I have an analog drum machine that accepts MIDI CC values to alter its parameters. I have created a max application specific to this process, and have incorporated a load of nice modulation features - such as MIDI note velocity values being able to alter bass drum pitch etc.

This all works fine when I use an external keyboard or play the virtual drum pads I have built into the app, but I would like to send MIDI notes from my DAW (Pro Tools) to the app. Does anyone know how I would go about doing this? Or would anyone be able to at least point me in the right direction?

send-midi-from-daw-to-standalone-max-app

In Max, you can specify which driver to receive from by double clicking midi objects. To receive a MIDI CC, you could use a Max [ctlin] object, Double click it and select "To Max 1" as an input device.

In Pro Tools, check menu item View - Edit Window Views - I/O. This will give you the option to choose "To Max 1" as the output device to which Pro Tools will send notes and cc's. If you double click an empty MIDI clip in Pro Tools, the MIDI editor opens and on the bottom section you can draw your cc data and choose which one it is. Good luck and have fun!

So by default any app with a ctlin object will always allow you to select To Max 1? And every time you have a max application open Pro Tools, or any other DAW for that matter, will be able to see / recognise this and allow to to select To Max 1?

If that is the case I didn't realise it would be so easy. I presumed it would be quite hard to do and involve a lot of objects.

So by default any app with a ctlin object will always allow you to select To Max 1? And every time you have a max application open Pro Tools, or any other DAW for that matter, will  be able to see / recognise this and allow to to select To Max 1?

Yeah that pretty much sums it up! "From Max 1" in that regard is also one handy object to have.

Send MIDI from DAW to standalone max app