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Max

Interactive visual programming environment for music, audio, and media

In use for over twenty years by performers, composers, artists, scientists, teachers, and students, Max is the way to make your computer do things that reflect your individual ideas and dreams.

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Max Features
	Time Working with time is easier in Max than traditional programming because you use objects to create visual “timing machines” whose behavior you can see, hear, and modify as they operate. Learn More
	Interactivity Working with interactivity is easier in Max because you can design interfaces visually, and the interfaces are then part of the program itself. For example, controls the timing and transport of the timing example above. Learn More
	Control In Max everything can be connected to everything, because everything speaks numbers. Another way to say this is that modularity is a core design principle of everything in the software. Learn More
	Extensibility Max users extend the environment in every possible direction. As a by-product of their work with the software, passionate Max users have contributed thousands of objects written in C, Java, or Javascript back to the user community.
MSP Features
	Building Blocks MSP offers the basic building blocks for synthesis and audio processing: oscillators, filters, delays, and envelopes. You can specify the time values of envelopes and phasors in tempo-relative units. The ability to combine low- and high-level components is one of the unique aspects of working with MSP.
	Sampling, Recording, and Playback MSP provides a group of objects that work together for sampling and sample playback. All use the buffer~ object that manages sample buffers up to four channels. Learn More
	Compatibility MSP supports up to 512 input and output channels. On the Mac, MSP provides support for Core Audio and on Windows, there is ASIO, DirectSound, and MME support. Learn More
	User Interface MSP objects for audio signal display include an oscilloscope, spectral display, level meters, waveform display, and a sonogram. You can use faders with internal smoothing, design multi-band filters graphically and edit functions with arbitrary numbers of breakpoints. Learn More
	Polyphony The poly~ object lets you use multiple copies of any patcher you make. It supports output mixing, note allocation and voice stealing, dynamic patch loading and voice allocation, and can run patchers in different threads to support multiple processors.
	Extensibility If you want to develop your own low-level audio algorithms, Max/MSP provides an ideal platform with its C-based API for new unit generators. Max takes care of file I/O and user interface construction as well. Another option for lower-level development is mxj~, a modular Java-based system for audio development.
Jitter Features
	Video Although the Jitter architecture is general, it is highly optimized for use with video data, and performs with breathtaking speed. A robust set of mathematical operators, keying/compositing, analysis, colorspace conversion and color correction, alpha channel processing, spatial warping, convolution-based filters, and special effects deliver the building blocks for your own custom video treatments. Learn More
	2D/3D Graphics Jitter’s integrated 2D/3D graphics support provides the tools to use hardware accellerated OpenGL graphics together with video, including the ability to texture 3D geometry with video streams in real-time, convert audio and video streams directly into geometry data, and render models, NURBS, 2D/3D text, and other common shapes. Learn More
	Ease of Use Jitter is tightly integrated with Cycling ’74’s Max/MSP graphical programming environment which lets you visually connect data processing objects together with patchcords to create custom applications in a similar manner to analog modular synthesizers. Learn More
	Matrices Jitter’s strength and flexibility comes from the use of a single generalized matrix data format when working with video, 3D geometry, audio, text, or any other kind of data. Jitter matrices may be composed of one of four data types: char (8 bit unsigned int), long (32 bit signed int), float32 (32 bit floating point), or float64 (64 bit floating point). Learn More
	More Details Jitter objects also make available many aspects of their internal state in ways which will be new to even the most seasoned Max/MSP veterans. Get details about performance, networking, programmability, interoperability, and key features. Learn More