Beckman gig

- 2 or 3 computers
- flute, electric guitar or bass guitar, viola, trumpet, percussion (2 players - gamelan?), keyboard, found objects w/contact mics
- ca. 30 - 40 minutes of music
- improv
- composed (Dee, Jinok, Cheryl, Alex, Adrian, John, Daniel, Ming-Ching)

- video?? (separate computer for projector)

pattr and preset

Here is a square synth project I made last year which might help to figure out how to use the pattr (patch attributes) objects in Max - they act as an updated version of the old preset object. This patch also shows an attempt at music notation in Max, using the pictslider object. Also - there's a pretty simple use of poly~, adsr~, and rect~ (a square wave object).

Agoraphobia patches

Here is a zip file of the patches for my piece Agoraphobia for flute, harp, and live electronics. I tried to dust it off a little to make it presentable, but it is definitely a work in progress, and there are lots of improvements that could be made to it. So with that in mind, please feel free to download it and hack to your heart's content. I've not included the 300 MB of sound files, so you will get lots of error messages saying Max couldn't find them. If you have other problems or questions please let me know - we can discuss it in Monday's class.

Free VST plugins

Here's a good site with tons of free VSTs:

http://www.kvraudio.com/get.php


under "Choose General Plug-in/Host Type" be sure to check "effects"

Cycling 74 guitar tutorials

There are some good tutorials on the Cycling 74 website for making a guitar-processing rig in Max. I've been going through these over the last week and they have some excellent Max techniques, as well as a good use of Presentation mode.

Expand your guitar, vol. 1 - a good intro to the basics of hooking up an instrument to your computer, and how to set it up in Max.

Max 5 guitar processor, part 1 - includes an interesting flow chart on how to plan a large-scale, complex Max patch. Starts with input, compressor, and output (including test sounds and white noise).

Max 5 guitar processor, part 2 - continues the above patch, adding overdrive and EQ (personally I didn't have great results with the overdrive, but I wasn't using a guitar to run the patch - your mileage may vary).

Teams for Assignment 8

Great work everyone on your delay patches so far; I'm looking forward to the next performance assignment, in which you will work in teams. Then, after the team assignment, we'll ramp up to Project 1, which is the performance in Beckman on October 23. I'm also looking out for other possible gigs - if anyone has ideas please let me know.

For the teamwork assignment you will work mostly in pairs: one of you will perform on your instrument or voice, while the other will control the computer, either manipulating the performer's sound in real time, or triggering soundfiles, or both.

While your first delay performance was more or less free improv, I would like this one to be a little more structured. Collaborate on a performance that has a beginning, middle, and end. Try to figure out what you want your piece to do. It doesn't need to be notated in traditional notation, but I would like some kind of written description, or score, of your performance.

You have two weeks - I would like to have in-class performances on Wednesday and Friday, Oct. 8-10. Here are the teams I'd like you to work in:

• Mackenzie Danner and Jinok Cho
• Daniel Swilley, Justin Kothenbuel and Dee Reddy (let's have Justin and Dee perform, and Daniel control the computer)
• Adrian Gierakowski and Cheryl Krugel
• Alex Biehlen and Dale Bigall
• Jeff Nichols and Ming-Ching Chiu

I've assigned you into teams based on your performing experience, and any previous experience in Max. Good luck! If you're auditing the class but still interested in doing this please let me know.

Assignments 4 and 5

Thanks to Ben Smith for a terrific presentation! Just to confirm what I said in class on Wednesday: you can have until Monday to finish tweaking your delay patches for Assignment 4. We'll be talking about delays more in Friday's class, as well as Max and MSP tutorials. Remember, as you work on your delay, that you will be performing in class with it for Assignment 5, which is due next Wednesday, 9/17.

Your performance next Wednesday shouldn't be too long (I want to try and hear everyone, so a couple of minutes is fine), but you should have some kind of plan: for instance you can start loud and get softer, or vice versa; you can start in the low register of your instrument or voice and go higher, or vice versa; you can start fast and end slow; or you can stay in one "place" (high, loud, etc.) for your entire performance. Just have a plan, and make sure that your delay patch is part of your plan. Some cool canonic things could happen.

Finally, next Monday Professor Ann Yeung will give a short presentation of my piece Nebulae for harp, MaxMSP, and Jitter.

MSP Tutorial 6 patch

In case they're useful, here is a link to the patches I went through in class today, on how to complete the exercises in MSP Tutorial 6.

New delay patch

Here is a link to a delay patch written by Darwin Grosse, that you can modify for Friday's assignment if you like; I think it offers some interesting comparisons to the delay patches that I've written. I've modified it a bit; you can check out the original from maxobjects.com; search for "twindelay."

Assignments 3 and 4

Next Wednesday Sept. 10, special guest Ben Smith will demo his violin effects setup, built in MaxMSP; Ben also plays with Guy Garnett's group the Digital Collective. Also for next Wednesday please do Assignment 3: work up to Max Basic Tutorial 22, Designing Equations; and MSP Tutorial 11, Frequency modulation.

For next Friday, Sept. 12, I would like you to customize a delay patch; you have the choice of two delays, which I used in two of my pieces: seven microworlds and Pulse Aria. Please download these patches and take them apart (Pulse Aria is easier to figure out since I wrote the patch later). Then the following week, you will perform in class using your altered delay patch. (Of course, you needn't limit yourself only to using delays; we'll discuss this more in class).

Assignment 2

Because we need to get started on projects soon, I would like you to work through most of the tutorials in the next week or two. By this Friday, Sept. 5, please work through Max Tutorial 15, "Abstractions"; and MSP Tutorial 6, "A review of fundamentals." We'll do some of these in class, but please try to do as much as you can on your own. If you have time, work up to Jitter Tutorial 4, "Controlling movie playback."