Anybody using Max to control a hardware rig?
I'd like to somehow build a controller patch for as much of my rig as possible. Currently I'm using an Analog Keys as a master clock and MIDI controller, but I'm finding it quite limiting. Even just basic things such as I can control only an external device, OR I can control both (such as hitting a key and triggering the same note on multiple devices at once), but I need to dive into the settings to switch between the two. Ideally it would be possible to have both options on the screen at the same time. You get the picture. There's a lot of potential. Controlling soft synths and hardware synths from one patch would also be nice. I don't want to replace using the physical controls. I want to enhance my options.
I know people are using Max to control all sorts of hardware, but finding some pointers and example patches isn't so easy. Can somebody send me in the right direction, or at least share their experiences doing something similar?
me (and i suppose many others) are doing precisely what you're aiming at.
and – if you dig into max even just skin deep, you'll find this (and most anything else) possible to achieve very intuitively. max is THE right place for you're idea.
there's no real starting-point to get you going as – obviously your max patch will be very custom to your given and desired setup. it's a wide spectrum and if you need any concrete help, it's necessary to have a practical goal or problem in the first hand.
think of it this way:
external gear as well as your DAW (ableton, logic ...) usually has a midi in- and output which max can receive from and send to. inbetween, you can do anything imaginable.
here's a midisplitter/merger for your midi controller. took 2 minutes (and saves you 70$ in hardware :)).
Yes, this is definitely the thing to do. Here is a very eleborate m4l patch I use almost every day:
it controls almost every aspect of a korg ms2000 from within live, and all parameters are mappable to automation and stuff, its great.
I found this patch while I was working on an identical patch (I figured why reinvent the wheel) and if I recall correctly the most difficult part of the one I was doing was digging thru the synth manual and figuring out what parameter wanted to see what message. Kinda tedious. Maybe this thing could give some insight even if you aren't familiar with a ms2000?