rockinredeye Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 Any Receptor users out there? A single Kurzweil PC3-76 saved me from my triple stack of keyboards about 4 years ago. But, before that I tried using a Receptor with a Fatar keyboard. Sounded fantastic but I couldn't change songs quickly enough because of the sample load times. So, into the closet it went. Now, I'm thinking I might want to start using it, partly because the sounds in Komplete are so good, and also because it's a $2000US box sitting in my closet. I'm one of those guys who willingly plays 5 or 6 sounds in a single song (phone ringing, pedal steel sound, the clap for Centerfield) and relishes augmenting the band's sound that way. Any Receptor users out there who might know the latest software update on my five year old machine? I have looked at the NI site and the KVR site but am not confident that I understand what I'm reading. Do I have a Receptor 1 or 2? All I know is it's a Rev.C. I don't plan on loading it up with VSTs, just using Komplete. Thanks in advance for not calling me lazy. Kurzweil PC4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechEverlasting Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 A Rev C is a Receptor 1, and it's not a $2,000 box anymore. There's still a lot of great stuff you can do with a Rev C, but in terms of recent versions of Kontakt, current libraries, Ivory 2 and VSTs like Omnisphere you're S.O.L. I believe the last version of Kontakt to work on the Rev C Receptors was 3. There are some terrific libraries available for 3 such as the Sonivox Orchestra, but a lot of them are out of print. The built-in Komplete plugs such as FM-7 and the Prophet are still terrific, versatile synths. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bif_ Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 You might want to investigate an upgrade path with Muse. (Don't know if one is even available or how much it would cost.) I don't gig with mine, but it sounds oh-so-good. I can see where your wouldn't want to count on it if you're doing lots of complex patch changing because of load times. On my Receptor 2 I can load up all 16 slots in a multi and have 16 different sounds instantly available. Something like that may help you get closer. Just started using FM-7. Agree it is quite impressive. I also have Ivory 2 American D and it is very, very gratifying to play. For what needs you've briefly described, you may be better off adding something like a MOXF 6 to your Kurz. Would be a good combination. Greg Kurzweil Forte, Yamaha Motif ES7, Muse Receptor 2 Pro Max, Neo Ventilator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnchop Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 There's not even an upgrade path for those boxes anymore, and all the Rec 2s are being sold as refurbs. I bought a Rec 2 Pro Max from a fellow forumite that was an upgrade from a Rev 1 C. It actually does quite well with Omnisphere, albeit with slow patch loading. Set your expectations low enough, and you'll be good to go. I make software noises. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mate stubb Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 My Rev C fails to boot now unless I open it up and jiggle the sound card. Moe --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allan_evett Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 While the upgrade path for Receptor 2's is gone, there is a trade in program for any Receptor - for a Receptor VIP. If budget allows, a Receptor VIP - at $1299 with trade in - is a whole different machine than a Receptor 1. The VIP comes with quite a bit of usable software already (much of it pretty strong, and at least some of that comparable to the older, NI stuff). You could add the most basic Native Instruments package, and still come out well ahead of trying to work with older software on the Rev. C. The new line of Receptors works well, and sounds great. I had a Receptor 1 that had been upgraded to '2' status; it was fine for studio, but not completely stable for live use, IMO. I ended up selling it to a studio, and took a Receptor break for a couple of years. I have a Receptor Trio now, and like the new interface, a lot. (The old style, 'mixer' interface can still be called up and used on any of the three, new Receptor models though). You might want to take a tour of the Muse Research site; see what you think.. 'Someday, we'll look back on these days and laugh; likely a maniacal laugh from our padded cells, but a laugh nonetheless' - Mr. Boffo. We need a barfing cat emoticon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockinredeye Posted January 23, 2014 Author Share Posted January 23, 2014 O.K. TechE, a $400 box. Bif, it does sound oh so good. I plan on loading 16 slots with sounds that may be useful over the course of a set. Maybe I won't need more than 16 over the course of 4 sets. AllenE, budget does not allow. the trade in thing is just a leeeetle bit high for me. But you know what? All of the above comments have encouraged me to make the old Rev C work! Thanks guys. Kurzweil PC4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mate stubb Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 I never could load more than 4 or 5 slots without maxing the CPU. Moe --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechEverlasting Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Like any other piece of technology if you bear in mind your Receptor C's strengths and limitations it should serve you well. I think many of the difficulties people report with Receptors, particularly long loading times between Multis and crashes during sets can be solved with some strategizing. Set up a few channels of Kontakt instrument banks so that all your sampled instruments load ahead of time. Make sure any other plug-ins you add on additional channels don't stress the Receptor's CPU. Rather than switching between Receptor-Multis have one master Multi loaded and use your Kurzweil to send program changes to individual channels. This should give you zero loading times and much more stability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bif_ Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Rather than switching between Receptor-Multis have one master Multi loaded and use your Kurzweil to send program changes to individual channels. This should give you zero loading times and much more stability. rockinredeye, Try this approach. Since you only need 16 sounds (or less) this might do the trick! Greg Kurzweil Forte, Yamaha Motif ES7, Muse Receptor 2 Pro Max, Neo Ventilator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechEverlasting Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 The thing is, if you use Kontakt instrument banks and other plug-ins that respond to MIDI program change you can have instant access to hundreds of sounds and never have the Receptor load anything during performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bif_ Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 The thing is, if you use Kontakt instrument banks and other plug-ins that respond to MIDI program change you can have instant access to hundreds of sounds and never have the Receptor load anything during performance. Techeverlasting, I'm relatively new to the Receptor world so pardon the dumb question. I assume you mean this as long as you're not having to load new sample data, correct? Greg Kurzweil Forte, Yamaha Motif ES7, Muse Receptor 2 Pro Max, Neo Ventilator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechEverlasting Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Exactly. The whole point of a Kontakt instrument bank is that it lets you put together a group of Kontakt instruments, each assigned to a specific MIDI program change, that all load up when the Multi first loads. (Of course what really happens with Kontakt is that the initial sample headers load and then the rest of the samples stream while playing, but this initial loading seems to be what most stresses the Receptor.) While the amount of Kontakt instruments you can have loaded in banks isn't unlimited I have successfully had hundreds of relatively large orchestral instruments pre-loaded in banks and accessed through program changes. Some of these were for musical theater projects where crashing simply wasn't an option. I've had months of 8 shows a week with no problems using this approach. Personally I would never consider having a Receptor change Multis during a live performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockinredeye Posted January 23, 2014 Author Share Posted January 23, 2014 TechE - Thank you for confirming that multiple Kontakt instruments can be loaded as you described. I had wondered if that was a workaround to changing multis. While I don't know how to implement that yet, learning how will be a welcome challenge. I am hoping to build a few horn sections and have a few synths on other channels. Although I am not one for puzzles, the reward for figuring this out is a great motivator! Thanks again. Kurzweil PC4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bif_ Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Tech, Sorry to wear you out, but could you briefly explain how you set that up? I've been doing musical theater with a Kurzweil PC3X but thought the Receptor might be a good option. Just a brief example of what you're doing on a few of the Receptors channels to give me some ideas. Greg Kurzweil Forte, Yamaha Motif ES7, Muse Receptor 2 Pro Max, Neo Ventilator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechEverlasting Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 What's worked for me on a Receptor 2 Pro Max is having as many as 8 active channels, each calling up a separate instance of Kontakt 4.24 with an instrument bank loaded for each instance. The controlling keyboard (usually a Kurzweil K2600 or PC3K) sends program changes on each channel to call up the various instruments. Key ranges and transpositions are defined from the controlling keyboard. You might think that a single instance of Kontakt receiving on multiple MIDI channels with instrument banks loaded on each channel of the one multi would be more efficient, but I've never been able to get a Receptor to even load such a thing. (This approach does work great on Windows 7 laptops.) I've also had projects where one or two channels of the Master Multi were dedicated to Ivory 2 and one or two channels had Omnisphere with its own version of instrument banks (eight patch multis with program changes assigned) along with a few channels of Kontakt instrument banks. Where the Receptor seems to become unstable is in instantiating new plug-ins or loading large sample libraries. In my experience it's rock solid if all this work is done when the one multi first loads. Of course this requires a powerful keyboard controller with a well implemented multi-mode such as a Kurzweil PC3K. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bif_ Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Techeverlasting, Thanks for that response. It points me in a direction that should work well. Have to give it a go. And I have the Kurzweil PC3X!! Greg Kurzweil Forte, Yamaha Motif ES7, Muse Receptor 2 Pro Max, Neo Ventilator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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