Andrew Benson

Drums and rhythm are a foundational element of electronic music especially, and every artist has their preferences in how they should sound. Drum voices can also be a fun sound design challenge for Max patching. For this community project, we invited four artists to each create their unique take on some classic percussion sounds - rimshot, clap, cowbell, and cymbal - along with a custom sequencer that puts this collection into action.
You can find the first Collaborative Drum Kit project here. 


"I always enjoy making music more when I'm not totally sure what's going to come out of the sequencers next. This sequencer has the ability to generate sequences with semi - predictable variation using just a few parameters.

An initial trigger starts a cascade of possible patterns from the input of the matrix. The matrix basically tells the sequencer its possible destinations after the current step, except for position 0 which is instantly triggered when the sequence restarts. You can also set a delay time for each step to wait before triggering (0 being no delay, 1 being a 16th note, and 16 being 1 bar, etc.). There is also a control for the probability of the delay of a step being applied or ignored. Step size is the note duration and it works on the same time system as the delay.

We also have the optional function to mute (choke) all other voices with each trigger, which can create some interesting variation and unexpected results on its own.

This is a basic implementation of the concept but there are so many different directions you could take it and features you could add, depending on your tastes.." - nouserid. Find nouserid on Instagram  Note: The sequencer patch download includes all of the patches listed below.


"Mesh is a physical modeling cymbal synthesizer, implementing a 2D waveguide mesh as its resonator with downsampling at the end." - babumamusic. Find babumamusic on Instagram 


"This patch is inspired by the Roland 808 cowbell. I researched and reviewed how others were doing this, like reviewing old circuit diagrams and watching how others were recreating this sound in Ableton. It was a fun exercise." - melodycodes. Find Melody on Instagram 


"rim_shot uses shaped noise, an envelope, a minimal feedback delay line with modulated params, and an optional chorus effect to produce a sound resembling a synthesized rim shot and other unusual percussive elements.” - onokio. Find onokio on Instagram 


"I would like to introduce you to my interpretation of a clap synthesizer. The entire module is inspired by the 808 clap and is divided into two voices. You can independently modify the "Punch" and "Release" with the patch. I like to build the instrument into a clear interface as well, as this usually determines how quickly I can generate and create sounds. Have fun trying it out!" - Mjulev. Find mjulev on Instagram 


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Cymbal.zip

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Loveless_collabdrumkit_cowbell.maxpat

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rim_shot.maxpat

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TheEightClap.maxpat

Drums and rhythm are a foundational element of electronic music especially, and every artist has their preferences in how they should sound. Drum voices can also be a fun sound design challenge for Max patching. For this community project, we invited four artists to each create their unique take on some classic percussion sounds - rimshot, clap, cowbell, and cymbal - along with a custom sequencer that puts this collection into action.

collaborative-drum-kit-in-max-part-2

I love this project, FWIW! Great idea. :-)

I have been blown away by the various approaches we've gotten back from each of these. Who knew that drum synthesis was such a rich field of exploration?

Looks great, ... I can't somehow open the squenzer patch:
no.pinball_plusLabels.maxzip

Collaborative Drum Kit in Max, Part 2

How do you get started when you begin a project in Max? We asked 3 artists working with Max to share each of their personal starting points. The results are each a unique view into Max…

@alsoknownasrox

RH: This patch offers a starting point for world-building through camera movement and path animation. Here, we layer different camera scenes within one jit.gl.node. The rigged camera has three "look at" modes: (1) facing the direction of movement, (2) looking at the target (blue cube), and (3) looking at the center of the scene (purple sphere). Additionally, this patch utilizes quaternions to calculate rotational movement around the path, producing the yellow spiral. Feel free to play around with variables!

@gan.tttt

MG: This patch demonstrates some of the approaches I’ve been exploring using Max in tandem with game engine simulations, inspired in large part by cybernetic systems and their application to organizing sound and sonic events. Here, we see Max communicating with a simulation made with Unreal Engine via OSC to create a feedback control loop: objects in 3D space send information about their movement, location, and collisions to Max to generate MIDI information, and Max sends control data back to the simulation based on this information to prompt changes in the 3D environment. Rather than viewing this arrangement as a kind of data sonification, I’m more excited about this dynamic system as a way of generating complex and evolving sound gestures from relatively simple conditions. Hopefully this can provide a generative starting place for your own sounds and systems, as well!

Download Matthew's Unreal Engine builds:
Mac Build
Windows Build
Project Files: Matthew has been kind enough to share the Unreal Engine project file for this Starting Point, in addition to the pre-compiled binaries. The project file is large! Almost 2GB. It should open in UE 5.11, which you can download via the Epic Games Launcher. The binaries were compiled on late versions of both Mac OS and Windows. Neither Matthew nor Cycling ‘74 can provide tech support in the event your system does not play nice with any of these files.

K: My work focuses on researching traditional Japanese music,and through this research, I have identified three essential elements that I hypothesize are very important: pitch, time, and timbre👺
The patches I created allow for a highly organic approach to these elements🌿

Specifically, the "time" patch enables users to freely divide a range of time and generate rhythms⏱️
while the "note" patch creates heterophony based on a single fundamental melody🎼
The "synth" patch features two 2-operator FM synthesizers with the ability to organically change timbre at specific moments🎹
By using the "all" patch, all of these functions can be integrated, supporting the creation of rich, organic music🌯
I view Max8 as a versatile notebook that allows users to quickly test and explore fragmented ideas🗒️
Although it might take some time to master, Max8 offers powerful support when pursuing a specific approach or concept📈
While the patches I've created may seem complex, I would be delighted if they inspire even one more person to explore the possibilities of Max🤝

私は日本の伝統音楽の研究をしており、その研究によって非常に重要だと仮説を立てた3つの要素：音程、時間、音色に対して、非常に有機的なアプローチを可能にするパッチを制作しました🌿
具体的には、ある時間の範囲を自由に区切り、リズムを生成できる「time」⏱️
一つの基本メロディから、ヘテロフォニーを生成する「note」🎼
そして、2つの2オペレーターFMシンセサイザーに、特定の時間で音色が有機的に変化する機能を搭載した「synth」です🎹
これらをまとめた「All」パッチによって、全ての機能を連携させ、非常に有機的な音楽を作るためのアイデアをサポートします🌯

Max8は、断片的なアイデアを非常に高速に試すことができるノートブックのようなものだと考えています🗒️
習得には時間がかかるかもしれませんが、追求したいアプローチがある時に、非常に強力なサポートをしています📈

このパッチは少し複雑かもしれませんが、Maxを使ってみたいと考える人が一人でも増えたらとても嬉しいです🤝

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Starting Point - Roxanne Harris.maxpat

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startingPoint_MDG.maxpat

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How do you get started when you begin a project in Max? We asked 3 artists working with Max to share each of their personal starting points. The results are each a unique view into Max…


starting-points-in-max-pt-2

Starting Points in Max pt. 2

Lilli Wessling Hart

On Thursday, February 23rd, Cycling '74 will host a casual evening with Max and RNBO projects in Brooklyn, NY.

The Integrated Design & Media program (IDM), located within Tandon School of Engineering in the Department of Technology, Culture, and Society (TCS).

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On February 23, 2023, Cycling '74 will host an event in Brooklyn, NY.

an-evening-with-max-and-rnbo-in-brooklyn

An Evening with Max and RNBO in Brooklyn

Following the release of Gregory Taylor and Graham Wakefield's new book of Gen inspiration, we invited 3 artists to each produce a patch for us that does something with gen~. Each of these artists have demonstrated a serious mastery of Gen patching in their frequent posts online, and we were excited to see what they came up with. 
The patches they sent us are all impressive demonstrations of what is possible with Gen, and exceeded all of my expectations. Whether you're looking for some good Gen tricks, or just want to experience the patches, there's a lot here to enjoy. From Daniele's rhythmic granular synthesis patch, to Fendoap's fully realized generative music, and Massimiliano's math-intensive and thoroughly documented algorithmic modelling, you'll find 3 very different approaches to patching. I hope you download the patches below and tune into their social media feeds to see more of their incredible Max patches. 

This is a patch for sample playback implementing a simple algorithm of granular
synthesis in gen~. It creates a constant auto-re-triggered stream of crossfading sections
of the source sample.
The pitch, read position and windowing of each grain can be modulated to reach
deconstructed sounds in organic rhythmic patterns.

Find more of Daniele's work on Instagram 

Here's a patch that creates music with just one gen~ object.
Global transport, metro, kick, hi-hat, synth, delay, reverb,sequencer, etc. have been written in a single gen~ object.
It's all written in gen~, so you can write it into daisy with using oopsy.
If you write various things using gen~, your understanding will deepen. gen~ is good for learning dsp.

I have implemented a two species competition-cooperation model in Gen using Lotka-
Volterra equations, to generate a controlled chaos with very specific behaviors like asymptotic convergence, periodicity/quasi-periodicity, attractor-like motion, distributed pseudo-randomness, etc. I was inspired by the work and the researches of Iannis Xenakis and Rob Hordijk.


Find more of Massimiliano's work on Instagram. 

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DanieleFabris x C74gen.maxpat

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Two Species Competition-Cooperation Model.zip

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Following the release of Gregory Taylor and Graham Wakefield's new book of Gen inspiration, we invited 3 artists to each produce a patch for us that does something with gen~. Whether you're looking for some good Gen tricks, or just want to experience the patches, there's a lot here to enjoy. 

3-explorations-in-gen~

Hi there, it seems both fendoap and Daniele's patch can not be downloaded. After click their download links are full of codes.

@MaxMSPUser
you can right-click on the download icon, and choose 'SaveAs...', when you save, make sure '.maxpat' is at the end of the file name, this way it should save as a file ready to load into Max(alternately, you could select all the code you see when you click the download link, choose 'Copy' from your browser, and then just 'Paste' straight into a new empty patch within Max).

(oh, i get it now, maxmspuser was probably noting they could make the single files downloadable same as in regular threads:
https://cycling74.com/forums/simulating-a-capacitor-in-gen~ )

Wow. This is so cool. Each of these is so different, and provide so much to explore.  I've just start the new Gen book and look forward to the journey of exploration ahead.  The granular patch (Fabris) is great - the best Max granular synth patch I've seen - but I can also see ways to expand on it. Thanks C74 - this is a great way to support users and support artists working with your tools. 

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3 Explorations in Gen~

Sometimes the possibilities of using Max are so broad that we love a creative constraint as a way to get us focussed and thinking of new patching ideas. What if your patch only had one button in it to interact with? We invited three artists from the Max community to take the challenge and show us what they came up with. Here are the results of that challenge, with downloadable Max patches included…

oneBang is an interactive audiovisual patch. I wanted to create something that looks and sounds organic. It takes on a life of its own: engagement is encouraged but not essential. The movement (sonic and visual) is driven by a jit.bfg and gets transformed by a push of the button.
Find more of Michael's work on Instagram 

“One_Button_Ocean” generates three audio layers, with accompanying video streams. It contains white noise lowpass filter swells, impulse clicks and background noises. It randomly selects the speed between the clicks, the frequency of the background noise and the frequency/volume of the white noise low pass filter. The simple low-fi visuals of cyan “spurts” are generated by the clicks, light blue “triangle waveforms” are created by the background grumbles and dark blue “sine style waveforms” are made from the white noise swells. The results are a digital ocean.
Find more of Matthew's work on Instagram


This patch is based on the idea that an mc.comb~ object can be repurposed to create polyphonic Karplus-Strong synth chords. The ‘one button’ creates a stream of midi notes (taken from a chord stored in a table object) which are then converted to delay times for the mc.comb~ Karplus-Strong synth. To add some tonality, the resulting stereo signal then is fed through some buffir~ objects with continually updating source buffers – this sometimes gives the synth a piano-like timbre. A simple reverb, made from another mc.comb~ object with a ‘harmonic’ mc wrapper message, gives some dimensionality to the sound. Many of the patch’s parameters are randomised with each press of the ‘one button’, creating a different vibe each time.
Find more of Ben's work on Instagram


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We invited 3 artists from the Max community to make a patch with only one button for interaction.

one-button-patching-challenge

This document and video will demonstrate how Falcon Spotlight provides a one-click solution to prioritized patching.Patch deployment is often scheduled as part of a regular maintenance window. However, there may be occasions where patching can’t wait, such as a newly disclosed vulnerability with known exploits that, if left unpatched, would expose the organization to significant risk.

The project ideas are superb i get more information from this .your work ideas are great and excellent .
Thanks guys for sharing . 

One Button Patching Challenge

Isabel Kaspriskie

RNBO, released this past month, is the new kid on the block for Max code generation. At first glance, you may be tempted to think that gen~ and RNBO are kind of the same thing. After all, both prominently feature “code generation.” You patch together objects in a Max-like way, and something magical is waiting behind the scenes, ready to compile your patch and stick it into the Max audio graph. Even cooler, you can get a C++ code export from your patch and use it separately from Max!

So in a world with both gen~ and RNBO, how do the two coexist? In this article, I’ll break down the intertwined goals and purposes of both technologies.

Processing buffers and processing samples

Like Max and most audio applications, RNBO works on chunks of audio data, sometimes called buffers or signal vectors. This technique of I/O buffering improves performance but makes it either difficult or impossible to implement DSP algorithms using just built-in Max or RNBO objects. This is because with many DSP algorithms (like filters, choruses, reverbs, oscillators, or physical models, to name a few), you will need things like single-sample feedback loops. (Note: This is a slight simplification. Two exceptions to the "RNBO is vector-processing only" rule are with RNBO's expr~ and the codebox~ operators which do allow you to work at the single-sample level. See more about RNBO codebox~ in the docs!)

Fortunately, single-sample processing is what gen~ was made for. Since Max and RNBO both need single-sample patching environments, gen~ is available for both!

A somewhat subtle beauty of this is that all of the custom gendsp you’ve written or collected over the years translates directly to RNBO and “just works.” Not only is gen~ cross-platform (you don’t need to compile gen~ separately for Windows or Mac like you would with an external), but it is cross-environment between Max and RNBO. Further, with the @exposeparameters 1 attribute for gen~ inside RNBO, you don’t need to do any extra work to have gen~ parameters show up in RNBO exports! (For more information, see the official documentation on gen~ inside RNBO.)

Bringing code generation to more familiar places

The first release of gen~ occurred in 2011, and it was the first time code generation was possible in Max. Exporting this generated code was a “bonus feature” that wasn’t the original purpose of gen~, but it inspired a number of projects like the Electrosmith Daisypatch Oopsy package and the gen~ plugin export JUCE wrapper.

Gen made clear the power of code generation, and it was the first step towards solving what folks at Cycling ‘74 refer to as the “trapped in Max problem.” The problem was that gen~ is specialized to solving problems of lower-level DSP prototyping, and doesn’t contain UI objects, MIDI I/O, or other higher-level objects like anti-aliased oscillators, FFTs, filters, and more.

With RNBO, code export, not just code generation, is a guiding design principle. This separation of concerns between RNBO and gen~ is key in understanding their relationship – by letting RNBO focus on being a friendly and familiar patching environment, gen~ doesn’t need to expand to include MIDI or event processing.

At the same time, RNBO doesn’t need to dip down into the low levels of single-sample processing because, well, gen~ is just there!

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Let's break down the similarities and differences between the two code generation technologies available in Max: RNBO and gen~.

rnbo-and-gen~

RNBO and gen~

Cory Metcalf

By now you have probably heard about RNBO, our new Max add-on that allows you to develop audio in Max then export it, exactly as it sounds, for use in web applications, hardware devices, Audio Plugins, or even as Max external objects. If you haven’t, you can learn more about it here. While all of us here at Cycling ’74 are very excited that RNBO has been released, we’re much more excited to see what people will do with it!

To make jumping in and learning and exploring RNBO as fun and seamless as possible, we have created an online content space at rnbo.cycling74.com.

Whether you are new to Max and want to jump straight in or are already well traveled in the Max ecosystem, this is the ideal place to learn all about what RNBO has to offer.

With video and text tutorials, object and operator reference pages, export target configuration guides, and much more, rnbo.cycling74.com has everything you’ll want to know for leveraging RNBO in your creative projects and bringing them to places you may not have imagined. From creating your first RNBO patch to understanding polyphony (which, by the way, is so much simpler than it’s ever been!), you’ll find everything you need for a successful and exciting journey into the world of RNBO.

The site is broken into three primary sections - Learn, Explore, and Reference.

Learn provides video and text based tutorials that cover the core elements of RNBO technology and how to use them. It also introduces the various Export Targets and provides information on export configuration and special topics related to each target, as well as some information on how to use the raw code exports for Web Audio and C++. 

Explore is where you can see RNBO in action. Here you will find various higher level RNBO examples as well as project templates for using exported code. You will also find information about the first two RNBO Packages, RNBO Guitar Pedals and RNBO Synth Building Blocks, both available from the Max Package Manager.

In Reference you will find information about all Objects and Operators, Codebox Operators for RNBO’s text-based codebox objects, and the JS and C++ API’s. This information is all versioned, meaning we maintain a copy for each release version of RNBO, so you’ll always be able to find the reference that relates specifically to your version of the software, which can be useful if you need to use an older version for reasons such as compatibility or maintaining legacy hardware.

We hope you will find this to be a valuable resource as you begin to investigate the wide world of possibilities that RNBO has to offer. From all of us, Happy Patching!

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By now you have probably heard about RNBO, our new Max add-on that allows you to develop audio in Max then export it, exactly as it sounds, for use in web applications, hardware devices, Audio Plugins, or even as Max external objects. If you haven’t, here’s a quick guide to help you get started exploring RNBO resources….


rnbo-everything-you-need-to-know-all-in-one-place

If you would like to use RNBO in the context of Max for Live, you must use Max 8.5 (or greater) as the Max for Live editor. 

RNBO - Everything You Need to Know, All in One Place

David Zicarelli

Early next month Cycling ‘74 will publish our second book, Generating Sound and Organizing Time: Thinking with gen~ Book 1 by Graham Wakefield and Gregory Taylor. I sat down with Graham and Gregory to talk about what’s included in the book and the collection of patches that accompany it.


Let’s start by talking about how this book project happened. What were your goals in writing it?


Graham: Personally, most of all I wanted to write the kind of book I wish had existed when I was learning about making computer music. For example, in my graduate studies I learned a huge amount about programming synthesis processes, but I also realized that a lot of the immense possibilities of digital signal processing is often obscured in writing and inaccessibly black-boxed in most music software -- in fact that's part of why creating gen~ became my doctoral research; gen~ opens up access to live edit sonic algorithms right down to the sample level, kind of like an atomic structure of DSP. And we think it can be a lot simpler and more insightful that way, and for the most part it doesn’t require learning higher mathematics or coding.

Gregory: gen~ is now over ten years old, and with a thriving community, but it's still unfamiliar to many, and we wanted to change that. As our friend Luke DuBois said, it's "one of Max's secret weapons hidden in plain sight." We thought the best way was to start from this idea of a bestiary of simple and reusable ideas that can be recombined to make new things.

Graham: Right–it's not always obvious, since not a lot of music software lets you work at this level–but so many synthesis and sound processing techniques come down to a pretty small number of common circuits and patterns operating at the sample level that are then reapplied in a variety of different ways. This book (and gen~ itself) is all about the amazing things you can create when you can patch at this level.

In that spirit, we wanted to present the repeated application of a few simple ideas to many different musical tasks. All kinds of things from filters and delay effects to oscillators and granular synthesizers and chaos generators and so on that sometimes look like black boxes or magical plugins. But when patched in gen~ these are just arrangements of the same small number of simple operations – which means you can dig into them and insert other stuff in there and experiment wildly. In the book we build upon these to create a set of abstractions that we use again and again throughout the book to do all of these interesting things from really simple beginnings.

Reading the book as a Max user, I definitely felt like I was getting a gen~ education but at the same time, I’m being exposed to a completely new way to think about musical DSP applications. Can you talk about the intended audience(s) for the book? Would it make sense as a textbook?

Gregory: One of our early readers put it really well: They said it was "for composers, musicians, sound designers, and experimentalists of all kinds.” We’ve tried to provide a wealth of things that people will find interesting and engaging and to create a book that can serve equally well as a kind of patching companion for self-study or as a text for educational situations. I think that using the book as a classroom text with a bunch of curious and creative students would be a lot of fun.

And inside of a classroom or out, there wouldn’t be a lot you’d need to get started. It could be helpful to review the gen~ for Beginners tutorial series.

Tell me about the phrase "Thinking with gen~” – I’d be interested in hearing your perspective on the software as something you think with.

Gregory: Glad you noticed that preposition there! It’s really about developing ways of thinking and building that solve problems or lead you into new territories of signal processing.

Graham: On the one hand, it’s building up habits to let you ‘think out loud’ through patching, leaning on the ability to edit and hear the results right away, like a notebook that makes sound. That means you can try out ideas on a whim, and maybe discover something amazing and unexpected. But it’s also about getting to be thinking with the behaviors of signals, and how they can be wrangled, morphed, and interwoven, chopped and regurgitated at the sample level. That means designing subcircuits such that a momentary idea of “why not plug B into C” is more likely to lead to something interesting. So along the way it’s also about thinking with little circuits as building blocks, building a lexicon of reusable ideas with a huge range of capabilities. Inserting one process into the midst of another is such a common habit of thought for the book.

Gregory: … and there are a few other habits and techniques we use again and again, like translating a problem into some other representation that makes it way easier to tame and control, or using the behaviors of harmonic and inharmonic ratios to create complexity in sequences, smoothed quantizers, and timbre shapers, and so on.

Gregory: We wanted to encourage thinking of cyclical “time” as having a modular nature: by using ramp functions instead of individual triggers. Starting from a ramp, we show how to create sample-accurate rhythms, modular patterns, swing, divisions and ratchets, polymeter and phasing, beat chopping, deriving rhythmic LFOs, and so on, all being sample (or even sub-sample) accurate, in a way that triggers never can be. So, time is just another flowing signal to process.

We also see the same basic crossfader algorithm–one of the simplest little circuits really–used to create linear interpolators, filters, smooth step generators, antialiased oscillators, LFO shapes, envelope generators, and many more. And since everything is editable, it’s also explorable. For example, you have a filter algorithm or chaos generator, and you wonder what might happen if you stuck a waveshaper or a delay inside one of the feedback loops — well, you can just crack that patch open and try it.

Graham: Another example is moving calculations into a different space to solve challenging problems. For example, we’re always pre- and post-scaling a signal so you can work with a zero-to-one range, and apply a huge range of what we’re calling “unit shapers” to warp and morph this range as desired, whether for an oscillator or LFO, or for more expressive pitch glides or waveshapers, or for a funky swing to time, all in an algorithmic way that means you can parametrically morph things and derive more variations. And of course you can modulate the modulators and shape the shapers and so on.

Another is making a discrete set appear continuous by crossfading the two nearest neighbors – to make a quantizer or a bitcrusher modulate smoothly, or to make an FM algorithm generate only harmonic tones, or to create morphing multidimensional antialiased wavetable oscillators, or a variable delay without pitch drift, it’s all the same trick. You’ll notice other similar bits of patching like this used in very different situations throughout the book.

Gregory: Along with these ideas, there are a lot of abstractions (including the unit shapers) that we walk through creating and re-use throughout the book. You can think of them as a “next level” of gen~ tools built on the basic operator set. The specific tools in the software we’re releasing to accompany the book extends the modest gen~ operator set in ways that assist users in customizing and making their own abstractions.

I’m sure you’ve seen Forum requests to add a certain feature to a Max external or to set the default state or mode of an object to a user’s personal preference. Leveraging the ability to create abstractions in gen~ provides readers with a simple way to do just that. You can open up the abstractions and examples we’ve provided and easily customize them to meet your own needs.


Maybe this is a good point to mention that the book isn’t just explanatory text and diagrams. What really blew me away is the collection of examples that you’ve created. Can you talk about a few of the treasures people will discover?

Gregory: It’s hard to know where to start. Complex shift-register sequencers – something that Step by Step readers might find interesting — Euclidean rhythms and LFO generators, wave terrains and polygonal synthesis, and a positively insane variety of amplitude, ring, frequency, and phase modulation algorithms that include blended harmonics and chaotic feedback.

Graham: And a wide variety of filters and delay effects, algorithmic quantizers with glides, noise and randomization algorithms, harmonic distortion waveshaping and modulated bitcrushing, band-limited virtual analog and wavetable oscillators, pulsar and other granular synthesis techniques, and more.

Gregory: And you won’t be surprised that I’m excited about the collection of chaotic algorithms…

One of the topics I was surprised to see covered was FM synthesis. I’ve had the impression there isn’t really anything more to say about FM that hasn’t been covered before. Can you give readers a little preview of how you approached this topic?

Gregory: As you might imagine, we spent some time researching the academic literature and community knowhow when we embarked on the project — we knew that nearly everyone was familiar with Max’s Swiss Army Knife abstraction SimpleFM~, and we wanted to go deeper and follow some different paths. Lo and behold, we found a really interesting reply on an old Max Forum posting that FM pioneer John Chowning himself responded to. His advice was — for me, anyway — the start of it all. Graham’s investigations, based on Chowning’s insight and other more current scholarship on frequency modulation and its synthesis cousins, produced a collection of patches that had my jaw on the floor with amazement.

Graham: Well, there’s this general perception that FM is somehow complex or shrouded in a mystique of confusion, but really it’s a lot simpler than that, and we heard from some quite experienced readers that we managed to get several new insights across to them. A lot of existing material on FM does sometimes treat it as a “done topic” and repeats the same old DX algorithms, even though there is so much more that’s possible.

For example, if you AM a carrier with the right window shape, you can get perfectly asymmetric spectra out of an FM or PM patch. Or, one of my favorite examples is a pair of FM oscillators acting as modulators to each other, each going through a low pass filter first – the range of amazing sounds and behaviors that come out of this can sound really analog and is like some kind of more organic chaos to my ears. And yet the patch is so simple. And the bigger point is that there’s nothing stopping you trying sticking other things into these feedback loops to discover something new!

I have to ask one more question – what’s with the “Book 1” in the title?

Gregory: There was so much we wanted to cover, and not all would fit into a single book! I kind of don’t want to be the spoiler here. Graham, what do you feel like revealing?

Graham: In the second book we delve much deeper into some common and uncommon aspects of band-limited oscillators, microsound, reverberation and physical modeling. But we also look at some more unusual and powerful generative algorithms — including a few processes inspired by biological and natural phenomena that are often absent from computer music materials. Stay tuned!

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Early next month Cycling ‘74 will publish our second book, Generating Sound and Organizing Time: Thinking with gen~ book 1 by Graham Wakefield and Gregory Taylor. I sat down with Graham and Gregory to talk about what’s included in the book and the collection of patches that accompany it.

generating-sound-and-organizing-time-an-interview-with-graham-wakefield-and-gregory-taylor-1

Very exciting news! Not long after gen~ came out I stopped using Max, and it always seemed a little daunting to me. Recently I've been feeling nostalgic, and I think this might be the perfect opportunity to rekindle my love for Max, and its community :) 

OMG I want this now! gen just complements other parts of Max. The visual programming style of Max makes glueing UI object and other built-in objects simple and intuitive while the text programming style of gen makes writing complex logic possible.

This is indeed great news, very stoked about this.

Thing is - how can I preorder? Would be good for you if I could channel my initial excitement into a sale...

Sounds really interesting. I might buy a copy. 

This sounds so cool, cant wait to read more about it :)

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Really Amazing, Waiting for your Next Blog Post. Thanks a Lot.

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"fuhget about the interview, when do we get the freakin book?!"


(in other words: so excited! can't wait 😇)

I expect you'll see the book on or very shortly after the 1st of November. Since that's All Saints' Day, maybe you can stop off at St. Binarius or St. Hexidecimus and light a taper. :-)

Or dress as a hopeful person for Hallowe'en!

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ooo (not wooooooo!!) just in time for my birthday.


exciting news, very happy to see the Cycling74 book series continues after Step by Step.

Got this book yesterday, really enjoying it so far! 
Just wondering if the associated patches are available yet, I can't seem to find them.

I hope you don't mind me asking, Jamie, but I was wondering where you were able to order the book? I am very eagerly waiting for the book to become available but couldn't find an option to (pre-)order anywhere. 

The book is not quite available just yet -- there was a glitch with the publisher. We will make an announcement very soon!

And the files for the book will not be available until the book is officially released.


Will there be a Kindle or Apple Books version available? Very excited about this but my poor eyes struggle with typical print sizes these days.

Just bought it yesterday from Amazon (Italy). Hope that the glitch Graham is talkin' about Is not about some printing error in the edition :-D. Definitely other kinds of glitches are welcome! I wonder how can I've bought It if it's not yet released... 

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Am i the first?! HAHA! In yer face, Losers! 😜


^long ago when i bought the wall-mount, i knew someday i would own a ninja sword worthy of it, and once i bought the sword i knew someday i‘d have a book worthy to display atop the sword. now both my ninja shrine, and my life, are complete 😇


Publishing anything with Amazon involves a pre-flight spanking machine, verification, and a lag time for actually "publishing" anything, which means that we cannot absolutely control when things appear. And, as you might imagine, we would rather have the book appear a bit earlier than later than when we promised.

Some people before you elected to remain mum about it being visible and available, so I'll need to disappoint the ball-spiking in the end zone :-). 

That said, the book display is quite nice. Graham and I are honored.

And yes, there will be a Kindle edition of the book available for purchase - It will probably appear a bit later than the paperback edition. We thank you for your patience.

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Working through it now thanks! already noting down Q's hope they'll be a good online forum for the book etc

It's officially published!
https://cycling74.com/books/go 

(And yes of course, gen~ works wonderfully in RNBO :-))

Ha! That’s just a cunning plan Gregory to get me to buy both 🤪

Now I have a real chance to understand what gen is good for... 

Got my copy, and so far I must say I really like the way it is written, and it's big! Well done Gregory and Graham. :-)

This is a great book. Uniquely practical with sufficient depth to inspire for many years to come. I've enjoyed quite a few "!!!" moments already. Much respect to everyone involved!  

Don't know if it's the right place, but page 238, the pic for FMPM-parallel-carriers.maxpat is the one for FMPM-parallel-modulators.maxpat. Not a big deal, but may but useful for further printing...

So, where do you download the "go" library?

Hello Graham  and Gregory.  First thank  you for all the tutorials and congratulations on the book. 
I wanted to ask if you think this book will be helpful for me to work with my Patch.Init from electrosmith.  Basically, I was super excited to know that includes examples of very useful patches, but I was wondering how manageable will be to adapt this patches to the daisy environment. I already have experience using Oopsy, but I was looking for a book to help me do or adapt patches to what I need in my modular synth environment. Thanks!

Hi @Agustin -- sorry I didn't see your message earlier. 

Yes indeed -- Although there's nothing in the book that is *specific* to Daisy, most of the ideas and the specific patches from the book can be easily adapted one way or another for the Daisy-based devices, including the Patch.Init and other Electrosmith devices, but also e.g. Noise Engineering Versio etc., and also OWL etc. based devices. There's a lot in the book that is modular-inflected, and modular application was certainly in our minds throughout the writing. (Actually a few of these patches started life as patches for a Daisy Patch module in my rack, I think that may also be true for Gregory).  Mostly all you need to do is map appropriate [param] names and ranges for the hardware device you have :-)

Fantastic! Very exciting news Can't wait! 

Generating Sound and Organizing Time: An Interview with Graham Wakefield and Gregory Taylor

Drums and rhythm are a foundational element of electronic music especially, and every artist has their preferences in how they should sound. Drum voices can also be a fun sound design challenge for Max patching. For this community project, we invited four artists to each create their unique take on a classic kick, snare, hi-hat, or tom voice, along with a sequencer that puts this whole collection into action.


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