Spatialization in Max
“Where do I put this!” Not just something you shout after moving into a new apartment, but something to ask about sounds in the stereo field. There are a million ways to deal with panning in Max (and more, if you have more than 2 channels), so we wanted to know how a few of our favorite artists deal with, and think about, placing audio across multiple channels.
Find each patch below, with a description, and download link so you can give ‘em a try yourself!
Jacob Ottmer
With this patch you can use some big brain math equation to move a sound source around! Using a cubic Bézier curve equation, you can send a single channel and pan it evenly across four outputs with no hassle. It automatically duplicates a single channel, then you can control the panning however you like!
You don’t have to use just one signal though. If you use four channels, you can set each one at a speaker output and gradually adjust the volume between each using the Bézier curve. But that’s not actually panning… now check this out! Use those same four channels to send to their own panning object. This way you can pan each channel between all four speakers! So cool.
n ev
O U VR is a study in panning. When I started teaching, I gravitated toward simpler, hands-on examples. For me, patching is about crafting small, focused systems that let sound evolve within clear boundaries.
In this project, I'm using the loop sync output from the /groove~/ to drive the /shape~/. You can use a /function/ to draw breakpoint curves that control panning over time. Because the sync signal follows the playback of the sample, the spatial movement stays locked to the loop.
Although this patcher is presented in stereo, the approach can be easily adapted to a multichannel system by redistributing the panning structure and (or) extending the channel count.
This setup is basic but flexible and easy to experiment with. Its straightforward design encourages exploration, letting you test ideas and variations quickly without unnecessary complication.
Yun-An Wang /piin_ann
Just Spatial is a real-time Max/MSP effect that lowers the harsh, buzzy "roughness" in a stereo mix, without changing any notes.
In equal temperament a lot of frequencies sit close together and slightly out of tune. When two of them reach the same ear they beat against each other, and that beating is what we hear as roughness. Just Spatial doesn't retune anything or remove frequencies. It sends the clashing ones to opposite ears, so each ear only gets one of them and the beating never forms. It analyses every FFT bin in real time with a Vassilakis roughness model on an ERB scale, then pans the high-roughness bins left or right with an equal-power pan. A live point cloud shows where each frequency sits between your two ears.
Headphones only. On speakers the two ears mix back together and the effect is gone. This is a v1. The effect is subtle and the idea is more interesting than the sound is dramatic. A short preprint documenting the method, the numbers, and the limitations will be posted at piinann.com/writings.
by Andrew Benson on July 15, 2026
