Andrew Benson

Last week, I was invited by to participate in a 

 in Las Vegas, the leading conference and trade show for lighting and live design professionals. The panel was called “

”, and despite the name, tended to mainly focus around how people create one-off and custom show designs. Those of you mostly focussed on music might not realize how many theater and stage professionals are sticking Max in the middle of their complex show designs. Joining me on the panel were other artists and lighting designers working with 

, as well as a number of other solutions.

A big topic of conversation - and something I realized I wanted to learn more about - was 

. With individually addressable LED strips and tapes now widely available and relatively affordable, lots of people are looking into custom installations and set pieces that include LED lighting effects. 

 includes supports for Syphon, which means you could develop video effects in Jitter that get passed along to the LEDs without having to do the DMX programming yourself. Some very exciting possibilities there that I’ll be excited to test out in my studio.

A visit to Live Design International, 2016

LDI 2016 1

LDI 2016 2

LDI 2016 3

Besides that, where LDI really delivers is a show floor full of 

, and every configuration of LED lights you can imagine. It definitely made me want to dust off 

 and dive into some lighting experiments.

Last week, I was invited by to participate in a panel discussion at Live Design International (LDI) in Las Vegas, the leading conference and trade show for lighting and live design professionals. The panel was called “Design On A Dime”, and despite the name, tended to mainly focus around how people create one-off and custom show designs. Those of you mostly focussed on music might not realize how many theater and stage professionals are sticking Max in the middle of their complex show designs. Joining me on the panel were other artists and lighting designers working with Isadora, Millumin, and Lightjams, as well as a number of other solutions.

A big topic of conversation - and something I realized I wanted to learn more about - was LED pixel mapping. With individually addressable LED strips and tapes now widely available and relatively affordable, lots of people are looking into custom installations and set pieces that include LED lighting effects. Enttec’s E.L.M. software includes supports for Syphon, which means you could develop video effects in Jitter that get passed along to the LEDs without having to do the DMX programming yourself. Some very exciting possibilities there that I’ll be excited to test out in my studio.

Besides that, where LDI really delivers is a show floor full of fog machines, laser projectors, movable head lighting fixtures, projection mapping, and every configuration of LED lights you can imagine. It definitely made me want to dust off Andrew Pask’s DMX articles and dive into some lighting experiments.

on-the-road-live-design-international

On the Road: Live Design International

Mark Mosher

Sometimes, a little change of pace can be a welcome thing and provide an opportunity to "think different." In that spirit, we asked our synthesist pal 

 you may find of interest if you're not already acquainted) to aim us at an interesting softsynth plug-in that he finds compelling. Welcome, Mark! -- Gregory

 - a 32/64-bit VST2/AU softsynth plug-in whose ancestry traces back through the 

 softsynth. The Bazille (German for “bacterium”) combines a user interface that will be familiar to anyone who’s worked with modular synthesis: a rack of digital oscillators, analog-style filters, and modeled effects with a virtual cable patching system for routing audio and control signals. The default interface is tabbed for easy access to various components (braver users with better eyesight will enjoy the "gearporn” skin that shows everything with a single view).

A brief overview of the modules themselves suggest the possibilities: The oscillators are digital and combine FM and various forms of Phase Distortion synthesis. The resonating filters feature a cascading architecture that allows access to 6 filter types in parallel with all filter types allowing for resonance with self-oscillation. Bazille’s two LFOs run from low to audio rates (frequency or clock-selectable) with three parallel outputs each. Finally, the real time effects include tube and transistor distortion, delay, phasor, and a spring reverb that features a “shake” button that lets you emulate banging on the side of the reverb tank.

These modules are patchable. Working with the virtual patchcords is very straight-ahead - module sockets are color-coded (Grey sockets are inputs, red sockets are outputs), and it’s click-and drag to patch. The patching interfaces features a few nice tweaks, too (double-clicking deletes patchcords, and dragging a cable from an unused input to another that is already in use creates a daisy-chain that patches the source to both inputs, as shown 

). The softsynth’s Multiplex module extends the patching metaphor by allowing you to mix/split signals to modules with several cables for simple mixing/attenuation, ring modulation/fade in, amplitude modulation/fade out, and unipolar and bipolar crossfades - with additional modulation sources to scale output.

Bazille includes two modules that really set it apart and should set the Max programmer’s heart to beating: a pair of mapping generators and a morphing modulation sequencer.

The mapping generators let you draw in lists that can hold up to 128 values to be used as processing modulation sources, or as oscillator waveforms. The generators have multiple modes (Key, Map Smooth, Map Quantize, and Increment) that let you control how events are generated.

The morphing modulation sequencer goes way beyond a simple 16-step sequencer; its 4 output "taps" can be sent to any input each at a different speed, and the sequencer also includes 8 pattern snapshots which you can manually morph between. Finally, the sequencer is 

 - each played note can trigger its own instance of the sequence. As you might imagine, the morphing modulation sequencer is well suited for West-coast style synthesis, complex drones, and as a source for Max patching ideas in your own work.

I found Bazille to be fun and inspiring and was able to quickly dial-in predictable results as well as be inspired by happy accidents by swapping cables. You can find a Soundcloud example of the Bazille in action (a Bazille patch performing in a single pass with no edits manipulating notes, mod wheel, key pressure, and parameters via midi-mapped knobs) 

If you've never used a modular before, I recommend you start with Heckmann’s earlier 

 softsynth – if you’re already modular-aware, you should be able to jump right in once they get a handle on the interface.

Bazille holds up well in real time to having its knobs being modulated from Max for Live devices, too – you may even want to create your own Max for Live devices to enable idiosyncratic configurations (for some weird fun, you can MIDI map input sockets modulating the act of plugging in a cable at incredible speeds not capable with human hands (

you can find an example of that done on the early ACE softsynth here

Bazille can be rather demanding on your CPU (although it runs just fine on my beefy Windows machine). You can throttle the synth up using its Multicore (which distributes voices evenly between the CPU cores) and HQ (higher quality) options. In any case, running monophonic presets without voice stacking should work fine even on older machines.

I think you'll find this well worth your time.

Sometimes, a little change of pace can be a welcome thing and provide an opportunity to "think different." In that spirit, we asked our synthesist pal Mark Mosher (whose Sonic Encounters podcast you may find of interest if you're not already acquainted) to aim us at an interesting softsynth plug-in that he finds compelling. Welcome, Mark! -- Gregory

Let me introduce you to the U-He Bazille - a 32/64-bit VST2/AU softsynth plug-in whose ancestry traces back through the Roland 100M and U-He owner Urs Heckmann’s own ACE softsynth. The Bazille (German for “bacterium”) combines a user interface that will be familiar to anyone who’s worked with modular synthesis: a rack of digital oscillators, analog-style filters, and modeled effects with a virtual cable patching system for routing audio and control signals. The default interface is tabbed for easy access to various components (braver users with better eyesight will enjoy the "gearporn” skin that shows everything with a single view).

These modules are patchable. Working with the virtual patchcords is very straight-ahead - module sockets are color-coded (Grey sockets are inputs, red sockets are outputs), and it’s click-and drag to patch. The patching interfaces features a few nice tweaks, too (double-clicking deletes patchcords, and dragging a cable from an unused input to another that is already in use creates a daisy-chain that patches the source to both inputs, as shown here). The softsynth’s Multiplex module extends the patching metaphor by allowing you to mix/split signals to modules with several cables  for simple mixing/attenuation, ring modulation/fade in, amplitude modulation/fade out, and unipolar and bipolar crossfades - with additional modulation sources to scale output.

Bazille includes two modules that really set it apart and should set the Max programmer’s heart to beating: a pair of mapping generators and a morphing modulation sequencer. 

The morphing modulation sequencer goes way beyond a simple 16-step sequencer; its 4 output "taps" can be sent to any input each at a different speed, and the sequencer also includes 8 pattern snapshots which you can manually morph between. Finally, the sequencer is polyphonic  - each played note can trigger its own instance of the sequence. As you might imagine, the morphing modulation sequencer is well suited for West-coast style synthesis, complex drones, and as a source for Max patching ideas in your own work.

I found Bazille to be fun and inspiring and was able to quickly dial-in predictable results as well as be inspired by happy accidents by swapping cables. You can find a Soundcloud example of the Bazille in action (a Bazille patch performing in a single pass with no edits manipulating notes, mod wheel, key pressure, and parameters via midi-mapped knobs) here.

If you've never used a modular before, I recommend you start with Heckmann’s earlier ACE softsynth – if you’re already modular-aware, you should be able to jump right in once they get a handle on the interface.

Bazille holds up well in real time to having its knobs being modulated from Max for Live devices, too – you may even want to create your own Max for Live devices to enable idiosyncratic configurations (for some weird fun, you can MIDI map input sockets modulating the act of plugging in a cable at incredible speeds not capable with human hands (you can find an example of that done on the early ACE softsynth here).

I think you'll find this well worth your time.


the-infectious-charm-of-the-bazille

The Infectious Charm of the Bazille

Darwin Grosse

One of the cool features added to Max 7.2.2 is the ability to inform us - and other users - about the value of a package. This includes the new package rating system, which allows you to give a 1-5 star rating to a package, or to report a problem with a package that you have installed. Check out the short-and-sweet video below to see how you can provide feedback on packages, and help identify problem packages from within the Max application.

Learn how to rate a package or to report a problem.

Package Manager Updates for Max 7.2.2

To see a list of available packages inside the Max 7 application, navigate to File > Show Package Manager where you can also quickly install or remove any available package. On this website, 

To see a list of available packages inside the Max 7 application, navigate to File > Show Package Manager where you can also quickly install or remove any available package. On this website, browse the gallery here.


package-manager-features-in-max-7-2-2

Package Manager Features in Max 7.2.2

Timothy Place

In this 12-minute video, I give you a tour of some advanced Max filtering tools and filter design options that go above and beyond the 

 objects, you can take filtering to the next level.

A tour of some advanced Max filtering tools and filter design options that go above and beyond the biquad~ object. With the filterdesign, filterdetail and plot~ objects, you can take filtering to the next level.

More information: https://cycling74.com/products/max/

Explore Filtering Tools in Max

In this 12-minute video, I give you a tour of some advanced Max filtering tools and filter design options that go above and beyond the biquad~ object. With the filterdesign, filterdetail and plot~ objects, you can take filtering to the next level.

Watch other filter design videos: Demystifying Filters and Crossover Filter Design.

a-tour-of-filtering-tools-in-max

my "next level" would be to calculate the new filter types myself uign messages (or in best case even signal based).

if anyone would be bored enough to build it for me that would be great.

i have lowpass, highpass, bandpass and shelving filter coefficient patches (mostly copied from zack settel i think) and it would be so lovely to have the brickwall filters (and eventualy the butterworth, but it is not too important for now) as max patch, too.

Informative, and great style (casual and patch-y, with still lots of deep info).


I tried playing around with this, and I got some crazy feedback. Just gave myself a heart attack by switching between filter modes, and nearly blew out my speakers. Perhaps it's best not to be changing the attributes of filterdesign while the audio engine is running, but seriously a little warning would have been nice.

Otherwise, really interesting tutorial, and definitely did inspire me to try it myself!


what you see is the expected behaviour of a biquad filter when receiving drastic coefficient change. (i.e. as it also happens when you change the settings within the same filter type!)

you could implement a function which increases the interpolation time for coefficients to 300 ms or so for that moment you change the filter type.


i've quickly,  tested, and it's possible to use Q with filterdesign?


oups i've not see the tab integration, in the help for "filterdesign"..


Nice work, Tim! Very clear intro to these objects.


Clear explanation of how to use these tools. And also how plot is very handy.

Thanks

A Tour of Filtering Tools in Max

The ‘custom looper’ is one of those classic Max projects that is a rite of passage for most audio-curious Max enthusiasts. At some point, we’ve all either built one or used one of the many legendary looper Max patches posted on the forums. I’ve tried my hand at it myself on several occasions. The beauty of the looper as a focus of Max patching is that everyone has an idea of how it should work and there are many examples to look at for reference.

At a certain point though, if your dedication to the art of live-looping is strong, you might hit an impasse where patching with standard Max objects won’t get you all the way there. Rodrigo Costanzo is one of those fellows with a strong and public devotion to the perfection of the loop, and he got another Max user, Raja, to help him build the perfect looper external. The result is the karma~ external, a varispeed all-in-one live looper object that has a whole pile of features to delight the loop-lover in you.

Get started with Rodrigo's karma~ video tutorial.

karma~ is a looper/sampler external for Max. It is a dynamic length, varispeed looper with some complex features that are explained in detail in the accompanying help file.

You can download karma~ on my webpage here:
http://www.rodrigoconstanzo.com/karma/

Or from the github repo here:
https://github.com/rconstanzo/karma

The linear interpolation used in the recording stage of karma~ is based on ipoke~ by Pierre Alexandre Tremblay:
http://pierrealexandretremblay.com/no-tv//MaxMSP/

Video and concept by Angela Guyton and Rodrigo Constanzo.

karma~ tutorial

At a certain point though, if your dedication to the art of live-looping is strong, you might hit an impasse where patching with standard Max objects won’t get you all the way there. Rodrigo Costanzo is one of those fellows with a strong and public devotion to the perfection of the loop, and he got another Max user, Raja, to help him build the perfect looper external. The result is the karma~ external, a varispeed all-in-one live looper object that has a whole pile of features to delight the loop-lover in you.  

get-the-karma-package-by-rodrigo-and-raja

Very cool. Super handy. Thanks Rodrigo and Raja and I love the video tutorial, I was cracking up watching it.


Deeply impressed. I always knew: learning's a trip!


Thanks. Best tutorial video I've ever seen :)


yes - tutorial video masterclass! (nice external too..)


Very impressive. Thank you Rodrigo and Raja :)


,,, very entertaining totorial
 - many thanX to you both for this :)


This is fantastic. And it's awesome to see it as a Max package!


Get the karma~ Package by Rodrigo and Raja

Tom Hall

This week I’d like to highlight a new product that came to me late last year: 

. The easiest way to explain them is that they resemble a high-end piezo microphone or contact microphone. However, they’re not designed to record sounds, but to allow you to translate them.

The way a Mogees works is that you stick it to an object (desk, tree, wall, bike etc.), calibrate it with the Mogees software, and then play the sounds built into the software. Alternately, you can send the data out of the Mogees software as MIDI to another destination. This is not too different to Stretta’s 

 - however, Mogees have made the calibration a lot easier.

My first impression of the Mogees was rather big - 

 is a great watch, and got me pretty excited about them. Getting it setup with Max was a breeze: I simply used the Mogees plug-in as a VST, plugged in the Mogees to my computer and banged on the desk a few times, calibrating three different notes in seconds. By placing an instance of the Mogees VST in a Max patcher, you are instantaneously given a Mogees incoming MIDI port, dropping in a 

 synth had me playing the synth like the desk maestro I always knew I was, in a jiffy.

There are a few little things that will make it easier for you to get going with Mogees - one of them being to add gain on the input to boost the signal. In addition, solid objects are not as resonant and are hard to differentiate between different hits in comparison with any object that resonates and gives a variety of tonal differences depending where and how it is struck. I’ll take a greater look at how Mogees can be used in Max in later articles.

A quick first look at Mogees teamed with Max

http://mogees.co.uk/
http://cycling74.com
http://tomhall.com.au @tomhallsonics

Mogees - A first look

This week I’d like to highlight a new product that came to me late last year: Mogees. The easiest way to explain them is that they resemble a high-end piezo microphone or contact microphone. However, they’re not designed to record sounds, but to allow you to translate them.

The way a Mogees works is that you stick it to an object (desk, tree, wall, bike etc.), calibrate it with the Mogees software, and then play the sounds built into the software. Alternately, you can send the data out of the Mogees software as MIDI to another destination. This is not too different to Stretta’s Practical Max project - however, Mogees have made the calibration a lot easier.

My first impression of the Mogees was rather big - their inaugural demonstration video is a great watch, and got me pretty excited about them. Getting it setup with Max was a breeze: I simply used the Mogees plug-in as a VST, plugged in the Mogees to my computer and banged on the desk a few times, calibrating three different notes in seconds. By placing an instance of the Mogees VST in a Max patcher, you are instantaneously given a Mogees incoming MIDI port, dropping in a midiin object and running that into a amxd~ synth had me playing the synth like the desk maestro I always knew I was, in a jiffy.

my-first-look-at-mogees

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgxXi6w8IQc

Some sophisticated DSP analysis going on, at very high sampling rates, but stick it to an object and it will interpret your touch. Niiiiice.

Looking forward to your exploration of Mogees + Max. Cuz balanced piezos are easy to build, and I'm guessing the hardware is pretty straightforward, right?

Hi from much later! I'm looking for a copy of the Mogees VST software for use with a newly purchased sensor, but it appears the mogees.co.uk website and accompanying pages have been down since the product's discontinuance. 

 I have a new and unused registration code; hoping to use the sensor + software for an upcoming theatre project and would like to take advantage of the VST program in my patching. 

Would anyone be willing to share their software copy?

I have a copy of the software I can email you in exchange for sharing your code if that works? 

Let me know. you can email me on info@abbzah.com

My First Look at Mogees

Recently, Gregory and I were talking about a couple of different projects we were working on. They all shared something in common: they used the 

 object (and its related objects) in order to solve very difficult problems.

 as a way to save presets, but it can be much more. It can be a morphing tool, an “idea storage” mechanism, or a message sending tool. But it can also seem a little daunting to use.

When teaching Max, I used to have a long-winded explanation about how the 

 system worked. Then Gregory created a set of tutorial videos that did a much better job at explaining than I ever have. My teaching now points people to these videos - and I’d like to point you to them as well.

Recently, Gregory and I were talking about a couple of different projects we were working on. They all shared something in common: they used the pattr object (and its related objects) in order to solve very difficult problems.

Most people think of pattr as a way to save presets, but it can be much more. It can be a morphing tool, an “idea storage” mechanism, or a message sending tool. But it can also seem a little daunting to use.

When teaching Max, I used to have a long-winded explanation about how the pattr system worked. Then Gregory created a set of tutorial videos that did a much better job at explaining than I ever have. My teaching now points people to these videos - and I’d like to point you to them as well.

Part One: Here’s a quick and easy way to use pattr objects to store presets.

Part Two: The pattr object provides a versatile way to store and share values.

Part Three: The pattrstorage object can interpolate between presets using various scaling techniques.


solve-difficult-problems-with-the-pattr-object-tutorials

Yep this is a great intro to pattr, students use it quite a bit and it is extremely helpful for developing interactive works, and finding new ideas and outcomes, like when that really really cool sound is somewhere between those really cool sounds.


*Ignore text below, there was something else going on in my patch slowing things down.*

(These objects kick ass but I really wish the pattr system got a performance update. I love how easy it is to use, and interpolation is obviously badass, but it's to the point that I can't use them in a high performance/responsive context.

On a moderately sized patch, loading a preset takes over 500ms (sometimes even a second), and interpolation is equally laggy.)


It's impossible to guess whether you're doing anything overly taxing or exotic. No promises, but if you could provide us with an example patch, I'd be glad to have a look. I don't really see those same problems, but I tend to do the obvious stuff (send/receive rather than pattrforward, not working N-nested bpatchers deep, parsimonious use of UI objects, etc.). Perhaps you can help identify those problems. And you also neglected to say much about platform/OS/version of MSP, etc. That would help, too.


My workflow is having an autopattr at every depth, with all objects having scripting names, then one pattrstorage at the very top level with '@savemode 0' set. Those are the only pattr objects being used. There's about 140 total items in the pattrstorage so it's not a huge amount in there.
Most of them are about 2-3 layers deep (mainly UI levels) but the attachment is as deep as it goes.

This is happening on a Mac running the latest Max 7.0.6, and on 10.10 and 10.11 of OSX. It's also happened on every version of Max7 since the initial release. I've not tested it much on Max6 specifically, but have had similar performance issues in the past.

Here's a little video showing what I mean. I'm using a mouse to control it, so that's obviously slower, but it's also happening with a controller/hi changing the presets. There's a solid 1sec delay between picking the new preset and it changing over. I get similar sluggishness with interpolation things, particularly if I do a bunch of movement quickly, it kind of backs/queues up.

http://www.rodrigoconstanzo.com/examples/pattr.mov


I don't want to provide a knee-jerk defense of pattr's performance, but consider that when you restore a preset, there's more going on that simply sending the values to the objects. There's some name-lookup overhead (this is one area where we could potentially offer some performance improvement by caching some information -- a potentially error-prone optimization, which is why it hasn't been done). But most importantly, every value which is restored triggers a chain of Max messages starting at the target object. So if you have 140 number boxes with nothing attached to them, you'll find that recall and interpolation is pretty zippy. If you have 140 number boxes with a bunch of additional patching following each one, each triggered by the value recall, you will see some delays, due to the synchronicity of execution in Max. You could try deferlow after the output of your pattr/UI objects to move the heavy lifting to the next scheduler tick, for instance.

If you want to send us your patcher offline, it would provide a good case for performance analysis.


I don't have any pattr objects (only autopattrs), would it work the same just having it after the autopattr'd UI objects?

An autopattr is just a kind of automatic interface for pattr-talking to the objects in the patcher. The communication involved is (as far as you are concerned) exactly the same.

What you would need to do is place your deferlow after the target objects (the objects the autopattr is 'hosting' for the patcher). There's no way to do that from autopattr object itself.


Rodrigo, I profiled your patcher (which does take a while to switch presets), and here's the critical call stack:

Running Time	Self (ms)		Symbol Name
3314.0ms   42.8%	3314,0	 	medianfilter_switch_float
3314.0ms   42.8%	0,0	 	 medianfilter_float
3314.0ms   42.8%	0,0	 	  spectralpeaks_medianmask_float
3314.0ms   42.8%	0,0	 	   get_inharmonicity
3314.0ms   42.8%	0,0	 	    calc_pf_descriptor
3314.0ms   42.8%	0,0	 	     calc_descriptors_non_rt
3314.0ms   42.8%	0,0	 	      typedmess_fun
3314.0ms   42.8%	0,0	 	       outlet_anything
3314.0ms   42.8%	0,0	 	        typedmess_fun
3314.0ms   42.8%	0,0	 	         typedmess
3314.0ms   42.8%	0,0	 	          inlet_anything
3314.0ms   42.8%	0,0	 	           typedmess_fun
3314.0ms   42.8%	0,0	 	            outlet_anything
3314.0ms   42.8%	0,0	 	             typedmess_fun
3314.0ms   42.8%	0,0	 	              typedmess
3314.0ms   42.8%	0,0	 	               inlet_anything
3314.0ms   42.8%	0,0	 	                typedmess_fun
3314.0ms   42.8%	0,0	 	                 outlet_anything
3314.0ms   42.8%	0,0	 	                  pack_out
3314.0ms   42.8%	0,0	 	                   pack_bang
3314.0ms   42.8%	0,0	 	                    outlet_bang
3314.0ms   42.8%	0,0	 	                     inlet_bang
3314.0ms   42.8%	0,0	 	                      outlet_bang
3314.0ms   42.8%	0,0	 	                       inlet_bang
3314.0ms   42.8%	0,0	 	                        outlet_bang
3314.0ms   42.8%	0,0	 	                         inlet_bang
3314.0ms   42.8%	0,0	 	                          outlet_bang
3314.0ms   42.8%	0,0	 	                           inlet_bang
3314.0ms   42.8%	0,0	 	                            outlet_bang
3314.0ms   42.8%	0,0	 	                             sel_int
3314.0ms   42.8%	0,0	 	                              outlet_int
3314.0ms   42.8%	0,0	 	                               trigger_iterate
3314.0ms   42.8%	0,0	 	                                trigger_int
3314.0ms   42.8%	0,0	 	                                 outlet_int
3314.0ms   42.8%	0,0	 	                                  inlet_int
3314.0ms   42.8%	0,0	 	                                   outlet_int
3314.0ms   42.8%	0,0	 	                                    livetext_output

Read from the bottom to the top.  'live.text' is being restored via pattr, it hits a 'trigger' object in a subpatcher, via 'sel', bangs a 'pack' object which sends a list to the descriptors~ object, which is taking a very long time (42-47% of CPU time  according to my measurements) to do whatever it's doing. In particular, the function medianfilter_switch_float() is taking all that time. The time required for pattr to perform any communication tasks is negligible compared to the activity in this single, non-C74 object. You might want to contact the developer (Alex Harker?) of descriptors~ and find out if this is a usage or a programming issue. In any case, you can deferlow the output of that live.text object (or before the input to descriptors~) to push the processing to the tick following the preset restore.

Interesting! Thanks for profiling the patch.

None of the effects that are being loaded have descriptors~ in them, so will see if something elsewhere is caught up in the autopattr-ing. There's a  bunch of descriptors~ in my patch that I'll need to hunt through. Did the profiling say what subpatch the object was in, or if it was a single or multiple instances of it creating the issue?

I'll drop Alex an email and check to see what's going on with descriptors~.


That's not clear from the profile -- I just see how much processing time is being spent in which function calls (and the stack leading to that call). You'll just need to search for a live.text object connected in the way I described: live.text->trigger->sel->pack->descriptors~, and it looks like that is across a few subpatchers, but it's hard to know for sure.  It could very well be 10 live.text objects triggering a message to descriptors~ or only one, I can't tell from the profile data.

I meant if it's a single descriptors~ that's spiking, or multiple ones, as that narrows down my search to non-duplicated parts of the patch.


Yup, found the issue. A bunch of non-fx parts of the patch were caught up by autopattr, including an offline buffer analysis, which was analyzing a 10minute (empty) buffer each time a preset was loaded....yikes!

I've limited the scope of the pattrstorage and you'll probably not be surprised to hear that things are running quickly/tightly!

(gonna go up and edit my initial critical post to show user error as to not put people off their pattr-ing)


Hey, that's great news. Happy to hear that you got the problem resolved (and that it doesn't require any additional work from me!).


Hehe, thanks for helping me find the issue! And sorry to have stunk up this (helpful) thread!

In looking back on it I've setup other patches in a similar way in the past, so that's been the source of my issue with the pattr system for years, lol.


While it's great and beginners love it, autopattr does soak up everything, and there are times (like the above) where that can be a problem. I've really gotten out of the habit of using it, and now opt instead for plain old pattr objects [if nothing else, it adds a nice "check point" in my process where I look to make sure that everything's listed in the pattrstorage]. Measure twice, cut once.


I find that easy to manage as I just give scripting names to the objects I want tracked. Less (mental) overhead than creating tons of individual pattr objects as you code things.


Solving Difficult Problems with the pattr Object Tutorials

Marsha Vdovin

Formally trained and practicing as an architect, artist Filipa Valente forges beyond the expected precincts of surface, space, and form, creating immersive installations where the observer and perception serve as integral elements. Interweaving light, environment, sound, and biomorphic allegory, Valente’s lush environments undulate, palpate and seduce.

We recently chatted about several of her projects, and how she utilizes Max into her creative process by expanding her physical prototyping capabilities while enhancing the interface between image, sound and body.

I’m an architect and an interactive and media artist. My work looks at creating relationships between our bodies as users, the spaces that we inhabit, and the environment around us.

I design installations that allow us to not only experience space in different ways, by creating immersive experiences, but also link these spaces to the outer world and the environment around them.

How are you linking to the surrounding environment?

Well, for instance, I'll gather data through environmental sensing techniques, or connect to video feeds that are collected throughout the city. It varies depending on the site and application.

I’m interested in creating immersive installations that combine the different scales and different elements: our bodies, space, and the surrounding environment, into one interface.

To achieve that I’ve experimented with physical prototyping of interactive interfaces where external sensors and users can activate physical responses.

... the data gathered was CO2 concentration, light and sound from the city

Can you describe your Liminoid Garden piece?

 started off from an experiment with building façade systems, which is like building skins for buildings. I was looking at ways to activate a skin through readings of the environment, while also researching a system for cladding buildings.

So I designed some physical elements, which I called Liminoid blooms, that are very much inspired by plants and nature. These elements collect environmental readings, measuring data such as CO2 pollution levels and light intensity. The sensor readings cause the blooms to react in different ways, in terms of how they move and fluctuate LED lights.

The blooms also had a second form of interaction with the users of the installation space. They responded to the environment rather slowly, but once people were present in the space of the ‘garden’, they showed a more intense behavior. It helped differentiate between the two forms of data that the garden was collecting.

Short demo reel of Filipa Valente [limiLAB] work <br />
Media & Interactive Art, Experience design

Filipa Valente [limiLAB] Reel 2010 - 2014

I initially conceived a smaller prototype, which evolved into a larger installation. It used the interior of a building, instead of a façade.

For the latest version of this project I integrated another level of interaction with performance artists. Two dancers from the 

 interacted with the very beautiful architectural space where the garden was located and with the blooms. I designed LED costumes for the dancers that transformed them into another element of the Liminoid Garden. So it became a piece that was symbiotic.

I’m more interested in generating abstract behaviors or feedback loops

How do you choose what data is relevant for a particular project?

In my work, the data gathered for a project addresses a question or a problem relevant to the space or environment where it’s located. For the Liminoid Garden project, the data gathered was CO2 concentration, light and sound from the city. I wanted the sensing in this project to be related to some of the negative aspects of living in a city, such as air, sound and light pollution. Ironically, the garden ‘breathes’ and feeds itself on this information.

But on the other hand, I also think it's important to involve the users and allow them to add their imprint to the installations. Using proximity or camera sensors, I let the users change the base behaviors that are being generated by the environmental sensors.

In the case of the Liminoid Garden, the responses varied between light fluctuation patterns and actuated movements of the blooms. The environmental sensing created more subtle reactions in the garden such as light brightness changes and gradients that mimicked a sort of breathing behavior. The presence of people in the space sparked more noticeable changes like fast and sharp movements of the blooms.

I’m more interested in generating abstract behaviors or feedback loops, rather than creating direct representations of the sensing. I think it leaves the users more intrigued and every discovery becomes more exciting. I like that the users of my installations don’t get an immediate understanding of what it is doing, and that different people come away from it having different interpretations.

Yes, I did. I grew up in Portugal, until I was about 18 and then I went abroad to London to study architecture. All my university education is as an architect. And I actually do work as an architect. It’s one of my passions.

While I was in London, around 2009, 2010, I saw a series of intriguing performances that involved light effects and electronic music, but also created very interesting environments as part of a large performance show. I was fascinated by the immersive experiences that I got from these performances and how physical it felt. That made me very interested in developing architecture alongside interactive media arts.

In 2010 I came to Los Angeles to do a media arts and architecture post-graduate course at SciArc. In terms of programming I was very much an amateur when I came out here, but the course really helped me get a grip on the basics of programming, physical prototyping and other relevant tools and techniques.

Since then I’ve been developing my own media art work, through some festivals and exhibitions that I’ve applied to as well as some events that I now get invited to participate. It has developed into a kind of parallel practice to my architecture work, which is also very exciting.

To me they both link very naturally due to the concepts of altering space, augmenting, and making spaces that I intervene on a little bit more interesting and more appealing.

I can interface with so many different things like sound, lighting, and images

Were you artistic as a child? Did you know you wanted to be an architect?

Yes, I was. By the time I hit high school, I was already very interested in architecture.

Even earlier, in elementary school, I was very lucky in terms of exposure to drawing. At high school, we had some classes that involved a lot of model making, also using clay. I was always very attracted to making three-dimensional objects.

At some point it just seemed like a natural thing to look at buildings, and to move on to another level. Taking the objects that I was modeling and drawing and transforming them into spaces that I could inhabit.

The media arts came a little bit later. I had already explored this a bit at university. I studied at the 

 at University College in London, which is quite an experimental architecture school, in terms of creating interesting prototype models — even models that are actuated! It was great in terms of trying out different ways of looking at design, and coming up with unique ideas for projects. So it was a big influence as well.

I started in 2010, when I came to study in the U.S at 

. We started off with a class that looked at more typical coding environments, like Processing and Java. At the time, I was getting along with it, but I always felt like it wasn’t that intuitive, the way that I was working with these tools.

But once we started learning Max, I was immediately much more comfortable with the visual interface that it has. I think of things much more visually than just through pure code. So I find the diagrammatic way of organizing thoughts in Max helps a lot in developing my work.

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