Recording - August 2010 - 50

BY ALLEN GOODMAN

Muse Research Receptor 2

Instant power boost for the DAW studio—just add a cable
When I received the Receptor 2 Pro from Muse Research, my first thought was, “Hmmm, okay, it’s a rack-mounted computer with a custom-optimized Linux OS, and some built-in audio routing that loads VSTs... No big deal, right?” Wrong. My assumptions couldn’t have been more misplaced if they were on Jupiter. This thing rocks! If it weren’t for the potential for bodily harm from Recording’s Mike Metlay, I would never give it back. Here’s why. What it is My review unit was a Receptor 2 Pro, which as shipped sports a 2.8 GHz 64-bit Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 4 GB of RAM, and a 160 GB solid-state drive, all packaged in a sturdy 2U rackmount chassis. The Receptor 2 line also includes the base Receptor 2, with a dual-core AMD Athlon II processor and a 320 GB hard drive, and the top-of-the-line Receptor 2 Pro Max with a faster Intel Core 2 Duo processor and a 1 TB hard drive. Any of the models can be configured either with standard hard drives or with solid-state drives of various sizes; my Receptor 2 Pro would normally come with a 750 GB hard disk. The Receptor 2’s front panel provides a single 1/4" guitar/instrument High-Z input, a 1/4" TRS headphone jack, and a single USB slot. The back panel offers the rest of the connections that let this chunk o’ metal do its magic. There are a pair of balanced 1/4" TRS ins and outs for analog audio, as well as ADAT optical. Four USB 2.0 slots in back are available for connecting dongles or USB-enabled MIDI controllers. You will also find the network Ethernet port, standard MIDI In/Out/Thru jacks, and the interface jacks for VGA or DVI monitor, mouse, and QWERTY keyboard.
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All Receptor 2 models come with a set of plug-ins onboard to get you started: the Plugsound Box Collection valued at $700, plus some $400 worth of assorted plug-ins you can unlock after registering your Receptor online at plugorama.com. You then add your own third-party plug-ins as you would add them to your DAW. Muse Research also sells a variety of Receptors with popular software collections preloaded and ready to go, like Native Instruments Komplete 6, IK Multimedia Total Workstation Bundle, and bundles from GForce Software, Rob Papen, and Big Fish/Vir2 Instruments. These preloads can be mixed and matched by the buyer and installed at the factory, a big time savings. Basics The Receptor 2 combines the power of a computer with the ease of use and portability of dedicated synth and effects hardware. The mixer-like interface and architecture allow you to design custom patches that can be recalled with the turn of a knob or the click of a mouse (or via MIDI Program Changes). The interface consists of 16 channel “strips”, each of which can be routed to its own inline effects matrix allowing up to three separate VST effects. The signal can then be sent into two dedicated effects busses, each of which also has an effects matrix for further processing of the audio signal. If that is not enough signal processing for you, then I have good news: the master output has yet again another VST effects matrix for mastering and sweetening audio. Audio can be routed out of the Receptor in three distinct ways. First there are the analog balanced 1/4" outs, useful for playing the

Receptor live as a virtual instrument rack or running it into analog signal processing gear or an analog summing bus in a recording studio. Then there is the ADAT optical output, which lets you interface with studios that move a lot of data around via lightpipe. Finally there’s UniWire, which in my opinion is the killer app for the Receptor in the modern studio. While the other two options are fairly old technology, it’s the ability to send audio, MIDI, and control the unit all over a single Ethernet cable that really makes this unit stand out. Regardless of what interface you use to move your audio around, you can install hundreds or even thousands of VSTs on the Receptor 2, from the many smaller ones to the largest that you’ll be glad to be running from the Receptor 2, thus freeing up your DAW-hosting computer. The Receptor runs your plug-ins fast and provides them to your DAW without your main computer breaking a sweat! Receptor Remote The Receptor Remote Tool opens a VNC client (Virtual Network Computing, a standard method for connecting to one computer and remotely using it from another) to interact with one or more Receptors that you have networked together. The only limitations are the speed of your network and that of your main DAW, and your wallet. While it is possible to control the Receptor standalone with its own keyboard, mouse, and monitor plugged into the rear panel, I found the Receptor Remote Tool a far better solution, as my desk is already filled. Since it works via the UniWire standard network connection, you don’t even need to have access to the physical unit. It could be placed in a server rack, in another room... it just shows up

http://www.plugorama.com

Recording - August 2010

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