Live Parameter "Learn"

WithYouInRockland's icon

Ok I have been looking around for the last few hours now and I am finally brought to asking for help (The Horror!)

This is for max 5 for live in live suite 8

I've been looking for a way to affect a parameter within live (effect knobs etc), and if possible in external programs (VST parameters). Now, I know from a couple different patchers I've downloaded that this is possible, for instance the learn button on the Bento Mapulator. However, whenever I find a patcher that has such a function, the mechanics of that function are within a patcher object and I am unable to open them up and see what's inside.

So I've got a laundry list of questions I guess:
Is there somewhere I can find a "learn" patcher to look at?
Is there something I am missing when trying to open the mapulator patcher objects? (Whenever I make a patcher and in the tutorials, you just double click; for 3rd party patcher objects though this just seems to rename them)
Will I be able to make a max patcher that acts as a midi sending device (an instrument if you will) that I can map VST parameters to like I would to any other midi control surface?

Then while I'm at it I had a few other unrelated questions:

-I can't seem to find the pluggo tutorials that supposedly will show me how to make a standalone patcher (I read somewhere that that isn't even possible for max v.5?). So can I make a standalone application with it and will those pluggo tutorials set me on the right course or is that not possible anymore? And would it be possible with max 6?

-I read somewhere that the way to extract/compile to C++ was through the File>Build Collective/Application pathway but this is greyed out for me. If this is related to the question immediately above I wouldn't think there would even be a greyed out menu item, so what is the deal with that?

-Lastly, small issue but right now the only way I can open max is by going into live, dropping in a max effect/instrument, and then editing it. If I just run max it tells me my trial has expired and to register and I don't have an ilok key or something. I may have downloaded the trial version of max 5 (or 6, I don't remember if it was either), so maybe that has to do with it but is this normal and if not how could I maybe fix it?

Sorry for the long list of questions.

Stephane Morisse's icon

For the last two questions : these are related issues due to the facts you use M4L but didn't buy a max license per se. You can't build collective / standalone and you can't use max as an autonomous app. For the third question : build standalone is of course possible in max 5, it's just that you fall under the limitation I wrote above...

WithYouInRockland's icon

Thanks. Found that right after I posted, fairly unfortunate. There's a crossgrade discount and a student discount but no student crossgrade discount. Whoops. Shoulda read the fine print.

Got the mapulator object open (I was being pretty thick apparently) but unfortunately a good deal of what I needed to figure out was being done with the sprintf object and C language. Not particularly inclined to be learning two programming languages at the moment, I would still appreciate it if someone might point me in the right direction in max/MSP.

newtfish's icon

I would recommend to take a look at the max audio effect folder in your stock live install. This contains the folder /Tools/API. Inside there you shall find Max Api Dial . On the right of that device, you can see 3 dropdown boxes, where you can select a parameter and control it. IMO this is the best implementation of controlling a parameter in live. This is a javascript solution that is very stable (it saves the parameter mappings to a certain extent with your live set). Ive tried to do the same thing in max, but its incredibly difficult to do.

broc's icon

> (it saves the parameter mappings to a certain extent with your live set)

In my experience the settings are saved reliably unless you open the device for editing.
Did you notice any other issues with it?

WithYouInRockland's icon

Thanks for the replies!