Dedicated Max hardware possible?
Just read about this Patchblocks project this morning, the creator was influenced by Max, so i rubbed my chin and contemplated if this is feasible with Max. i'm sure many of us would like to get away from a screen.
any headless machine, really. In my band we more or less all operate max from closed macbook pros (using insomniaX), and we do get that hardware vibe from the setup now.
As for actively putting max inside a tiny pcb, urgh, no. I'll reckon you can find at least half a dozen threads about it in this forum, but the short story is:
PureData. That'll happily run on many linux audio distributions, which can be installed on embedded systems.
In my band we more or less all operate max from closed macbook pros (using insomniaX)
Wetterberg, do you any of you find that you experience heat-related issues with InsomniaX? I've always been a bit afraid to use it, particularly around lots of power amps, stage lights, etc.
...around lots of power amps and stage lights? You clearly don't set up for a show like I do, hehe.
What I mean is, I'd never put my laptop by hot exhaust or on top of something hot.
But essentially all insomniaX does is emulate hooking up a display - much like a normal headless machine would; if you connect a display you can close the lid and keep going with a vanilla install.
Anyway, OP, I was being despondent because of the frequency of the question, not because it's inane in any way.
oh, and to your point, we're not seeing any problems so far, with the caveat that we don't run the machines at much over 50%, just out of caution - we all hate underruns.
Not especially wanting to promote what we do at KissBox.... but our QConductor plugins have been designed with the vst~ object in mind, in order to control DMX, I/O, etc... from a Max patch.
And I can also reveal that I am currently writing some "true" externals for ArtNet and RTP-MIDI, in order to include them at "low-level" directly in a Max patch. These externals are currently being beta-tested and they will be available for December normally.
Benoit
I'd be interested in beta testing the ArtNet stuff if you still need more testers.
What I mean is, I’d never put my laptop by hot exhaust or on top of something hot.
Yes, of course. I meant only that venues tend to be hotter than rehearsal spaces so I tend to be extra-paranoid about stress testing. Even though I work with external monitors around the house, I still keep the laptop open as I'd always assumed that MBPs were designed to dissipate at least some heat from the hinge area which is blocked when closed. Good to hear that you haven't run into any issues, though! I may have to look into this.