#81

Quickrecord can be accessed under “extras” in max and will just output all audio going into a “dac~” object into an uncompressed audio file.

#82

Ah right. There’s so much stuff in that ‘extras’ menu that I never got into the habit of using, so I forget about.

#83

Hey Max people! There’s so many ways to time things… metro, phasor~, transport, raw ticks, metro/phasor~ locked to transport, rate~, … values in ms, tempo relative time values… translate… [phasor~][delta~][<~ 0.][edge~] vs [phasor~][>~ 0.5][edge~]…

How do you prefer to time your systems?? Especially large patches and networks of subpatches, conected sequencers etc…

Not looking for a way, just curious how everyone gets on.

#84

Using phasor~ and rate~ was a real revelation for me, and bigger patches (that previously seemed to have unreliable timing using metro and the schedular genrally) seemed to come together and feel solid with this system. I also love the way you can then skew a phasor~ to adjust or obliterate the timing section, and also have the choice to push something into audio rate that was never intended for it.

A lot of my thoughts on it are here in this other max thread below, but I also since discovered ease~ (from that thread) which is great for odd timing stuff. And being able to sync lock on/off on rate~ is an awesome way to let things drift and then lock them back in if necessary:

Then taking edge~ measurements to trigger other things or using snapshot~ of necessary.

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#85

I think I have a copy of this patch downoaded from another thread. heh.

In general I’m with you and I really like the phaosr~/rate~ combo. It feels very hardware-synth-like. But then I started building poly synth and messing with MIDIevents and using a phasor to manipulate lists of data seems… overkill? Especially when metro locked to transport also seems pretty tight.

I suppose both is not a bad answer.

1 Like
#86

ease~, yes, I need to look into this more. sticking a pow~ after a phasor~ or rate~ has been cool too, especially when you control one rate~ with another.

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#87

These past couple of days I’ve been thinking about Max and how versatile it seems, and trying to consider if it’s right for me. It just seems so overpoweringly complicated that I’m not sure I could actually do anything substantial with it. I’m tech-literate but far from any sort of coder. Can anyone offer any advice/encouragement?

#88

well let’s start here - what are you looking to do ?

2 Likes
#89

I’m interested in things like generative soundscapes and visuals

#90

cool - that’s definitely a use case that vibes well with max, I’d highly recommend persuing it, esp as a first dive into code stuff

before you boot things up I’d recommend spending a while with the documentation https://docs.cycling74.com/max8

it’s extensive, but just jump to whatever sounds interesting so you get an idea of how things work

then download the trial and build something simple. as you said, all the possibilities are daunting but the trick is not to overdo things with options/layers of complexity. just make lil protoypes of stuff ! with that mind set it’s totally a doable entry point

3 Likes
#91

Would you say it’s something that anyone can learn? The complexity and sophistication is what’s really holding me back.

#92

Compared to most other audio platforms - including digital, analog, and acoustic instruments - Max has probably the best documentation and educational resources in my opinion. Tons of built in tutorials, guides, help patches, references pages, and more. Plus, at any time while you are working, you can immediately open up any object’s help patch and see demonstrations of how to use it and tips/tricks/etc. I believe you have the team led by @darwingrosse to thank for all of that!

There is also a huge library of packages/abstractions that are very easy to use and can help ease your way into the language.

The Cycling74 forums are also great sources of learning whenever you encounter a challenge - chances are someone has encountered it before you (albeit possibly in a radically different context).

There are also several excellent textbooks which are great for self-study (I would recommend Cipriani and Giri’s EMSD series).

If you are someone who enjoys “learning new things,” then Max is really the perfect sandbox for you to get lost in - so open, so much to explore and experiment with, but also a huge amount of excellent educational resources when you want more direct guidance.

7 Likes
#94

I had a few attempts at learning Max over the years and at the beginning of this year I decided to give another go. It had been quite a while since my last try so I watched few videos and was really intrigued by all the MC stuff. I found it a lot easier to get into this time, for whatever reason. I got a copy of Electronic Music and Sound Design in June despite not being someone who who usually gels with learning from books, but it has been incredibly useful and I thoroughly recommend it.

So, fast forward to now, and I use Max all the time and have used it on several commercial projects. I’m still a beginner (probably the equivalent of someone with a 2 row 104hp eurorack system, but who knows all the modules within it to a good level), but have made stuff which is invaluable to me and my workflow, and the beauty is that is all a work in progress and my patches keep evolving and going anywhere I want to take them.

The Kadenze course is really good too… and free.

9 Likes
#95

This is all really encouraging! I’ve just been very doubtful of my ability to learn it.

#96

By the way, can someone link me to the best tutorial series/videos? I’d appreciate it. <3

1 Like
#97

if you have Max just do the built in Vizzie tutorials if you are a novice

#98

Is that tutorial series something I’d need the full paid version for? I’m not sure I can commit to it before learning

#99
  1. There’s a free trial which lasts a month (I believe) and is not restricted in terms of any features.
  2. You can try a monthly subscription ($9.99 I believe).
  3. You can still use Max without a license after your trial expires - you can’t save, but you will still be able to do all built in tutorials, guides etc. You can also use other people’s patches, build your own fully functional patches (just don’t quit the program!), record audio, etc.
1 Like
#100

I did the monthly subscription as a way of testing the waters before committing. That way you can save your progress and go back to problem patches to figure them out the next day, which I found to be a really good way of learning.

and for what it’s worth, I am not a coder. just a musician, but max has been the best thing I have done for my studio in years… with a grid of course…!

#101

I’ve made a max patch to control the GRM Player using OSC which is mapped to a Faderfox UC4, it works great which is amazing as I’ve never built anything in Max before.

One improvement I’m looking into is to utilise the 14bit encoders on the UC4 to getting as much detail and control as possible.

From reading around it seems that xbendin or xbendout is the way to go but not sure how to implement it in my patch.

Could anyone point me in the right direction for mapping 14bit midi hardware controllers to Max sliders?