How to Use reFX Nexus 3: New Features and Workflow

Nexus 3 is a sample-based synthesizer from reFX designed for electronic music production. Its extensive collection of polished presets makes it easy for beginners to create contemporary sounds without synthesis expertise. Compared with Nexus 2, it introduces a redesigned interface, improved performance, and licensing without a hardware key, with use on up to two computers through reFX Cloud. Preset search, quick previews, and intuitive editing help make music production faster and more comfortable.

Modern Sounds Made Easy: A New Release of the Popular Nexus

Nexus 3 from reFX offers sample-based sounds tailored to contemporary electronic music.
With polished, high-quality sounds ready to use, anyone can find the sound they want without needing to understand synthesizer programming.
Browse the presets and you will hear one familiar electronic music staple after another.

The upgrades from Nexus 2 include:

A completely redesigned user interface
Major performance improvements
Enhanced presets and arpeggiator features
No more hardware license key requirement, including for Nexus 2 users

These improvements support a more comfortable workflow as well as better access to sounds.
This article and its videos explain the new features in Nexus 3.

Nexus 3 Video: New Features — Part 1

Selected Questions and Answers from the YouTube Video

I own the standard version of Nexus 2, I think. Will I get more presets if I upgrade to version 3?

Yes. The website states that approximately 350 new presets are included.

An Upgrade from Nexus 2 Is Also Available

An upgrade option was offered to existing Nexus 2 users, making Nexus 3 available at a substantial saving.
You can also carry over all the presets you created in Nexus 2 to Nexus 3.

New Licensing: No eLicenser Key Required

An eLicenser key is no longer needed to use the product. You can now activate it directly on your computer.

reFX Cloud-1

reFX Cloud is installed in the following location:

Mac: Users → your user folder → Applications
Windows: C drive → Users → your user folder → AppData → Local → Programs → reFX

Find that location and launch reFX Cloud.

Click the item you want to download, install, or update.

The preferences icon also lets you choose where to install the sound library.
If your main hard drive is running low on space, you can choose an external drive instead.

After installation, you can launch the instrument in your DAW.
An activation window appears the first time you launch it. Log in to the reFX account you used to purchase the product.
The product is activated automatically and is ready to use straight away.
One license allows use on up to two computers, which is another welcome feature.

A Redesigned Interface and Major Performance Improvements

The graphics have been completely redesigned, giving the instrument an attractive new interface.
It also displays clearly on 4K and Retina screens.
Drag the bottom-right corner to resize the window to suit your display.

Managing Presets with the Librarian

The preset library has also been made easier to use.

Searching for presets is now more convenient.

Red: Select a sound pack type or a purchased expansion pack.
Yellow: Select an instrument, playing technique, or sound characteristic.
Blue: View the presets that match the filters above.

Double-click a preset name to load it.
Nexus 3 not only significantly reduces preset loading times, but also improves CPU performance.

Use the sound-characteristic buttons at the top to narrow down presets by the type of sound you have in mind.
In the image, “dark” and “spiky” are active, so only presets matching both characteristics are shown.

Click a button twice to turn its background red.
This means presets with that characteristic are excluded from the results.
In this example, presets matching “dark” are shown, with “dirty” presets excluded.

Quick Preview

Simply click a preset name to preview its sound.
The preview plays without loading the preset, helping you find the sound you want more quickly.

The Favorites Icon

To the right of each preset name, click the heart icon so it lights up to add that preset to your favorites.

Click the heart button at the top to display only your favorite presets.

Click it again to turn the background red and exclude favorites from the list instead.

To remove a preset from your favorites, click its heart icon again to turn it off.

Bookmarks

You can create your own preset folders and place presets in them.
You can create multiple folders, too.

Right-click in the folder area and choose “Create new bookmark folder.”

Then simply drag and drop the presets you want into that folder.

To remove a preset from a bookmark folder, right-click it and choose “Remove from bookmarks.”

To delete a bookmark folder itself, right-click the folder and choose “Delete.”

Saving Presets

You can also save presets after editing them.

Click the menu icon at the top and choose “save preset.”

A “User presets” folder is created automatically, and your saved presets appear there.
You can also rename a preset.

Right-click the preset you want to rename and choose “Rename.”
To delete it, choose “Delete” immediately below.

Quick Sound Editing

You can quickly make basic edits to a loaded preset.

The panels on the left and right provide “FILTER MOD (LowPass),” “DELAY,” “FILTER,” “AMP MOD,” and “REVERB.”

Turn on the power button for the panel you want to use to apply its effect to the sound.

Parameter locking is particularly useful here.
Choose “locked” from a panel’s menu to retain its spatial effects or filter settings while switching presets.

The details of these panels are the same as in Nexus 2.
The video in the article below explains them in detail.

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Four Macro Knobs

Four macro knobs have been added to the front panel.

You can assign multiple Nexus 3 parameters to a single macro knob, making these controls useful for DJ sets and live performance.

Open “modulation” at the top.
As an example, we will assign filter cutoff and pan to macro knob 1.

1. Select the macro knob to use: macro 1 in this example.
2. Select the parameters the macro will control: filter cutoff and pan.
3. Set how much each parameter changes as you move the macro knob. Here we use the maximum amount to make the effect easy to hear.

When you move macro 1, yellow lines appear around the assigned parameters to show the macro’s effect.

You can also record and play back these macro movements in your DAW.

Using Automation in Different DAWs

Controlling Sound Layers

Some presets combine multiple layers of sound.
Controlling these layers lets you tailor the sound more closely to your track.

Open “features.”
This view shows the layer configuration at a glance. Here, there are three oscillators across two layers.

Click “layer” to mute a particular layer. This is useful when previewing or editing the layer you want to focus on.

If a layer uses multiple oscillators (OSC), you can also click an oscillator to mute it.

You can fine-tune each layer individually.

Volume: Sets the layer’s volume. Simply adjusting the balance between layers can make a considerable difference to the sound.
Pan: Sets the layer’s stereo position. Use it to give the sound more stereo width or to keep it focused.
SemiTone: Sets the pitch in semitone steps. This is useful for creating harmony from a single note or layering sounds an octave apart.
Cent: Sets the pitch in hundredths of a semitone. Slightly offsetting the pitch of different layers creates a detuning effect that thickens the sound.

Practical Tools for Creating Phrases

Next, we will look at the improved arpeggiator and trance gate for creating phrases, and the effects section for polishing your sound.

Nexus 3 Video: New Features — Part 2

The Nexus 3 Arpeggiator

An arpeggiator creates phrases by changing when the individual notes of an incoming MIDI chord are played.
This feature is found in many synthesizers and is a standard technique across many genres.

Start by entering sustained chords as MIDI notes, as shown here.

Select the “arpeggiator” menu.
You can apply the arpeggiator separately to the layers described earlier.
Here, we have selected “main,” which applies it to all layers.

Configure the arpeggiator settings.

mode: Determines how the pitches of the played notes progress.
octaves: Sets the octave range of the pattern relative to the notes you entered.
speed: Sets the playback speed of the phrase.
gate: Sets the duration of the played notes.
length: Sets the length of the phrase.
filter: Narrows down which notes are played according to specified conditions.
strum: When “mode” is set to “poly,” offsets the timing of notes that would otherwise play together to create a guitar-like strumming effect.
shuffle: Adds swing when 16th- or 32nd-note timing is selected, letting you adjust the groove. This function is disabled with eighth-note timing.

The instrument includes many presets, so you can also use ready-made patterns straight away.

Drag notes up or down to change the pitches that are played.
Pitch adjustments are made in semitone steps.

Right-click an existing note to delete it, or right-click an empty area to create a new note.
You can also drag a note’s edge to change its length.

Change “mode” to “seq” to enter a phrase much as you would in a DAW piano roll.
This is also useful for creating riffs.

Save a pattern with “save preset” to recall it whenever you need it.
Selecting “locked” retains the arpeggiator pattern even when you change the sound preset. This is useful when you want to change the sound without changing the phrase.

The Nexus 3 Trance Gate

Select the “trancegate” tab, then choose the layer to process, just as with the arpeggiator. “main” applies the trance gate to all layers.
Turn on the power button to activate the trance gate.

mode: Choose stereo or mono operation. Stereo lets you play different patterns on the left and right.
speed: Select the gate pattern’s speed as a note value.
length: Sets the length of the gate pattern.
mix: Adjusts the balance between the gated and ungated sound. At 100, only the gated sound is output.
width: Adjusts the stereo width of the sound.
contour: Adjusts the attack character of the phrase created by the gate.
delay: Sets a delay before the gate takes effect, measured in note values. Until the gate starts, the MIDI notes you entered play as they are.
fade-in: Sets how long the gate effect takes to fade in, measured in note values.
shuffle: Adjusts the groove by adding swing, such as eighth-note or 16th-note triplet feels, to the gate rhythm.

A wide selection of gate presets is included in the area outlined in yellow, helping you discover unexpected patterns that suit your track.

You can also edit the gate pattern.
Right-click an existing gate step to delete it, or right-click an empty space to add one.

Save a pattern with “save preset” to recall it whenever you need it.
Selecting “locked” retains the gate pattern even when you change the sound preset.
This is useful when you want to keep the gated phrase and change only the sound.

The Nexus 3 Effects Section

The effects section has also been revised and improved, making it very easy to use.

Click the “effects” tab to open the effects section.
Then simply click the effect you want to use so that it lights up.

“Reverb,” “Delay,” and “Filter” are linked to the effects on the front panel.

The insert effects offer several effect types that you can combine flexibly to suit your needs.

What do you think?
These features are especially helpful when you cannot think of a phrase or want to use a familiar pattern.
Try bringing them into your own production workflow.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Can I use Nexus 3 without knowing how to program a synthesizer?

Yes. Its extensive collection of polished presets makes it easy to select and use the sound you want without synthesis knowledge. Simply load a preset to get a professional electronic sound straight away.

Q2. Can I keep my presets when switching from Nexus 2?

Yes. Presets created in Nexus 2 can be carried over completely to Nexus 3. Discounted upgrade pricing was also offered to existing users.

Q3. Do I need an eLicenser key?

No. Nexus 3 removed the eLicenser key requirement and switched to computer-based activation through your reFX account. One license allows use on up to two computers.

Q4. Have preset loading times improved?

Yes. Nexus 3 significantly reduces preset loading times and improves CPU performance. Quick Preview also lets you hear sounds without loading the presets.

Q5. Can I change where the library is installed?

Yes. You can choose the sound library’s installation location in preferences. If your main hard drive has limited space, you can select an external drive instead.