Has anyone heard from Muse lately?

[mat123]

It is usually quiet this time of year leading up to the big NAMM show in January [...]
projektio

When are NAMM related news usually disclosed? At NAMM directly, or some days/weeks in advance?

[projektio]

It is usually quiet this time of year leading up to the big NAMM show in January [...]
projektio

When are NAMM related news usually disclosed? At NAMM directly, or some days/weeks in advance?

Well, I can shamelessly plug KVR as being a good place to get your NAMM news as it happens at the big event. I would check back here on the days during which NAMM is occurring to see what is happening with Muse and all the other VST developers. If there are major announcements to be made, you can count on them being here very quickly!

projektio

[Bryan@MuseResearch]

Just adding my name to the list of Receptor owners who feel left out in the cold. While it bothers me that Receptor hasn't lived up to the advertising, it worries and aggravates me more that there is nearly zero communication from Muse on when we can expect updates. The fact that a thread like this was started (and is still without a reply from a Muse employee) is a sign of the company's weak customer service. I don't want to trash Muse. I just hope to see something better from them in the future.

Okay guys, Muse Research is responding.

First off, as the VP of Marketing, I have to apologize that we've been so poor at communicating. Everyone knows we are a smallish company, and if we aren't talking to you all its because we're really busy. In particular, I also manage the hardware development and business development, of which there has been a lot recently, so sorry for not keeping up with the forums However, this next week is the grand unveiling of all the new marketing materials for RECEPTOR 2 PRO and PRO MAX, as well as the announcement of the Upgrade program and what's in it for current Receptor customers, so you'll know alot more this time next week. As for our silence, I really do apologize, but I've said it before many times on this forum: If you REALLY need to know something or have a burning question, give us a call or send a PM or a mail to info@museresearch.com and we'll respond. We don't intentionally ignore anyone, and I hope you all will accept my personal apology.

As you all know, we're trying to get RECEPTOR 2 PRO and PRO MAX out the door. Yes, its an all new computational engine, dual core, SATA 2, and all that, and this was in direct response to a lot of customers asking for a faster Receptor. But more importantly, for all of you, we are completely updating the Linux kernel to a more modern version that will allow us to move ahead with a bunch of the features that we know you want. This has actually been FAR more work than the hardware side of things.

Now I'm not a software engineer, but I know from speaking with our engineering team that it was getting very frustrating trying to move forward quickly with the old version of Red Hat, and the new kernel promise to be FAR more flexible, powerful, compatible with the plugins that are out there, and amenable to the features we want to add, like support for PACE CDRM, which simply would not work on the previous OS. To allow all the PLAY engine and new Synthogy stuff, as well as to support Syncrosoft (in the near future), it was really important to go to this new foundation. Its been well over a year of work, but we're almost done. THAT is why you haven't seen as many releases of plugins and other features, and since we're ALL Receptor users, EVERYONE is anxious to get new features, and I expect we will announce our new 2.0 feature set at NAMM and be back on track to deliver a bunch of cool new things moving forward.

YES, you can all update your systems to this version (called 1. but it will be a month or two before we can perfect the mechanism (its a little like swapping out the engine in your car while the vehicle is moving and the engine running to swap out an entire OS on a mounted drive). However, we think we have figured out how we can do it, and hopefully we'll announce the mechanism at NAMM and you can all take advantage of the new foundation at that point. Some people aren't willing to wait, so we will likely make the software available a SATA drive to Rev C owners, or an IDE drive to Rev A and B owners.

I know you all know you'll be given an opportunity to upgrade to the new hardware, if you want, which includes a new drive, so the software is a non-issue in that case. For you cynics out there, that is not some cheap shot to get you to upgrade your unit. To be perfectly honest, upgrading products is far far harder than selling you a new one, but it is much cheaper to upgrade and we think offering you all a cost-effective way to stay current with respect to the hardware is the right thing to do.

As for the Windows discussion, we have all lost a lot of sleep at Muse Research about that subject. At the end of the day, we are committed to Linux for all the reasons that are sprinkled through many of your very enlightened responses. Believe me, it was NOT an economic decision... we have spent HUGE resources on development so we can make Linux work in Receptor, and it would have been far easier just to install Windows and be done with it. Then, we would have had a computer in a 2-rack space box, subject to all the same issues that every other computer faces. We set out to make a music instrument... not a repackaged computer. Given how incredibly passionate many of you are about our product, we know that there is a difference between a music instrument and a computer, and as musicians, we prefer to be performing with the former and not the latter.

Simply put, Linux was and remains the right choice for what we are trying to accomplish. If you've played a Receptor, you know why. For us, the path has not been easy, and you all know that Receptor is a platform, and as such it evolves. I've spoken to people who bought Receptor when it first came out and they can't believe how much it has evolved and how much cooler it is than it was originally. We intend to keep moving forward in that manner, and we believe the journey will be worth it. The end result will be a truly unique and powerful tool with which to make music.

I know I speak for everyone at Muse Research in saying how thankful and honored we all are that you have joined us on the journey; we apologize for the bumps along the way, but please realized we're committed to the vision of creating something that is truly special, something that provides REAL value and helps us follow our Muse (the inspirational one). I know from talking to many many customers that Receptor occupies a very special place in their creative world, and that many have told us how incredibly pleased they are with what it does and where we're going with it, and with that said we fully intend to make the destination worth the effort required to get there for everyone who comes along for the ride.

So... again I apologize for the silence, we're not trying to hide anything or ignore anybody or shy away from our customers, but I know for a fact you would all prefer us to be working on making Receptor cooler as opposed to spending all our time posting on forums... right?

Thanks for your understanding and support, and check your in box next week for more info.

Cheers

Groovology (Bryan)

[Skytouch]

Great post Bryan - thanks for taking the time to write. Every time I turn on my Rev C and it "just works", I am reminded why the Linux / instrument philosophy you've elegantly described is the right one. I'm looking forward to a bit more openness in the platform, but never at the expense of stability and performance that Muse has managed to create.

Best regards,
Sky

[mwgilbert]

I know for a fact you would all prefer us to be working on making Receptor cooler as opposed to spending all our time posting on forums... right?

Thanks for the response, Bryan.

As someone who has felt a little ill-served by the lack of communication, I appreciate both the spirit of your updating us, as well as the content. I will reserve further judgment until I receive the details of the new hardware, software, and upgrade policy/pricing.

However, in an honest answer to your above question, I would have preferred you spend some time making things work better for existing users/customers, and releasing more plugins or installs, as well as working on making Receptor cooler in its next version, as opposed to spending all your time posting on forums.

In the current economy, those of us who are not commercial musicians with an ongoing revenue stream are in the position of wanting/needing to work with what we have, rather than what we could have if we paid more.

I'm very much looking forward to the info on the new stuff. Thanks.

-MWG

http://www.mwgilbert.com/
http://www.myspace.com/michaelwilliamgilbert

[batgab]

Thanks for the nice write-up, groovology Bryan. It's a real relief to hear this great news. I'm really looking forward to experiencing the results of all the hard work the Muse team has been doing for the past year or so. And it's just around the corner now - whoo hoo!

[Bryan@MuseResearch]

I know for a fact you would all prefer us to be working on making Receptor cooler as opposed to spending all our time posting on forums... right?

Thanks for the response, Bryan.

As someone who has felt a little ill-served by the lack of communication, I appreciate both the spirit of your updating us, as well as the content. I will reserve further judgment until I receive the details of the new hardware, software, and upgrade policy/pricing.

However, in an honest answer to your above question, I would have preferred you spend some time making things work better for existing users/customers, and releasing more plugins or installs, as well as working on making Receptor cooler in its next version, as opposed to spending all your time posting on forums.

In the current economy, those of us who are not commercial musicians with an ongoing revenue stream are in the position of wanting/needing to work with what we have, rather than what we could have if we paid more.

I'm very much looking forward to the info on the new stuff. Thanks.

-MWG

http://www.mwgilbert.com/
http://www.myspace.com/michaelwilliamgilbert

Again, I'm sorry you feel ill-served by the lack of communication, and I'll really try harder to keep you all updated. As for spending time on servicing the existing customers, that is EXACTLY what we are doing! There are some plugins that just won't run on the current software, try as we might. So the only choice for us is to update the entire foundation, and of course, you will be able to update too.

Now I hear you on how long its taken to get some releases along the way, and there has been one big bugaboo with Direct Install involving installing things like Kontakt 2 player-based libraries (of which there are hundreds, all of which we'd like to get running on Receptor). We've been working on a solution that is likely to be solve all of those issues, and as I've said before, Direct Install is also a work in progress and it will get better as time goes on and we add new features to it. Hopefully that along with some new plugorama-based plugins that will help make things better for those who have 1.7 and don't want to upgrade, although I would think most people will want to upgrade at least the software if not the hardware.

Thanks for your understand, I really appreciate it!

All the best

Bryan (groovology)

[mat123]

...
Again, I'm sorry you feel ill-served by the lack of communication, and I'll really try harder to keep you all updated. As for spending time on servicing the existing customers, that is EXACTLY what we are doing! There are some plugins that just won't run on the current software, try as we might. So the only choice for us is to update the entire foundation, and of course, you will be able to update too.

Now I hear you on how long its taken to get some releases along the way, and there has been one big bugaboo with Direct Install involving installing things like Kontakt 2 player-based libraries (of which there are hundreds, all of which we'd like to get running on Receptor). We've been working on a solution that is likely to be solve all of those issues, and as I've said before, Direct Install is also a work in progress and it will get better as time goes on and we add new features to it. Hopefully that along with some new plugorama-based plugins that will help make things better for those who have 1.7 and don't want to upgrade, although I would think most people will want to upgrade at least the software if not the hardware.

Thanks for your understand, I really appreciate it!

All the best

Bryan (groovology)

First, it is good to here you are alive and well! I understand you cannot do too many miracles at once

Besindes, cough, I am not sure if you were saying that version 2 will solve the Kontakt-2-player-based-library-problems...

-mat

[Bryan@MuseResearch]

...
Again, I'm sorry you feel ill-served by the lack of communication, and I'll really try harder to keep you all updated. As for spending time on servicing the existing customers, that is EXACTLY what we are doing! There are some plugins that just won't run on the current software, try as we might. So the only choice for us is to update the entire foundation, and of course, you will be able to update too.

Now I hear you on how long its taken to get some releases along the way, and there has been one big bugaboo with Direct Install involving installing things like Kontakt 2 player-based libraries (of which there are hundreds, all of which we'd like to get running on Receptor). We've been working on a solution that is likely to be solve all of those issues, and as I've said before, Direct Install is also a work in progress and it will get better as time goes on and we add new features to it. Hopefully that along with some new plugorama-based plugins that will help make things better for those who have 1.7 and don't want to upgrade, although I would think most people will want to upgrade at least the software if not the hardware.

Thanks for your understand, I really appreciate it!

All the best

Bryan (groovology)

First, it is good to here you are alive and well! I understand you cannot do too many miracles at once

Besindes, cough, I am not sure if you were saying that version 2 will solve the Kontakt-2-player-based-library-problems...

-mat

Actually, the Kontakt 2 player problem is kinda complex... Receptor cannot tolerate more than one DLL with the same name installed in the system. When you install one K2 player library, you're fine. Install the second one, and everything breaks. So what we're doing is changing Direct Install to check to see if K2 player is installed, if it is, it installs just the library, if it isn't it installs the proper version for Receptor. Another issue is that there are some versions of Service Center that work on Receptor better than others, so we want to install the best one for Receptor as well...

Its a bit of a messy problem, but thankfully NI has been really supportive, and we do have a solution on the drawing board, and believe me EVERYONE here wants that solved... I've got several K2 Player libraries I want to run on my personal Receptor, so I'm regularly asking about it...

Also, we were looking at ways that we can install just the K2 player library to use it with K3... don't know if that is actually possible, but that might be a away around the Direct Install issue in the near term, but we are just weeks away from this being a problem for the history books (or at least that's what I'm being told...)

So rest assured we all want to resolve the Kontakt 2 player issue ASAP...

Cheers

Groovology

[mwgilbert]

Actually, the Kontakt 2 player problem is kinda complex... Receptor cannot tolerate more than one DLL with the same name installed in the system. When you install one K2 player library, you're fine. Install the second one, and everything breaks. So what we're doing is changing Direct Install to check to see if K2 player is installed, if it is, it installs just the library, if it isn't it installs the proper version for Receptor. Another issue is that there are some versions of Service Center that work on Receptor better than others, so we want to install the best one for Receptor as well...

Just for my curiousity....Since the K2 player libraries can be installed in multiples under Windows (at least relatively recent versions of Windows), is it safe to say that this limitation is either a result of Wine, or a result of what an application is "fooled" into thinking the version of Windows it sees as part of your version/configuration of Wine?

Thanks, -MWG

[okiikahuna]

I really hope Muse can work out a way to install multiple Kontakt Player libraries with just a single instance of Kontakt Player. In fact, that would be better than the way its done on the PC. I've always thought it was stupid and annoying to have to install multiple instances of the Kontakt Player on my PC just to get the various libraries.

I would even prefer just installing the libraries for use on Kontakt 3 and losing the Kontakt Player entirely. If you've got Kontakt 3, I don't see any advantage in installing the Kontakt 2 Player at all. Others may disagree.

K.

[looneytunes]

Brian,

When can we expect pricing and other details for upgrades?

Thanks,
Kevin L

I know you all know you'll be given an opportunity to upgrade to the new hardware, if you want, which includes a new drive, so the software is a non-issue in that case. For you cynics out there, that is not some cheap shot to get you to upgrade your unit. To be perfectly honest, upgrading products is far far harder than selling you a new one, but it is much cheaper to upgrade and we think offering you all a cost-effective way to stay current with respect to the hardware is the right thing to do.

[gsgard]

The Muse developers absolutely are spot on with their choice of Linux. You have full control over every aspect of the source code and hence how OS works at the lowest levels i.e. exactly what it does with valuable clock cycles.

Perhaps the initial problems Muse felt they needed to solve were primarily related to performance and reliability, which would justify a leaner OS such as Linux that gave their developers source code access. The bigger issue, as I see it, is that Muse is running into a serious roadblock---portability of the VSTis. The integration of software designed for XP or Mac OS X into a Linux system is a huge undertaking as the complexity of VSTis in both operation and copyright protection grows. Evidence of this is the lack of backward compatibility of new versions of VSTis with older versions of the operating systems.
It isn't good enough to control the underlying code that none of the vendors target their products for. You might say that Muse is in command of the sandbox it is playing in, but everyone else is playing in another sandbox.

Greg

[UltraJv]

The Muse developers absolutely are spot on with their choice of Linux. You have full control over every aspect of the source code and hence how OS works at the lowest levels i.e. exactly what it does with valuable clock cycles.

Perhaps the initial problems Muse felt they needed to solve were primarily related to performance and reliability, which would justify a leaner OS such as Linux that gave their developers source code access. The bigger issue, as I see it, is that Muse is running into a serious roadblock---portability of the VSTis. The integration of software designed for XP or Mac OS X into a Linux system is a huge undertaking as the complexity of VSTis in both operation and copyright protection grows. Evidence of this is the lack of backward compatibility of new versions of VSTis with older versions of the operating systems.
It isn't good enough to control the underlying code that none of the vendors target their products for. You might say that Muse is in command of the sandbox it is playing in, but everyone else is playing in another sandbox.

Greg

I didnt post that quote. My view was that Windows XP embedded was the way to go. Muse has stated that this will not happen. Case closed.

[gsgard]

Correcto Mundo. Somehow the embedded quote got messed up in the reply and the quote has now been attributed to the correct person.