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    Max Fundamentals: Juan P Bello

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    in.twilight8461
    Max is a graphical programming environment for music and multimedia. It provides pre-built objects and algorithms that allow users to visually wire together audio and MIDI processing routines. Max automatically generates code, allowing rapid prototyping. It is widely used for interactive music systems and can be expanded through external objects programmed in other languages. Max programs are composed of interacting objects that execute actions, with data transmission achieved through graphical wiring. Common object types include timers, delays, arithmetic operations, and MIDI processing. Max allows complex operations through its support for C language expressions, sequencing, and data storage.

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    Max Fundamentals: Juan P Bello

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    in.twilight8461
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    Max is a graphical programming environment for music and multimedia. It provides pre-built objects and algorithms that allow users to visually wire together audio and MIDI processing routines. Max automatically generates code, allowing rapid prototyping. It is widely used for interactive music systems and can be expanded through external objects programmed in other languages. Max programs are composed of interacting objects that execute actions, with data transmission achieved through graphical wiring. Common object types include timers, delays, arithmetic operations, and MIDI processing. Max allows complex operations through its support for C language expressions, sequencing, and data storage.

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    a presentation file briefly introduces the funcion of Max/MSP

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    Max Fundamentals

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    Max is a graphical programming environment for music and multimedia. It provides pre-built objects and algorithms that allow users to visually wire together audio and MIDI processing routines. Max automatically generates code, allowing rapid prototyping. It is widely used for interactive music systems and can be expanded through external objects programmed in other languages. Max programs are composed of interacting objects that execute actions, with data transmission achieved through graphical wiring. Common object types include timers, delays, arithmetic operations, and MIDI processing. Max allows complex operations through its support for C language expressions, sequencing, and data storage.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    708 views31 pages

    Max Fundamentals: Juan P Bello

    Uploaded by

    in.twilight8461
    Max is a graphical programming environment for music and multimedia. It provides pre-built objects and algorithms that allow users to visually wire together audio and MIDI processing routines. Max automatically generates code, allowing rapid prototyping. It is widely used for interactive music systems and can be expanded through external objects programmed in other languages. Max programs are composed of interacting objects that execute actions, with data transmission achieved through graphical wiring. Common object types include timers, delays, arithmetic operations, and MIDI processing. Max allows complex operations through its support for C language expressions, sequencing, and data storage.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 31
    At a glance
    Powered by AI
    Some of the key takeaways are that Max is a graphical programming language intended for real-time computer music applications. It provides an interactive programming environment with extensive libraries and allows the creation of standalone applications through its object-oriented approach.

    Max is a high-level graphic programming language that provides an interactive programming environment with extensive libraries. It automatically generates code from graphical configurations and allows rapid prototyping. Max is specifically intended for real-time computer music applications and can be expanded through external objects written in other languages.

    Max was first developed in the mid-1980s by Miller Puckette at IRCAM. It was originally commercialized by Opcode Systems in 1990. It has since been further developed and commercialized by Cycling '74.

    Max Fundamentals

    Juan P Bello
    Max
    • Max is a high-level graphic programming language, written in C
    • It provides an interactive programming environment with
    extensive libraries of pre-compiled and pre-tested algorithms
    • It automatically generates code from graphical configurations
    • The programmer can be oblivious to the details of writing code
    • That allows rapid prototyping by (non)programmers
    • On the other side it makes the language less flexible, and usually
    performance is slower.
    • Max is specifically intended for real-time computer music
    applications
    • It allows the creation of standalone applications
    • It can be expanded by including so-called external objects written
    in C and Java
    A brief history
    • First developed on the mid 80s by Miller Puckette, then at IRCAM
    • The name Max honors Max V. Matthews

    • Originally commercialized by Opcode Systems in 1990


    • In the mid 90s, Dave Zicarelli (then at Opcode) started adding DSP
    functionalities into Max to match those in the new PD software created by
    Puckette (now at UCSD). That resulted in Max/MSP
    • From 1999 onwards Max has been commercialized by Zicarelli’s own
    company Cycling’74
    • In 2003 a major new release, Jitter, empowered Max with matrix
    processing, real-time video processing and 3D capabilities.
    • It is the most widely-used tool for interactive music systems.
    Object-oriented programming
    • Allow programmers to build digital systems as collections of
    interacting objects, each with a specific function (see Pope, 1991)

    • Basically akin to the process of analysis: break down a whole into


    its constituent (functional) parts

    • Objects communicate with each other through messages


    containing data or orders

    • Popular programming languages (C for example) now feature


    extensive object-oriented capabilities

    • Max shares many of the attributes of fully-develop object-oriented


    languages: modularity, nesting, reusability of objects.
    Objects in MAX
    • Objects are algorithms that execute an action
    • Max programs are modular, composed of a number of these objects, each
    executing an action that contributes towards the overall desired musical
    result
    • Three types of objects:
    • Standard: Existing objects that come with Max’s library
    • Custom: User-created objects that result from the combination of
    standard ones
    • External: new objects programmed in C and Java
    • Objects can receive messages from: computer peripherals, MIDI devices
    and other MAX objects
    • Each object has a number of parameters that regulate its behavior.
    • They are often variables that change during execution time. If not
    specified they might default to a “logical value”.
    • Some parameters can be typed directly into an object box as arguments
    (e.g. when they are not expected to change or as initial values)
    • Incoming data overrides arguments.
    Objects in MAX
    • Data transmission between objects is achieved by graphically
    wiring them
    • We create these wires by dragging the buttoned-down mouse
    between the outlets and inlets of different objects.
    • Because of the wiring process, the resulting programs are known
    as patches
    • Patches can be modified in Edit mode
    • To access Edit mode, we can: ctrl-click (or -click) on the patch
    window, or key ctrl-E (or -E).
    • In Edit mode we can access the object Inspector (Get Info) and
    see/modify the object properties.
    • You can also create your own objects
    • Order of execution:Top to bottom, right to left; nothing (usually)
    happens until data arrives at the leftmost inlet (trigger); the
    buddy object forcefully synchronizes inputs.
    Messages in Max
    • Max communicates through information messages which are
    passed on between objects

    • Max understands four main types of messages:


    • Bangs: A special type of message that means “Do it”
    • Numbers: numbers in Max can be integers (int) or decimal
    numbers (float) and can be expressed in a variety of formats
    (decimal, hex, MIDI number, note)
    • Words: or symbols, can be used as control data, i.e. to send
    orders to objects (e.g. read, stop, set)
    • Lists: Consists of a group of space-separated numbers or
    symbols.
    Messages: Bangs
    • The bang message triggers the object’s action (Tutorial 7)
    Messages: Numbers
    Get Info
    Messages: Numbers
    • Sliders are number boxes with a UI designed for on-screen control

    • They also allow for changes on range, resolution and offset


    Messages: Numbers

    • Other types of sliders with different


    outlooks and configurations
    • (see Tutorial 14)
    Messages: Words and lists
    The message box Lists and commas

    Sending and receiving


    Messages: Words and lists

    Changeable arguments
    using $ signs
    Set but not trigger

    Append and
    Prepend

    Semi-colon
    and directed
    messages
    Common objects: Operators
    • Arithmetic operators

    • Operations can be float if specified by the argument


    • A List on the left inlet can specify all arguments
    • Relational operators
    Common objects: Comparisons
    • Other objects for comparison include
    • Logical operands: and (&&), or (||)
    • select: which identifies specific values on a data stream
    • Change: which identifies change (filters out repetitions)
    • Split: bandpass filter where arguments specify range
    • Speedlim: limits the speed of passing through
    Common objects: Gates/switches

    Toggle Ggate Gate

    Gswitch Switch Route


    Common objects: Timers

    Metro Clocker Counter

    Line Tempo
    Common objects: Delays/Random
    • Other objects include delays:

    • Random number generators


    Max and MIDI
    • First, we need to
    define instrument
    and channel naming
    conventions

    • Max has objects


    that retrieve specific
    message types from
    the MIDI data
    stream

    • Tutorial 12
    Max and MIDI
    • Notes are characterized by notein as [pitch,velocity] pairs
    • Note off messages are thus represented using velocity 0
    • If notein data is used to control further processes in the Max patch,
    then those 0 values can be very disrupting
    • Stripnote, makenote and flush offer solutions to this
    • xnotein and xnoteout can handle note off velocities
    Max and MIDI
    • Other objects include: bendin, bendout, ctlin, ctlout, pgmin,
    pgmout, (and for more precision) xbendin, xbendout

    • This data can be re-assigned to other controls (Tutorial 16)


    • Ctl objects can also send/receive channel mode messages
    Max and MIDI
    • Max is also able to handle raw MIDI data using midiin and midiout
    • Midiin can be used in conjunction with midiparse, which
    decomposes the data into specific messages

    • In the opposing end, midiformat recombines these messages for


    transmission through midiout
    Max and MIDI
    • Incoming SysEx messages are handled by sysexin
    • However, outgoing SysEx messages need to be properly
    formatted by the user before being sent through midiout.
    • Sxformat helps the user in this task
    • The prefix ‘0x’ identifies a number as hex.
    • The message /is $i1/ handles changeable inputs
    Max and MIDI
    • An example: changing the parameters of an E-mu Proteus
    • To change a parameter on the Proteus, we indicate the parameter
    number in two bytes (there is a list in the manual) followed by the
    parameter value in two bytes. Such that the message is:
    • F0 18 04 00 03 [LS par#] [MS par#] [LS val] [MS val] F7

    MIDI Implementation chart


    Storing data
    • The basic objects for data storage are int and float. Both work on
    the same way:

    • Accum is similar but has


    extra functionalities for
    adding and multiplying to
    the incoming number

    • See Tutorial 21
    Storing data
    • However it is much more powerful to be able to store and index
    arrays of data
    • Functions like funbuff and table (Tutorial 32) can do this
    Storing data
    • The most versatile data structure in Max is coll (collection).
    • It can store anything, indexed by any number or word

    • Another useful data structures include Menu and Preset.


    • Preset is able to store and recall the settings of other objects in
    the window
    • See tutorial 37
    Sequencing
    • Max uses several objects (seq, follow, mtr and detonate) for
    recording and playback of MIDI sequences

    • Seq can record and playback a sequence, and navigate through


    the events of that sequence (using next, prev, etc)
    • Follow is effectively a score-follower, able to follow a live
    rendering of the sequence that it stores (an even tollerate some
    mismatch)
    Sequencing
    • Mtr goes even further by letting you record and playback a multi-
    track MIDI sequence (see tutorial 36)

    • (Timeline is the all powerful Max sequencer, not limited to MIDI,


    but able to record and playback all sorts of complex Max
    messages - see Tutorial 41 for more info)
    C Language expressions
    • Max is written in C, thus it provides objects that interface with
    certain basic C functionalities
    • This is an extremely powerful feature of Max as it allows us to
    summarize very complex operations in only one object
    • One such object is expr, whose argument can contain a C-like
    mathematical expression (Tutorial 38)

    • Another example is the IF/THEN/ELSE statement:


    References
    • Cycling’74 page: http://www.cycling74.com/

    • Max documentation:
    http://www.cycling74.com/twiki/bin/view/ProductDocumentation/
    WebHome#Max_MSP_4_6

    • Downloads: http://www.cycling74.com/downloads

    • Max in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max/MSP

    • Winkler, T. Composing Interactive Music: Techniques and Ideas


    using Max. MIT Press (1999)

    • Pope, S.T. (Ed). The Well-Tempered Object: Musical Applications


    of Object-Oriented Technology. MIT Press (1991)

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