Cycling '74 Max Tutorial

Mar 1, 2009 12:00 PM, By Jeffrey Stolet

           
 

HOW TO GET STARTED WITH CYCLING '74 MAX GRAPHICAL PROGRAMMING SOFTWARE

Reviewed most recently in the October 2008 issue and a 2009 Editors' Choice Award winner, Cycling '74's Max (Mac/Win) is an extremely versatile programming application that lets you do things like build VST plug-ins, control the playback of 20 MIDI sequencers at multiple tempos from your computer keyboard, and much more. In conjunction with companion programs MSP and Jitter, Max integrates MIDI, digital audio, and video into one environment so that audio data can control MIDI, MIDI can control video, and video can control MIDI and audio. There are endless creative possibilities.

Advanced Max patches can be very complex, but getting started is easier than you may think. In this article, I'll help you build a Max patch that controls multiple MIDI sequencers and others that show you how to use sample playback with simple audio processing. You will be able to adapt and extend these examples, and with additional examples that are posted online, you will have enough to get started.

Before you begin, download a free 30-day demo version of Max 5 from cycling74.com/downloads/max5. Having the demo open while you read will make the job much easier. Also, I have provided Web Clips in the form of Max patches for each graphic in this article. Fig. 1 goes with Web Clip 1 and so on.

Web Links

Cycling '74

External Max Objects

Professor Masayuki Akamatsu, 2061: A Max Odyssey Max examples

Max Factors

The Max package includes three applications: Max, which is focused on MIDI; MSP, which works with digital audio; and Jitter, which manipulates video and 3-D animation. In all cases, tasks are carried out by Objects — the basic building blocks in Max. Objects are small chunks of software that execute simple tasks such as generating, modifying, storing, or routing data. In Max, Objects are represented by icons; some icons have associated text and numbers, while others do not.

Objects are connected using virtual patch cords. Each connected Object performs a specific job and sends the results to the next Object in the chain. Only a few types of messages are sent between Objects: numbers, words, pairs or groups of numbers or words, and messages called Bangs. A Bang message is a “do it” message that can be sent to many different Objects; it causes an Object to do whatever it does. The result of these connections is a software program called a Max patch.

You construct a Max patch in the Patcher window. To place Objects in a Patcher window, simply double-click in the window, and a transparent, resizable window called the Palette appears. The Palette is Max's visual catalog of Objects; it provides an easy way to select Objects for your patch. When you place your mouse over a Palette icon, the name of the Object is shown.

The icon positioned in the upper left corner of the Palette is different from the other icons. It is called the Object box, and text that defines the Object's function is typed in there. The first word typed into the Object box is the specific name of the Object. The numbers that follow the name of the Object are called Arguments. Arguments specify how an Object will function. There may be more than one Argument, and sometimes the Argument may be a word. For instance, the Argument “120” in the metro Object specifies that every 120 ms, a Bang message will be output. The Argument “88” in the random Object specifies that all numbers output will be between 0 and 87 (a range of 88).

In our example patches, the bottoms of Objects are connected to the tops of other Objects with virtual patch cords. Inlets, where data enters an Object, are at the top of the Object; outlets, where data leaves an Object, are at the bottom. If you place your mouse directly over an Object's inlet or outlet, pop-up help appears, telling you what that particular inlet or outlet is related to. You connect Objects by clicking on an outlet, then connecting the resulting line to an inlet.

Once Objects are placed in a Patcher window, they can be freely dragged into new positions within the window. You can also use the Cut, Copy, Paste, and Duplicate commands, so it's easy to turn one sequencer into 20.

Digital audio is handled a bit differently in Max. To begin with, yellow-and-black patch cords are used to represent audio signals, helping you to visualize the difference between audio signals and MIDI and control messages. In addition, Objects that end with a tilde (~) are audio based. Be sure to check out the tips and shortcuts under the Help menu.

Whole Lotta Sequencers Goin' On

The first example patch will allow you to play multiple MIDI files triggered from your computer keyboard. Launch Max, then select New Patcher from the File menu. This will bring up a new, unlocked window called Untitled1. Double-click in this window, and you'll see the Palette.

Single-click on the Object box (far left, top) in the Palette and type the letter K. All Object names beginning with the letter K will appear in a menu. Double-click on the key Object, then click again in the white area, and you'll see the key Object appear in the Patcher.