Receptor v1.2 User’s Guide Muse Research, Inc. 970 O’Brien Drive Menlo Park, CA 94025 USA Tech Support: (650) 326-6180 Main Office: (650) 326-5400 March 31, 2005 Copyright 2004-2005 Muse Research, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Muse Research, Receptor, MuseMachine, and the Muse Research logo are trademarks of Muse Research, Inc. VST is a registered trademark of Steinberg Media, GmbH. ADAT and the ADAT logo are registered trademarks of Alesis, LLC and are used here under license.
--------------- Warning --------------To prevent fire or shock do not expose this appliance to rain or moisture. Refer servicing to qualified service personnel. Notice Regarding Electromagnetic Emissions This device complies with part 15, subpart J of FCC rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, (2) this device must accept any interference that may cause undesired operation.
CAUTION If Receptor is rack mounted, a standard 19-inch open frame rack must be used. Do not install Receptor in rack that does not allow or provide for free air movement in and around the device or overheating and possible product damage may result. 3 To reduce the risk of injury, do not allow children to operate any electrical product without close supervision.
WARNING Do not place objects on the product s power supply cord, or place the product in a position where anyone could trip over, walk on, or roll anything over cords of any type. Do not allow the product to rest on or be installed over cords of any type. installations of this type create the possibility of a fire hazard and/or personal injury. MAINTENANCE INSTRUCTIONS 1 This product should be kept clean and dust free. Periodically wipe the unit with a clean, lint free cloth.
----- End User Software License Agreement ----SOFTWARE LICENSING CONTRACT The following information represents the contractual conditions for the use of software (hereinafter called the Licensed Software), manufactured by Muse Research, Inc.
He must ensure that no third party or any of his own employees, unless authorized, will have access to the Licensed Software, may copy part or all of the Licensed Software, or be given any opportunity to do so. The Licensee bears legal liability towards the Company for any loss or damage - including any subsequent losses incurred by the Company - resulting from the Licensee not keeping the programs for exclusive use, or not doing so with sufficient assiduity.
Table of Contents Receptor Overview 1 15 Quick Start 17 I’m a synth player. How do I audition some patches? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 I’m a guitar player. How can I listen to some effects? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 How and why do I network Receptor to my computer? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Connecting: Is my computer’s Ethernet port already in use? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using Receptor’s Front Panel 4 33 Front Panel UI Overview 35 Front Panel Interface Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 View Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Modifier Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 LCD and Display Knobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MIX: Solo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 MIX: Send 1 Level. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 MIX: Send 1 Pre/Post . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 MIX: Send 2 Level. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SAVE/FILE: Delete Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 SAVE/FILE: Delete Patch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 SAVE/FILE: Rename Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 SAVE/FILE: Rename Patch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Meters Mode . . . . . . . . . . . .
FX: Prev/Next Patch Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 FX: Bypass Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 FX: Switch & Get Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 FX: Edit Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 FX: Save/File Button . . .
SETUP View - Network Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 Receptor Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 TCP/IP Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 Appletalk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 Windows Networking . . . . . .
Networking Receptor and your Computer 12 Connecting Receptor to a Computer 141 143 Networking Buzzwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 Receptor <-> Computer Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 Crossover Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 Network Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Installing and De-installing “Unsupported” Plugins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171 Installing “Unsupported” Plugins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 Uninstalling “Unsupported” Plugins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 Delete/Copy Files from Receptor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 Get a Receptor’s Bank/Patch List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Receptor Overview This section helps your Receptor up and running quickly, and provides a basic overview to Receptor architecture and hardware.
Receptor Overview 16 Receptor Manual
1 Quick Start Congratulations on purchasing Receptor. Muse Research understands that the desire to play with a new piece of studio gear is always greater than the desire to read the manual. For this reason, we’ve created this basic Quick Start chapter to help you find your way around Receptor. I’m a synth player. How do I audition some patches? 1 Connect a MIDI cable from the MIDI OUT port on your MIDI keyboard to Receptor’s MIDI IN port (Receptor also supports some USB keyboards).
I’m a guitar player. How can I listen to some effects? 1 Plug your guitar into Receptor’s front panel INPUT jack and set the LEVEL knob immediately above the INPUT jack to about the midway point. 2 Plug headphones into the front panel PHONES jack or connect the rear panel outputs to your mixer or sound system, then press the POWER button. Receptor will go through a short self-diagnostic and startup process. 3 Press the MULTI button.
Connecting: Is my computer’s Ethernet port already in use? You computer’s Ethernet port may already be in use if you’re connected to a cable/DSL modem or to an existing network. Check to see whether or not you’re already using your computer’s Ethernet port, and proceed as follows: • If your computer’s Ethernet port is not in use, you can connect Receptor directly to your computer using a “special” Ethernet cable known as a ‘crossover Ethernet cable.
Mounting: What computer Operating System am I using? Now that you’ve connected Receptor to your computer, you’ll need to ‘mount it’ on your computer. All this means is that you want to see the contents of Receptor’s hard drive on your computer just as you see its own hard drive. This way, you’ll be able to transfer files back and forth between your computer and Receptor.
--- Multiple Receptor tracks as shown in Apple Computer’s Logic Audio sequencer --5 On Receptor, CTL-click on the Multi Patch name to load a blank Multi patch into Receptor. 6 On Receptor, click the big “(none)” button on a channel. The channel details appear at the top of the window. 7 Click the Source Select button. The Source Select panel opens. 8 In the Source Select panel, click the plugin you want to instantiate on that channel.
11 By default, each Receptor channel listens to the like-numbered MIDI channel (though you can override this). But, for now, instantiate different plugins on each channel corresponding to the MIDI track you assigned in your sequencer. In the following example, Track 1 in Logic is assigned to Receptor MIDI channel 1, which is configured to play the Combo Sister VSTi. Track 2 is assigned to Receptor MIDI channel 2, which is configured for Eve; Track 3 plays Albino 2, and Track 4 plays CS-80v.
How do I demo and buy premium plugins? Receptor ships with a nice collection of freeware, but you’ll eventually want to use some commercial plugins. Receptor protects these with Pace’s iLok—a USB “key” that stores licenses for all your commercial plugins. Receptor ships with many commercial plugins pre-installed with 30-day demo periods. You can identify a commercial plugin demo by opening a plugin select panel and looking for any plugin name that begins with [##].
1: Quick Start 24 Receptor Manual
2 Receptor Architecture Receptor is a 16 channel multitimbral virtual sound module and effects unit. Its ability to actually achieve 16 channels of playback is dependent on both the type and number of plug-ins used and their processing demands. Instruments, Busses, and the Master Output Receptor contains 19 channels: 16 instrument channels, two dedicated effects busses, and a master bus. These are discussed in the following sections.
• INSERT FX: Each of Receptor’s 16 instrument channels contains 3 “insert” effects to which you can assign any VST. Routing buttons let you arrange these three FX in any series/parallel combination. Additionally, you can switch their positions, copy other effects to them, and bypass any effect. --- The different Insert FX routing options --- • EFFECT SENDS: Each Receptor channel has two effect sends, either of which can be configured pre or post fader.
Master Channel Receptor’s Master Bus channel has its own trio of 3 dedicated insert FX, which are perfect for applying compression or limiting to an entire mix. As with the insert FX on the Instrument and Bus channels, these can be arranged in any series/parallel combination and the output of the master bus can be routed to any hardware output. Patch Hierarchy Receptor has an intelligent patch hierarchy that uses the following patch types: • VST (.
IMPORTANT: Notice that Single patches store the patch data used for each plugin. This way, if you ever delete, rename, modify, or move a .fxp that was used to create the Single patch, you have no need to worry -- your Single patches will always sound exactly as they did when saved, regardless of what you do to the .fxp patches that were used to create the Single patch originally. So, even though Single patches always attempt to display the name of the .
3 Receptor Hardware The following sections discuss Receptor’s hardware components. Front Panel --- Receptor Front Panel --- Receptor’s front panel contains, from left-to-right: • Guitar / Instrument Input Use this input to plug a guitar, instrument or microphone into Receptor. • Input Level Knob Use this to adjust the signal level of the instrument input.
• Display Knobs Use these 2 continuous rotary encoders with built-in push buttons for controlling the LCD. To learn more about these knobs, see “LCD and Display Knobs” on page 37. • Soft Knobs Use these 4 continuous rotary encoders with built-in push buttons for instant parameter editing. To learn more about these buttons, see “EDIT: Using the Soft Knobs” on page 74. • View Buttons There are 8 View buttons with indicator LEDs.
Back Panel The following illustration shows Receptor’s rear panel: --- Receptor Back Panel --- Top row, left-to-right: • MIDI In, Out, and Thru ports • S/PDIF In and Out • Audio Inputs (Left, Right): 1/4” balanced connectors • Audio Outputs (Left, Right): 1/4” balanced connectors Bottom of box, left-to-right: • Mouse port • Keyboard port • VGA connector for 1024 x 768 monitor • 4 USB 2.
Connecting a Musical Keyboard You may connect either a MIDI keyboard or a USB Keyboard to Receptor. If you use Receptor’s MIDI IN port, then any type of standard MIDI keyboard is supported. If you chose to use Receptor’s USB port for MIDI, then (as of this writing) only the M-Audio Oxygen-8 and Radium keyboards have been tested. Check the museresearch.com web site for additional keyboard support. IMPORTANT: You should shut down Receptor before unplugging a USB keyboard.
Using Receptor’s Front Panel This section discusses how to use Receptor as a stand-alone unit using only its own front panel buttons, knobs, and LCD.
Front Panel 34 Receptor Manual
4 Front Panel UI Overview Although you can edit Receptor graphically by connecting a dedicated keyboard, mouse, and monitor or by connecting it to a computer via Ethernet, it’s designed to be completely and intuitively operated using only its front panel. The following sections discuss the basic operation of Receptor’s front panel user interface, while the remaining chapters delve deeply into the details of the configuration process.
View Buttons Press the various View buttons to select which subset of parameters are displayed in the LCD. Each View button has a corresponding LED, so you always know which parameter subset you’re viewing.
The MULTI button corresponds to Receptor’s MULTI patch area, which is where the entire Receptor configuration (across all channels) is managed and recalled. ... and the SETUP button is used to access to Receptor’s Setup options, such as networking, audio, and MIDI configuration. Modifier Buttons Press one of the three Modifier buttons to apply a further set of options to the selected View button. Basically, a Modifier button acts upon the patch or signal represented by the correspondingly lit View button.
If you understand these basic functions, you can quickly and effortlessly navigate through Receptor’s hierarchy using only this 2-line display.
Because of these facts, you’ll always want to keep your eye on Receptor’s CPU usage. This little gauge, which is almost always visible in the bottom left of the LCD, indicates CPU usage. It occupies the two lower left characters in the LCD and fills from left-to-right as the CPU usage increases. --- CPU Gauge and its indication of approximate CPU usage --- If you overload Receptor’s CPU, the display is replaced by a double set of exclamation points.
4: Front Panel UI Overview 40 Receptor Manual
5 View Buttons in Depth This chapter discusses every View Mode button and its associated set of parameters. You should have a basic understanding of Receptor’s signal flow architecture and overall front panel operation before reading this chapter. MULTI Button A Multi patch consists of an entire receptor configuration, including all Source and Insert FX assignments on all Instrument channels, all Effects Bus assignments, the Master channel assignments, and all routings, button states, and levels.
MULTI: Patch If you want to select a patch from the current bank, rotate the top display knob to select the Patch parameter. If you want to select a patch from a different bank, it will be fastest to use the Bank parameter discussed above. MU P a t c h III III 0 0 1 : S p a c e < > J am Rotate the bottom display knob to select the patch you wish to load. The patch name is flashing, indicating you must press the bottom display knob to actually load the selected patch.
MULTI: Load Blank Patch Rotate the top display knob to select the Load Blank Patch parameter. This special patch resets your Multi by uninstantiating every plugin on every instrument channel and returning Receptor to its default configuration. This is the ideal way to “wipe the slate clean” and start setting up an entirely new Multi patch from scratch. MU L o a d III III P r e s s B l a n k k n o b P a t c h t o < l o a d To initialize the Multi patch, simply press the bottom display knob.
Receptor shows you the first patch in that bank. 0 1 P a t c h < > III III 0 0 1 : Sma r m y L e a d 4 Rotate the bottom display knob to select a patch. The patch name will flash. 5 Press the bottom display knob to load that patch into Receptor. NOTE 1: You cannot select a bank without also selecting a patch, since a Bank is nothing more than a directory of patches. NOTE 2: ROM bank names are enclosed in angle brackets, like .
You can scroll through the various Source and FX plugin assignments to look for the problem. It will be easy to spot, since the questionable plugin(s) will have a prefix before their name that indicates what the problem might be. Specifically: • [XX] before a plugin name means that it’s no longer on Receptor’s hard drive • [--] before a plugin name means it’s a premium plugin whose demo period has expired. If you wish to use this plugin, you must purchase a license for it from www.plugorama.com.
SOURCE: Source This parameter works in conjunction with the View Plugin Type parameter described above. It lists every possible audio source of the type you chose to view. If you chose All as the plugin type on the View Plugin Type page (the default choice), then the Source parameter displays every possible audio source available for that channel. An audio source can be either a VSTi (software plugin) or an external audio input (hardware plugin). If you select a VSTi, Receptor instantiates that plugin.
SOURCE: Bank In order to conform with MIDI standards, patches are stored together in a group, which is called a ‘bank.’ Each bank can hold up to 128 patches. Receptor can store over 16,000 banks of VST patches (for a maximum of over 2,000,000 VST patches). To select a patch from a particular bank, you must first select the bank, then the actual patch. To select a bank and load a patch from that bank: 1 2 Rotate the top display knob to select the Bank parameter.
NOTE 4: If you have edited a patch in any way, an asterisk (*) replaces the colon (:) between the patch number and name. When you see an asterisk between the patch number and name, you’ll know that the version currently in the edit buffer is not what’s stored to disk. 0 1 P a t c h < > III III 0 0 1 * S y n c L e a d If you want to save your patch, press the SAVE /FILE button to save your edits (as described in “SAVE/FILE Button” on page 75).
SOURCE: Listen to MIDI Ch Rotate the top display knob to select the Listen to MIDI Ch parameter. Use this parameter to tell the selected VSTi which incoming MIDI channel to “listen” to. By default, the VSTi plugin you instantiate on each Instrument Channel responds to the like-numbered MIDI Channel. For example, the VSTi you instantiate on Instrument Channel 6 would respond to data coming in on MIDI channel 6.
0 1 P l u g i n III III 0 2 M I D I C h < > Rotate the bottom display knob to choose the channel remapping. The Remap channel is underlined but not flashing. When you select a different channel, the change is instantly applied. You can choose between MIDI channel 1-16, or you can choose “Thru”, which means that the VSTi plays on the same MIDI channel set by the Listen to MIDI Ch parameter. For more details and examples of this parameter’s use, see “Source: MIDI Filter Button” on page 97.
SOURCE: Velocity Range Rotate the top display knob to select the Velocity Range parameter. Use this parameter to limit the range of MIDI velocity values to which the channel responds. The Velocity Range parameter is used to assign certain instruments to limited velocity ranges. For example, you might have an instrument channel that contains a plugin that plays a big cymbal crash sound.
FX: Plugin This parameter works in conjunction with the FX: View Plugin Type parameter described above. It lists every plugin of the type you chose to view. If you chose “All” as the plugin type on the FX: View Plugin Type page (the default choice), then the FX: Plugin parameter displays every available plugin for that channel. 0 1 P l u g i n III III F r o hma g e < > F i l t e r Rotate the bottom display knob to select the desired effect plugin. Plugins are listed in alphabetical order.
2 Rotate the bottom display knob to select the bank you wish to load. The bank name is flashing 3 Press the bottom display knob. Receptor shows you the first patch in that bank. 0 1 P a t c h III III 0 0 1 : S o f t < > n F u z z y 4 Rotate the bottom display knob to select a patch. The patch name will flash. 5 Press the bottom display knob to load that patch into Receptor. NOTE 1: You cannot select a bank without also selecting a patch, since a Bank is nothing more than a directory of patches.
FX: Bypass Rotate the top display knob to select the Bypass parameter. Bypassing an effect mutes it and releases the CPU resources required to run it. Bypass is useful for comparing an effected sound to the un-effected sound. It’s also useful whenever Receptor’s CPU resources are maxed out and you want to disable a particular plugin. 0 1 B y p a s s III III N o t < > B y p a s s e d Rotate the bottom display knob clockwise to select Not Bypassed.
• Switch B & C - Switches the plugin and patch assigned to FX B with the one assigned to FX C. Rotate the bottom display knob to choose between the three switch options. The switch option flashes indicating you must press the bottom display knob to actually force the switch to occur. FX: Get From Rotate the top display knob to select the Get From parameter.
IMPORTANT: This is the output volume of the Receptor software -- it is not related to the Volume knob on Receptor’s front panel, which is a hardware volume knob. MIX: Pan Rotate the top display knob to select the Pan parameter. All Receptor channels are stereo so, if an instantiated plugin is actually mono, Receptor will double the signal such that the left and right channels are identical. In the case of mono plugins, this parameter works like a traditional pan control.
MIX: Send 1 Level Rotate the top display knob to select the Send 1 Level parameter. This parameter controls how much of the signal is sent to Effects Bus 1 (whose effect chain is configured in the B1 channel). 0 1 S e n d III III 6 4 1 L e v e l < > Rotate the bottom knob to set the level (0-127). Send levels change instantly, meaning you’re not required to push the bottom display knob to apply the change.
signal is Pre Fader, then the Send Level and Volume levels act independently. This is useful if, for example, you wish to hear only an effected signal with no dry signal, which you would accomplish by setting this parameter to Pre Fader and the Volume level to zero. 0 1 S e n d 1 P r e / P o s t III III P o s t F a d e r < > Rotate the bottom display knob clockwise to select Pre Fader. Rotate the bottom display knob counter-clockwise to select Post Fader.
You may route channels to as many outputs as you like. When you route a channel to the Master bus, it’s output signal appears on the output(s) assigned to the Master Channel. When you route a channel directly to a hardware output, its signal appears at that output, along with any other signals you may have routed to that output. As you can tell, the Output Assignment option allows for very flexible routing and bussing, both on stage and in the studio.
Channel Status Numbering Guide Are you wondering why, in the previous example, we know that channel 11 has plugins instantiated when the display shows a letter “A”? That’s because double digit characters greater than 10 are represented by letters.
SETUP: Tempo Source Rotate the top display knob to select the Tempo Source parameter. This determines whether Receptor derives its tempo from external MIDI beat clock or whether it uses its own internal clock (set by the Tempo BPM parameter). The Tempo Source is used by all tempo-based effects and instruments. SU T emp o S o u r c e III III I n t e r n a l < > Rotate the bottom display knob to select between External (MIDI) and Internal.
Rotate the bottom display knob to set Receptor’s time signature. The selection flashes indicating you must press the bottom display knob to apply the change. Time signature values start at the lowest denominator and run to the highest. So, if you set the time signature to its ‘minimum’ value, it will display 2/2. If you set it to its ‘maximum’ value, it will display 12/16. Basically, rotating the lower knob takes you through time signature values as follows: 2/2 > 3/2 > ... 12/2 > 2/4 > 3/4 > ...
Receptor defaults to 44.1 kHz, which is the standard “CD quality” sample rate. Choosing higher rates may result in slightly better fidelity, but will make greater demands on Receptor’s CPU, resulting in fewer simultaneous plugins and reduced polyphony. Also, be aware that not all plugins are designed to operate properly at higher rates. SU Ma s t e r III III 4 4 . 1 S amp l e R a t e < > k H z Rotate the bottom display knob to select the desired sample rate.
The bank’s name is flashing, indicating you must press the bottom display knob to apply the selection. Select a bank and press the bottom display knob. SU V i e w B a n k III III 0 2 4 / 0 0 3 MS B / L S B ( mo r e < > b a n k s ) The bank’s MSB and LSB numbers are displayed. These are the numbers you would enter in your MIDI sequencer or MIDI control surface to select this bank via MIDI program change. In addition, the (more banks) text will be flashing.
2 SU T CP / I P A d d r e s s III III 1 9 2 . 1 6 8 . 0 0 1 . 0 7 5 < > Rotate the bottom display knob to select the desired value (from 000-255), then press the bottom display knob. The cursor moves to the next block of numbers, which are flashing. 3 Select the desired value for this block (from 000-255), then press the bottom display knob. 4 Continue until you’ve entered the desired IP address in all four blocks. 5 Press the bottom display knob after entering the fourth number block.
SETUP: TCP/IP Address Rotate the top display knob to select the TCP/IP Address parameter. If Receptor is setup to use Auto (DHCP) addressing (as described in the previous section), then the TCP/IP Address parameter is readonly. If Receptor is setup to use Manual addressing, then you may change Receptor’s IP Address using this parameter. Receptor uses this IP address to identify itself to another computer, which is how you will upload new software and plugins. SU T CP / I P A d d r e s s III III 1 9 2 .
SU T CP / I P N e t ma s k III III 2 5 5 . 2 5 5 . 2 5 5 . 0 0 0 < > 2 Select the desired value for this block (from 000-255), then press the bottom display knob. 3 Continue until you’ve entered the desired Netmask in all four blocks. 4 Press the bottom display knob after entering the fourth number block. You’ll then be asked to confirm your selection (Yes or No). 5 Rotate the bottom display knob to select Yes, then press the knob to apply your selection.
3 Rotate the top and bottom display knobs to rename your workgroup, then press the bottom display knob to apply the name change. Receptor will update your network settings — a process that will take a few seconds. It will then appear on a Windows network under the desired workgroup name. NOTE 1: Network conventions allow the workgroup name to contain only alphanumeric characters, plus the following special characters: ! , ‘ , - , # , $ , % , & , ( , ) NOTE 2: Spaces are not allowed in the workgroup name.
4 Rotate the top and bottom display knobs to rename your Receptor, then press the bottom display knob to apply the name change. The display will say Are you sure? and blink. 5 SU A r e III III N o y o u s u r e ? < > Rotate the bottom display knob counter-clockwise to select No, or clockwise to select Yes. Make sure Yes is shown and press the bottom display knob to apply. Receptor’s Name is a global parameter and is not saved with a Multi Patch.
SETUP: Disk Free Rotate the top display knob to select the Disk Free option. This displays information about Receptor’s internal hard disk. Specifically, the second number (in parenthesis) shows the total amount of user-accessible Hard Disk space. The first number shows how much of that hard disk space (in GB) is currently free (unused). SU D i s k F r e e III III 2 5 .
Here are a couple more details you may wish to know about Zload: • Some plugins keep audio in a buffer that does not get flushed when it’s set-aside by Zload. When this happens, that plugin may make sound when re-loaded (since it will then empty its audio buffer). This is a fairly rare occurrence and is pretty harmless in studio operations. But, if you’re using Receptor live or sequencing with Single or Multi patch changes, you may want to check for this and, if it proves problematic, disable Zload.
2 Press the bottom display knob. The screen will ask if you are sure you want to uninstall the selected plugin. 3 SU A r e III III Y e s y o u s u r e ? < Rotate the bottom display knob counter-clockwise to select No, or clockwise to select Yes. Make sure Yes is shown and press the bottom display knob to apply. Receptor uninstalls that plugin and all patch banks associated with that plugin.
6 Editing, Saving, and Metering This chapter discusses how to: • Edit patches • Save, copy, delete, and rename patches • Meter the signal level at various points in the mixer These functions are all performed using the three Modifier buttons on Receptor’s front panel.
EDIT Button One of the many advantages of VST plugins is that each plugin can have a unique graphical interface to make editing easy. Receptor supports graphical plugin editing via its built-in keyboard, mouse, and monitor inputs (discussed in the “Graphic Editor” section on page 85) or by remote computer control (discussed in “Remote Control of Receptor” on page 174). However, there may be times when you may want to “tweak” a patch via Receptor’s front panel. This is what Edit Mode is for.
In this example, if you turned Soft Knob B, the display would change to display the “Resonance” parameter, and you would see its value change as you rotated the knob. When you stop rotating a soft knob, the display returns to normal within about a half-second. If you want to see which parameter is assigned to a soft knob without actually turning it, simply push the soft knob -- the display will show the associated parameter name and value for a period of about one second.
SAVE/FILE: Save Patch Rotate the top display knob to select the Save Patch option. This operation will overwrite the patch stored on disk with what’s in the edit buffer. If you want to save the patch to a different bank or rename the patch prior to saving it, you must use the Save Patch As option, discussed in the next section. 0 1 S a v e S n g l III III 0 5 2 : Ama n d a P a t c h > L y n n The top line of the display appears in the following format... Save Patch ...
If you wish to store the patch within a different bank: 2 Rotate the bottom display knob to select a different bank. The bank name is flashing, indicating you must press the bottom display knob to apply the change. 3 Press the bottom display knob to apply your selection and proceed to Step 7. 4 If, when selecting a bank, you decide you want to create a new bank in which to store the patch, rotate the bottom display knob to the very end, at which point the display will read Bank:(NEW).
13 Receptor asks you to confirm the save operation. 0 1 A r e III III N o y o u s u r e ? < > 14 Rotate the bottom display knob counter-clockwise to select No, or clockwise to select Yes. Make sure Yes is shown and press the bottom display knob to apply. Receptor overwrites the patch at the selected location. SAVE/FILE: Copy Patch Rotate the top display knob to select the Copy Patch option. Use this option to copy any patch (of a particular type) to a new location.
8 0 1 A r e III III N o y o u s u r e ? < > Rotate the bottom display knob counter-clockwise to select No, or clockwise to select Yes. Make sure Yes is shown and press the bottom display knob to apply. Receptor copies the patch to this location, naming it -C. For example, if you copied a patch named, “Claire Annette” to another location, the copied patch would be named Claire Annette-C.
5 0 1 D e l e t e P a t c h III III 0 5 2 : S q u i r r e l ‘ s < > N u t Press the bottom display knob to apply your selection. The display will ask if you’re sure. 6 0 1 A r e III III N o y o u s u r e ? < > Rotate the bottom display knob counter-clockwise to select No, or clockwise to select Yes. Make sure Yes is shown and press the bottom display knob to apply. SAVE/FILE: Rename Bank To rename any bank in Receptor: 1 Rotate the top display knob to select the Rename Bank option.
SAVE/FILE: Rename Patch To rename a patch: 1 Rotate the top display knob to select the Rename Patch option. 2 Rotate the bottom display knob to select the bank that contains the patch you wish to rename. The bank name is flashing, indicating you must press the bottom display knob to apply your selection. 3 0 1 R e n ame P a t c h III III B a n k : Me l l o w < S o u n d s Press the bottom display knob to apply.
Meters Mode Receptor is a completely modular and flexible synth and effects device. Because of this, there may be times when you’ve inserted a particular plugin that dramatically affects either the signal level for a particular channel or the overall CPU load on Receptor. Meters Mode performs three functions: • It lets you to view the signal level at any point within Receptor’s multi-channel signal chain. • It lets you to view the CPU load for any individual plugin.
Metering Signal Levels Like all of Receptor’s Modifier buttons, the METERS button works in conjunction with one of the view buttons. For example, if you want to monitor the signal level present at the output of Channel 3, you would: 1 Press the top display knob to enter Channel Select Mode, then rotate it to select Channel 03. Press it again to exit Channel Select Mode. This tells Receptor that it’s Channel 3’s Mix level you want to monitor. 2 Press MIX.
6: Editing, Saving, and Metering 84 Receptor Manual
Graphic Editor This section discusses Receptor’s built-in graphic editor, which is available by either connecting a keyboard, monitor, and mouse directly to Receptor; or remotely controlling it from a computer using Ethernet.
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7 Graphic UI - Mix View Receptor’s editing capabilities are enhanced by connecting a monitor, keyboard and mouse directly to the unit, or by networking Receptor with a computer and controlling it from that computer. Both of these methods employ the same graphical user interface, which is described in this and the following “Graphic UI” chapters. Receptor is designed to run full-screen on a 1024x768 pixel monitor. Different views are accessed by clicking the various tabs in the View Bar.
Overview of Mix View Mix View is Receptor’s main and default view. It’s where you configure Receptor’s 16 instrument channels, 2 effect bus channels, and its master channel. As you can see in the following illustration, Mix View contains five basic areas. Multi Patch CPU Gauge Channel Details Channel Selectors Mixer --- Mix View’s Five Basic Areas --- Basic operation couldn’t be simpler. Across the bottom of the screen are all 19 Receptor channels.
Mixer Anatomy The bottom half of the Mix View windows shows... you guessed it... a MIXER! Receptor has 16 different instrument channels, each of which derives its sound from either a built-in VSTi or from an external audio input. In addition, Receptor has two dedicated effects busses and a master output channel, resulting in a mixer with 19 total channels strips. --- Mixer --- The following illustration shows, in detail, the elements contained in each type of mixer channel.
Channel Selector The giant glowing button at the top of a mixer channel is the Channel Selector. By default, Channel Selectors always display the name of the Source, with the exception of the two busses and master, which display the name of the first instantiated effect. Click a Channel Selector to view all the information for that channel in the upper Channel Details area.
Plugin Overview The Plugin Overview icons may be tiny, but they’re very useful. They provide a visual overview of all the plugins in Receptor. With a quick glance, you can see which channels have instantiated plugins and which channels have bypassed plugins. Source Icon FX A, B, C Icons Instantiated Plugins Bypassed Plugin Uninstantiated Plugin These icons can be quite useful when trying to track down a rogue plugin that might be hijacking Receptor’s valuable CPU resources.
In the pre fader position (the button is on and purple in color) the Send Level and Volume level act independently. This is useful if, for example, you wish to hear only an effected signal with no dry signal, which you would accomplish by turning on the Pre Fader button and setting the Volume level to zero. NOTE: Since Send Levels are not present in the Effects Bus channels or the Master channel, neither are the Pre/Post buttons.
Use the Output Assignments panel to route the output of any channel to a particular hardware output or (for Channels 1-16, and Effects Bus 1 and 2) to the Master channel bus. Output routings are displayed in a simple grid, where a blue button indicates that an output is active and a white button indicates that an output is not active. Receptor’s 19 channels, consisting of instrument channels 1-16, Effects Bus 1 (B1), Effects Bus 2 (B2), and the Master (M) channel appear in columns.
Channel Number The channel number appears at the bottom of the channel strip. Instrument Channels are numbered 1-16. Effects Busses are numbered B1 and B2 (for “Bus 1” and “Bus 2”). The Master output channel is labeled “M”, for Master. These are the same numbers that appear in the top left corner of Receptor’s front panel LCD.
Source Slot Anatomy These parameters are nearly the same as those accessed from the SOURCE button on Receptor’s front panel. They define a channel’s audio source (either an external audio input or a VSTi) and, as such, are only available in Instrument Channels. There are no Source Slots in either the Effects Bus or Master channels.
If you wish to limit the number of plugins in the list, you can view only those plugins of a particular type. Click the “View plugin type” menu to select whether you want to see all available plugins, or just those from a particular manufacturer. You can also choose to view only the available audio inputs. If more than 128 plugins are currently available, then NEXT PAGE and PREVIOUS PAGE icons will appear at the bottom of the Plugin Select panel. Use these to view the next or previous set of 128 plugins.
Source: Prev/Next Patch Buttons The button with the left-pointing arrow selects the previous patch in a patch list without having to open the patch panel. The button with the right-pointing arrow selects the next patch in a patch list without having to open the patch panel. NOTE: If you’re currently displaying the last patch in a bank and you click the Next button, Receptor will load the first patch in the following Bank.
Click the MIDI Filter button to open the MIDI Filter panel for that channel. --- MIDI Filter Panel --- The MIDI Filter panel is used to re-channelize, remap, and filter the MIDI data used to control a particular Receptor channel. From top-to-bottom, the MIDI Filter panel contains the following elements: • Listen To MIDI Channel • Play Plugin MIDI Channel • Note Range • Velocity Range • Ch Transpose The following sections discuss each of these elements in detail.
Multitimbral Synth Tip: Note that the Listen to MIDI Channel and Play Plugin MIDI Channel settings, when used together, let you play multiple channels on a multitimbral VSTi. If you instantiate a multitimbral VST and assign its LISTEN TO value to ALL and its PLUGIN CH value to THRU, then every incoming MIDI channel will be thru’d to the like-numbered VST channel, allowing for multitimbral operation of that VST.
The following examples may help you better understand the correlation between Receptor and the Listen to MIDI Channel and Play Plugin MIDI Channel settings. --- Remapping Examples --- The previous figure shows three different Instrument Channels, numbers 5-7. Each Instrument Channel has an identical multitimbral VSTi instantiated as its Source.
Multitimbral Synth Tip: Note that the Listen to MIDI Channel and Play Plugin MIDI Channel settings, when used together, let you play multiple channels on a multitimbral VSTi. If you instantiate a multitimbral VST and assign its LISTEN TO value to ALL and its PLUGIN CH value to THRU, then every incoming MIDI channel will be thru’d to the like-numbered VST channel, allowing for multitimbral operation of that VST.
Source: Edit Button / Gain Knob Press this button to open an editor for the instrument you’ve selected in the Source selector. This causes Receptor to switch to Edit View, which is detailed in “Chapter 8: Graphic UI - Edit View”. If you select the Rear Analog Input as the source, then the EDIT button is replaced with a Gain knob. Use the Gain knob to boost the rear analog input level by as much as 18 dB.
Some plugins may have bracketed prefixes before their names. Here’s what they mean: • [##] - This means that a demo version of the plugin is currently installed and that, by instantiating it, you will activate its demo period. • [nn] - In this case, nn = some number, such as 17, or 03, or 11. This means that the plugin is currently running in demo mode and this prefix shows you how many days remain in your demo period.
FX: Bypass Button Click the button to the left of the Plug-in field to bypass the FX slot. An FX slot is bypassed when the button is bright yellow. In addition, all text in a bypassed slot appears grey, further indicating that it’s bypassed. Bypassing an effect frees its CPU resources. It’s useful for comparing an effected sound to the un-effected sound. It’s also useful whenever Receptor’s CPU resources are maxed out and you want to disable a particular plugin.
FX: Edit Button Press this button to open an editor for the instrument you’ve selected in the Plugin selector. This causes Receptor to switch to Edit View, which is detailed in Chapter 8, “Graphic UI - Edit View.” FX: Save/File Button Click this button to open a pop-up Save/File options panel, which you use to save or modify any new effects patches you create. For detailed information about the various bank and patch saving options, see Chapter 11, “Graphic UI - Saving and Managing Patches”.
Single Patch Slot Anatomy These parameters are essentially the same as those accessed from the SINGLE button on Receptor’s front panel. Single patches store the Source assignment, Insert FX assignments and routings for an Instrument Channel. They also store the patch data for each instantiated plugin, which means your Single patches never “lose their patch data” if you happen to change or delete a VST patch that was used in creating a Single patch.
Single: Prev/Next Patch Buttons The button with the left-pointing arrow selects the previous patch in a patch list without having to open the Load panel. The button with the right-pointing arrow selects the next patch in a patch list without having to open the Load panel. Single: Save/File Button Click this button to open the Save/File options panel, which you use to name and save any new patches you create in a channel.
Multi: Patch Selector Click the Patch selector to open the Load Panel to its Patch List view. The Patch List contains the names and numbers of all 128 patches stored within the current bank. In general, select the desired patch from the Patch List and close the Load Panel when you’re finished. For detailed information about loading banks and patches, see Chapter 10, “Graphic UI - Loading Patches”. The patch selector shows the name of the current patch.
8 Graphic UI - Edit View Receptor’s editing capabilities are enhanced by connecting a monitor, keyboard and mouse directly to the unit, or by networking Receptor with a computer and controlling it from that computer. Both of these methods employ the same graphical user interface, which is described in these “Graphic UI” chapters. Receptor is designed to run full-screen on a 1024x768 pixel monitor. Different views are accessed by clicking the various tabs in the View Bar.
• Click the Editor Select button to open a panel showing all instantiated plugins. Within that panel, click the desired plugin, and then click that panel’s Edit button (this procedure is discussed further in “Using the Editor Select Feature” on page 116). Editor Select Button When you open a plugin editor, an Edit Bar appears to the right of the View Bar.
• Bypass button - Click this button to bypass the current plugin. Bypassing instrument plugins is discussed within “Source Slot Anatomy” on page 95. Bypassing Effects plugins is discussed within “FX Slot Anatomy” on page 102. • Compare button - When you begin editing a plugin, this button lights to indicate that the current parameter settings have been modified and may not match those in the .fxp patch stored in Receptor.
A faceless UI removes all the graphical niceness from a manufacturer’s plugin and, instead, shows a generic listing of every parameter contained within the plugin. --- Typical Faceless Mode UI --- If a plugin contains more than 15 parameters, then the second column is filled and then the third. If a plugin contains more than 45 parameters, then Next Set and Previous Set buttons appear on the bottom of the screen. Previous Set Next Set Click the Next Set button to display the next set of 45 parameters.
As seen in the previous figure, Faceless Mode parameter elements are: • Parameter Name - By default, this displays the name of the parameter as provided by the VST plugin. Note than not every plugin developer names all of their parameters. You can rename this parameter by 1) clicking it, 2) typing a new name, and 3) pressing the Enter/Return key. When a parameter has been renamed, it is shown in italics and is automatically assigned to the front panel.
To enter Learn mode, click the Learn Mode button in the Edit Bar.
Handy Features The following sections discuss some of the niceties and subtleties of Receptor plugin editing. Reordering Parameters To change the display order parameters: 1 In either the Faceless Mode UI or the Learn Mode Edit Bar, Click the Order button for an assigned parameter. Order A Parameter Order panel appears. It contains a list of all the parameters that are currently assigned to Receptor’s front panel. --- Parameter Order Panel --2 Click the parameter whose order you wish to change.
Knob Assignments By default, a plugin’s first four parameter assignments (#1-4) are controlled by Receptor’s four front panel knobs. This means your most desirable parameters are always within quick reach. For more information, see “EDIT: Using the Soft Knobs” on page 74. Using the Editor Select Feature Receptor has a handy feature that allows you to switch between editors without returning to the Mix View. It’s called the Editor Select button.
9 Graphic UI - Setup View Receptor’s editing capabilities are enhanced by connecting a monitor, keyboard and mouse directly to the unit, or by networking Receptor with a computer and controlling it from that computer. Both of these methods employ the same graphical user interface, which is described in these “Graphic UI” chapters. Receptor is designed to run full-screen on a 1024x768 pixel monitor. Different views are accessed by clicking the various tabs in the View Bar.
SETUP View - Audio Parameters Master Sample Rate Use this parameter to set Receptor’s default master clock rate. You can select between the following rates: • 44.1 kHz • 48 kHz • 96 kHz Receptor defaults to 44.1 kHz, which is the standard “CD quality” sample rate. Choosing higher raters may result in slightly better fidelity, but will make greater demands on Receptor’s CPU, resulting in fewer simultaneous plugins and reduced polyphony.
Tempo If the Tempo Source parameter is set to Internal, then this value determines the internal tempo in Beats Per Minute. This tempo is used by all tempo-based effects and instruments. If the Tempo Source parameter is set to External, then the Tempo BPM value is displayed, but can not be edited. If you change the tempo of the external MIDI Beat Clock, you will see the tempo change in this window. If no MIDI Beat Clock signal is currently present, the Tempo displays the most recently received MIDI tempo.
TCP/IP Settings Use this section to assign an IP address and netmask to Receptor. Receptor uses its IP address to identify itself to another computer. The following options are available: • Auto (DHCP) - This is the default option. Select it if you have a DHCP server that automatically provides IP addresses to networked devices. • Manual - Select this option if you want to manually enter an IP address and netmask.
To change the name of a Windows Workgroup, you must have Windows Networking enabled. The name can only contain alphanumeric characters, plus the following special characters: !,‘,-,#,$,%,&,(,) You must click the Apply button in order for any Windows Networking changes to take effect. The Windows Networking settings are global parameters and are not saved with a Multi Patch. SETUP View - Install Parameters Install Button The Install button is the top button in the INSTALL block of Setup parameters.
Uninstall Plugins Button Click the Uninstall Plugins button to open a panel showing an alphabetical listing of every plugin currently installed in Receptor. Select the plugin you wish to uninstall, then click OK. If there are more than 128 plugins in your Receptor, you’ll see “Next Page” and “Previous Page” buttons at the bottom of this panel, which will allow you to navigate through multiple pages of plugins. IMPORTANT: Uninstalling a plugin also uninstalls all patch banks associated with that plugin.
Memory This displays information about Receptor’s internal RAM. Specifically, it shows how much RAM is installed in your Receptor and what percentage of that RAM is currently free. Enable Zload Zload™, when enabled, can dramatically improve the speed at which plugins instantiate. When plugins instantiate faster, Receptor is more responsive to patch change requests. Multi patches, in particular, will load dramatically faster.
Hard Disk This displays information about Receptor’s internal hard disk. Specifically, the second number shows the total amount of user-accessible Hard Disk space. The first number shows how much of that hard disk space (in GB) is currently free (unused). NOTE: You may wonder why the total amount of disk space does not equal the size of Receptor’s internal hard drive. The reason is that this field displays the total amount of user accessible disk space.
10 Graphic UI - Loading Patches This chapter discusses Receptor’s Load Panel in depth. Use it to load any type of patch (VST, Single, Multi) into Receptor. The Load Panel appears anytime you click a Bank Select or Patch Select button in Receptor. Bank Select button and current Bank Name Patch Select button and current Patch Name Load Panel Architecture Whenever you click a Bank Select or Patch Select button within Receptor’s graphical user interface, you’ll be presented with a standard Load Panel.
The Load Panel contains the following elements: • List This area displays either the Bank List or the Patch List, depending on which tab is depressed. For more information, see “Bank and Patch Lists” on page 127. • Prev/Next Patch Select buttons These buttons duplicate the prev/next buttons found in Mix View (and elsewhere). Use these buttons to step through patches one-at-a-time. As a shortcut, you can use your keyboard’s arrow keys. Click the DOWN arrow to select the next patch.
Bank and Patch Lists In accordance with the MIDI specification, Receptor groups up to 128 patches together into a bank. Receptor can contain as many as 16,384 banks of patches and, since each bank can hold up to 128 patches, this means Receptor could theoretically save as many as 2 million patches! Obviously, the ability to group patches into banks and navigate through them is very important. As you’ve seen, the Load Panel has two tabs at the top: Patch and Bank. Click them to switch between the two lists.
the patches within them are known as ROM patches (ROM means “Read Only Memory). Receptor indicates ROM banks and ROM patches by enclosing their names in angle brackets, like . If you see a patch name or a bank name enclosed in angle brackets, it means you cannot overwrite it, nor can you delete it.
11 Graphic UI - Saving and Managing Patches This chapter discusses Receptor’s Save/File Panel in depth. The Save/File Panel is a powerful tool that allows you to not only save patches, but: • create new banks • rename banks • delete banks • copy patches • rename patches • delete patches Let’s look at how this all works... Accessing the Save/File Panel Receptor stores three types of patches: VST patches (.fxp), Single patches, and Multi patches.
Save/File Panel Architecture Whenever you click the Save/File button within Receptor’s graphical user interface, you’ll be presented with a standard Save/File panel for that patch type. Bank & Patch Tabs List Slot ID Save/File options Current Bank Info Close Button --- Typical Save/File Panel --- The Save/File Panel contains the following elements: • List This area displays either the Bank List or the Patch List, depending on which tab is depressed.
Save/File Panel: Bank and Patch Lists Receptor saves each type of individual patch (whether a Multi, Single, or Plugin patch) into a container of 128 patches, called a Bank. Receptor is capable of saving up to 16,384 banks of patches and, since each bank can hold up to 128 patches, this means Receptor could theoretically save as many as 2 million patches! Obviously, the ability to group patches into banks is very important.
Saving a Patch Assume you’ve edited some patch (either a plugin’s patch, a Single, or a Multi) and you want to save it. If you want to overwrite the existing patch with your edited patch: 1 In the Mixer, click the Save/File button next to the patch you want to save. Receptor opens the Save/File panel. The Save button is lit by default. 2 Click the OK button. Receptor overwrites the old version of the patch with the new version.
Saving a Patch to a New Location (Save As) If you want to save the edited patch to a different location (preserving your original patch): 1 In the Mixer, click the Save/File button next to the patch you want to save. Receptor opens the Save/File panel. The Save button is lit by default. 2 Click the patch number to want to overwrite.
Saving Patches from ROM Banks You cannot save patches to a ROM bank. ROM banks are read-only and are indicated by around their name. Patches stored within ROM banks also indicated their read-only status by enclosing the patch name in . In general, most of Receptor’s factory banks are shipped as ROM banks. If you edit a patch in a ROM bank and want to save it to disk, simply create a new bank and save the patch to that new bank.
4 Type in a new bank name, if you wish. 5 Click OK. Receptor creates the new bank. NOTE: If your bank tab already contained a bank into which you want to save your patch, you could simply have selected it, rather than creating a new bank. 6 Click the bank name you just created to select it as the destination for your edited patch. 7 Click the Patch tab. Receptor shows the names of all the patches in the selected bank. Since this is a new bank, all the patches are (empty).
9 Type the desired name for the patch. 10 Click OK. Receptor saves the edited to patch to the selected location. 11 Click the Close button to close the Save/File panel. Renaming a Bank or Patch You can rename any bank or patch in Receptor (as long as it’s not a ROM bank, as indicated by around its name). Renaming a Bank You can rename any bank as follows: 1 In the Bank List, click the bank name you wish to change. 2 Click Rename.
Renaming a Patch You can rename any patch as follows: 1 In the Patch List, click the patch name you wish to change. 2 Click Rename. The Rename button lights, a Name field appears, and the Cancel and OK buttons become available. 3 Change the name by typing a new value into the Name field. 4 Click the OK button to rename the patch, or click Cancel to cancel the renaming operation.
Copying a Patch You may sometimes wish to copy a patch to another location or bank. For example, you may have some patches in one bank that should really be in a different bank, in which case the Copy feature is ideal. To copy a patch: 1 In the Patch List, click the patch name you wish to copy. 2 Click Copy. The Copy button lights and the Cancel button becomes available.
Viewing a Bank’s MIDI Bank Select Values You can view the Bank Select MSB (cc 00) and LSB (cc 32) values of any bank by selecting it and looking at the MSB/LSB readout in the bottom left corner of the Save/File panel. This information is very useful if you want to program an external device to send bank/patch select messages to Receptor. NOTE: MSB / LSB indicators appear only for Multi Patches, Single Patches, and INST patches.
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Networking Receptor and your Computer This section discusses how to connect Receptor to a computer. Connecting a computer allows you to remotely edit Receptor, and install and manage plugins, patches and samples.
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12 Connecting Receptor to a Computer Although Receptor is designed to be used as a stand-alone device, you’ll be missing out on one of its most powerful features -- expansion -- if you don’t ever connect it to your computer.
• Ethernet Switcher - This is a device that contains multiple Ethernet ports and, thus, expands the number of Ethernet devices you can connect to your network. Ethernet switchers, unlike older “hubs”, guarantee full bandwidth to each Ethernet device that connects to it. In general, most modern multi-port Ethernet devices are switchers. • Ethernet Router - An Ethernet router contains a built-in DHCP server. This is the “central nervous system” of your network.
Receptor <-> Computer Connection Receptor connects to a computer via its 10/100Base-T Ethernet port. This single Ethernet connection will handle all file transfers between Receptor and your desktop computer. In addition, you may use this same Ethernet connection to remotely control Receptor from a computer.
plan to always use your Receptor with a crossover connection to a Macintosh, you should set Receptor to “Crossover” mode to speed up the startup process. Windows users must ALWAYS use Crossover Mode when using a crossover connection. Using a Crossover Connection with Dial-Up Internet You will get most of your plugins and software updates from www.plugorama.com. Although you can transfer any files you download from plugorama.
Network Connection If you have other Ethernet devices that you want connected to your computer at the same time as Receptor, you must use an Ethernet router/switcher -- connecting Receptor to it, rather than directly to your computer. This will likely be the connection you use if you have multiple computers, a network printer, or a broadband internet modem (such as Cable or DSL).
Also, if you have multiple Receptors, you may simply add them to the network as shown below: Ethernet routers and switchers are available at most computer supply stores. When you use Receptor on a network, you can choose either dynamic IP addressing (called “Auto (DHCP)”) or manual IP addressing. Auto (DHCP) IP Connections To set up a network connection and configure Receptor to use Auto (DHCP): 1 Make sure that your Ethernet router/switcher is turned on and that your computer and Receptor are turned off.
3 Turn on your computer, then turn on Receptor and set its TCP/IP Settings to Manual, and enter the desired IP Address and Netmask. To do this from the front panel: 1) press the SETUP button, then 2) turn the top display knob to select the “TCP/IP Setup” parameter, then 3) turn the bottom display knob to select “Manual,” then 4) press the bottom display knob to apply your selection. The LCD will now show the IP address.
2 In the next dialog click Connect. 3 Another dialog box appear asking you to select which Receptor volume you wish to mount. Select “c” then click OK. 4 A dialog appears welcoming you to Receptor. Click OK. 5 Your Receptor hard disk now appears mounted on the Desktop.
Mac OS X Panther (10.3), using Samba 1 On the Mac, open System Preferences > Sharing and enable Windows Sharing. 2 In the Finder, click on the Network icon, open the MUSE folder, and then double click your Receptor’s name. NOTE: Windows Networking can be very slow to refresh so, if you’ve recently turned on your Receptor, it (and its Workgroup) may not immediately appear in the Local folder. If you’re in a hurry, you can always type in your Receptor’s IP address.
To learn how to get Receptor’s IP address, see “Getting Receptor’s IP Address” on page 162. 2 In the next dialog, you will be asked to select the name of the Receptor volume you wish to mount. Select “Hard Drive” and click OK. 3 The next dialog asks for a username and password, though none are needed. Simply click OK to dismiss the dialog. 4 The Receptor Volume named “HARD DRIVE” now appears mounted on your desktop.
Mac OS X Jaguar (10.2) or earlier, using AppleTalk 1 In the Finder, choose Connect to Server from the Go menu. Browse zones in the left pane until you see your Receptor’s name in the middle pane, select it, and then click Connect. 2 If you do not see your Receptor’s name, enter the IP address of your Receptor in the “Address” field, and then click Connect. To learn how to get Receptor’s IP address, see “Getting Receptor’s IP Address” on page 162.
3 Next you will connect as guest. Simply click Connect. 4 Another dialog box appears asking you to select which Receptor volume you wish to mount. Select “Hard Drive” then click OK. The Receptor Volume named “Hard Drive” now appears mounted in the Finder. Mac OS X Jaguar (10.2) or earlier, using Samba 1 In the Finder, choose Connect to Server from the Go menu. In the left pane click on “MUSE,” select your Receptor’s name in the middle pane, and then click Connect.
3 Type smb:// followed by the IP address of your Receptor in the “Server Address” field, then click Connect. 4 To learn how to get Receptor’s IP address, see “Getting Receptor’s IP Address” on page 162. 5 In the next dialog, you will be asked to select the name of the Receptor volume you wish to mount. Select “Hard Drive” and click OK. 6 The next dialog asks for a username and password, though none are needed. Simply click OK to dismiss the dialog.
Mac OS 9 1 Open the Chooser, make sure AppleTalk is Active, and click AppleShare In the right-hand list, click your Receptor’s name, then click OK. 2 If you do not see your Receptor’s name, click Server IP Address then, in the resulting dialog enter the IP address of your Receptor, and click OK. To learn how to get Receptor’s IP address, see “Getting Receptor’s IP Address” on page 162. 3 In the next dialog click Connect.
5 A dialog appears welcoming you to Receptor. Click OK. 6 Your Receptor Volume now appears on your Desktop. Windows Mounting Instructions The following sections discuss how to mount Receptor using various versions of the Windows OS. Should you require additional information, see your computer’s documentation to learn more about how its networking works.
6 Type two backslashes, followed by the name of your Receptor, followed by a single backslash and the words “Hard Drive.” For example, if your Receptor is named “Receptor-123456”, you would type: \\Receptor-123456\Hard Drive as shown below.
9 Click Next, then click Finish. Windows creates a new network place and places it in “My Network Places” by default. 10 If you wish, create a shortcut to this new Receptor location on your Windows desktop. Now, anytime you want to connect to Receptor, you just need to double-click the Receptor shortcut on your desktop.
4 Click “Muse.” You’ll see a list of every Receptor on your network. 5 Click the name of the Receptor you want mounted. That Receptor’s hard drive now appears on your computer. 6 If you don’t see the Muse workgroup, you can force Windows to find your Receptor: In the currently open Explorer window is a field called “Address”. In that field, type: \\ where is the name you’ve given your Receptor, then click the GO button.
Windows 2000 Using the following method, you’ll create a new network place, make a shortcut to it, then use that shortcut to access your Receptor at any time in the future: 1 Go to My Network Places. 2 Double-click Add Network Place. 3 In the next dialog, type two backslashes followed by the name of your Receptor. For example, if your Receptor is named “Receptor-201998”, you would type: \\Receptor-201998 as shown below in the following illustration.
5 In the following screen, make sure “Hard Drive” is selected, and then click Next. 6 In the next dialog you have the option of entering a new name for your Receptor disk. Type whatever name you want, then click Finish. A new window will open for this Network Place, displaying the contents of Receptor’s hard drive. Note, also, that My Network Places now contains a new item with the name you typed above.
• Using the Graphical User Interface — Using Receptor’s graphical user interface, click the SETUP tab in the View Bar and read the Address field displayed in the TCP/IP Settings of the Network block.
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13 Installing, Updating, & Managing Receptor Files Once you’ve mounted Receptor on your computer’s desktop (as discussed in the previous chapter), you’ll see that it contains a number of different files and directories. Overview of Receptor’s Hard Drive The following sections discuss the various files and directories available on Receptor’s hard drive. Banks and Patches This directory contains all your Receptor patches. The directory organizes patches by type and developer.
Documentation This directory contains some basic Receptor documentation, including various plugin documentation. Note that the plugin documentation is supplied by the developer and, as such, may exist in all sorts of different formats, such as Acrobat (pdf), Microsoft Word (doc), text, or html files. You may keep this documentation on Receptor or you may delete it. The choice is yours.
My Documents You can put any files you want into the My Documents directory. It’s yours to do with as you please. If, for example, you want to carry your set lists, to-do lists, contacts, or lyrics with your Receptor, this is the directory to put them into. You can set up any hierarchical file structure you wish within the My Documents directory. Program Files This directory contains all the various libraries and support files for every plugin on Receptor.
• System Log -- should you ever have any unexpected trouble with Receptor, the Muse Research tech support department will likely ask you to copy text from this file and email it to them. The System Log spits out a steady stream of system information that Muse Research technical folks can actually understand and use to troubleshoot your Receptor. • System Log.txt - this contains the same information as the System Log file, but in .txt form (should your computer be unable to read the System Log directly).
Updating Receptor Software One thing you’ll want to do regularly is check for updates to Receptor’s operating system and, if one exists, download it and install it into Receptor. Checking for Receptor System Updates To check the web for updates to Receptor’s system software: 1 First, check your Receptor to see what system version it’s currently using.
Getting and Installing Plugins One of the most exciting aspects of Receptor is that, unlike most fixed-architecture synthesizers, you can download new plugins that turn Receptor into a completely different type of synthesizer or effects module. Developers are constantly creating new synthesizers, samplers, drum machines, and effects devices. As these plugins are developed, they will be made available to Receptor owners on www.plugorama.com. Some plugins are free.
Updating Existing Plugins Developers frequently update and improve their plugins. You may wish to periodically check for updated versions of plugins that are currently installed on Receptor. Updates to plugins are always posted on www.plugorama.com. Please check there for plugin updates.
Installing “Unsupported” Plugins 1 Locate the desired .dll plugin file on your Windows PC. If this is a plugin that you’ve already installed on your Windows PC, you can usually find the .dll file (which is the actual plugin) in your Vstplugins folder on that machine. IMPORTANT: Receptor does not run Windows installers.
Uninstalling “Unsupported” Plugins You cannot use Receptor’s Uninstall button to remove any unsupported plugins. Rather you must uninstall any unsupported plugins using the following technique: 1 Mount Receptor on your computer’s hard drive. See “Mounting Receptor on your Computer’s Desktop” on page 149 for more information. 2 Navigate to the Unsupported Plugins folder on Receptor’s hard drive. Specifically, this is located here: Program Files / VST Plugins / Unsupported Plugins 3 Locate the .
Remote Control of Receptor With Receptor mounted on your desktop computer, you’ll see a directory called “Remote Control.” Inside that directory are various applications that can be used to remotely control Receptor’s graphical user interface from a desktop computer. Although you may run these applications directly from Receptor, you may find it most convenient to copy them to your computer’s hard drive.
14 Patch Management Managing Patch (.fxp) and Bank (.fxb) files Receptor and your computer work together to help you manage your banks and patches. Manual Patch Management The most orderly way to deal with patch banks is to “massage” them into shape on a computer before sending them to Receptor. Basically, any patch created for Receptor must be named in the following format: nnn-patchname.fxp, where nnn=patch number from 000-127 No patch bank can contain more than 128 patches.
Remember, you can always request a patch name report from Receptor, so you’ll always be able to see which Receptor patches correspond to which MIDI patch change messages. Automatic Patch Management If you don’t have any idea what patch files you have on your computer or what plugins they’re for, Receptor can automatically create all the necessary patch banks.
Patch Cleanup If you frequently use Receptor’s various automatic patch management methods, it may eventually contain numerous banks, each with only a few patches. In this case, you’ll most likely want to “merge” these patches into a single bank. Using Receptor’s built-in File Management features (discussed in Chapter 11, “Graphic UI - Saving and Managing Patches” and “SAVE/FILE Button” on page 75), you can transfer patches between banks, delete banks, etc.
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MIDI Control This section provides detailed information about controlling Receptor from an external MIDI sequencer or MIDI controller.
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15 MIDI Control of Receptor’s Mixer You can think of Receptor as a mixer with 19 channels: • 16 Instrument channels • 2 effects bus channels • 1 master output channel You can control most of the basic functions of these 19 channels using MIDI CC messages. The first question you’ll likely ask is, “how can I control 19 Receptor channels with only 16 MIDI channels?” Glad you asked...
MIDI Control of Instrument Channels The following figure illustrates how to control each of Receptor’s 16 Instrument channels via MIDI controller messages.
MIDI Control of Effects Busses The following figure illustrates how to control Receptor’s two effects busses via MIDI.
MIDI Control of the Master Channel The following figure illustrates how to control Receptor’s Master Channel via MIDI.
16 MIDI Bank & Patch Selection Receptor can contain a lot of MIDI addressable patch banks -- 16,384 banks to be precise. Since each bank can contain as many as 128 patches, Receptor will theoretically store 2,097,152 patches that can be all be recalled via MIDI bank/program change messages.
MSB (cc 00) 127 LSB (cc 32) 3 127 4 127 5 127 6 127 ≥7 Function Specifies the currently selected bank for the FXC plugin. It could be an “internal” bank like the default bank, or a bank that was loaded using the plugin GUI. The MIDI channel used to send the patch change determines which Instrument’s FXC plugin patch to change. Specifies the currently selected bank for the FXA plugins in the two Effects Busses and the Master channel.
Single Patches Receptor stores up to 128 Banks of Single patches (16,384 patches total). A Single patch stores the contents of a single Receptor Instrument channel, including all its VSTi and VST assignments and patches, routings, and levels.
Important: Any time you send a Source (VSTi) bank/patch message to Receptor, its associated plugin is automatically instantiated, replacing any previously instantiated plugin. In this way, you can remotely and automatically instantiate any plugin and patch via MIDI! Effects (VST) Patches Banks of Effect (VST) patches can not be selected remotely via MIDI in the same way that banks of Source (VSTi) patches can.
Viewing MSB/LSB Bank Assignments Obviously, with so many types of banks available, it could be difficult to keep track of exactly what MSB and LSB combinations are used for each and every bank in Receptor.
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17 MIDI Control of Plugin Parameters Most fixed-architecture synthesizers have a fairly straight-forward method of mapping MIDI controllers to particular parameters. In a fixed-architecture synth, these mappings can usually be programmed into your sequencer or MIDI control surface and forgotten. But Receptor is not a fixed-architecture synth.
Alternately, you can change the value of the selected parameter by sending CC 96 (Data Entry +1) or CC 97 (Data Entry –1) to increment or decrement the desired value. Every time you send one of these controllers you will increment or decrement the current value by 1/128th of the entire range of the parameter. In other words, these parameters will increment or decrement by 1 the last value of CC 6 (Data Entry MSB).
Editing Plugin Parameters with MIDI Controller Messages The advantage of using MIDI Controller Messages for parameter editing is that they’re easier to program into a sequencer or MIDI control surface and they’re compatible with a greater variety of control surfaces. The disadvantage is that the quantity of available MIDI Controller numbers is limited and, as such, their functions change depending on which plugin is instantiated in which slot.
Controlling the First 4 Parameters of Any FX Plugin As discussed in Chapter 8, “Graphic UI - Edit View”, you can map any plugin parameter to Receptor’s front panel and define the order in which you want those parameters displayed. You may use MIDI CC messages to access the first 4 parameters of any FX plugin on any of Receptor’s 19 Channels (16 Instrument Channel, 2 Effects Bus Channels, and one Master Channel).
