Muse Research UniWire User Manual

UniWire White Paper

Version 1.1 10/4/05 BL

Introduction

Every once in a great while a true breakthrough occurs in the music industry. UniWire is
such a breakthrough, allowing you to connect a UniWire-enabled device to a computer
system and achieve total integration between the two. Its as if your computer just got a
LOT more powerful, and all you did was plug in one cable and install a new plug-in to
facilitate communication between your computer and Receptor.

UniWire: the next step in running plug-ins on Receptor

There can be no question that advances in software technology have completely changed
the way people make music. Powerful and sophisticated digital audio workstation
(DAW) programs for both the Mac and PC make it possible to record, edit, mix, and
sequence your music using software plug-in technology. And with literally thousands of
plug-ins to choose from, chances are if there is a sound you can imagine then it’s a sound
you can realize using plug-in software.

There is a downside to this revolution, however, and that is the fact that modern CPUs,
although impressive, have failed to keep up with the demands of modern software. As a
result, many computer music systems can choke, introduce pops and clicks, or even crash
as a result of CPU overload. This problem becomes far worse if you want to re-create the
sounds you use in your studio while performing live, since desktop computer gear is not
well suited for the rigors of the road and laptops lack the power necessary to run many of
the more demanding plug-ins.

Receptor was designed as a high-performance, super-robust, stand-alone solution to
running your favorite VST plug-ins. As such, Receptor has been successful in securing a
coveted spot in the rack of some of the world's biggest bands: Rolling Stones, U2,
Garbage, Nine Inch Nails, Tears for Fears, George Strait, Ricky Martin, and Earth, Wind,
and Fire are but a few of the Artists who use Receptor both in the studio and on the road.

Although Receptor has proven itself as a great solution for use live, connection to a
computer-based DAW in the studio is limited by Receptor’s 4 inputs and 10 outputs.
UniWire solves this problem and more by allowing you to connect your Receptor to your
computer system with virtually unlimited I/O in addition to allowing you to off-load the
"heavy lifting" required by plug-ins to your Receptor, keeping your computer free to
record audio, do MIDI sequencing, and perform editing.

UniWire: it’s like a virtual-virtual instrument for your computer

So you may ask, how does UniWire integrate into my computer's software? Through a
UniWire plug-in, of course! The UniWire plug-in acts just like the plug-ins you already
have on your computer.

You simply call up the plug-in and send it either MIDI data or audio data, and get back
the results. Only difference is that the UniWire plug-in is actually an interface to your
Receptor, allowing you to send MIDI or audio data to your Receptor and have the
processed results returned to your computer software as if it is internal to your computer!
Sometimes referred to as a "virtual-virtual instrument" the UniWire plug-in takes the
MIDI and audio data sent to it by your host program, converts it for transmission via
Ethernet, sends it over to your Receptor where the audio is processed or generated and
then returned to your host computer, all in a matter of a few milliseconds.

UniWire: a simple yet powerful plug-in

The UniWire plug-in will works just like a plug-in that is inside your computer. Simply
load it in, send it MIDI or audio, and enjoy the results. You can also select banks and
patches in Receptor directly from the UniWire plug-in GUI, as well as launching the
Receptor remote control software that allows complete remote control over your
Receptor, using Ethernet to control it.

Figure 1 – The UniWire Plug-in

UniWire uses automatic latency compensation to keep everything in sync.

You might wonder how it is possible to do this and not have everything go out of sync.
Thankfully, most computer host audio programs have what is called "plug-in delay
compensation" built into them, automatically compensating for the processing lag of a
plug-in, thus maintaining perfect, sample-synchronous lock with the other audio tracks.
There is an added benefit: by exploiting the automatic delay compensation of your host
computer, you can actually "buy time", allowing Receptor to do even more processing
and resulting in even more impressive sonic results.

Using the UniWire plug-in couldn’t be easier! Just select what channel you want to talk
to on the selected Receptor, select what you want to control and then determine what to
do with the audio that is returned by Receptor. You can even set up a UniWire plug-in
just to do MIDI automation and control, so you can automate your plug-ins in real time
using your host software.

UniWire: works in your host software just like any other plug-in

UniWire works in your host environment just like any other plug-in. Simply instantiate
(a fancy word for ‘load’)) the UniWire plug-in, and you’re ready to make the magic of
UniWire work for you!

Since UniWire is a plug-in that works with your host environment just like any other
plug-in, you can save all the settings of Receptor (via multis) in your host environment
for easy system recall when changing projects.

To date, UniWire works with Macs or PCs running Cubase SX, SL and SE, Nuendo 2 or
3, Macs running MOTU Digital Performer, Ableton Live!, and Apple Logic. Cakewalk
users will be pleased to know you can use UniWire with Sonar using the VST interface.

Figure 2. Multiple instantiations of UniWire Plug-in loaded into Cubase