Max/MSP, Pure Data, SuperCollider, Reaktor...Help a Bro Out!
Max/MSP, Pure Data, SuperCollider, Reaktor...Help a Bro Out!
I want to start tinkering with one (or all) of these behemoths. Poked at most of them a bit over the years but never really latched on. I like lightweight programming, I do a lot of AppleScripting and know some web languages etc. Fucked around with Quartz Composer a bit recently. Not even sure what I'm looking to accomplish really, just want to experiment and would like to not spend 6 months studying before I can make it beep. Some interaction with hardware would be cool eventually. I've seen people plugging lights and all sorts of shit into Max/MSP. What's up with PD and the rest? Just looking for some random feedback on this stuff. Like? Hate? Links? Thanks.
Re: Max/MSP, Pure Data, SuperCollider, Reaktor...Help a Bro
thats your first problem right there...tjwett wrote:Not even sure what I'm looking to accomplish really
generally speaking, you should have a goal to achieve before you begin...
I recommend 'composing interactive music with max' by todd winkler, that and the tutorials that come with maxmsp. and the mailing list/forum - cycling74.com
but anyways, first thing you should do is come up with some ideas of what you'd like to accomplish and then you can get to work
spreader of butter
Re: Max/MSP, Pure Data, SuperCollider, Reaktor...Help a Bro
point taken. i guess i have some ideas, i'm pretty psyched lately on touch screens after getting Electroplankton on my DS Lite. also been spending a bunch of time inside MetaSynth. so something graphical, tactical and interactive would be a nice long-term goal i suppose. thanks for the book suggestion also.b0unce wrote:thats your first problem right there...tjwett wrote:Not even sure what I'm looking to accomplish really
generally speaking, you should have a goal to achieve before you begin...
I recommend 'composing interactive music with max' by todd winkler, that and the tutorials that come with maxmsp. and the mailing list/forum - cycling74.com
but anyways, first thing you should do is come up with some ideas of what you'd like to accomplish and then you can get to work
Download the max demo (which is fully functional for 30 days, including vst export).
And try the tutorials that come with it right away.
In a week, you'll have worked your way thru enough tutorials to start making little MIDI apps.
If you move on to the MSP tutorials. you learn how to handle audio.
To be honest. I've been doing fine with the data stuff alone. The MSP stuff is a bit over my head. But then again, i never thought i would be able to learn max..
I have no programming background at all.
PD is like max but free. It looks like the same thing and it is in many ways. But max has a learning system that kicks ass. And the resources for it are virtually unlimited.
Though that'll eventually be the case with PD too.
You cant go wrong with trying the max tutorials. Even if you decide to use PD, it'll be easy to adjust to it.
And try the tutorials that come with it right away.
In a week, you'll have worked your way thru enough tutorials to start making little MIDI apps.
If you move on to the MSP tutorials. you learn how to handle audio.
To be honest. I've been doing fine with the data stuff alone. The MSP stuff is a bit over my head. But then again, i never thought i would be able to learn max..
I have no programming background at all.
PD is like max but free. It looks like the same thing and it is in many ways. But max has a learning system that kicks ass. And the resources for it are virtually unlimited.
Though that'll eventually be the case with PD too.
You cant go wrong with trying the max tutorials. Even if you decide to use PD, it'll be easy to adjust to it.
downloading it now in fact. so what is the difference between PD and Max/MSP? from what i've read they both spawned from the same place taking the same concept in um... the same direction. is one easier to use, has more features, etc? i can't find a direct comparison anywhere. and the abnormal names (and nicknames) for both make it a bitch for solid Googling.kineticUk wrote:Pure Data is Open Source as well so you can mess about (Without spending money first) and see if its gonna be something you like using / working in.
*EDIT: above post answered some of this.
I've used PD for some controller mapping tasks that I can't achieve in live. It's ok once you get into the right way of thinking about it, but the midi latency is too great to use it for much real time processing in a live performance setup, IMO. (>50ms in+out)
I'd be interested to hear how well max performs in this respect.
I'd be interested to hear how well max performs in this respect.
"That very perceptive of you Mr Stapleton, and rather unexpected... in a G Major"
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Michael-SW
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Oh, and you should also check out the excellent plogue bidule, www.plogue.com
what do you think about elektroplankton ? I was thinking about getting it but I want to try it out first - do you have to speak into it/clap etc to get the most out of it ? and how diverse are the sounds ? do you record the output ?
what do you think about elektroplankton ? I was thinking about getting it but I want to try it out first - do you have to speak into it/clap etc to get the most out of it ? and how diverse are the sounds ? do you record the output ?
spreader of butter
in two words..."the shit". it's really super fucking great. if you're into ambient sounds or sound design i can't imagine not liking it. only two of the planktons make use of the microphone and i don't really ever use those. the rest is all touch screen bliss. don't worry about looking like a nut job or anything on the train, just looks like you're using a PDA or something. the headphone out on the DS Lite is actually really decent, and required to record it into something else since you can't save anything. i have only 2 beefs with it; can't save shit and you can't only operate one plankton at a time. still worth getting though, but it's getting more expensive every day. i saw it on Amazon for $99 yesterday, kind of insane.b0unce wrote:what do you think about elektroplankton ?
great - just what I wanted to hear...its 45 euro here in Ireland, same price as every other DS new release. I was really surprised to see it available here, and it seems to be on general release.tjwett wrote:in two words..."the shit". it's really super fucking great. if you're into ambient sounds or sound design i can't imagine not liking it. only two of the planktons make use of the microphone and i don't really ever use those. the rest is all touch screen bliss. don't worry about looking like a nut job or anything on the train, just looks like you're using a PDA or something. the headphone out on the DS Lite is actually really decent, and required to record it into something else since you can't save anything. i have only 2 beefs with it; can't save shit and you can't only operate one plankton at a time. still worth getting though, but it's getting more expensive every day. i saw it on Amazon for $99 yesterday, kind of insane.b0unce wrote:what do you think about elektroplankton ?
Last edited by b0unce on Tue Nov 21, 2006 5:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
spreader of butter
I've had electroplankton for a good while (I wish there were more games like it)...
Wish there would be a version 2 though.
As for PD like Michael said its Open source and not nearly as well documented but powerful still. Its got a steeper Learning curve (because you need to read hard-to-read mailing lists to find anything out), rougher around the edges, and not as pretty.
But if that doesn't put you off its a great program and a labour of love for Miller Puckette.
You can't go wrong to have a go, maybe you'll pick it up straight away.
It will be quality as it progresses and its moving pretty fast really.
I recommend the PD version with externals included (People have made loads of objects for it and one version which you will see on the site is packaged with all the best/most useful ones, so its easier to get started with that.)
B0unce check out electroplankton (I just think its a brilliant example of how, technology can be used to add interactiveness to games/music...I wish someone could tap into the DS and make a mini lemur...I wish I'd stayed in school)
Wish there would be a version 2 though.
As for PD like Michael said its Open source and not nearly as well documented but powerful still. Its got a steeper Learning curve (because you need to read hard-to-read mailing lists to find anything out), rougher around the edges, and not as pretty.
But if that doesn't put you off its a great program and a labour of love for Miller Puckette.
You can't go wrong to have a go, maybe you'll pick it up straight away.
It will be quality as it progresses and its moving pretty fast really.
I recommend the PD version with externals included (People have made loads of objects for it and one version which you will see on the site is packaged with all the best/most useful ones, so its easier to get started with that.)
B0unce check out electroplankton (I just think its a brilliant example of how, technology can be used to add interactiveness to games/music...I wish someone could tap into the DS and make a mini lemur...I wish I'd stayed in school)
MacBook MacOS Live 9.7.1 Max for Live Push Logic
i guess the biggest difference with all these is the paradigm used to achieve the end result. for me, words and numbers (i.e. sc3) are much easier to grasp, cross referencing variables and arguments between functions, rather than trying to visually trace thin lines across a screen. also, i can imagine a large complexx patch in PD would be a nightmare to figure out rather than a smaller code based approach in SC. i hear chucK is quite taking off now and there's alot of development going into it. but after saying all that, people will stll drop the $1000AU on max, why? apparently it has some tutorials. $1000 tutorial....well done c74! (theres tons of free tut's going around for sc by the way, i wouldn't have been able to operate it otherwise)