NYC-ers please help prevent my imminent cranial implosion!
Hi guys.
I have been slamming my head up against the same little problem (in a big project) for at least 10 days. It is blowing my mind, and i am losing it.
I am at the breaking point for today, and to calm myself back down, i am going to grab a beer or two at the bar.
I am so desperate to solve this thing, I was just putting my jacket on to leave, thinking, "I am going to walk into every bar in my area and call out to all the patrons, asking if any know a thing or two about Max/msp."
This is obviously an insane idea. the odds are next to none that i'd find somebody. But I need face time with some really well-versed max/msp developers.
and thats when i remembered, I could reach out to you guys here, in cyberspace.
I need help. really badly... I will buy the beers, if you come meet up with me and check out this little bug and offer some ideas.
I'm in the east village...
please let me know if you can meet up tonight, and save my poor brain from imploding!
I'll be at the bar! please email me!
love you guys!
selalou10@yahoo.com
seth schrieb:
> please let me know if you can meet up tonight, and save my poor brain
> from imploding!
>
> I'll be at the bar! please email me!
Next flight from Paris is tomorrow morning and will take 6 hours, as
soon you book it, I'll come over... ;-)
Stefan
--
Stefan Tiedje------------x-------
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Im in NYC, as are many Maxers. Whats the issue? Im not a big drinker
though. Blow and Hookers? :) (Im joking Wally, settle down).
Whats the problem? 10 days is plenty. Send the patch along and
describe it.
On Jan 16, 2008, at 6:51 PM, Stefan Tiedje wrote:
> seth schrieb:
>> please let me know if you can meet up tonight, and save my poor brain
>> from imploding!
>> I'll be at the bar! please email me!
>
> Next flight from Paris is tomorrow morning and will take 6 hours, as
> soon you book it, I'll come over... ;-)
>
> Stefan
>
> --
> Stefan Tiedje------------x-------
> --_____-----------|--------------
> --(_|_ ----|-----|-----()-------
> -- _|_)----|-----()--------------
> ----------()--------www.ccmix.com
>
>
vade-
although the problem i'm encountering is small, the project it is in is huge. Its the kind of thing that needs to be settled on my computer, i believe. Sending the project over would involve sending you many, many patches, and would also require some trouble shooting to get it working properly on a new computer. to really tackle this lil guy, i think i need someone to look at it in person. please trust me on this.
Not into beer? thats totally cool. Hows about a hamburger? Vegetarian? hows about some sweet potato fries? Either way, its an opportunity to meet, greet, and aid a fellow max freak.
Stephan-
I love your enthusiasm! Hows about this: if you buy the ticket, I will give you free room and board for as long as you want to stay in NYC. thats a steal if you ask me.
Alternatively, I know a guy that works an international shipping store in La Rochelle. if you want to train it west to his store, I can get you to NYC, one way in a first class oversized cardboard box, for free, so long as you aren't allergic to the styrofoam popcorn. ;-)
Someone, please save me.
seth schrieb:
> so long as you aren't allergic to the styrofoam popcorn.
Too bad, I am. Happy you didn't implode yet.
Btw, you could zip your whole project and put it on rapidshare. Nobody
will steal this mess anyway... ;-)
Btw, any big project will see its time to do it again from scratch...
Stefan
--
Stefan Tiedje------------x-------
--_____-----------|--------------
--(_|_ ----|-----|-----()-------
-- _|_)----|-----()--------------
----------()--------www.ccmix.com
Seth,
You could probably stop by Harvestworks www.harvestworks.org on Broadway or go to Share www.share.dj on sunday on Avenue A and pic the brains of many max/msp peeps in person.
-chuck
----- Original Message ----
From: seth
Sent: Wednesday, January 16, 2008 6:27:03 PM
Subject: [maxmsp] NYC-ers please help prevent my imminent cranial implosion!
Hi guys.
I have been slamming my head up against the same little problem (in a
big project) for at least 10 days. It is blowing my mind, and i am
losing it.
I am at the breaking point for today, and to calm myself back down, i
am going to grab a beer or two at the bar.
I am so desperate to solve this thing, I was just putting my jacket on
to leave, thinking, "I am going to walk into every bar in my area and
call out to all the patrons, asking if any know a thing or two about
Max/msp."
This is obviously an insane idea. the odds are next to none that i'd
find somebody. But I need face time with some really well-versed
max/msp developers.
and thats when i remembered, I could reach out to you guys here, in
cyberspace.
I need help. really badly... I will buy the beers, if you come meet up
with me and check out this little bug and offer some ideas.
I'm in the east village...
please let me know if you can meet up tonight, and save my poor brain
from imploding!
I'll be at the bar! please email me!
love you guys!
selalou10@yahoo.com
Be a better friend, newshound, and
know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ
no f-ing way!!!
where have i been? SHARE sounds absolutely amazing!
See you Sunday!
:)
Have you tried dramafilt~?
On 1/16/08 6:27 PM, "seth" wrote:
>
> Hi guys.
>
> I have been slamming my head up against the same little problem (in a big
> project) for at least 10 days. It is blowing my mind, and i am losing it.
>
> I am at the breaking point for today, and to calm myself back down, i am going
> to grab a beer or two at the bar.
>
> I am so desperate to solve this thing, I was just putting my jacket on to
> leave, thinking, "I am going to walk into every bar in my area and call out to
> all the patrons, asking if any know a thing or two about Max/msp."
>
> This is obviously an insane idea. the odds are next to none that i'd find
> somebody. But I need face time with some really well-versed max/msp
> developers.
>
> and thats when i remembered, I could reach out to you guys here, in
> cyberspace.
>
> I need help. really badly... I will buy the beers, if you come meet up with me
> and check out this little bug and offer some ideas.
>
> I'm in the east village...
>
> please let me know if you can meet up tonight, and save my poor brain from
> imploding!
>
> I'll be at the bar! please email me!
>
> love you guys!
>
>
> selalou10@yahoo.com
Cheers
Gary Lee Nelson
Oberlin College
www.timara.oberlin.edu/GaryLeeNelson
Clearly not... ;)
On Jan 17, 2008, at 8:09 AM, Gary Lee Nelson wrote:
> Have you tried dramafilt~?
>
>
----
Steven M. Miller
Professor, Contemporary Music Program
College of Santa Fe
Home
SFIFEM
Atrium Sound Space
OVOS
CMP
Hahah!
nice one.
whats life without a little drama? (and really though, the drama was to make y'all laugh more than it was to scare anyone into action).
Gary, hope i didn't scare you too bad.
-Drama Queen out;
;)
No fright on this end. I actually like to help if I can but your long
message gave no hint as to what your problem was. Often these problems
involve something that others have experienced. I might not have been able
to help but a hint or two - a patch? - may have jogged someone's memory.
Most of us diagnose but few make house calls. That's the real value of this
little brain trust we have going here.
Cheers
Gary Lee Nelson
Oberlin College
www.timara.oberlin.edu/GaryLeeNelson
On 1/17/08 11:47 AM, "seth" wrote:
>
> Hahah!
>
> nice one.
>
> whats life without a little drama? (and really though, the drama was to make
> y'all laugh more than it was to scare anyone into action).
>
> Gary, hope i didn't scare you too bad.
>
> -Drama Queen out;
>
> ;)
I guess i was looking for the exception....but i understand what you are saying.
Oh well, I did get the advice i needed in the end.
To find a local MAX cat, go to SHARE on sunday nights.
That'll do for me!
Thanks everyone.
It would still be helpful to know your problem and how it was solved. Every
so often someone encounters a problem that should be shared with and known
by the community. That's how our combined knowledge grows.
On 1/17/08 12:31 PM, "seth" wrote:
>
> I guess i was looking for the exception....but i understand what you are
> saying.
>
> Oh well, I did get the advice i needed in the end.
>
> To find a local MAX cat, go to SHARE on sunday nights.
> That'll do for me!
>
> Thanks everyone.
Cheers
Gary Lee Nelson
Oberlin College
www.timara.oberlin.edu/GaryLeeNelson
This whole discussion reminds me of my own past troubles debugging large
patches. Does anyone know of a good reference that will help people
without a programming background learn how to debug? The more I do it,
the better I become, but sometimes I run in circles around a few objects
only to find out days later that the problem was actually in a different
bit of stuff that I thought had been working (usually it seemed to be
doing what I wanted, but doing it differently than I expected).
I guess what I'm looking for is a solid procedure to make my hunting
more efficient. I need to be able to determine at what point of the
debugging process I've exhausted the dumb programmer problems (e.g. int
instead of float) and encountered a problem that's caused by a
misunderstanding of how particular objects work. And then at what point
to I determine that problem might actually be a bug in Max.
Any thoughts/suggestions? (I don't actually have a problem patch at the
moment, more jsut looking to be prepared for the future...)
Thanks
David
Gary Lee Nelson wrote:
> It would still be helpful to know your problem and how it was solved. Every
> so often someone encounters a problem that should be shared with and known
> by the community. That's how our combined knowledge grows.
>
>
> On 1/17/08 12:31 PM, "seth" wrote:
>
>
>> I guess i was looking for the exception....but i understand what you are
>> saying.
>>
>> Oh well, I did get the advice i needed in the end.
>>
>> To find a local MAX cat, go to SHARE on sunday nights.
>> That'll do for me!
>>
>> Thanks everyone.
>>
>
>
> Cheers
> Gary Lee Nelson
> Oberlin College
> www.timara.oberlin.edu/GaryLeeNelson
>
>
>
>
Just off the top of my head...
I have thrown away many of my early patches because I simply could not
figure out what they do.
Don't make big patches. If it doesn't fit on your screen in a way that
makes everything clear then you need to divide into smaller units.
Modularize your patches. Create smallish objects that perform clearly fined
tasks and test them in a small controlled environment. Design them with the
idea that you or someone else will want to use them outside the context of
your current project. Comment them extensively.
If you find yourself cutting and pasting to make copies of functional parts,
consider things like subpatches, bpatcher, poly~.
Clean up routing of patch cords and avoid crossover when possible. Use
panels or color coding to identify parts of a patch that function as
individual logical units. Use the align function in the Object menu. Don't
tell yourself that you can clean it up later.
Cheers
Gary Lee Nelson
Oberlin College
www.timara.oberlin.edu/GaryLeeNelson
On 1/17/08 2:39 PM, "David Morneau" wrote:
> This whole discussion reminds me of my own past troubles debugging large
> patches. Does anyone know of a good reference that will help people
> without a programming background learn how to debug? The more I do it,
> the better I become, but sometimes I run in circles around a few objects
> only to find out days later that the problem was actually in a different
> bit of stuff that I thought had been working (usually it seemed to be
> doing what I wanted, but doing it differently than I expected).
>
> I guess what I'm looking for is a solid procedure to make my hunting
> more efficient. I need to be able to determine at what point of the
> debugging process I've exhausted the dumb programmer problems (e.g. int
> instead of float) and encountered a problem that's caused by a
> misunderstanding of how particular objects work. And then at what point
> to I determine that problem might actually be a bug in Max.
>
> Any thoughts/suggestions? (I don't actually have a problem patch at the
> moment, more jsut looking to be prepared for the future...)
>
> Thanks
> David
>
>
>
few rules of mine regarding debuging and QA in general
2. get users - you are doing it right, get someone to do it wrong
0. clean - before posting to the list, clean your patch. get it to the
tiniest size which still show the symptom. 90% of the time when preparing to
submit a debugging plea i find it while downsizing.
1. understand the flow - of max and your program. see- How to manage large
patches @ https://cycling74.com/story/2007/2/5/142639/8843
On Jan 17, 2008 9:58 PM, Gary Lee Nelson wrote:
> Just off the top of my head...
>
> I have thrown away many of my early patches because I simply could not
> figure out what they do.
>
> Don't make big patches. If it doesn't fit on your screen in a way that
> makes everything clear then you need to divide into smaller units.
>
> Modularize your patches. Create smallish objects that perform clearly
> fined
> tasks and test them in a small controlled environment. Design them with
> the
> idea that you or someone else will want to use them outside the context of
> your current project. Comment them extensively.
>
> If you find yourself cutting and pasting to make copies of functional
> parts,
> consider things like subpatches, bpatcher, poly~.
>
> Clean up routing of patch cords and avoid crossover when possible. Use
> panels or color coding to identify parts of a patch that function as
> individual logical units. Use the align function in the Object menu. Don't
> tell yourself that you can clean it up later.
>
> Cheers
> Gary Lee Nelson
> Oberlin College
> www.timara.oberlin.edu/GaryLeeNelson
>
>
> On 1/17/08 2:39 PM, "David Morneau" wrote:
>
> > This whole discussion reminds me of my own past troubles debugging large
> > patches. Does anyone know of a good reference that will help people
> > without a programming background learn how to debug? The more I do it,
> > the better I become, but sometimes I run in circles around a few objects
> > only to find out days later that the problem was actually in a different
> > bit of stuff that I thought had been working (usually it seemed to be
> > doing what I wanted, but doing it differently than I expected).
> >
> > I guess what I'm looking for is a solid procedure to make my hunting
> > more efficient. I need to be able to determine at what point of the
> > debugging process I've exhausted the dumb programmer problems (e.g. int
> > instead of float) and encountered a problem that's caused by a
> > misunderstanding of how particular objects work. And then at what point
> > to I determine that problem might actually be a bug in Max.
> >
> > Any thoughts/suggestions? (I don't actually have a problem patch at the
> > moment, more jsut looking to be prepared for the future...)
> >
> > Thanks
> > David
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
I'll probably be at Share this Sunday -- if Seth doesn't share his
solutions, I'll report back here on his dire predicament. ;)
On Jan 17, 2008, at 12:44 PM, Gary Lee Nelson wrote:
> It would still be helpful to know your problem and how it was
> solved. Every
> so often someone encounters a problem that should be shared with and
> known
> by the community. That's how our combined knowledge grows.
I also use a lot of print, message and number boxes to watch output when I
am debugging. I put them in my patches so they are easy to delete when I am
sure the thing is working reliably.
On 1/17/08 4:27 PM, "yair reshef" wrote:
> few rules of mine regarding debuging and QA in general
>
> 2. get users - you are doing it right, get someone to do it wrong
> 0. clean - before posting to the list, clean your patch. get it to the tiniest
> size which still show the symptom. 90% of the time when preparing to submit a
> debugging plea i find it while downsizing.
> 1. understand the flow - of max and your program. see- How to manage large
> patches @ https://cycling74.com/story/2007/2/5/142639/8843
>
>
> On Jan 17, 2008 9:58 PM, Gary Lee Nelson wrote:
>> Just off the top of my head...
>>
>> I have thrown away many of my early patches because I simply could not
>> figure out what they do.
>>
>> Don't make big patches. If it doesn't fit on your screen in a way that
>> makes everything clear then you need to divide into smaller units.
>>
>> Modularize your patches. Create smallish objects that perform clearly fined
>> tasks and test them in a small controlled environment. Design them with the
>> idea that you or someone else will want to use them outside the context of
>> your current project. Comment them extensively.
>>
>> If you find yourself cutting and pasting to make copies of functional parts,
>> consider things like subpatches, bpatcher, poly~.
>>
>> Clean up routing of patch cords and avoid crossover when possible. Use
>> panels or color coding to identify parts of a patch that function as
>> individual logical units. Use the align function in the Object menu. Don't
>> tell yourself that you can clean it up later.
>>
>> Cheers
>> Gary Lee Nelson
>> Oberlin College
>> www.timara.oberlin.edu/GaryLeeNelson
>>
>>
>>
>> On 1/17/08 2:39 PM, "David Morneau" wrote:
>>
>>> > This whole discussion reminds me of my own past troubles debugging large
>>> > patches. Does anyone know of a good reference that will help people
>>> > without a programming background learn how to debug? The more I do it,
>>> > the better I become, but sometimes I run in circles around a few objects
>>> > only to find out days later that the problem was actually in a different
>>> > bit of stuff that I thought had been working (usually it seemed to be
>>> > doing what I wanted, but doing it differently than I expected).
>>> >
>>> > I guess what I'm looking for is a solid procedure to make my hunting
>>> > more efficient. I need to be able to determine at what point of the
>>> > debugging process I've exhausted the dumb programmer problems ( e.g. int
>>> > instead of float) and encountered a problem that's caused by a
>>> > misunderstanding of how particular objects work. And then at what point
>>> > to I determine that problem might actually be a bug in Max.
>>> >
>>> > Any thoughts/suggestions? (I don't actually have a problem patch at the
>>> > moment, more jsut looking to be prepared for the future...)
>>> >
>>> > Thanks
>>> > David
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
Cheers
Gary Lee Nelson
Oberlin College
www.timara.oberlin.edu/GaryLeeNelson
Isolate.
If you suspect functionality is not working, try and re-create a
simple test case.
Make modular patches that work outside of a whole system, so you can
verify subsystems work without the need of the full patch.
On Jan 17, 2008, at 2:39 PM, David Morneau wrote:
> This whole discussion reminds me of my own past troubles debugging
> large patches. Does anyone know of a good reference that will help
> people without a programming background learn how to debug? The more
> I do it, the better I become, but sometimes I run in circles around
> a few objects only to find out days later that the problem was
> actually in a different bit of stuff that I thought had been working
> (usually it seemed to be doing what I wanted, but doing it
> differently than I expected).
>
> I guess what I'm looking for is a solid procedure to make my hunting
> more efficient. I need to be able to determine at what point of the
> debugging process I've exhausted the dumb programmer problems (e.g.
> int instead of float) and encountered a problem that's caused by a
> misunderstanding of how particular objects work. And then at what
> point to I determine that problem might actually be a bug in Max.
>
> Any thoughts/suggestions? (I don't actually have a problem patch at
> the moment, more jsut looking to be prepared for the future...)
>
> Thanks
> David
>
>
>
> Gary Lee Nelson wrote:
>> It would still be helpful to know your problem and how it was
>> solved. Every
>> so often someone encounters a problem that should be shared with
>> and known
>> by the community. That's how our combined knowledge grows.
>>
>>
>> On 1/17/08 12:31 PM, "seth" wrote:
>>
>>
>>> I guess i was looking for the exception....but i understand what
>>> you are
>>> saying.
>>>
>>> Oh well, I did get the advice i needed in the end.
>>>
>>> To find a local MAX cat, go to SHARE on sunday nights.
>>> That'll do for me!
>>>
>>> Thanks everyone.
>>>
>>
>>
>> Cheers
>> Gary Lee Nelson
>> Oberlin College
>> www.timara.oberlin.edu/GaryLeeNelson
>>
>>
>>
>>
Some of this has already been said, but worth repeating:
A patch isn't done once it's functional. Rework it until it is understandable. Step through the flow and if you get confused, then rearrange/encapsulate stuff until it makes sense. Use trigger to control the order of messages. You should be able to explain to someone else how everything works.
Break things down into simpler abstractions/bpatchers and make a test patch for the important ones. Check the test patch whenever making changes to the abstraction. Test patches can easily turn into help patches if you want to share your stuff later.
Test your assumptions! If you think you know what value should be flowing through a patch cord, verify it with print, number boxes, or whatever. For subtler issues involving type (float/int/list/message) the CNMAT printit external is useful.
I'd also add that Max patches are not the right solution for every problem. If a patch is getting overly complicated, maybe it's time to learn how to make externals or try some scripting? If that's not up your alley, maybe there's something on maxobjects.com that does what you need and can simplify your patch.
-Adam
Gary Lee Nelson schrieb:
> Have you tried dramafilt~?
But there is no UB version of dramafilt~ out yet, in fact I could only
find the help file for a version made for some obscure 56000 board for
old Quadras. I think there existed a 4X version as well. I made a quick
hack of it and tested with Boulez Repons, and yes it seems to work:
(you have to patch a dramasplit~ which would distinguish between drama
and non-drama of course yourself, but thats a matter of taste~ ...)
--
Stefan Tiedje------------x-------
--_____-----------|--------------
--(_|_ ----|-----|-----()-------
-- _|_)----|-----()--------------
----------()--------www.ccmix.com
David Morneau schrieb:
> I guess what I'm looking for is a solid procedure to make my hunting
> more efficient.
For me its a combination of growing experience and going out for a walk.
That walk will often encourage me to trash all I did and start over from
scratch... ;-)
Stefan
--
Stefan Tiedje------------x-------
--_____-----------|--------------
--(_|_ ----|-----|-----()-------
-- _|_)----|-----()--------------
----------()--------www.ccmix.com
Adam Murray schrieb:
> I'd also add that Max patches are not the right solution for every
> problem.
I am missing some problems as it seems... ;-)
I would even make a Max patch to write love letters and tax declarations
(a "never gets finished" project though, like in the real world...).
Do you think a limerick patch is beyond the possibilities of Max?
I have to go out and Max my breakfast...
Good night and dream Max...
ATTENTION, danger of cranial implosion!!!
(to point to the original thread theme...)
Stefan
--
Stefan Tiedje------------x-------
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--(_|_ ----|-----|-----()-------
-- _|_)----|-----()--------------
----------()--------www.ccmix.com
Quote: Stefan Tiedje wrote on Fri, 18 January 2008 01:57
----------------------------------------------------
> Adam Murray schrieb:
> > I'd also add that Max patches are not the right solution for every
> > problem.
>
> I am missing some problems as it seems... ;-)
>
> I would even make a Max patch to write love letters and tax declarations
> (a "never gets finished" project though, like in the real world...).
> Do you think a limerick patch is beyond the possibilities of Max?
No, but you might risk cranial implosion, or maybe even cranial explosion (yuck!)
Stefan, since you have mad patching skills and can do anything in Max, could you make me a Max patch that folds my laundry for me? Thanks in advance! ;)
-Adam
Give us a hardware interface and it is definitely possible. Order us
an industrial robot, and we'll get it done
On Jan 18, 2008, at 1:27 PM, Adam Murray wrote:
>
> Quote: Stefan Tiedje wrote on Fri, 18 January 2008 01:57
> ----------------------------------------------------
>> Adam Murray schrieb:
>>> I'd also add that Max patches are not the right solution for every
>>> problem.
>>
>> I am missing some problems as it seems... ;-)
>>
>> I would even make a Max patch to write love letters and tax
>> declarations
>> (a "never gets finished" project though, like in the real world...).
>> Do you think a limerick patch is beyond the possibilities of Max?
>
> No, but you might risk cranial implosion, or maybe even cranial
> explosion (yuck!)
>
> Stefan, since you have mad patching skills and can do anything in
> Max, could you make me a Max patch that folds my laundry for me?
> Thanks in advance! ;)
>
> -Adam
Adam Murray schrieb:
> Stefan, since you have mad patching skills and can do anything in
> Max, could you make me a Max patch that folds my laundry for me?
> Thanks in advance! ;)
Max is only for solving problems, folding laundry isn't a problem... ;-)
But in case it is for you, you'd better create a ZEN patch, then Max is
solving the real problem behind it in a different way as you might have
imagined...
Stefan
--
Stefan Tiedje------------x-------
--_____-----------|--------------
--(_|_ ----|-----|-----()-------
-- _|_)----|-----()--------------
----------()--------www.ccmix.com