MusicRadar

The Nucleus offers a convenient solution for a range of DAW needs.

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• Review

Scribbler

The main channel controls (Fader, Channel Select, Solo and Cut) aren't directly editable, and neither are the Bank/Channel navigation, Layer/User Toggle and Cursor buttons, but everything else is fair game.

Right off the bat, 75% of our editing/mixing needs were met, still leaving over 32 controls available for assignment. This is made possible by the upper row of eight buttons (V-Sel switches) on each side and the rows of push-button pots (V-Pots) beneath them.

In the base mode the V-Pots function as Pan controls and double as Insert/EQ/FX Send controls when necessary. The V-Sel switches can be assigned to a list of available functions through the Remote utility. The User 1 and 2 buttons pull up two more sets of control assignments for the V-Pots and V-Sel switches, only some of which are filled in the basic templates.

The two LCD screens (Scribble Strips) that separate the rows of V-Pot and V-Sel switches function as labels for the controls in the two User modes while displaying channel names and pan/parameter values in the base mode.

It's a surprisingly intuitive system that rarely foxed us, even during the initial stages; pretty soon we were merrily flipping between User control sets and working a project as quickly as ever.

The process of control assignment within the Nucleus Remote is quick and simple, with any changes taking effect instantaneously, meaning that set-ups can be tweaked on the hoof.

Clicking on the virtual V-Pot or V-Sel switch in the Remote utility presents the user with a choice of either standard DAW commands from a list or a keyboard shortcut. The V-Pot/Sel can then be given a six-character label that will show on the adjacent part of the Scribble Strip.

The possibilities are further expanded with a 'Menu' option for the V-Sel switches, allowing you to select a sub-set of functions for the eight V-Pots beneath, permitting 64 possible commands per row of V-Sel/Pots.

Obviously that could take some time to program, but key command set-ups and working practices evolve with time, and this way the Nucleus stands a good chance of keeping up.

Panner

The quality of the physical control interface is excellent, making the Nucleus easy and responsive to work with. The motorised faders use a pitchbend MIDI assignment that has over 16,000 increments, so mixer level changes are smooth and accurate. The pan pots have 11 LED position markers around them, with a single red LED to indicate the centre position.

Eight Channel controllers are no doubt useful, but having 16 channels at hand reduces navigation movements, allowing more time for hands-on mixing. The big backlit transport controls and the weighty jog wheel are real highlights, in particular the navigation and scrubbing accuracy made possible by the latter.

Because the V-Pots are continuous rotary controls, manual panning sweeps can be wayward, but the Flip switch swaps the faders and V-Pots, and panning can be approached like the cross-fader when scratching.