Live Setup Multi- works, but is there a better way?

[thesoundsmith]

I'd like some feedback from gigging musicians if there is a better way to approach this:

I am playing a Rev C Receptor, 2G RAM and 160G drive. I use an M-Audio Prokeys88sx as master controller (17 lbs, 88 notes, sounds on-board for emergencies) and a Voce drawbar controller, plus foot pedals. The keyboard allows me to change between 7 presets, and easily change midi channel out. So I have 16 channels with 7 presets each, always the same 7 numbers, 1,2,3,5,6,8,18 (these correspond to the GM patch equivalent on the on-board sounds.)

I use the Kjaerhus reverb on Effect Bus 1 and their limiter at the output, if there are better ones among the free apps, I'd like to know. This is my current instrument setup:

NI B4 on channel 1/1, Voce drawbar controller set to channel 1 - in this configuration don't use the lower manual or pedals.

An acoustic piano on channel 2/2, probably Silver Jazz Steinway - I would LOVE it if this channel could ignore midi program change requests, if I forget and hit a patch change, I lose the whole instrument while it reloads (and probably the wrong sound is loaded so I have to reload the whole patch.) This is a significant issue.

An electric piano on channel 3/3, I use Mr. Ray 22, and can select 7 presets, which I would like to be able to continue to do. One of the problems with the Kompakt players is they don't respond to program change in an appropriate manner for stage use.

Channels 4 and 5 have synths, FM7 on 4/4 and MinimogueVA on 5/5, and I would like to have a couple more eventually, though for now this is enough. But they can be treated as identical for setup purposes.Because the keyboard will only send seven patch changes quickly, I have not tried to transfer the entire library to the

In order to create a split, each synth is transposed down an octave and limited to the range from C5 up. A second instrument is assigned the same 4/4 or 5/5 channel and a keyboard, transposed UP an octave, goes up to B4. n this case, I use MrRay73, which has no patch changes, so when I change patch on the Minimogue or FM7 only the synth sound changes, the electric piano plays on thru.

I am configured to let the keyboard talk directly to the source plugs, and am wondering if it would be better to talk to the receptorized patches - I don't get what the advantage is, but I'm willing to be convinced, I am just learning this fun new tool.

[Kermit Jagger]

In effect, when you use receptorized patches, you select a particular bank since both MSB/LSB are allocated to that bank. In other words, you can calibrate your sequencer so that track 1 does:

Control 0 = x
Control 32 = y
Program Change = z

x and y are the two values that Receptor has given to the bank, and program change is a value from 0 to 127 which select preset 1 to 128 of that bank.

It's very useful to select a preset without having to go to the mix page, select a vst, open its gui and select the preset required.

Secondly, it's also the only way you can select a preset using only the front panel when you don't have a monitor and mouse plugged.