Muse Research

travelquarterly · Post by **travelquarterly** » Thu Jul 31, 2008 6:15 pm

Hi Guys,
I'm thinking of selling my Akai S5000 and getting a Receptor as I really like using Kontakt 2 as my sampler.
First, and foremost how stable is it for live use.
What are the biggest differences between all the Rev versions?
I read once on the Muse site about upgrades available for Rev 2 and 3.
But, not Rev 1 should I avoid Rev 1's.
I have been offered a reasonable deal on a Rev 1 $750.
Just base no other software (no big deal as I believe I'll just use what I have already Kontakt 2, Reaktor 5, and Rhino 2) and strangely no ilok (maybe he broke it). Don't you need an ilok for Receptor how much are they separately?
Second, can uniwire be used to bring audio into my daw and if so how many tracks? Or do I need to go use adat for multiple tracks?
Lot's of questions I know. But, I want to be informed before making the plunge.
As these aren't cheap especially considering the modest processor they contain.
Please impart your wisdom. I appreciate any help.
Regards,
Kevin

looneytunes · Post by **looneytunes** » Thu Jul 31, 2008 8:41 pm

Hi Kevin,

I'm not sure how you wish to balance price with feature. There is a noticeable difference between the Rev 1's and the current Rev Cs. If you do decide to go with the Rev 1, You really should upgrade the RAM to the max (2Gig) and upgrade the HD. This is especially important for running Kontakt. Most people can not survive with the default 40g HD either. Muse can upgrade both of these things for you, but it adds to the overall cost.

You only need the iLok to run iLok protected software. Muse gives something like 10 licenses for various plugs when you get a new Receptor. There are alot of premium plugs that you could transfer or crossgrade licenses to iLok. (Ivory, Albino, Predator, Blue, ...). Then there is Native Instruments, who forego iLok in favor of their own Service Center license manager. These need the latest Receptor OS to be able to install.

Per Uniwire - you can use Uniwire to bring digital audio in (without external connections or synchronization), but the latency is typically twice as much as the equivalent digital connection (eg. if you were running Receptor with a buffer size of 256, using Uniwire - the latency would be equivalent to running Receptor at a buffer size of 512). You trade off hookup convenience for latency. Uniwire has a theoretical limit of 16 stereo channels. In practice, you can reasonably run up to 4 (compute-heavy) plugs/channels - more for sample based plugs. This is very rough estimates however because it depends on alot of different factors.

Hope this helps, Regards,
Kevin L

travelquarterly · Post by **travelquarterly** » Fri Aug 01, 2008 4:50 am

Hi Kev,
Thanks for the input. The unit I'm looking at has the 2 gb ram and 160 hard drive already. Looks like the lack of a ilok is no issue. How is loading NI synths these days I've heard issues previously has that been rectified?
I do have a pertinent question can I use one of the usb ports to connect an external hard drive?
Regards,
Kevin

looneytunes · Post by **looneytunes** » Fri Aug 01, 2008 3:52 pm

Hi again, Kevin,

I would still be concerned about the HD size - 160gb is noticeably better than 40gb, but it is still not enough for the big libs. This is especially the case given the answer to your next question: Receptor currently does not support external disks.

The best advice here is simply to have Muse upgrade your HD to a 500 or 750gb hd (will be $200-$300 range) - given that you mostly intend to be using this as a sample playback device. Also (side benefit) the HD is noticeably faster on those larger format drives, which will not only increase your sample load time, but also your general system performance.

If you buy a Rev C unit, you will notice other speedups (due to faster front side bus and processor) - probably on the order of 10-30%. Still, you can go pretty far with a Rev 1 and lots/fast RAM and HD.

Regarding NI, I haven't used the latest direct install for Komplete, but I have individually installed Kontakt, P53, FM7, B4II, and Absynth. All these installed and run fine. As well as these, I have also installed a number of libraries that came with the Kompact player (eg. EW Symphonic Orchestra, Collossus, RA, ...). You had to get challenge-response codes from NI to install these (which they may no longer give out).

Hope this helps, Regards,
Kevin L

travelquarterly · Post by **travelquarterly** » Fri Aug 01, 2008 4:07 pm

Thanks again Kevin,
This is exactly the info I needed to know. I think I'm going to start hunting a Rev C. with the larger hard drive. I sincerely appreciate your help.
Regards,
Kevin

TWB121234 · Post by **TWB121234** » Fri Aug 01, 2008 4:07 pm

Receptor does not currently support external hard drives.

I have not tried loading any of the NI synths using Direct Install. I have been having problems using Direct Install to install my (older) version of Akoustik Piano using Direct Install. I have an open support ticket on that issue. However, I would not let my issue with that cause you any hesitation with the synths or other NI stuff - probably not even with a current version of AP.

There's lots of terrific synths available for Receptor - NI and others.
Tom B

Muse Research

KVR Audio

Receptor Advice