Play vs Patch vs Build

Hi All,
I'm just embarking on using Reaktor 6 to build a sequencer based on Spiral. This is my first attempt at this and I am new to Reaktor 6. I realise that Spiral does not create any sound on its own, but needs to be routed internally to a sound generator or externally. The principle is pretty straightforward, seemingly, and I tried following a couple of tutorials where I was getting confused by the use of Spiral as an ensemble and other devices that are 'instruments'.
None of the tutorials considered the initial screen that appears when an instance of Reaktor 6 is opened for the first time. All I really wanted was to connect Spiral to another Kontakt Synth. I thought that the 'Build' mode would have been the one to choose.
Can anyone please briefly explain the difference between these modes - Play, Patch, Build?

Thanks

 

Hi John!
Play opens a random Ensemble from the Factory Library, a pre-built instrument that you can use right away. This is just meant as an example, you can also load any of your installed Reaktor Instruments from the Player tab in the Browser on the side.
Patch opens a new Rack for patching with Blocks. You can learn how to patch in a Rack using our Reaktor Blocks Quickstart.
Build opens a new Ensemble. This basic project file connects one or more Reaktor Instruments (which can be instruments or effects) to the outside world. You can either combine existing Instruments, Modules, or Macros from the Library, or create you own from scratch. This is done in the Primary and Core level of the Ensemble's Structure. The documents Building in Primary and Building in Core.
I recommend reading the section Getting to Know REAKTOR in the Getting Started to understand the basic hierarchy of Reaktor and get an overview of its interface.

 

Thank you very much for the detailed and informative reply. I did start with the text you specified but I got sidetrack by several videos.

I was intrigued by the Spiral Sequencer and the fact that it does not generate an output sound itself. That was what really what started me off. Well, there was a video for Reaktor5 which showed how Spiral could be connected internally to another Reaktor5 synth, but Spiral; was an instrument there (with extension 'ism').

I wanted to do the job in Reaktor6 but in there Spiral is an ensemble!. I have been informed (by at least one video that I can't build using ensembles. I tried, and actually it did work - but only once. I found the whole exercise quite flaky and I eventually lost interest. I thought it would be easier to add Spiral as an instrument to my track and then add the synth as a Reaktor6 FX. This worked just fine and I wish I had done this in the first place..

The Factory Library Manual is also very light on detail for instruments (or should I say ensembles that are listed. Many of these do not create sounds of their own and need a similar treatment to Spiral and some have got complex controls with just a paragraph to explain.

I know that is probably me so I will dive into the detail from the start.

Thanks

 

This can be quite confusing.

The fundamental unit of Reaktor is the Instrument. It contains preset snapshots and generates stuff - audio, MIDI, events, etc.

Reaktor's top level is called an ensemble. It is an instrument, too, but there is only one ensemble.

The ensemble is the instrument that has the audio I/O for external applications.

Many ensembles contain just one instrument, but you can have any number of instruments connected together inside an ensemble,

For example, you can have Spiral generate MIDI for the Carbon synth and connect Carbon to SpaceMaster for reverb effects.

In that ensemble, each instrument has its own set of snapshots that change only the panel controls for that instrument.

On the other hand, the ensemble has a snapshot bank that is used to recall individual instrument snapshots.

For example, you can select a Spiral snapshot from its instrument bank, a Carbon snapshot from its bank, and a SpaceMaster preset from its bank.
Then save all of these instrument settings under a single preset name in the ensemble snapshot bank.

Since there is only one ensemble, if you import an ensemble into one, it will get converted to an instrument. Then that instrument may have instruments inside it. A macro can also have an instrument inside it.

Each instrument's properties allow it to manage MIDI and lots of other external I/O potentials. Also, an instrument has a voice setting for the number of simultaneous audio streams it can support (up to 128). These can vary from instrument to instrument in an ensemble. Audio leaving an instrument is converted into a standard audio channel with no voice information any longer. If you don't understand that don't worry about it too much yet.

There is a setting on snapshots called 'Follow instrument selection' in which the displayed snapshot bank presented to you is the one in the selected instrument. As you move to another instrument, you will see the bank display change.

For me, the most important thing as a builder is that instruments have snapshots. Macros don't. So if you want a bunch of presets for a complex macro, you have to make it an instrument. Then your ensembles can contain a large amount of macros with selectable settings.

I just uploaded a complex video tutorial about a very complex ensemble made up of 17 instruments. It is probably a bit tough for a beginner, but it will give you an idea of how to use snapshots inside an ensemble made of many instruments.

Here is a pointer to it:

Superformula Delay Bank tutorial demo

 

If you open Spiral as an ensemble by itself, you will see that it has two snapshot banks - one for the ensemble and one for the Spiral instrument.
Since Spiral ensemble has only one instrument inside, the snapshot banks for the ensemble just open the same snapshot bank for the instrument.

When you import Spiral into an instrument or ensemble you will get a Spiral ensemble and its bank converted into an instrument, and that new instrument has a bank of snapshots inside that as well.

So there may be some confusion choosing the proper snapshot from the various banks. As long as only one instrument was inside Spiral, there should not be much of a problem.



For a more complex example,. Photone has a large number of snapshot banks and instruments:

 

I've re-read your first post and I don't understand your question about Play, Patch and Build modes.

I'm not familiar with that terminology.

Also, Kontakt is a totally different piece of software. So if you want to hook up Spiral to Kontakt you would need to use a DAW to house two separate VST instruments. Or some sort of MIDI router software to send MIDI data on your host system.

What I wrote about above is only for Reaktor, nothing else.

 

Oh! Those are the marketing terms used on the Reaktor web site.

I don't know why they are called 'modes'.

Their usage of 'Patch' is the way they have labelled some properties of Blocks and Racks that enable some patch cable features.

Blocks, Racks, Patch, Cable, Wiring, Instruments, Ensembles, Macros, Modules, Core, Primary - lots of nomenclature to get through for beginners!

I am sloppy with my naming: a patch, a preset, and a snapshot all mean the same to me, but they are different depending on the context.

I think of a patch cable as a wire connection, but it isn't, it's a special graphics 'mode' - maybe that is where mode comes from.

I hope I haven't confused you, because I just confused myself thinking about this.

 

Sorry, my use of 'Kontakt' in the first email was an error. I'm so used to working inside Kontakt - it was intended to be Reaktor.
But thanks for the time and detail you have put into your helpful reply. I also get thrown by some seemingly needless inconsistencies. For example, when Spiral has been imported into an ensemble (I now know that it is converted to an instrument), it doesn't have any visual connection terminals in the panel, even though it does need these. For this case I have to go to the properties window and select it.. But I'm am sort of beginning to see some of the reasoning for that now.

Thanks again

 

I'm not trying to pick on you, but I don't understand what 'visual connections' you are looking for in Spiral.
Spiral has no visual connections, it just sends MIDI data.

MIDI data in the real world, of course, needs a MIDI Cable, but in Reaktor, MIDI data is sent 'invisibly' through MIDI ports.

I've been a beginner and some experts helped me learn. I'm still learning, but one thing that I do a lot is make multi-instrument ensembles.

So I'll take this 'shelter time' to show you how I do it.

There are many ways to do this, this is what comes naturally to me.

If you use the new Blocks or Racks you might do things differently, but since you are using traditional Factory ensembles this is the way I would do it.

 

They are not marketing terms. There is a start page that shows up on new Reaktor installs by default:

 

Truly excellent stuff. I will also use my 'shelter time' to make the most of what you have given me.
By the way, when I talked about visual connections I only meant the visual way that lines are drawn for the output of between components. I thought that the midi connection might look the same but I now have a much better picture of what is going on.

 

Well, it's a marketing way of telling people the FPP concept and how it has been implemented in Racks etc by NI.

 

logical falacy alert :-D
The fact the they are not just on the website doesn't mean they're not marketing terms!

The implication that you have to choose between play patch or build is a simplification. The reality - new 'Racks' system excepted - is that you play patch and build simultaneously, the distinction (and it's a fuzzy one at best) is one that an individual user can choose to make or not to make. That is a great strength of Reaktor.

EDIT: removed negativity.

 

Ah, we've reached *this* stage of quarentine

 

Suppose I should've said "I don't see them as marketing terms".

Still is.

I don't see that happening at all.

Plenty of tutorial videos and classes, the user library itself, all the available documentation, and this very subforum is quite enough to explain the potential, methinks.

 

These three major use cases have existed for a long time and it makes a lot of sense to acknowledge them in development, documentation, and of course also marketing. This way different needs and requirements can be addressed adequately.
If Racks didn’t exist the Patch use case would be patching in the Blocks New Ensemble. Prior to that it would have been what we internally call the combiner use case—combining multiple instruments and effects in an Ensemble.
The vast majority of users are in the Play camp. And they look at Reaktor very differently than builders. The same goes for users who primarily patch and combine. Backgrounds and expectations are vastly different, and we want to take all of these perspectives into account.
The beauty of Reaktor is indeed that you can fluidly move between use cases. But this is rarely how users start. Entry points differ and working towards smooth onboarding experiences for each type of user makes it much easier to get started. Reaktor can be very daunting, and highlighting the three major use cases helps to give some much needed focus in the beginning.
This approach is neither new nor was it conceived as a marketing strategy. It is born out of developing an understanding of how users approach Reaktor, and turned into the cornerstone of our documentation strategy for R6.
Finally, I want to kindly remind you that your post is violating the forum rules. Please be more considerate and contribute to a positive conversation.

 

Can you save the patch cables in the ensemble in the snapshots? So that I can record different settings in the snaps in the MS-20 clone!

 

Sorry for the Rant - I've edited my post.

I'm looking forward to a time when my personal use case of playing, patching and building simultaneously is possible in Racks. Until then, I will play, patch and build in instruments and ensembles. It's easy to get impatient when stuck in the house for too long

 

I once bought a book called "Presets - Digital Shortcuts to Sound".

https://stefangoldmann.bandcamp.com/merch/presets-digital-shortcuts-to-sound-book

The author interviews people like Robert Henke and other sound designers.

In his interview with Mike Daliot he writes this:

 

I'm happy to build instruments using the U/L and create music not for bread and butter because I'm a pensioner.
There are machines for snapshots that work well as templates. A good knowledge of the instrument is a prerequisite.

Thanks Jim for ripping out the interview..

In ens the Automatic Panel Layout don't works right since R6.3