Musings Newsletter November/December 2005

Q:	What's new from Receptor-land?
A:	LOTS! Check out what's happened over the last couple of months.

Muse Research Does New York: If you made it to the Big Apple for the recent AES show, then hopefully you came by the Muse booth to check out all the new plug-ins that run on Receptor, including the following:

Installers for many of these plug-ins are already available for download on Plugorama.
Those marked with a * will be released on Plugorama soon.

All of the Sonalksis line of plug-ins can
be installed and run on your Receptor!

The Sonalksis CQ1
Multi-Band Compander

» Download the installers here «

To celebrate the release of Sonalksis plug-ins on Receptor, Sonalksis is offering a special discount between now and the end of the year ONLY for Receptor customers! You can check out these exciting Sonalksis plug-ins RIGHT NOW by visiting Plugorama. After downloading and installing into Receptor, you can use these great plug-ins for 30 days free of charge. We're confident you are going to love these amazing plug-ins, and to make a good thing better, you can purchase the Sonalksis plugins of your choice for 30% OFF by simply entering the coupon code SONALKSISROCKS when checking out at Plugorama. This offer expires December 31st, 2005 and is only available to Sonalksis plug-ins that are installed on Receptor.

Be sure to download these fantastic plug-ins and take advantage of this incredible money-saving offer today!

In addition to exciting new plug-ins, an impressive demo of UniWire on both the Mac and the PC, and the announcement of V1.4 software (now available as a final beta version), Muse Research hosted many talented and famous musicians who stopped by to check out the latest news about Receptor.

Receptor can now run your favorite sound libraries from EastWest, including Bösendorfer 290, Colossus, Ra, EWQLSO Silver, Gold, and Platinum (Brass, Strings, Percussion, and Woodwinds) as well as Symphonic Choirs.

All of these libraries can be installed on your Receptor by downloading the appropriate installer helper file from Plugorama, and then installing the libraries using your original sample discs. Then, all you have to do is register your software, and voila, massive sound power in a two rack space package.

Want to learn more about the magic that is UniWire™? Our very own Bryan Lanser has written a white paper that takes you through all aspects of UniWire. You can download it (for free, of course) HERE!

In case you haven't heard, UniWire is an amazing new technology that is nearing release that turns your Receptor into a modular plug-in processor. Simply connect it to a 100baseT Ethernet network (or directly to your computer using a crossover cable) and you will be able to harness the power of Receptor as if it was inside your computer, thanks to Receptors innovative UniWire plug-in interface!

New Web-based Videos, presented by Jordan Rudess, are a smash hit!

We've had our web videos up for a couple of months now and people have raved about how it makes the essence of Receptor really easy to understand. If you haven't checked them out, be sure to do so today.

We've taken the enthusiastic feedback to heart, and will be developing a series of videos that show Receptor being used in a studio context, as well as tips and techniques for getting the most out of your Receptor. Be sure to check www.museresearch.com occasionally to check out what is new!

PAUL McCARTNEY: Sir Paul McCartney is out on the road supporting a new album, Chaos and Creation in the Backyard and his long-time keyboardist Paul Wickens ("Wix"), a Receptor user, stopped by Muse Research before his show at the HP Pavilion in San Jose to check out the latest plug-ins and receive a preview of UniWire. Be sure to check out Sir Paul and "Wix" as they tour the US this Fall and Winter. For tour details, visit www.paulmccartney.com.

RICKY MARTIN: Latin pop sensation Ricky Martin released his new album right after AES, called "Life", so Muse Research dropped by SRI studios in New York to check out the rehearsals for his tour which begins in November.

Arturo Ortiz, the music director, gave Receptor the nod when they needed to re-create an amazingly diverse range of sounds from the album in a live context. Veteran keyboard tech Mike Bernard racked up four Receptors complete with extra outputs thanks to the Behringer ADA8000 ADAT lightpipe to analog converter boxes.

Joining the Receptors are some JL Cooper MIDI patchbay / extenders, plus an amazing rack-mount LCD and KVM switch. This allows Michael to control any of the four Receptors by simply sliding out the LCD display that occupies the top rack space, and then slide out the keyboard and mouse (as well as the KVM selector to determine which Receptor is being controlled) to make any programming changes.

The back of the rack is equally impressive, with large fans cooling the enclosure, USB and Ethernet breakout connectors, as well as XLR and high density connectors for connection to the front of house and monitor system.

Speaking of cooling, Michael has come up with the ideal way to keep his Receptors cool under the hot lights of the stage. He placed a perforated single rack spacer in between each Receptor, which allows cool outside air to enter the rack where it is able to enter Receptor, and then Receptors system fans are supplemented by the larger rack exhaust fans that expel the air out the back. The result is that their Receptors run as cool as cucumbers, in stark contrast to the incredibly hot music that are being made with them!

"After being off the road for couple of years, and exploring all the new software technologies for music making, I've found it difficult to imagine dealing with hardware keyboards again while touring. I'm still not an advocate of using computers to run Virtual Instruments for Live gigs, because of road-worthiness, but the truth is that the quality and variety of virtual instruments surpasses hardware options in ways that are mind-boggling."

"And then along came Receptor, an open system where you decide how you want things to sound, so you're not attached to any manufacturer's sounds in particular. Receptor was designed for musicians as well as being designed specifically- but not particularly- for the road. Equally friendly in the studio, the guys at Muse have come up with something that deserves serious consideration, if you're serious about what you do, of course! Support is nothing less than impeccable, OS updates are constantly improving the features, and new plug-ins are always being supported. So, what else can you ask for? For me, Receptor is a dream come true!"

"Four of these babies are on our rig, serving different purposes, including one for the drummer, one for the percussionist, and two for myself. These units, are already serving their intended purpose, but believe or not, everyday I keep on exploring, and discovering new ways with them. My guitar player, David Cabrera, and my Keyboard tech and guru, Michael Bernard, are beginning to lust over some units for themselves as well."

U2: Terry Lawless is still out on the road with U2, and Terry says that the two Receptors in his rig along with his Kurzweil keyboard make his rack the most powerful touring rig on the planet. If you haven't had a chance to check out U2 on the Vertigo tour (and hear Receptors playing a variety of sounds) then check out their tour schedule at www.u2.com.

Rolling Stones: The Stones are out on tour supporting "A Bigger Bang" and we're pleased that Will Alexander, the keyboard tech, and Chuck Leavell, the keyboardist with the Stones, are now counted among Receptor users. Will took the opportunity to have his Receptor updated with the latest software on his day off in SF, and shared with us some stories of life on the road with the biggest rock band in the world. The Stones recently rocked SBC Park in San Francisco where Mick and co. put on an amazing show. The tour goes through next September, so be sure to check them out if you haven't already. Check out www.rollingstones.com for more info.

Receptor just keeps getting better and better! New version 1.4 software, available now as a final beta, provides some great new features such as even more efficient RAM utilization which really helps when running samplers like Kompakt, Kontakt, or any of the EastWest libraries, as well as passing MIDI controller messages directly to the plug-in. Of course the big news with V1.4 is the expanded support for a huge number of new plug-ins, like BFD from FXpansion, and all of the IK multimedia plug-ins (installers available soon).

BFD Lite gives you three of the best kits from the BFD library, including the Lucite kit from BFD, the Tama Superstar kit from the XFL expansion kit, and the TR808 from the 8 bit kits. This trim and efficient version of BFD can run on ANY Receptor, all you need to do is download it (it's 600MB, your particular web access may deem it wise to purchase it on CD from Plugorama for $19.95, including shipping and handling anywhere in the world). Best of all is that BFD Lite is only $99 to unlock! Of course, it comes with a standard 30-day fully functional free trial, so check it out today!

Check out all the latest plug-ins that run on Receptor by visiting www.plugorama.com

Christmas is coming early this year, since UniWire is nearing its anticipated release at the end of November/early December. Be sure to stop by MuseResearch.com and Plugorama.com to stay up with the latest news!