Running MaxMSP patch in outboard gear?
I would like to run MaxMSP patches in outboard gear, NOT on a machine with a monitor associated, and preferrably even running of 9V power or something like this.
What options are there to try that?
There is Arduino- or Raspberry PI-based stuff, but even better: Is there just dedicated mini computers with a few knobs out there, which would load and play a maxmsp patch just so, which of course needs to be respecting those few knobs and displays as the only means of inputting value (besides audio in/out and midi in/out, which i would need, too.) ???
I made a lot of nice patches i would like to use on a standardized outboard interface without a monitor, just like a ground effect or something like this.
And really have no computer with me otherwise...
Thank you for any insights!
You could get a Mac mini and set up a startup routine to load your patch. Otherwise you could use Puredata on a raspberry pi.
Max only runs on osx and windows so you would need something with one of these operating systems.
Farfisafox, nice idea, but this approach would be overly expensive, has no built in midi, bad audio interface and tons of processor capacity used for obsolete processes. Besides it doesn't have built in footswitches - or other knobs and faders.
I wonder, if there's dedicated hardware for the use i describe, not generic hardware.
You know, not like buying an egg-laying-wool-milk-pig, though you only need the eggs.
There really is no all in one product that does what you want at this point. With max at the moment you are tied to a standard computer/controller set up.
There have been various kick starter projects for hardware dsp/interface machines but all have limited power and none run max.
Yes, i have seen
- the OWL (http://hoxtonowl.com/) for instance. Looks tempting. However, needs C++ programming, which i am not too familiar with. Since it is Open Source it should be fairly easy to start by just borrowing code from other contributors.
But not enough faders and knobs on the box for what i have in mind. Also it can't hotswap different fx, since it loads them via USB, not from an SD Card or so.
- RaspberryPI with PD again. Much more customisable, parts of max code could be reused. Shame, that maxmsp doesn't support Linux. It should be much simpler to port to Linux, than to Windows...
The mononome aleph sounds very similar to what you are describing (http://monome.org/aleph/).
However again it doesn't run max/msp (yet). I think the development team are working on something like a custom patching environment as they are big max users. Maybe keep an eye on future developments.
Yes the Aleph looks good, though i'd need to have one in my hands for a bit to be able to decide on 1400 dollars (plus 20%VAT in Germany) to go their way. I tend to invest into gear, which proves to be working with me for a long time, before i buy it.
But on a more important note i'd like to support common plugin standards to develop plugins, it's a less elitarian approach to me. No pun intended otherwise.
Just wanting to make sure, that what i develop will be usable for most without further ado.
MaxMSP (and PureData) are the most easy and widespread platforms there are (or that i know of) to do this without c++ knowledge, and those by now suited all of my own musical needs, really. But they require too much and different hardware for live suituations. And computers are always and still the weak parts in a live setup, regarding reliability and regarding requiring too much attention.
From what i researched among devs the last days i found, that most are just waiting, because dedicated Intel hardware is too expensive yet to port common software to.
The effort of porting just can't be justified by the small market of people wanting to go all the way and paying for it.
But I am just waiting to see cheaper dedicated hardware for this, as i prefer no monitors and simple setups on stage. Anything which can be carried at once and works, when i turn it on without wait times or complex cabling. You know, just there on my board of outboard gear, small, stable/rugged, with enough configurable knobs and foot switches and a small display. Those Eventides, like the PitchFactor, should just be programmable, really.
Daydreaming.
Rasperry now runs on windows, too.