RESOURCES

Useful resources (links, tutorials, example code, readings) will be posted here. Please be sure to check back in from time to time, as this page will be updated throughout the course.

Week 1

Syllabus

Context

Code

https://cycling74.com/downloads/

Max Resources

Sound Design

Andy Farnell – Designing Sound: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/0262014416
All examples from Designing Sound in Pd: http://aspress.co.uk/sd/
Some of the examples from Designing Sound translated to Max: https://github.com/unriginal/Designing-Sound-Max-Patches

Helpful Tools

MPEG StreamClip: http://www.squared5.com/
SoundFlower: https://github.com/mattingalls/Soundflower
JACK: http://www.jackaudio.org/
SoundHack: http://www.soundhack.com/freeware/
Max Toolbox: https://github.com/natcl/maxtoolbox
RGB VGA Volt: http://jameshconnolly.com/rgb-vga-volt.html
SoundHack Plugins: https://www.soundhack.com/freeware/

Unhelpful Tools

MaxPat: http://www.fredrikolofsson.com/f0blog/?q=node/301

Max Workshop 1: Intro to Max / Jitter

MAX INTERFACE BASICS

1. What is Max?

Who has used it?
Why?

2. Interface overview

Menus, object instantiation
Locking / unlocking patches
Tool palettes
Connecting objects
Inspector
Debugging via the Max window
Options menu, incl. file path, audio status
Extras window, incl. audio tester
Presentation mode
Shift-drag to patch in Max 8

3. How to get help / about the documentation

BASIC OBJECTS

object
message
comment
bang
toggle
loadbang
loadmess

ORDER OF EVENTS

right-to-left, bottom-to-top
trigger
loadbang
loadmess

DATA TYPES

bang
int
float
symbol
list
signal

THE BIG BANG

metro
qmetro

WHAT IS THE MATRIX?

JITTER UI OBJECTS

jit.pwindow
jit.window
jit.fpsgui

VIDEO FILES

jit.movie

VIDEO COMPRESSION

Intra-frame vs. inter-frame coding
Photo JPEG is your friend (Apple ProRes too)
Easy compression using QuickTime 7 Pro
More easy compression using MPEG StreamClip

VIDEO I/O

jit.grab
jit.rota

VIDEO MIXING

jit.xfade

BASIC / VIDEO MATHS

+, -, *, /, !+, !-, !/, %
jit.op

ARGUMENTS VS. ATTRIBUTES

attrui

BASIC UI CONTROLS

hslider, vslider
multislider

LISTS

pack
pak
$1

GOING FULLSCREEN

fullscreen $1
;jitter cursor $1
jit.window attributes: @fsmenubar, @interp
jit.world for pillarboxing / letterboxing

Week 2

Context

Code

Max Workshop 2: MSP + Digital Audio Basics

BASIC MSP OBJECTS

ezdac~ and ezadc~
dac~ and adc~
number~
cycle~
meter~
scope~
spectroscope~

RECORDING TO DISK / PLAYING BACK FROM DISK

sfplay~
sfrecord~
autonaming recordings w/ sprintf, date

Max Workshop 3: Advanced Digital Audio Processing + Synthesis Fundamentals

LIVE MULTITRACKING

Recording multichannel files (note: 2Gb limit for both .aif & .wav)
What if your patch crashes (or goes over 2Gb limit) before writing the header?
Stereo files: Soundhack
Multichannel files: cf. Diemo Schwarz's aifffixlength.c
Splitting multichannel files using De-Interleaver.

MIXING / CROSSFADING

+~
*~
gain~
!-
line~
curve~
gates & switches

FUN WITH MEMORY BUFFERED AUDIO

buffer~
play~
groove~
wave~
syncing wave~ w/ rate & @sync 1
record~
feedback with buffers

Week 3

Context

Code

Max Workshop 4: Data Shaping + Manipulation

LISTS

pack, pak
unpack
zl

RANDOMNESS

decide
drunk
random
urn

Max Workshop 5: Sound, Automation + Trickery

LOGIC / DATA FLOW

<, <=, ==, >=, >
if / else
select
change / route

DATA SCALING

zmap
scale
osav.scale
expr
vexpr
jit.expr

VARIABLES, DATA STORAGE

sprintf
coll

MINING FOR / RECALLING QT LOOPS

HANDY OBJECT

jit.movie~

SPATIAL AUDIO FUNDAMENTALS

1. Phase-controlled panning

frozen cycle~
pan4S

2. el.npan~

3. Ambisonics (ICST)

1 signal
2 signals
X/Y Controls
X/Y/Z & A/E/D Controls

MORE ABOUT SPATIAL AUDIO

Max 8 MC (MultiChannel) Wrapper overview
Envelop for Live -> HOA Decoder
sensel
spat5~ (pan / binaural)

Max Workshop 6: Sound / Image Synthesis

SUBTRACTIVE SYNTHESIS

1. Basic waveforms

cycle~
tri~
rect~
saw~
phasor~

2. Special features

Phase offset: cycle~, phasor~
Duty cycle: rect~, tri~
Syncing oscillators: tri~, rect~, saw~

3. Noise sources

noise~
pink~
rand~

4. Filters

filtergraph~
biquad~
cascade~

MODULATION SYNTHESIS

1. Smooth & stepped randoms

train~
sah~
rampsmooth~

2. Some maths

Basic maths: +, -, *, /, !-, !/, %
Signal maths: +~, -~, *~, /~, !-~, !/~, %~

3. Fun with volume

Tremolo
Ring modulation (bipolar)
Amplitude modulation (unipolar)

4. Fun with frequency

Vibrato
Frequency modulation
Basic
A’la John Chowning
A’la F. Richard Moore

SIGNAL ANALYSIS

snapshot~
meter~
zsa.descriptors~

EFFECTS

jit.hue
jit.brcosa
jit.sprinkle
jit.streak
jit.slide

AUTOMATION

controlling Jitter with MSP (basic)
controlling Jitter with MSP (with data scaling)

THIRD PARTY VIDEO SYNTHESIS TOOLS

VSynth
REWEREHERE

Week 4

Context

Code

Max Workshop 7: Advanced Max / Jitter Techniques

TIMING TIPS / TRICKS

cascading metros
delay / pipe
phasor~ sequencing
syncing with rate~

TIDYING UP

encapsulation (subpatches)
patchers
presentation mode
bpatchers

Max Workshop 8: The Third Dimension and Beyond

KEYING

jit.lumakey
jit.chromakey
suckah

MATRIX CUTTING / SPLICING

jit.scissors
jit.glue
jit.submatrix

VIDEO DELAY

OPEN GL + VIDEO BASICS

jit.gl.render
jit.gl.gridshape
jit.gl.handle
jit.gl.videoplane
@ortho 2

MULTI-VIDEO / MULTI-COMPUTER SYNCING

Local sync with "frame 0"
maxhole
udpsend / udpreceive
route
osc-route
Network sync with udpsend / udpreceive
Multiscreener
jit.gl.cornerpin
jit.gl.cornerpin with presets

VIDEO & OPEN GL PT. 2

loadram
Videoplane xfade trick
Multiple videoplanes xfading
jit.gl.slab basics
Blendmodes with jit.gl.slab
Feedback with jit.gl.slab
Adding video texture to a gridshape

EXTRUDING

Basic extrusion
Extruding with video texture
Adding audio to the extrusion

USING 3D MODELS

jit.gl.model basics
Texturing a model with video
jit.gl.light
jit.gl.camera
capture to texture
jit.gl.world
jit.gl.multiple

MORE ABOUT THE STUDIO

using the patchbay
using the mixer
recording video with the VR-50HD
https://proav.roland.com/global/support/by_product/vr-50hd/owners_manuals/

Week 5

Context

Code

Max Workshop 9: Interfacing with the External World

FRAME DIFFERENCING

Basic Techniques
Triggering discrete events based on a threshold value
Background subtraction
Video event grid

COMPUTER VISION WITH CV.JIT

Frame center detection: cv.jit.centroids
Blob boundary detection: cv.jit.blobs.bounds
Blob center detection: cv.jit.blobs.centroids
Feature tracking: cv.jit.features2track
Face tracking: cv.jit.faces

Max Workshop 10: Managing Complexity

TIPS + TRICKS

Easy probabilities with itable & table
Softclip cheat with sinx~
Another softclip cheat with tanh~

ABSTRACTIONS

#1, #2, etc.
Automatic w/ #0
patcherargs

MANAGING COMPLEX PATCHES

preset
pattrui / autopattr
pattr_ui
nodes

BASICS OF POLY~

in + out
in~ + out~
poly~ "args" (#1, #2...)
Using poly~
thispoly~
Unique identifiers (#0)
OSC to poly~
Parallel processing
Seeding random object with unique IDs inside poly~
Voice stealing
keeping track of poly~ with poly and midinote messages

FUN WITH POLY~

Multitap video delay with poly~
Framedifferencing a videogrid with poly~

MIDI

ctlin / ctlout
notein / noteout
pgmin / pgmout
midiin / midiout
sysexin / sxformat
routing with ctlin to handle multiple continuous controls
midi mapping

EXTERNAL CONTROLS

mousestate
key mapping
hi (human interface)
mobile devices with touchosc
fingerpinger externals
Sensel Morph
Ableton Push 2
Livid Instruments Alias 8
dmxis

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