DDSKS

Max introductory course for DDSKS students

Learning resources

Admin stuff

Lesson materials

Explore

Max introductory course for DDSKS students

Introduction to working with the visual programming environment Max

Rasmus Kjaerbo

2021 Autumn - Kiki, Joelle, and Rafael

Students’ are interested in knowing what Max can offer and are curious to explore the visual programming environment. Topics include sound generation, recording / sampling / resampling, multichannel audio.

Synthesis -

Multichannel systems more versatile than 5.1

Programme

Monday 9.00 - 16.00 @ DDSKS

Tuesday, work from home, formulate a project, check-in at 11.00 on Zoom

Wednesday, chiiiiil make music, LAB TIME @

Rumkraft⁠

from 13.00 - 17.00 (optional)

Thursday, 9.00 - 16.00 @

Rumkraft⁠

⁠

Friday, 9.00 - 16.00 @

Rumkraft⁠

⁠

Zoom link⁠

⁠

https://zoom.us/j/3048790000?pwd=dUE5UUZaYkFMTi9tMllwYTNTNUlDQT09⁠

⁠

Meeting ID: 304 879 0000

Passcode: megachan

Zoom recordings

The Gentle Introduction

⁠

Patching along on the projects

⁠

Prerequisites

1. Install Max 8.2 -

free 30-day trial here⁠

⁠

Answer online survery⁠

⁠

3. Fill out form for Max dreams / themes

4. Get ready!

⁠

Form Results

Form Results

Name

Topics

Project ideas

Working Max installation

Platform

Rasmus Kjærbo

Multichannel audio and effect development

Create my own reverb

macOS

There are no rows in this table

⁠

Max is like an ever-morphing audio-visual instrument; it should be played and practiced with on regular basis <3

⁠

https://player.vimeo.com/video/138656845?h=3cb24d32e3⁠

⁠

Themes / plan

Course structure and overview

Digital Signal Processing introduction / recap

Understand the Max environment - visual programming

Connect building blocks together and work with data

Get familiar with the user interface

Integrate your equipment; Audio interface, MIDI controllers, microprocessors (Arduino, RaspberryPi etc.)

What is Max?

Max is a visual programming environment. You draw what is called a patch. It is a blank piece of virtual paper, on which you place boxes and connect them by drawing lines with your mouse. Then art appears. Cool!

What is Max good for?!

Art installations, instrument building, effect construction, live performance, you name it!

Rapid prototyping of data, audio, and video.

Realtime processing and interaction.

Creating bespoke tools for the above mentioned.

Interfacing with almost anything (Connect Anything motto).

Deeply integrated in

Ableton Live as Live Packs⁠

⁠

Granulator II⁠

Inspired by Nature⁠

M4L Building Tools⁠

Convolution Reverb⁠

Dub Machines⁠

, Buffer Shuffler, LFO / Envelope, etc.

More available on

MaxforLive.com⁠

⁠

Examples

⁠

Daisy Dub Delay⁠

⁠

Max for Live MASSIVE database⁠

⁠

Max for Live DJ filter⁠

⁠

Max for Live Follow Action Scene Launcher (Live 9 & 10)⁠

⁠

Max for Live Rumkraft Space Scope⁠

video⁠

⁠

Reverb Prototype Lab⁠

⁠

Destroying Chanson Pour Marcel

⁠

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pCjm-vROGY⁠

⁠

Check the Help Patchers and reference, always <3

Syllabus

Working with digital audio - introduction to DSP (Digital Signal Processing)

Real-time processing vs. offline processing

Microphone, audio file, loudspeaker

Recording and playback

Latency

Digital Signal Processing

Frequency (Max Patches Vol 1 → Chapter 01 Patches → 01_01.maxpat)

Pitch, High / Low, Hz (01_02.maxpat)

Amplitude

Intensity; Forte / Piano, dBFS, dBSPL, Equal Loudness Curves

Waveform

Sine, Square, Saw, Triangle, Noise

Envelopes & Glissandi

Linear vs. logarithmic / exponential (01_08_envelopes_2.maxpat)

Interpolation vs. discrete values

Frequency & Musical Interval

Hz vs. musical tones (E flat, B sharp,

Am, B7, A, Adim⁠

chord explorer⁠

)

Interactive Examples from Cipriani & Giri (Chapter 1)

⁠

Download Max-patches here⁠

⁠

Example videos of interactive examples⁠

⁠

Download the

Support Materials for Volume 1 - Max 8⁠

(we will be working with Chapters 1 and 2 mostly)

⁠

⁠

General introduction to Max - what can you do with Max & visual programming

Max, MSP, Jitter, MC, BEAP

Shake hands with the Max interface

Interface overview

Settings and Audio Setup

Input and output options

Vector size (latency)

Loading examples

Saving a patch

Objects

Help and Object References

Patch chords

Data vs. audio

Hot and cold inlets

Direction of processing (top right, right-to-left, top-to-bottom, buddy object)

Trigger object

Make a bleep (sampling)

Interface control

adc~, buffer~ (replace, info~), waveform~, record~, groove~, dac~

Patching

Attributes

Keyboard control

key, select, keyup

MIDI-control

Project work - resampling, multichannel audio

Sending and receiving audio to / from various channels

adc~, dac~, mc

MC (many channels / multichannel)

Interactive examples

Simple MC patch

Simple Oscillator - easy level
⁠
⁠

Sample Slice Player - medium level
⁠
⁠

FM Oscillator (with reference patcher) - medium / hard level
⁠
⁠

Additive synth w. inharmonic series Stockhausen style - medium level

⁠
⁠
⁠

Granular Synthesizer (series) - O.G. boss level

⁠

Help → Examples →
⁠
⁠

⁠

⁠
`Learning resources`⁠
⁠

⁠

Time plan

Week 45, 8-12. November

Monday, class from 9-16

Tuesday, self-study 9-12

Thursday, class from 9-16

Friday, class from 9-16 (

breakout to NordicSMC conference from 13-14⁠

)

⁠

Exciting links to keep Max’ing pre / during / post class - also see
`Learning resources`⁠
⁠

Online workshop with Phelan Kane (Wednesdays 17th, 24th Nov & 1st, 8th Dec)

⁠

https://musichackspace.org/events/getting-started-with-max-november-series/⁠

⁠

This link can't be embedded.⁠

⁠

Course content for Phelan Kane workshop

Wednesdays 17th & 24th Nov & 1st & 8th Dec

Session 1: Wednesday 17th Nov

Session 2: Wednesday 24th Nov

Session 3: Wednesday 1st Dec

Session 4: Wednesday 8th Dec

Time: 10am Berlin / Copenhagen

Level: Beginners curious about programming

Get started with interactive audio and MIDI, and discover the possibilities of the Max environment. In this series of workshops, you will learn how to manipulate audio, MIDI, virtual instruments and program your own interactive canvas.

Connect together Max’s building blocks to create unexpected results, and use them in your music productions. Through a series of guided exercises you will engage in the pragmatic creation of a basic MIDI sequencer device that features a wealth of musical manipulation options.

Learn from guided examples and live interactions with teachers and other participants.

This series of online workshops aims to enable you to work with Max confidently on your own.

Sessions overview

Session 1: Understand the Max environment

Session 2: Connect building blocks together and work with data

Session 3: Master the user interface

Session 4: Work with your MIDI instruments

Want to print your doc?
This is not the way.

Try clicking the ⋯ next to your doc name or using a keyboard shortcut (

CtrlP

) instead.

Max introductory course for DDSKS students

Programme

Zoom recordings

The Gentle Introduction

Patching along on the projects

Themes / plan

Course structure and overview

What is Max?

What is Max good for?!

Examples

Destroying Chanson Pour Marcel

Syllabus

Working with digital audio - introduction to DSP (Digital Signal Processing)

General introduction to Max - what can you do with Max & visual programming

Project work - resampling, multichannel audio

Simple Oscillator - easy level⁠⁠

Sample Slice Player - medium level⁠⁠

FM Oscillator (with reference patcher) - medium / hard level⁠⁠

Additive synth w. inharmonic series Stockhausen style - medium level

⁠⁠⁠

Granular Synthesizer (series) - O.G. boss level

Help → Examples →⁠⁠

⁠Learning resources⁠⁠

Time plan

Week 45, 8-12. November

Exciting links to keep Max’ing pre / during / post class - also see Learning resources⁠⁠

Simple Oscillator - easy level
⁠
⁠

Sample Slice Player - medium level
⁠
⁠

FM Oscillator (with reference patcher) - medium / hard level
⁠
⁠

⁠
⁠
⁠

Help → Examples →
⁠
⁠

⁠
`Learning resources`⁠
⁠

Exciting links to keep Max’ing pre / during / post class - also see
`Learning resources`⁠
⁠