Receptor with pre-installed K4 for Live setup!

[jrocko31]

hello,
i'm new to this forum.i was hooked with this Receptor thing and its ability to run VSTs as a sound module that i couldn't resist myself to join this forum.anyway,i want to know more about its functions 'single' and 'multi' mode.is it the same with Korg's 'prog' and 'combi' mode?also,how well does it perform in a live setup?i was preparing myself to purchase Korg M3 but i'm having a doubt now ever since i learned about this Receptor now with pre-installed K4.i don't know much about software synths other than they sound better than the hardware synths.i'm considering to buy it over the M3 for use as a sound module for live applications.is it ideal?how does it compare to the M3?how about the polyphony when in multi mode?
also,can i use all of the 12 instruments in Komplete 4 in multi setup without any problems?sorry for so may questions.i really want to know more about the Receptor.its very new to me.hope i could get some answers.thanx ![/b]

[looneytunes]

Hi JRocko,

Receptor is typically a multi-timbral instrument, where you setup individual VSTis and effects for each Receptor channel (which typically is assigned to its own MIDI channel). You can assign multiple Receptor channels to respond to the same MIDI channel, which might be equivalent to how you setup a combi in an M3. Receptor multi's are typically more flexible than a combi in a HW synth, because you have 16 stereo channels available, which can be routed to different physical channels (eg. Think separating different outputs for each drum Mic for a drum machine) - This is the kind of flexibility you want from Receptor in the studio when interfacing it to a DAW.

I personally think Receptor shines in live situations. Typically, you can run 3-4 compute intensive plugs (eg. Massive, FM7, B4, ...) simultaneously with many channels of Sample playback plugs (eg. Elekrik Piano, Akoustik Piano, Kontakt + Libs). You are mostly limited by the size of the Sample Sets you load (and RAM), and how much concurrent MIDI activity on the compute based plugs is occurring.

If you are in a live setting, where you pre-program set lists, Receptor's interface will suit this purpose fine. If you are in a setting where you have a few instrument types that generally need to be available all the time (eg Acoustic Piano, EP, Organ, Analog Strings, ...) - Receptor can be setup this way with one controller switching MIDI channels. There are lots of different possibilities here.

Once you hear the pristine sounds of Ivory, Scarbee EPs, Arturia Analog synths, being available in a live setting, you will be in sonic nirvana.

Check some of the previous posts in this forum to learn how others setup Multis for their particular setups.

Hope this helps, Regards,
Kevin L

[jrocko31]

hello,
thanks for your reply,i'll check out the forum later on.anyway,so you mean the Receptor can use 1 program in each of the 12 instruments in K4(12 programs total) simultaneously in multi setup?and how many multi setups can i save in the Receptor?how long does it take to change between milti setups or between multi setups and single setups?is it fast?i'm really used to Korg's way of combining multiple programs in 'combi' mode and i would like to do the same application in the Receptor.i'm planning to use it as a sound module in live performance and take advantage of the power of the VSTis on stage.i believe the Receptor's ability to use VSTs is powerful.i just wonder how does it perform live using multi setups as complex as the example i mentioned.if the Receptor is able to do as much as the M3 can do or even more,i'd go for the Receptor.i just need more infos from you guys to help me decide to go for it.please help me.sorry for so many questions!hope most of them will be answered.thanks!

[looneytunes]

Hi again, JRocko,

I doubt that you would be creating a Multi for live use that consists of 1 of each of the instruments in K4 (though you would know better than me ) - but Receptor should be capable of this. If you are loading large sample sets for Akoustic Piano, Electrik Piano, and Kontakt, you will most likely run into RAM shortages.

What is probably more likely is that you would determine which sound types you need for any given song you perform (eg. Electric Piano, Organ, etc), and you would determine the best vsti's to instantiate in the Multi to suit this. For my multis, I typically have USB Charlie or NI B4 (for Organs), Synthogy Ivory (for Piano), a string synth VSTI, and an Analog Emulator (MiniMonsta or imposcar). Not much more than this.

Typically, switching between multi's is fast, but this is dependent on what you have being switched. For example, if you change Sample-sets loaded in an instance of Kontakt, this can take 20-30 seconds to swap (for something large like a 300M Scarbee EP). There are 2 typical ways that Receptor users handle this:

1.) Scene Snapshots
2.) ZLoad

Scene Snapshots mean that you make a multi with many instances of Kontakt loaded in the various channels. Then, for each scene, you mute out the instances that you are not using and un-mute the ones you do use. Switching scenes in this case is fast because you are only muting and unmuting instances (instead of loading sample sets).

ZLoad is a Receptor OS feature, where the OS keeps the most recent sample sets 'in memory' (after you have switched to a different sample set), such that you reload samples from RAM (rather than from disk).

Both of these strategies require that you have sufficient RAM in your Receptor. In fact, I would never recommend to get a Receptor without the Maximum RAM configured.

For compute based instruments, when you keep the same VSTi's on the same multi-channels, and switch patch numbers (between different multis), switching is near-instantaneous (many times preserving release trails, without clicking or popping).

Number of Multis: I'm guessing this is 128 banks of 128 multis. I'm sure this is much more than you really need.

Oh - one other thought about performances with scenes - Receptor knows to only re-instantiate plugs in 2 different multis for the same channel when the plugs are different. So, if you have a large piano loaded in Kontakt on channel 5 for 2 different Multis, there is no overhead for reloading Kontakt or the piano sample on channel 5.


On this forum, there are a number of threads by various people performing with Receptor, giving their strategies about how to configure multis.

Hope this helps, Regards,
Kevin L

[jrocko31]

hello there!

thanks for your long and informative reply!

I doubt that you would be creating a Multi for live use that consists of 1 of each of the instruments in K4

yes i think in a real situation i would'nt be creating that much Multi.i just want to know if the Receptor can still handle such though.that means if it can handle as much as 1 program in each K4 instruments simultaneously in Multi setup then its powerful enough for me.more powerful than the M3 i guess.

If you are loading large sample sets for Akoustic Piano, Electrik Piano, and Kontakt, you will most likely run into RAM shortages.

about this one,i think i wouldn't be using akoustic piano and electric piano and kontakt at the same time.maybe changing between them in single mode i guess.can i save single programs from different VSTis in the order i want in Single mode?say a program from Akoustik piano followed by one program from B4 and so on?or do i still need to use this Snapshot feature or the Zload of the Receptor?how long will it take to switch between such programs?sorry,here i go again with more questions!

Both of these strategies require that you have sufficient RAM in your Receptor. In fact, I would never recommend to get a Receptor without the Maximum RAM configured.

i read that Receptor is shipping with 2Gig of RAM installed.what is the Maximum RAM that can be installed in the Receptor?

Number of Multis: I'm guessing this is 128 banks of 128 multis. I'm sure this is much more than you really need.

yeah i guess so.even after 10 years i wouldn't be able to fill that up!

Oh - one other thought about performances with scenes - Receptor knows to only re-instantiate plugs in 2 different multis for the same channel when the plugs are different. So, if you have a large piano loaded in Kontakt on channel 5 for 2 different Multis, there is no overhead for reloading Kontakt or the piano sample on channel 5.

i did'nt understand this one well.hope for more explanation.

thanks for your efforts answering my questions.i just want to know if the Receptor is capable of handling much work that i now use in live setups.i'm planning to go for the Receptor and use it as a sound module of VSTis.

[looneytunes]

If you are loading large sample sets for Akoustic Piano, Electrik Piano, and Kontakt, you will most likely run into RAM shortages.

about this one,i think i wouldn't be using akoustic piano and electric piano and kontakt at the same time.maybe changing between them in single mode i guess.can i save single programs from different VSTis in the order i want in Single mode?say a program from Akoustik piano followed by one program from B4 and so on?

Yes, you can make banks of 'singles', and save them in a given order. If you have ZLoad turned on (and you have already loaded these instruments once) they will typically load faster (eg ~5-10 seconds, all depends on sample size, how much is already loaded in RAM, etc). Without ZLoad, switching singles with large sample-sets can take 5-10 seconds (eg like a single velocity harpsi sample-set in EWQL Colossus), or 30-60 seconds (for a multi-GB, multi-layered Grand Piano).

Both of these strategies require that you have sufficient RAM in your Receptor. In fact, I would never recommend to get a Receptor without the Maximum RAM configured.

i read that Receptor is shipping with 2Gig of RAM installed.what is the Maximum RAM that can be installed in the Receptor?

I think they used to ship with 512k or 1gig. Can't remember. It wasn't very usable with low RAM though.

Oh - one other thought about performances with scenes - Receptor knows to only re-instantiate plugs in 2 different multis for the same channel when the plugs are different. So, if you have a large piano loaded in Kontakt on channel 5 for 2 different Multis, there is no overhead for reloading Kontakt or the piano sample on channel 5.

i did'nt understand this one well.hope for more explanation.

Basically, if your using scene changes, and you only change vsti's on the Receptor channels that need to change, the Receptor will not have overhead for trying to reload the other Receptor channels.

Overall, it takes a bit of work ahead of time to plan out multis, scene changes, etc. to be optimal for your performance. If you have the same set-list for multiple shows, this will be well worth the planning.

Regards,
Kevin L

[jrocko31]

thanks for generously answering my questions.it clears my mind better now about this Receptor.i'm really interested to use it as a sound module.just one more thing.how about the polyphony?how much polyphony can the Receptor handle if using K4?

[looneytunes]

Hi again,

Polyphony is a tough one to answer, because it really depends on the limitations of the individual vsti's you have setup. The Receptor itself, nor it's OS really determine polyphony.

For example, NI might fix polyphony for an instrument like FM7 to 16 voices. For other plugs, this might be controlled by a preference that you enter. Typically, the polyphony will come at a cost (eg. the higher the polyphony per plugin, the more CPU used per plugin, which translates to less plugins running simultaneously). This means if you push the upper bounds on this, it might translate into spikes in the CPU meter, and crackles on the audio port.

With all that said, most plugs I use have generous polyphony, and reasonable CPU overhead. Especially on the new Pro units.

Regards,
Kevin L

[jrocko31]

wow,thanks again for the info.i believe the Receptor with Komplete 4 is just the standard Rev C Receptor.does that mean it is still slower to function in terms of running the VST plugins of K4?or does it have enough power to do so?

[looneytunes]

You will probably be OK with any Rev C or better.

The only way you get into real trouble with polyphony is if you have high poly settings, all channels reacting to the same MIDI channel, and lots of MIDI activity. Typically this doesn't happen often, even with multi-timbral sequenced usage. It is more of a torture test really to trigger > 2/3 compute based VSTis at the same time with heavy MIDI activity.

Of course, exact usage patterns are different for different users, so YMMV. For live usage, without heavily sequenced activity, and with your 2 hands playin 1-3 vsti's triggered on the same MIDI channels, you should be fine with Receptor.

Regards,
Kevin L

[jrocko31]

hello,

thanks again.its much clearer to me now.i hope i would'nt be producing heavy MIDI activities while playing.i don't use a sequencer so guess its fine with me.i just worry if while playing i'll be controlling filter cutoffs,pitch bend,etc. could be producing heavy MIDI activity.however,does it mean you wouldn't producing much of that activity if i'm going to assign different plugins on different MIDI channels?if that's so,i guess that's another good idea to control those VSTs in my keyboard.
anyway,have you tried using your Receptor in live settings?one more thing that worries me is system crashes.does Receptor crash often?what do you think are the differences between the Receptor and a PC?because some people is kind of discouraging me about the Receptor telling me that its just the same with the PC which is susceptible with hard drive failures and crashes etc.since i do live gigs,i cannot accomodate this kind of problem.hope you can confirm that it is as dedicated as a hardware synth.

[looneytunes]

Hi again! (So many questions ..... )

i just worry if while playing i'll be controlling filter cutoffs,pitch bend,etc. could be producing heavy MIDI activity.however,does it mean you wouldn't producing much of that activity if i'm going to assign different plugins on different MIDI channels?if that's so,i guess that's another good idea to control those VSTs in my keyboard.

Any CC information you could give with 2 knobs and 1 foot controller at the same time would not typically overload Receptor (for a compute intensive vsti, this might depend on what the software does with the CC info though).

anyway,have you tried using your Receptor in live settings?

Yep - I use my Receptor for occaisional gigs. I am often a 'gun for hire' player for a few bands, and each of those bands do not have the same set-list from gig to gig. My method has been to have multiple MIDI keyboards, each assigned to a different MIDI channel, and each addressing a family of sounds.

EG.
KBD 1: Covers Piano / EP (not connected to Receptor, using stock S90 internal sounds).
KBD 2; Covers Brass, Synth Brass, and occaisional synth leads (stacked ontop of KBD 1).
KBD 3: Covers Organ (Uses USB Charlie and NI B4, on Receptor).
KBD 4: Covers Synth Strings and Synth leads (split kbd, 2 channels on Receptor).

This is pretty flexible, and I rarely change multis/singles on Receptor. Having 'families of sounds' available means that I don't have to spend alot of effort programming scenes and multis, and I can react to random changes in set lists.

From a performance perspective, I often play 2 hands, heavily sustained parts, and generate CCs for volume and expression. Receptor has plenty of horse-power for all of these things. I am soon changing KBD 2 to trigger Receptor as well.

one more thing that worries me is system crashes.
does Receptor crash often?what do you think are the differences between the Receptor and a PC?because some people is kind of discouraging me about the Receptor telling me that its just the same with the PC which is susceptible with hard drive failures and crashes etc.

In general, Receptor is much more stable than a PC - for 3 particular reasons:

1.) It is based on a (highly tuned for audio processes) Linux Kernel
2.) You typically limit the software that goes on to the Receptor to just the plugins (eg. various OS components that fight for CPU on a windows system are not present)
3.) You are exposed to less malware (viruses, etc).
4.) Receptor's HW has been optimized (cooling, shock, etc) for live use.

Stability is also a factor of the SW that you put on it. Typically, the commercial made plugs are as stable or more stable on a Receptor. For my gigging, I have never had my Receptor crash

Note - I'm not saying it is impossible to make Receptor Crash. eg, if you load up Kontakt with a ginormous sample set that requires more RAM then Receptor has available, you can get it to crash. This is a bug. However, typically you create yourself some stable set of multi's for a gig, you test them out in rehearsals, and everything just works at gigs.

There are a number of Pros that rely on Receptor in this way (check out Muse's endorsements pages).

Regards,
Kevin L

[jrocko31]

hello again,

wow,that's a great setup you have.i might be using two midi keyboards if i'm going to use the Receptor.i guess i'm going to make use of the multis more.anyway,thank you for the answers you posted.its a really great help.now at least i can picture what the Receptor can do.i'll buy it soon over the Korg M3.i already have the Triton Extreme76 and i guess it will end up as a controller someday.if the Receptor can do all the chores that my TEX are doing,then i might sell it and buy cheaper controllers for the Receptor.its really a burden to carry around the TEX especially in my case since our band works abroad.we go from country to country and its really a hassle to carry that keyboard at the airport.thanks again!

[jrocko31]

hello,

i'm back!just one more thing,can the Receptor work in different voltage?i mean can it operate in either 110v or 220v?i'm here in Asia and the power voltage here is 220v.

[looneytunes]

Hi again,

I believe Receptordoes have a 'voltage switching' power supply, but you should verify this yourself. This would probably be described in the technical specs (on www.museresearch.com), and you probably can verify it in the User Guide (which I believe you can download from www.plugorama.com).

In any case, I think the answer is 'Yes'.

Regards,
Kevin L

PS. Earlier, you mentioned about the possibility of using 2 midi controllers. Something to keep in mind:

Receptor has only 1 MIDI input. You will probably need to get a 'MIDI Merger' box for multiple keyboards.

The other possibility is to have 1 keyboard using a USB, and one keyboard using MIDI (This is what I do). You should be careful to verify which keyboards you might purchase have a USB output that is 'known to work' with Receptor. (I am using an MAudio keyboard on USB).