to throw those tracks together.. it's just not what i seek in music.. but YMMV

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braj - Fri May 04, 2012 2:05 am

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Well I just had my first look at their product page. Though I don't mind limited controls on the surface I like to get deeper than that when I want, for example I love Trilian because it has some tailored controls by the sound designers on the main page, but you can dig down deep when you want. You are right that it doesn't give you so much to tailor the sounds, but I still think it depends more on the notes you are playing to determine if it is paint by numbers or not. It certainly sound like they are aiming it at 'commercial' producers more than musicians, but I bet there is some compelling content there. The arp looks very interesting to me for one thing.

IMO if it were a free player with that limited interface, with a pro, deeper version available ala Kontakt, I wouldn't mind getting it and a couple expansions over time. My only issue with it really is the price.

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re_mute - Fri May 04, 2012 2:07 am

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You press a key and *for some presets* a sequence or arp plays. Dance Orchestra, Hollywood, FM, Total piano, Bigtones 3 banks - you aren't forced in to buying trance expansions.
It's like saying "Well Zebra comes with an Arp bank so it must be for the masses - unlike me who is TEH ARTIST. Massive has a gazillion dubstep banks so IT MUST BE USED FOR WUB WUB."

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braj - Fri May 04, 2012 2:08 am

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Is there no accessible controls besides what is on the surface of the GUI? Nothing deeper available in that LCD?

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payt69 - Fri May 04, 2012 4:26 am

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Well that may be true.. but stil i think there are plugins that do those things (piano's, orchestra, FM, analog) much better and offer way more flexibilty than Nexus does.. and those plugins needn't be more expensive than a Nexus expansion (though some are).

Those instruments aren't Nexus' selling point.. The selling point of Nexus is quick and easy foolproof assembly of mostly dance tracks, and i think that's what most people buy it for.

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