Jan M

http://cdm.link/2017/06/exclusive-ableton-acquires-max-maker-cycling-74-inside-the-deal/

quite-some-news-at-the-end-of-the-day!!!-ableton-acquires-max

https://cycling74.com/articles/cycling-%E2%80%9974--ableton

Wow, max msp comes to Berlin? Perfecto. Hopefully Ableton don't stop the new efforts to make gen code usable on all kinds of outboard gear. Heavily using it with a Hoxton OWL...

Huge news. I trust this is going to be good for all 3 parties: Ableton, Cycling '74 and the users.

I guess this also means an even more stable long term perspective for Max. As probably about 90% of my work is in some ways based on Max I recently had the thought "What would happen if David decides to retire"

I hope they remember that not all of us make beat based music!

@DAVIDESTEVENS i (somehow) share your "fear". Don't get me wrong i'm a fairly happy Ableton Live user and i've been very happy when M4L came out because it let me "overcome" some Live limitations related to its still quite DJ-oriented workflow. Ableton developers are great (as C74 mighty ones!) and i know that feature requests are a slippery matter. But i requested for years some feature like looping for not warped clips or MIDI/key automation for show/hide VST/AU floating GUI, a floating GUI mechanism for Live device, etc.

Given that those requests seemed so little popular i guess that the very deep nature of Live is still DJ-oriented and a little less confortable for "experimental" stuff, impro etc.

I always think i should code a Live clip mechanism in Max to do my own Live for Max :-)

Anyhow i hope the future will be brighter :-)

Very interested in following this fusion between C74 and Ableton.

@Alfonso Santimone. Everything you said is right...if you are a Live user too.

I used for a while ableton Live, then I prefered to switch to different softwares (and mainly use Max for standalone applications).

My fear is about the event that Max will be, in the future, too much "Live-Oriented".

Will this be good or not ? I don't know, but for my experience, I'm not exicted about a such kind of event.

@Alfonso Santimone. Everything you said is right...if you are a Live user too.
I used for a while ableton Live, then I prefered to switch to different softwares (and mainly use Max for standalone applications).

My fear is about the event that Max will be, in the future, too much "Live-Oriented".
Will this be good or not ? I don't know, but for my experience, I'm not exicted about a such kind of event.

I'm a bit more sanguine about this since I read the extracts from the interview with David and Bernard on CDM. It appears at this point that the more "out there" world of Max and all of its various aspects will continue to be supported and developed.

i sure hope so - reading the announcement made me realise see how UTTERLY dependent I am on Max for work and creativity.

I think anything's fine, unless we end up having to buy updates, that only reintroduce (functionality), that (or what) this merger might cost. That would be typical "software industry".

Had the same feeling of "Ufff I am so dependent on Max" - and the truth is that means I depend on other peoples work and decicions. It's just how it is. And I aggree - the interview besides the statements contains some good energy it doesn't sound like a hostile take-over at all. Sure -being so dependent - every change raises some converns. But the chances of survivial of Max in a rapidly chaning world (and declining sales margins) on the other hand may be significantly higher under the roof of a bigger company...

Though sure it feels like the end of an era.

(LOL - Can hardly believe that I am reacting so emotionaly to a piece of software :)))))))) )

@DAVIDESTEVENS
Had the same feeling of "Ufff I am so dependent on Max" - and the truth is that means I depend on other peoples work and decicions. It's just how it is.  And I aggree -  the interview  besides the statements contains some good energy it doesn't sound like a hostile take-over at all. Sure -being so dependent - every change raises some converns. But the chances of survivial of Max in a rapidly chaning world (and declining sales margins) on the other hand may be significantly higher under the roof of a bigger company...
Though sure it feels like the end of an era.
(LOL - Can hardly believe that I am  reacting so emotionaly to a piece of software :))))))))  ) 

Well this is certainly better news than "Cycling 74 goes out of business". I hope this gives Cycling the resources to continue deveoping Max. I feel Abelton and Cycling have always been two companies that share the same vision, so I hope that translates to even more invovation. At the same time, I wonder if Abelton really knows what it has now...

I am not only a musician but a programmer as well. I choose Max becuase I am a creator, and Max gives me the ability to create anything. I choose Max above all other applications becuase it gives me the freedom to express my self in the audio/visual/sensor/controller domain. Max extends my imgination in to the real world. And although that can be a lot of work sometimes, it is a work of love.

I hope Abelton will always honor that spirit as it keeps developing Max. I hope they keep expanding the language that is Max. I hope Abelton can step up and become the next Cycling 74.

 Well this is certainly better news than "Cycling 74 goes out of business". I hope this gives Cycling the resources to continue deveoping Max. I feel Abelton and Cycling have always been two companies that share the same vision, so I hope that translates to even more invovation. At the same time, I wonder if Abelton really knows what it has now...

I suspect it's a cash flow problem for c74 and Ableton have come in to rescue them; if this is the case then c74 staff (and DZ) would obviously be grateful, but c74 is now be in direct control of ableton-- it's then entirely up to the fortunes and descisions/whims of ableton; hopefully DZ and GB have a solid friendship and mutual respect, as that may be all there is between a future and oblivion for the max environment

I suspect it's a cash flow problem for c74 and Ableton have come in to rescue them; if this is the case then c74 staff (and DZ) would obviously be  grateful, but c74 is now be in direct control of ableton-- it's then entirely up to the fortunes and descisions/whims of ableton; hopefully DZ and GB have a solid friendship and mutual respect, as that may be all there is between a future and oblivion for the max environment

Floating point, on which facts do you base the assumption, that C74 have a cash flow problem? Was there official news about this before?

intuition and a little logic-- really why else would you have a friendly takeover? If they wanted to have a more symbiotic /closer relationship they could formalise those aspects without a take-over, so it seems there must be some kind of financial imperative to do so. Maybe the imperative is some kind of creative vision to have a hugely expanded and extended max interactive media environment that includes a complete rewrite of max and web-platform compatibility etc etc (which would require more staff, resources etc), or to expand the business model to include a broader range of (mainstream) applications with the expensive marketing campaign to go with it... but a more reasonable assumption is a cash flow problem, caused by, in part, the global economic downturn over the past decade-- companies of the size and nature of c74 would be very susceptible to cash flow difficulties (25%-off sale, just after announcement is another piece of evidence). So yes it's nothing more than a speculative assumption.

intuition and a little logic-- really why else would you have a friendly takeover? If they wanted to have a more symbiotic /closer relationship they could formalise those aspects without a take-over, so it seems there must be some kind of financial imperative to do so. Maybe the imperative is some kind of creative vision to have a hugely expanded and extended max interactive media environment that includes a complete rewrite of max and web-platform compatibility etc etc (which would require more staff, resources etc), or to expand the business model to include a broader range of (mainstream) applications with the expensive marketing campaign to go with it... but a more reasonable assumption is a cash flow problem, caused by, in part, the global economic downturn over the past decade-- companies of the size and nature of c74 would be very susceptible to cash flow difficulties (25%-off sale, just after announcement is another piece of evidence).  So yes it's nothing more than a speculative assumption.

I agree with parts of Floating Point's argument. This Ableton acquisition likely creates more financial stability at least.

my thoughts precisely. We get so emotional with a piece of software because we dedecate our lives to it. For me , it's even paying for my family. I've dedicated all this time and in the end, time is the only thing we have in life. When you dedicate it to something , it's fun to know you did it thinking it's an investment that's you'll built uppon.... At least with tradditionnal tangible instruments like the guitar, this could never happen in a life time.

@davidestevens: I agree. I could not care less about Dj setups. We got live to please the people that are passionate about this. Max is for all the rest of us.

And finally, the last picture in the article says it all for me , David is full of paint (face,tshirt , boots) and smiling a real smile. Much like Max and Max users I know do. The other dude spells business. Agenda in mind feel.

Both this is just pure none founded judgement and tiny tantrum for my fear that max will get eclips from what it truely is I what I identify with.

Thanks for making a tool that changed my life.

my thoughts precisely. We get so emotional with a piece of software because we dedecate our lives to it. For me , it's even paying for my family.   I've dedicated all this time and in the end, time is the only thing we have in life.  When you dedicate it to something , it's fun to know you did it thinking it's an investment that's you'll built uppon.... At least with tradditionnal tangible instruments like the guitar, this could never happen in a life time. 

@davidestevens: I agree. I could not care less about Dj setups. We got live to please the people that are passionate about this. Max is for all the rest of us. 

Both this is just pure none founded judgement and tiny tantrum for my fear that max will get eclips from what  it truely is I what I identify with. 

Thanks for making a tool that changed my life. 

Quite some news at the end of the day!!! Ableton Acquires Max