I'd have some questions related to the iPad application I'm currently designing. As often, I'm using Max6 to prototype and sketch. It is a sequencer + sound generator based on points' proximities.

I'd like users to create objects, each one would be a drone around a line where a cursor would move repeatedly the sound would be loud related to the proximity between cursor & drone object.

How would you advice me to handle the sound generation ? I mean: would you create a huge number of drone sound objects even if not used and link them to each visual objects dynamically if needed ? Or do you use an only one drone with a huge polyphony ? I'm interested to test this.

How would you trigger the sound related to distance ? For pulsing sounds I got it (for instance, midi notes sent have their velocity proportional to the distance and the synth engine reacts differently to different velocity), how would you handle that for drones sounds ? All drone could play ... permanently, and I'd fire some envelope but it wouldn't be optimized.

poly is the key I guess

Any help would be really appreciate!