Max Basics Tutorial

Max 8 is a block based programming software for audio and visual creation/manipulation. It is made by Cycling ‘74 under Ableton. Max has both an entry level programming style, with pre-made code and tools, and an advanced programming style so you can pull exactly what you want out of it.

I have used Max for years to create unique visuals that use audio as a manipulator or are standalone. I wouldn’t say I am an expert but I’m meeting more and more people that want to use it but don’t know where to start as it is such a large program. I will go over some basics in this tutorial, specifically with MSP (Audio) and Jitter (Visual).

This console will open first thing with Max and will show most of the debugging (or show many red messages before it crashes. Select "New Patcher" to get started. One of the other options to note is "New From Clipboard". The Max Patchers can be saved as text which helps transferring of files online through forums, which is great for quick learning.

Let's start with some pre-made tools to familiarize ourselves with the interface and routing, before hopping into coding.

On the left-hand side is the Vizzie and Beap Buttons. Beap is Audio and Vizzie is Visuals.

In order to get the setup that is shown of the right side click the Beap button. You will need an LFO from the LFO section. Next is an Oscillator from the Oscillator section. Lastly is a Stereo from the Output section.

At the top and bottom of blocks you will see grey half circles. These can be clicked to start a patch cord. Once you start a patch cord you can link it to another half circle. The different colors and patterns of the cords indicate what type of data is flowing through the cord. This is a simple setup to manipulate an Oscillator with an LFO. Connect one the bottom circles of the LFO with one of the top circles of the Oscillator. Then send the Signal from the bottom of the Oscillator to the left and right circles of the Stereo to get a sound output.

You can use Ctrl + Click (Command + Click for Mac) to manipulate dials, buttons, sliders, etc.

Vizzie is a good intro to visuals but I found it to be much easier to tackle in the broken down Jitter form of visuals. The names for Vizzie modules tend to be confusing. This patcher above shows a way to convert your audio to visuals, only single gray-scale images.

Click Vizzie and grab Audio2Vizzie from the Utility tab. Connect that to the LFO output. Add Viewr from the Output tab and connect that to Audio2Vizzie. This should show audio as flashing gray-scale images.

These tools can be expanded upon for many effects and creations. However, I prefer the flexibility of the MSP and Jitter systems that can be accessed through the icons in the top left of the patcher.

On the Left is the Object (hotkey n). This will be the main tool of patchers. This is where you would write commands and connect them to other objects. By typing, the object will pull out a drop bar with commands sharing the characters. It is accompanied by a brief description of the command. Next is the Message (hotkey m). This can be linked to the input of objects. It helps to easily manipulate settings on one click instead of having to retype the command. Next is the Toggle (hotkey t). This is an easy way to turn on and off objects that require activators, like metro a queue system that sends bangs. Bangs are temporary signals that are basically an on/off system. The bang object on the far right basically serves as a monitor for bangs. It can be used as well to initialize a bang into the code, like when building a looper that will loop bangs but it needs an initial bang.

These tools are the tools needed to build more customized and complex patchers.