Using MaxMSP as a guitar stomp box in 2025??
I'm a DSP guy from way back, and have been exploring using MaxMSP (with custom "externals") as a dev system for algorithms for bass guitar that have been rattling around in my brain.
The stumbling block has always been a delivery platform that is convenient to use in a rehearsal or stage situation. A laptop with a display just doesn't cut it, for various reasons.
The closest I can come to a realistic solution is a small headless computer running Max and talking with a remote control app on an iPad via wifi. I've got an example of this basic concept running, using my MacBook Pro, so I know the approach will work. That is, everything except the headless delivery platform that I just power on in a rehearsal on stage and control via the iPad.
It looks like people have used Mac minis for this sort of thing in the past, and that would be ideal for me because I'm a Mac guy. But all the examples I've found of how to set up a headless server are way out of date.
So what are people doing these days to create something as close as possible to a remotely controlled stomp box? I'm open to using a Windows delivery platform if that ends up being the simplest both in terms of server setup and the smallest form factor achievable. But a Mac mini would be even better.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Duet display does it https://www.duetdisplay.com/help-center/can-i-use-duet-as-the-only-display-for-my-mac
Or look at this Reddit thread https://www.reddit.com/r/macmini/comments/1hw47gs/fully_headless_m4_mac_mini_ipad_setup_streaming/
I don't know what you plan on using, but you could also consider porting your patching to gen~ and use a programmable stompbox like the Mod Dwarf https://mod.audio/
or maybe RNBO with a Raspberry Pi and PiSound https://blokas.io/pisound/
@LSKA
Thanks for those links. On the Mac mini subject, I did a bunch more work and the last stumbling block is that macOS Tahoe apparently doesn't allow Internet Sharing for adhoc networking. Frustrating. A workaround is to use my iPhone as a router instead of using Internet Sharing, allowing access to screen sharing from my iPad. I have to do this because the device will be used away from home where my router is not available to set up a network.
For those people maybe finding this thread, the other thing that is necessary for auto login, which is necessary for truly headless use, is that the disk can't be encrypted, or auto login won't work.
So to summarize, you need an unencrypted disk, you need to set up auto login and auto connection to your iPhone hotspot (this won't work for Android I don't think), and setting up the screen sharing app to start up on login. I haven't actually bought the Mac Mini yet, so I couldn't test the auto login, but I was able to test everything else on my MacBook on macOS Tahoe.
The Mod Dwarf stuff looks interesting, I will investigate it. I don't think it will be what I want for everything, but I can think of certain things that it might be perfect for. So thanks!
Raspberry PI is less interesting. From knowledgable sources, I've heard that low latency audio on Linux is still problematic. And in my experience generally dealing with Linux is a time sink, the lack of aversion to time waste seems almost a cultural thing. From what I've done, it all sounds great in theory but the actual experience is frustrating.
I did more research on the Mod Dwarf. I was pleasantly surprised by the technical stuff and really ready to pursue it, until I got to the part about whether the company is going to go under. I'll get more algorithm development done and then decide what to do. If I go the Mac mini route, I'll never be sorry to have the Mac mini no matter what happens. If I go the Mod Dwarf route, it's a much slicker one piece package with a built in UI plus remote UI.
I wish them the best and hope they are still around when I have to decide on the deployment platform!
Here is the whole exploration thread for anyone wanting to read it. It's got lots of good technical detail:
https://claude.ai/share/05f579f1-1623-4025-b67a-066709210860