Search path can't find sound files (Mac)
Hello - I'm working with a patch that's doing granular synthesis-like processing of a series of WAV files. It basically started with the tutorial patch for granular synthesis, which I then modified and saved under a new name.
I have been trying to use the "replace" message to load a new file into the [buffer] object without opening a dialog box, but I cannot get the patch to find the file in its search path.
I moved the patcher into the same folder as the sound files I wanted to cycle through, which I thought was where the search path would start by default.
When that didn't work, I tried moving the sound files to a sub-folder in the same folder as the patcher, but no good there either.
I'm using Max 7 (I know, it's several versions old, but I'm on an older Mac OS) - I found the documentation on search paths here. I tried adding the file path I wanted manually to the path list. It prompted me to save the edited path list and saved it a plain text file in the same folder as my patcher.
I imagine that was the wrong location to save the edited path list, but I'm not sure what the right one was. Beyond that, I'm still puzzled that simply putting my sound files in the same folder as the patcher didn't work. It would really help the project I'm doing if I could change the file loaded in the buffer quickly.
Any thoughts? Thanks!
max 7 is perfectly all right.
that files in samefolder don't work is weird.
Maybe something in the path is not max conform.
Can you load waves using dropfile ?
subfolder is not working unless one adds it explicitly to search path.
to add a search path is a different procedure, there is no need to save any text files.
have look here :
you can also have a look in filepath object.
it can add search paths using messages
Hi, thanks for your response!
Yes, I found File Preferences in the options menu (of which you shared a screen shot) - that's what I got from the documentation I linked in my previous post, and I had tried to add the file path that way prior to posting here.
The prompt to save the path list as a text file happened when I was following those steps. The screen shot below shows what I'm talking about.
I put a [dropfile] object in my patch and tried dropping the WAV files I'm working with onto it. It outputs the file type and file path normally, which seems like what it should do, but I hadn't used this object before. Is there a way that dropfile can actually load the sound file into the [buffer~] object?
your path list looks very long and wrong.
Insert replace $1 message between dropfile path out and buffer~
to load waves.
I am out of house and have no time to post mored details
till I come back later today.
1- open Max Preferences and disable "Add Patchers to Search Path on Save"
then quit Max.
2- delete maxsearchpaths.txt file which is located in user
Library/Application Support/Cycling '74/Max 7/maxsearchpaths.txt
maybe best would be to delete all except your license file from
Cycling '74/Max 7 folder to refresh max.
that shoud reset Max search paths and hopefully you will be able to
load files which are in same folder as your patch.
Or then add few search paths if needed.
I can't give you better advice, not knowing details about
your project.
If you prefer to keep wave files in extra folder, and be able to move whole
thing to different locations, then absolute path to files would be better.
Or then dropfile, or autopopulated umenu etc.