For next Wednesday I've asked you to go through the first 9 Max tutorials, as well as the first few MSP and Jitter tutorials. In Max tutorial 6, "Simple math in Max," there are instructions for making a Fahrenheit - Celsius converter. Before class next Wednesday, please make one of these converters and email it to me. Besides following the instructions, try to customize it: include some sliders or dials (covered in tutorial 7); change fonts, change colors - just to make it more personal, and to give you experience in designing a user interface (albeit a very simple one).
Good luck and have fun! If you run into trouble, please shoot me an email anytime.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Hi, all. My name is Daniel Swilley. I am a 2nd year DMA composition major. My experience with MAX/Msp is mostly from the stand point of building algorithmic composition tools, and a few FM and grainular instruments... I have a number of years experience with electroacoustic music and have come to feel comfortable with the medium and my capabilities. However, I've never done anything with live processing or interactive performance. I'm looking forward to exploring these things as well as getting to the chance to play again. Trumpet is my primary instrument, but I also play flute. Also, I also have an interest in conducting so perhaps that will translate to some cool experiments with wii controlers governing performance parameters... Time will tell.
Mackenzie Danner
I'm Mackenzie Danner, aka TechnoFlute. I am a Doctoral student in flute performance and am also completing a B.S.E.E. (Electrical Engineering). I have a B.M. and M.M. from Northwestern University in Flute Performance and Music Technology. I studied with Walfrid Kujala, former piccoloist of the Chicago Symphony.
I have been working on combining flute with self-produced techno music. I'm very interested in hard techno, trance, vocal trance, and dance music. I want to create percussive sounds in flute to incorporate into drum beats. I also want to use signal processing on melodic lines as in traditional trance and techno except replace the vocal part with flute. And I would also in the future like to create several TechnoFlute music videos.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
hi
hey my name is john. i am a dma student and have wanted to learn max/msp for about 6 years now. i am excited about our class and i'm looking forward to whatever collaborative efforts the future holds. have a nice day!
Heyo
Heyo all,
My name is Cheryl Krugel, and I'm a senior studying Music Composition. I've worked with a program that is kind of like an elementary version of MAX/MSP/JITTER--called Isadora (http://www.troikatronix.com/isadora.html); it was developed by a composer/choreographer team, and allows one to create patches using video, audio, midi, and other components. Other than that, I've mostly worked with acoustic music. I'm excited to learn MAX/MSP and create cool sounds with it :).
My name is Cheryl Krugel, and I'm a senior studying Music Composition. I've worked with a program that is kind of like an elementary version of MAX/MSP/JITTER--called Isadora (http://www.troikatronix.com/isadora.html); it was developed by a composer/choreographer team, and allows one to create patches using video, audio, midi, and other components. Other than that, I've mostly worked with acoustic music. I'm excited to learn MAX/MSP and create cool sounds with it :).
Hello my name is Dale and I am a 3rd year sound design and technology graduate student over at the Krannet Center. I have been designing sound effects and music for theatre dance and opera for several years and have no official musical background. I am very familiar with synthesizers and computer music.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Hello Everybody,
I'm Alex Bielen, a senior in Music Composition, and I am looking forward to learning MAX/MSP. I have some experience with "Computer Music", mostly with Rick Taube's Common Music and Grace, but I am interested in learning more about the real-time potential that MAX/MSP offers. Plus, I'd much rather program with a patch-based GUI than remember all of the LISP syntax. No Offense, John McCarthy. Anyway, compositonally my interests include memory, humor, repetition tolerance, and other associated junk. I think MAX/MSP will be a good tool for expressing these interests in a significant way.
SEE YA'LL SOON.
-Alex
I'm Alex Bielen, a senior in Music Composition, and I am looking forward to learning MAX/MSP. I have some experience with "Computer Music", mostly with Rick Taube's Common Music and Grace, but I am interested in learning more about the real-time potential that MAX/MSP offers. Plus, I'd much rather program with a patch-based GUI than remember all of the LISP syntax. No Offense, John McCarthy. Anyway, compositonally my interests include memory, humor, repetition tolerance, and other associated junk. I think MAX/MSP will be a good tool for expressing these interests in a significant way.
SEE YA'LL SOON.
-Alex
Hi there! nice to meet you guys.
Hello,
I'm Ming-ching, a Taiwanese guy came to UIUC 2 years ago. I got my master degree in music composition in spring and will stay here for some more years to get a DMA. I've been trying to learn Max/MSP by myself for a long time, but I'm just too busy (or maybe too lazy). Since I'm taking the class this semester I hope I can finally learn it with some external pressure. :P By the way, I think It will be a lot of fun working with other people in this class. See you on Monday!
Ming-ching
I'm Ming-ching, a Taiwanese guy came to UIUC 2 years ago. I got my master degree in music composition in spring and will stay here for some more years to get a DMA. I've been trying to learn Max/MSP by myself for a long time, but I'm just too busy (or maybe too lazy). Since I'm taking the class this semester I hope I can finally learn it with some external pressure. :P By the way, I think It will be a lot of fun working with other people in this class. See you on Monday!
Ming-ching
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Class schedule
Week 1
8/25 Introduction: how to use Max help
8/27 Introduction to MSP and Jitter tutorials
8/29 Introduction to other learning sources: Berkeley’s Max materials and the Cycling 74 forums
Week 2
[9/1 Labor Day - no class]
9/3 How to set up mics; avoiding feedback; working with digital audio interfaces;
Assignment 1 due - progress through the tutorials
9/5 Taylor, seven microworlds and Pulse Aria; digital delays; Assignment 2, working through tutorials (Max #15, MSP #6)
Week 3
9/8 More on delays; user interface and presentation mode
9/10 Special guest Ben Smith, composer/violinist;
Assignment 3, working through tutorials (Max Basic #22, Designing equations; MSP #11, Frequency modulation)
9/12 Assignment 4 due: customize your digital delay
Week 4
9/15 Taylor, Nebulae - special guest Ann Yeung (tentative)
9/17 Assignment 5 due: perform in class with your patch
9/19 Collaboration: start finding colleagues to work with
Week 5
9/22 Sound design and playback: Taylor, Silent, Black, Outside - intro to the Lemur control surface; finish up Assignment 5
9/24 Assignment 6, more tutorials (Max, Data and Interface tutorials; MSP #17, Sampling review)
9/26 Taylor, Agoraphobia (with special guests Ann Yeung and Jonathan Keeble)
[Saturday, 9/27 - Bang On A Can Marathon]
Week 6
9/29 Plan details for Project 1 - Beckman performance;
10/1 Assignment 7, more tutorials (Max, Patcher Storage and Javascript tutorials; MSP #26, Frequency domain signal processing with pfft~; Jitter #10, Chromakeying)
10/3 How to do laptop improv - special guest Jimmy Bunch and his 16-step sequencer
Week 7
10/6 Assignment 8, using other processing and synthesis (vocoding, granular, pitch shifting, etc.)
10/8 In-class improvising in teams (Assign. 8 cont.)
10/10 Assign. 8 cont.; Improvising vs. composing
Week 8
10/13 Assignment 9, complete MSP tutorials (#31, Comb filter); Jitter tutorial #14, Matrix positioning
10/15 work on Project 1
10/17 continued - possibly breaking out into small group rehearsals
Week 9
10/20 more rehearsals
10/22 Project 1 due - dress rehearsal for Beckman
10/23 Beckman performance, 12:20-12:50 pm
10/24 post-Beckman discussion
Week 10
10/27 Jitter week - Assignment 10, Jitter tutorial 21, Working with live video and audio input
10/29 (work up to Jitter tutorial 25, Tracking the position of a color in a movie)
10/31 Assignment 11 - in-class improv, combining audio and video
Week 11
11/3 Prepare for Project 2 - performance in Krannert Art Museum - other gig possibilities?
11/5 (At some point in the semester, maybe around here, I see the class morphing into an ensemble/improv group, rather than a class on how to use Max - so the rest of the semester may resemble a rehearsal schedule more than a class syllabus.)
11/7 Special guest Mei-Fang Lin, on her work Multiplication virtuelle
Week 12
11/10
11/12
11/14
[Fall break, 11/17 - 11/21]
Week 13
11/24
11/26
11/28
Week 14
12/1
12/3
12/5
Week 15
12/8
12/10 Final performance - KAM, others?
8/25 Introduction: how to use Max help
8/27 Introduction to MSP and Jitter tutorials
8/29 Introduction to other learning sources: Berkeley’s Max materials and the Cycling 74 forums
Week 2
[9/1 Labor Day - no class]
9/3 How to set up mics; avoiding feedback; working with digital audio interfaces;
Assignment 1 due - progress through the tutorials
9/5 Taylor, seven microworlds and Pulse Aria; digital delays; Assignment 2, working through tutorials (Max #15, MSP #6)
Week 3
9/8 More on delays; user interface and presentation mode
9/10 Special guest Ben Smith, composer/violinist;
Assignment 3, working through tutorials (Max Basic #22, Designing equations; MSP #11, Frequency modulation)
9/12 Assignment 4 due: customize your digital delay
Week 4
9/15 Taylor, Nebulae - special guest Ann Yeung (tentative)
9/17 Assignment 5 due: perform in class with your patch
9/19 Collaboration: start finding colleagues to work with
Week 5
9/22 Sound design and playback: Taylor, Silent, Black, Outside - intro to the Lemur control surface; finish up Assignment 5
9/24 Assignment 6, more tutorials (Max, Data and Interface tutorials; MSP #17, Sampling review)
9/26 Taylor, Agoraphobia (with special guests Ann Yeung and Jonathan Keeble)
[Saturday, 9/27 - Bang On A Can Marathon]
Week 6
9/29 Plan details for Project 1 - Beckman performance;
10/1 Assignment 7, more tutorials (Max, Patcher Storage and Javascript tutorials; MSP #26, Frequency domain signal processing with pfft~; Jitter #10, Chromakeying)
10/3 How to do laptop improv - special guest Jimmy Bunch and his 16-step sequencer
Week 7
10/6 Assignment 8, using other processing and synthesis (vocoding, granular, pitch shifting, etc.)
10/8 In-class improvising in teams (Assign. 8 cont.)
10/10 Assign. 8 cont.; Improvising vs. composing
Week 8
10/13 Assignment 9, complete MSP tutorials (#31, Comb filter); Jitter tutorial #14, Matrix positioning
10/15 work on Project 1
10/17 continued - possibly breaking out into small group rehearsals
Week 9
10/20 more rehearsals
10/22 Project 1 due - dress rehearsal for Beckman
10/23 Beckman performance, 12:20-12:50 pm
10/24 post-Beckman discussion
Week 10
10/27 Jitter week - Assignment 10, Jitter tutorial 21, Working with live video and audio input
10/29 (work up to Jitter tutorial 25, Tracking the position of a color in a movie)
10/31 Assignment 11 - in-class improv, combining audio and video
Week 11
11/3 Prepare for Project 2 - performance in Krannert Art Museum - other gig possibilities?
11/5 (At some point in the semester, maybe around here, I see the class morphing into an ensemble/improv group, rather than a class on how to use Max - so the rest of the semester may resemble a rehearsal schedule more than a class syllabus.)
11/7 Special guest Mei-Fang Lin, on her work Multiplication virtuelle
Week 12
11/10
11/12
11/14
[Fall break, 11/17 - 11/21]
Week 13
11/24
11/26
11/28
Week 14
12/1
12/3
12/5
Week 15
12/8
12/10 Final performance - KAM, others?
Syllabus
MaxMSP: Computer Music for Performers and Composers
Music 404B, Fall 2008
Instructor: Stephen Taylor
MWF, 10 - 10:50 am
CAMIL I lab (MB 5047)
School of Music, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Office hours: Monday and Wednesday at 11 am; room 5042.
Course Description:
Composers and performers will collaborate to create interactive works for instruments and singers, using Cycling 74's software MaxMSP.
Course Objectives:
MaxMSP, available from Cycling74 for Mac and Windows. MaxMSP is a graphical programming environment for music, audio, and new media. It's installed on all the computers in Camil I, but you are welcome to use it on your own computer if you have one. There are student discounts (including a $59 9-month authorization) here. Also, you can download and try it for free for 30 days.
Max has a steep learning curve. Because it is a powerful program that lets you do almost anything you can imagine, it doesn't force you into one way of doing things (for example, pressing "Play" or "Record"). But Max comes with massive (and fun) documentation, and they have just released version 5, which is quite a bit easier to use. There are lots of good online tutorials:
As an alternative to Max/MSP, you can try the open-source Pure Data, developed by Miller Puckette, the original creator of Max.
Although we will supply microphones to use in the CAMIL lab, you need to bring your own headphones to listen to your computer output.
Evaluation:60% projects; 40% assignments. I hope for this course to be an opportunity to explore, meet new musical collaborators, and have fun. But I also want you to work hard! I'll give you verbal feedback on each assignment and project, and after the midterm project I will email you a written evaluation to let you know how you're doing in the class. If you have any questions on your grade or anything else, please ask me anytime.
Performance opportunities:
The main goal of the class is to make new music, both performances and improvisations. We’ll perform both for each other in class, and in venues on and off campus. If any of you know of opportunities - coffee shops, etc. - please let me know.
Our first public performance will most likely be in October. During the semester there is a series of lunchtime concerts at the Beckman Center on south campus. I would like us to present a plugged-in concert there, combining improv and composed music. We'll have to bring our own equipment; it also pays up to $75 for each performer. Performance date (tentative): 10/16.
Music 404B, Fall 2008
Instructor: Stephen Taylor
MWF, 10 - 10:50 am
CAMIL I lab (MB 5047)
School of Music, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Office hours: Monday and Wednesday at 11 am; room 5042.
Course Description:
Composers and performers will collaborate to create interactive works for instruments and singers, using Cycling 74's software MaxMSP.
Course Objectives:
- Learn the basics of amplification, microphones, mixers, digital audio interfaces, and midi
- Learn how to make patches in Max/MSP
- Learn the basics of Jitter, a set of video extensions to Max
- Collaborate with your colleagues to make new music
- Perform your completed works in December
- For performers: learn Max well enough to make adjustments and small patches yourself, and perform without requiring someone to set up equipment for you.
- For composers: make your patches bulletproof, so performers can use them without having you there to help them.
- For everyone: learn how to collaborate with others, make suggestions, accept criticism, and try new things.
MaxMSP, available from Cycling74 for Mac and Windows. MaxMSP is a graphical programming environment for music, audio, and new media. It's installed on all the computers in Camil I, but you are welcome to use it on your own computer if you have one. There are student discounts (including a $59 9-month authorization) here. Also, you can download and try it for free for 30 days.
Max has a steep learning curve. Because it is a powerful program that lets you do almost anything you can imagine, it doesn't force you into one way of doing things (for example, pressing "Play" or "Record"). But Max comes with massive (and fun) documentation, and they have just released version 5, which is quite a bit easier to use. There are lots of good online tutorials:
- Cycling74 has some good tutorials on their website - if you already know a little about Max, this tutorial by Andrew Benson is an excellent intro to some of the new features in Max 5.
- Also on Cycling74's website, check out the Max/MSP forum.
- www.maxobjects.com, a directory of thousands of external objects created by Max users around the world.
- Perhaps the single best tip: to get help on any object box in Max, you can option-click it.
As an alternative to Max/MSP, you can try the open-source Pure Data, developed by Miller Puckette, the original creator of Max.
Although we will supply microphones to use in the CAMIL lab, you need to bring your own headphones to listen to your computer output.
Evaluation:60% projects; 40% assignments. I hope for this course to be an opportunity to explore, meet new musical collaborators, and have fun. But I also want you to work hard! I'll give you verbal feedback on each assignment and project, and after the midterm project I will email you a written evaluation to let you know how you're doing in the class. If you have any questions on your grade or anything else, please ask me anytime.
Performance opportunities:
The main goal of the class is to make new music, both performances and improvisations. We’ll perform both for each other in class, and in venues on and off campus. If any of you know of opportunities - coffee shops, etc. - please let me know.
Our first public performance will most likely be in October. During the semester there is a series of lunchtime concerts at the Beckman Center on south campus. I would like us to present a plugged-in concert there, combining improv and composed music. We'll have to bring our own equipment; it also pays up to $75 for each performer. Performance date (tentative): 10/16.
Assignment 1
I would like everyone in the class to be contributors to the class blog; you should receive an email inviting you to be a member. Please follow the instructions in that email message, and sign up to be a contributing member to the blog. Then, please write a post about yourself - your musical background, and what you hope to gain from this class.
For next Wednesday, Sept. 3, please read through tutorials 1-9 for Max (up to "Mouse Drawing"), trying out the patches and tweaking them. Also read "MSP Introduction," "How Digital Audio Works," "How MSP Works," and "Audio I/O." Finally, read through the first five MSP tutorials (this is where you actually get to make sounds - make sure to use headphones); if you have time, try out the first couple of Jitter tutorials also. We should get through these tutorials quickly, so we can spend more time making music and art!
For next Wednesday, Sept. 3, please read through tutorials 1-9 for Max (up to "Mouse Drawing"), trying out the patches and tweaking them. Also read "MSP Introduction," "How Digital Audio Works," "How MSP Works," and "Audio I/O." Finally, read through the first five MSP tutorials (this is where you actually get to make sounds - make sure to use headphones); if you have time, try out the first couple of Jitter tutorials also. We should get through these tutorials quickly, so we can spend more time making music and art!
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