stringbot

I'm a Max/MSP 4.x/Jitter 1.5 owner who never upgraded to Max 5, but now that Max for Live is coming I plan on updating.

Will Max for Live function the same as the stand-alone Max 5 (i.e. able to directly access audio hardware), or will it require Ableton for operation?

Is there a specific upgrade path you would recommend for somebody updating from max/msp 4 who wants to be able to use Max 5 apart from Live (as well as with Live, of course).

max-for-live-standalone

MFL alone requires Live for audio and MIDI IO. So if you want both you'll need to upgrade to Max 5

Correct me if I'm wrong, the upgrade path from Max 4 to 5 (with Jitter 1.5) is $199 and then the upgrade from that to Max for Live will be $99. Max for Live without Max 5 is $299.

So it sounds to me like upgrading to Max 5 and then cross-grading to Max for Live costs the same but gives me the ability to not use Live for my audio.

Upgrading to Max 5 and getting the crosgrade to MFL will indeed grant you most flexibility.

I'd hold on for a week, we'll have the prices worked out completely soon.

Max for Live standalone