robbiebee

hi all, just joined, but before i even atempt to get into max/msp i wanted to ask, is there anyone out there who has devised a midi/usb programme controller that just sends out control messagews and program change numbers?

ive been working with flash pro 8 and tried to find out a way to implement midi by using flash, the shell of the programme is complete, but its the computer languages neede im having trouble with, i was advised that max/msp was a better option and so here i am.

what i need is a interface that will run all my keyboard and rack equipment from my laptop (win), running program changes to all my gear and on 16 midi channels, this would involve, bank changes, program changes and midi number changes.

all accessable via preset buttons and able to save as a patch.

is this possable by using max/msp, or am i in the wrong department? , hope someone out there will help or assist me in devising this interface.

midi-controller-and-interface

Max was able to do that from version 1.0 and probably earlier. The original Max was just made for Midi, all the DSP and video stuff came later...

Max is THE tool to deal with musical instruments...

Get the demo, run through the tutorials, and I bet you want to buy it after the free 30 day trial period...

This sort of stuff is really easy in Max/MSP.

...and as Stefan states, the reason why Max was a success in its infancy. It does all of the above, and more, without even breaking a sweat.

Open the wine, then open the helpfiles for: [ctlout]; [noteout]; [pgmout]; [preset] and [pattrstorage].

You might be interested in reading the blog articles I have just written (well, part 1 and 2 are written) on how I used Max to create a replacement for Apple MainStage specifically to handle sending program changes out to multiple devices and to route keyboards, knobs and pedals to different devices in a similar manner to MainStage.

http://deskew.com/blog/replacing-apple-mainstage-with-a-custom-maxmsp-implementation-part-1.html

You might be interested in reading the blog articles I have just written (well, part  1 and 2 are written) on how I used Max to create a replacement for Apple MainStage specifically to handle sending program changes out to multiple devices and to route keyboards, knobs and pedals to different devices in a similar manner to MainStage. 

See http://deskew.com/blog/replacing-apple-mainstage-with-a-custom-maxmsp-implementation-part-1.html


thanx for he posts, and its up and running, one question though, can i control multiple midi devices from one max program? can u help? rob

thanx for he posts, and its up and running, one question though, can i control multiple midi devices from one max program?  can u help? rob


Sure....I'm controlling a rig with seven MIDI keyboards that send MIDI data through Max to nine devices, some of which aren't even synthesizers.

each "out" object (noteout, ctlout, pgmout, midiout) should allow you to choose the device by double-clicking. you can make it slicker using a [midiinfo] and a [umenu], this way you can save presets of device configurations. however if your configuration changes considerably, a given preset might not work correctly (it may look for device number 3 but now there's only 2, etc.)

cheers guys, and thanx for the advice, will be getting straight down to it, one other thing, is, ill be buying a touch screen tablet within the next couple of months, and would love to get into programming devices for midi and system exclusive control, can anyone give me some clues, as to where to start, before i get into designing the interfaces i need for my setup.

cheers guys, and thanx for the advice, will be getting straight down to it,  one other thing, is,  ill be buying a touch screen tablet within the next couple of months, and would love to get into programming devices for midi and system exclusive control, can anyone give me some clues, as to where to start, before i get into designing the interfaces i need for my setup.

heres the problem, how do i control my gear (kurzweil k2600x, akai s5000, wavestation sr, 2 effects unis, and a technics ep) from my lap top.

would include program changes, control changes, sysex dumps and midi sample dumps. and on top of that, im purchasing a mutitouch screen capacitive tablet, soley for this purpose. A MAX/MSP CONTROLLER INTERFCE.

Can anyone help, give advice or assist me doin this.

and lastley, how do i make a fullscreen toggle, im new, so be patient....

hope you all have a happy one, cheers - rob

would include program changes, control changes, sysex dumps and midi sample dumps.  and on top of that, im purchasing a mutitouch screen capacitive tablet, soley for this purpose.  A MAX/MSP CONTROLLER INTERFCE.

hope you all have a happy one, cheers - rob


Did you take a look at my blog article? While I haven't dealt with sysex (don't need it yet) I'm managing a pretty large rig through Max/MSP and it's working extremely well for me.

I have not done a MIDI sample dump for a few years... never tried it in Max - The rest is easy enough with the sysex being typically sysex like. Sample Dump is a sysex message so Max should be able to do it but ???

The Multi-Touch screen could be a problem - Max does not understand multitouch gestures. I can only think of one product with a capacitive screen that will run max and thats the Acer EP121. Androids and iPads won't run Max. You could use an iPad or Android with something like Hexler Touch Osc and use that to control a laptop. Alternately a version of PD is working on Android or you can build custom scenes for RJDJ in PD and load them onto an Android.

thanx for the replies,ive got a simple midi conection running to my kurzweil k26 and it works fine what im having trouble with is sending program changes and control changes to other devices that are midi'd up on the through output on the kurzweil, i cant seem to control from max any midi data to the through port. any advice?

thanx for the replies,ive got a simple midi conection running to my kurzweil k26 and it works fine what im having trouble with is sending program changes and control changes to other devices that are midi'd up on the through output on the kurzweil, i cant seem to control from max any midi data to the through port.  any advice?

for other devices, you'll need either a separate [pgmout] or whatever with the correct port message. you can get a list of ports using the [midiinfo] object.

for other devices, you'll need either a separate [pgmout] or whatever with the correct port message.  you can get a list of ports using the [midiinfo] object.

Hard to answer this without knowing the topology. If you have multiple devices chained together through a single MIDI port (which sounds like your scenario) then you need to have each device be on a separate MIDI channel and when you send program changes out from Max, you will have to set the MIDI channel on the pgmout object.

By the way, I notice you sent me a support question about Max to my business website deskew.com but I regret that I can't answer Max support questions privately from there. Apart from all the usual business reasons, I believe it's important for these kinds of questions (and answers) to be on a forum so that others get to benefit from the dialog.

thanx dhjdhjdhj, i appologise,and everything seems to be working fine and i fully appreciate your help and input.

my next problem is of course understanding the touchscreen interaction problem, and i do hope someone out there can put me in the right direction.

thanx dhjdhjdhj, i appologise,and everything seems to be working fine and i fully appreciate your help and input. 

Nothing to apologize for. However, it would be nice if you would confirm what you did that solved the problem so that others may learn.

Ooops --- I switched to Wordpress for the blog some time ago so the links have changed.

midi controller and interface