Introduction

Sometimes when you are programming, you need to be able to configure some information about how your computer will do its job. Over the years, programmers have come up with a number of different terms for these little pieces of information -- parameters, properties, fields, etc. In Max, we call them attributes. Attributes were first introduced in Jitter, where they make it convenient to manage the state of complex objects such as jit.qt.movie. In Max 4.5, a few Max objects such as pattr (which is short for "patcher attributes" by the way) and js began to make use of attributes.

by Chris Warren

Visual Programming Language Reinvented

AES • New York, NY • October 5, 2007--Cycling '74 today announced Version 5.0 of its Max/MSP media development tools. This version represents a new era of Max programming, with a completely redesigned multi-processing kernel and a streamlined development environment built on a platform-independent foundation. With a new patcher interface, searchable database of objects and examples, integrated documentation and new tutorials, the new Max user will find a smoother learning curve while experienced users will see improved productivity.

Episode 1: The redecorated interface and the defaults system

The first thing you might notice about Max 5 is the new look of the objects. We've redecorated with a new appearance to ensure you can immediately identify the basic elements of a patch. It doesn't try to be photorealistic, primarily because the interface scales so you can look at a patch at any resolution. That includes zooming out as well as zooming in.

Some of you may have heard that major changes are imminent in the Max world, and there is a lot of speculation about what those changes might be. On the eve of our first public exposition of the new version of Max at the AES convention in New York, I thought it would be appropriate to offer some details on the product.

By Marsha Vdovin

There's something about the kind of mind that looks for something beyond presets and conventional loops. I enjoy the mind that explores that intersection between computers and music. I'm very curious about what drives people to be artists.

The third installment of Jitter Recipe Collection.

More snacks for the Patching Enthusiast! Stay tuned for new entries to your favorite cookbook.

by Darwin Grosse

This series of tutorials first appeared on my CreativeSynth.com website between 2001 and 2002. Due to their popularity (especially amongst new Max users), I have moved them to the Cycling74.com website. (This work was developed in Max 4.6, an older version.)

This series of tutorials first appeared on my CreativeSynth.com website between 2001 and 2002. Due to their popularity (especially amongst new Max users), I have moved them to the Cycling74.com website. Read the introduction.

As promised, we are going to clean up our previous synth-building patch, create some presets and, well, clean it up some more.

This series of tutorials first appeared on my CreativeSynth.com website between 2001 and 2002. Due to their popularity (especially amongst new Max users), I have moved them to the Cycling74.com website. Read the introduction.

Well, in honor of Pluggo 3's brand new release, this tutorial will focus on turning our existing software synth into a full-blown VSTi plug-in. Well, full-blown might be a bit strong - rather, we are going to get it to the point that Cubase, Logic or Digital Performer can host it...

This series of tutorials first appeared on my CreativeSynth.com website between 2001 and 2002. Due to their popularity (especially amongst new Max users), I have moved them to the Cycling74.com website. Read the introduction.

Several of the responses I've gotten back from the last tutorials requested some techniques to provide some additional waveforms. Over the next few tutorials, we will expand our little polysynth to include some waveform - but do it in a way that is a little more fun than just switching between static waves.

This series of tutorials first appeared on my CreativeSynth.com website between 2001 and 2002. Due to their popularity (especially amongst new Max users), I have moved them to the Cycling74.com website. Read the introduction.

OK - we've built the voice patch for a poly~ object, now we have to turn it into a legitimate polyphonic synth. Here is our "master patch" (as found in the last tutorial, which you can download from this link):

This series of tutorials first appeared on my CreativeSynth.com website between 2001 and 2002. Due to their popularity (especially amongst new Max users), I have moved them to the Cycling74.com website. Read the introduction.

Now that we have a useful (but basic) monosynth, we have to figure out where to go next. For my money, the biggest limitation of our little monosynth is that it is, well, a monosynth. In the next two tutorials, we will turn our single-voice synth into a 16-voice polysynth. It won't quite rival a Prophet 5, but it should be a good way to learn the basics of polysynth creation.

This series of tutorials first appeared on my CreativeSynth.com website between 2001 and 2002. Due to their popularity (especially amongst new Max users), I have moved them to the Cycling74.com website. Read the introduction.

Sorry for the long delay - the real world has a way of getting out-of-hand. Nevertheless, we shall continue...

In our last article, we beefed up our basic synth by adding volume control using an A/R envelope. Now that we have some control over the basic amplitude, it's time to move onto filtering.

This series of tutorials first appeared on my CreativeSynth.com website between 2001 and 2002. Due to their popularity (especially amongst new Max users), I have moved them to the Cycling74.com website. Read the introduction.

In the last article, we created a simple synthesizer using basic Max and MSP objects. The biggest problem with that synth was the last ov output control - and an annoying thump in the output whenever a new key was struck. In this, the second article, we will correct some of these problems - and open some new doors.