This is your first patch.
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This is your first patch. |
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To create it, first choose File/New/Patcher... |
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...or use apple-N. You should see a window similar to that on the right. The bar across the top of the window indicates that the patch is ready to edit. |
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You use edit mode to create and edit your patches and performance mode to play them. You can toggle between editing and performance modes by choosing View/Edit, apple-E of by command(apple)-clicking in the window. |
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Try toggling between the two modes. Use whichever method is most convenient for you... |
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Objects are basic Max/MSP tools. They are things that 'do' something - they can create data, or process it. In terms of programming languages, they are pre-built subroutines. The new object button is on the far left of the toolbar. Click on the 'new object' button. Move the mouse to the location of your new object. Click. A new box may appear: |
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This box lists, in a number of categories, all the possible objects. For the moment, don't worry about this. Instead, type dac~ into the object box. On a Mac keyboard, the tilde is next to the left hand shift key. Press shift-`. DAC means Digital Analogue Converter, and the following tilde (~) means that the object is an audio object, rather than a numerical, midi or other non-audio object. |
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| That's your first object. It doesn't do anything at the moment, but eventually it becomes a conduit for your audio data. By default the dac~ object is off. Therefore you need to create two new objects to turn it on and off. To do this, you need a new sort of object, called a message box. These are very simple objects that simply deliver pieces of data to or between objects. To create a new message box click on the message box icon in the tool bar. It's the second icon from the left, next to the object box icon (in the image, an arrow is pointing towards it). As before, click in the patcher where you want the message box to go... |
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Once the box is created, you can type in it the word start. Now create another message box and type in it stop. |
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Now you need to connect your objects. To do this, place your mouse over the little black box at the bottom right of the 'start' message box. It should get bigger to show that you're there. Hold the mouse button down and drag across to the black box on the top right of the dac~ object box. Once again, it should enlarge when you're there. When it has done this, let go of the mouse button and click on the box... |
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| You should have created a connection... |
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You can, if you prefer create what are called 'segmented' connections. This means that the 'cords' don't get so messy if you have many of them. To create these, choose Options/Segmented Patch Cords... |
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Now use the mouse as you did before, but let go of the button at any point where you want the cord to segment, and you should have the following... |
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| To delete any object, whether a cord or a box, click on it to select it and press delete or backspace. To the right is a selected cord. |
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So far you have a working digital to analogue converter, which you can switch on and off, although there's no sound making object so you won't be able to hear anything. Just to check that everything's working, we'll create a very simple sound object, called cycle~. Create this using an object box, just as you did when creating the dac~ object above. |
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Notice how the patch cords between cycle~ and dac~ are mottled with yellow. This is to indicate that these connections use audio data. The 440 after cycle~ indicates that the cycle~ object will produce a sine wave of frequency 440. Now, making sure that your volume levels are low, toggle into performance mode (you can toggle between editing and performance modes by choosing View/Edit, apple-E of by command(apple)-clicking in the window), and click on start. Make sure your volume levels are low, as you have no control of wave's amplitude at the moment; it's likely to be quite loud! Hopefully, you should get a strident, clear and irritating sine wave. To stop it, click stop. If you don't get a sound, first check with Extras/Audiochecker to make sure your system's audio is okay. |
Now you've created your first object, fiddle about with it. Find out what breaks it and what's effective. In addition, the internet is full of examples and tutorials to help you explore Max/MSP. You can try here for a start.
This is an important distinction in most computer programmes that allow detailed manipulation of synthesised sound.