Learn Max / MSP

Ableton and Cycling 74’s Max For Live offer a vast playground of programming opportunities to create unique compositions and rich sound designs. In this workshop you will create musical and […]

Ableton and Cycling 74’s Max For Live offer a vast playground of opportunities to create unique and rich electronic music performances. In this workshop you will create a performance instrument. […]

Write GLSL shaders in Jitter to build GPU particle systems, working with transform feedback, mesh rendering, geometry shaders and physics forces such as gravity, drag and friction.

Cycling 74’s Max / MSP offers a vast playground of programming opportunities to create your own synthesis devices. In this workshop you will build your own synthesis device that utilizes […]

Build an algorithmic composition patch in Max, generating melodies, ostinatos, chord voicings and sequences across multiple synth voices, then structure them into a finished piece.

Markov chains are mathematical models that have existed in various forms since the 19th century, which have been used to aid statistical modelling in many real-world contexts, from economics to […]

This workshop is an introduction to using modern JavaScript in Max 9. JavaScript is a text-based programming language that can be used to create and manipulate all kinds of data […]

Building blocks of sound synthesis in Max, building oscillators with MSP objects, adding modulation sources and exploring filter responses to create your own synthesis devices.

An open Q&A session with Kyle Duffield on programmable lighting, covering practical audience questions about tools, workflows and getting started.

Linking TouchDesigner and Ableton Live with TDAbleton to build audio-reactive visual networks, trigger them from clip slots and run an audiovisual live performance set.

This workshop introduces design fundamentals for user interfaces using modern Javascript with the v8UI object in Max 9. You will go over Javascript concepts required to create an interactive UI […]

Cycling 74’s Max / MSP offers a vast playground of programming opportunities to create your own musical instruments. In the course you will build a custom drum machine that features […]

Build modulation delay effects in Max's Gen environment, working through comb filters, FIR and IIR filter design, linear interpolation, and assignments to construct a through-zero flanger and a chorus.

Construct audio effects in Max's Gen using key Gen objects, delay lines with feedback networks, parameter and property configuration, and LFO networks to drive flanger and chorus devices.

Build audio effect devices in Max, working through the signal processing and patching techniques needed to design your own effects from the ground up.

MaxforLive allows users to develop their own devices for use in composition, performance and beyond. Creating a graphical user interface that complements the device is one of the crucial development […]

In this workshop, you will explore tools and techniques to create phaser audio effect devices in Gen via Max. Explore all pass filters, feedback loops, signal routing and LFOs via […]

Program Max for Live devices against the Live Object Model and Ableton Live's API, observing and changing Live properties, mapping parameters, routing audio and MIDI, and using JavaScript with the Live API.

Build sampler instruments in Max using buffer and waveform objects, creating single-cycle waveform samplers and loop-based sampler devices.

Cycling 74’s Max / MSP offers a vast playground of programming opportunities to create your own synthesis devices. In this series you will build custom modules to create your own […]

In this workshop, you explore the Gen codebox from the ground up, breaking down the traits that often make Gen codeboxes feel intimidating at first. You build simple distortion algorithms […]

A workshop covering the building blocks of FM synthesis - carriers, modulators and operator relationships - as a grounding for building FM instruments in Max's Gen environment.

Bach brings music notation inside Max. You can generate, edit, script, modify and play your scores either with mouse and keyboard or through patching. In this workshop you will write, […]

Using Ableton Live's API and the Live Object Model to reprogram a Launchpad's controls, sequencer and behaviour through custom Max for Live devices.

Building a polyphonic synthesizer in Max's RNBO environment - patching oscillators and abstractions, then exporting the result as a VST plug-in.

Take an audio patch from Max to the browser. Build a Max patch, export it with RNBO, and link it to a p5.js sketch to create interactive, online audiovisual experiences with effects and MIDI.

Write audio plug-ins and other targets using the FAUST functional DSP language, working through building and exporting effects as VSTs.

Build a browser-based cell-phone synth with p5.js, starting from an introduction to the library, handling user input and generating sound.

Use Ableton Live's MIDI effects to generate melodies and chord sequences, build a note-pattern generator, create macro variations, and produce drum rhythms with the Arpeggiator.

Max for Live is the most complete software for audio/visual professionals to build patches suitable for installation, experimental music, live lighting, and the web. If you can imagine it, you can build it. Taught by Music Ableton & Max Certified Trainer and industry expert Phelan Kane the course provides the latest skills, techniques and insight into creating unique devices and patches in Max For Live. With these skills, you will be able to create original devices/plug-ins to enrich your artistic voice and expand your possibilities.

Decompose and separate audio in Max using FluCoMa's NMF objects, covering real-time spectral matching, seeding bases and activations, and timbre transfer with fluid.bufnmfcross~.

MaxforLive allows users to develop their own devices for use in composition, performance and beyond. In the recent release of Live Suite 11 there are a myriad of new features […]

A four-session introduction to physical computing with Arduino — from your first 'Hello World' sketch to reading sensors and sending data into Max or Pure Data over serial to build your own instrument.

Build an experimental delay effect in Max from a buffer, record and groove setup, adding feedback loops, click-free triggered recording and a custom UI.

Work with Max 8's MC objects to build multichannel audio devices, including a multi-channel resonator, polyphonic chorus and beat-synced multi-tap delay, plus panning and MC messaging techniques.

Brian Eno used arranged tape loops for composition in the 1970 Discreet Music and Music For Airports. This M4L device takes those ideas and uses them for a simple but […]

Build a Max patch that turns text into musical data using cryptographic mapping, combining textedit, coll, zl, counter and expr to drive sound output through sfplay~ and sfinfo~.

There are a broad array of techniques musicians can use to generate music in Max. One fundamental component of traditional analogue synthesiser use is the LFO, or low-frequency oscillator. Additionally, […]

Build a Turing Machine random sequencer in Max from the ground up — the looping 'tape', data inversion and flip controls, rate and length, sync and a custom UI — for evolving, semi-random melodies.

This workshop aims to provide you with suitable skills to incorporate sonification techniques as generative composition tools within the Max environment.

Build highly efficient signal processing operations in Max using Gen~.

Manipulate 3D geometry at the vertex level with jit.gen in Max/Jitter: offsetting meshes, audio-reactive animation, 3D noise filtering, texturing shapes and generating colour palettes.

Cycling 74’s Max / MSP offers a vast playground of programming opportunities to create your own sound design and multimedia applications.

Build audio effects from scratch in Max, starting with the interface and basic objects, then oscillators, amplitude modulation, bit crushers, delays and comb filters, ending with presets and MIDI mapping.

Build highly efficient signal processing operations in Max using Gen~. The course contains 24 custom-made example patches along with audio samples that you will build as exercises during the course […]

Using openFrameworks, ofxRapidLib and ofxMaximilian, participants will learn how to integrate machine learning into generative applications. You will learn about the interactive machine learning workflow and how to implement classification, […]

Make Max patches respond to input: trigger and sync audio with playlist~, map keyboard keys, randomise playback, remap value ranges, and build a presentation-mode GUI, finishing with an introduction to Jitter video.

Learn JavaScript inside Max from the ground up: data structures, objects, functions, inlets and outlets, working with strings, and writing utility code to process and generate music.

Build real-time video and 3D visual effects in Max's jit.gen, covering colour manipulation, video mixing, feedback on 3D shapes, procedural noise with jit.bfg and texture mapping.

This comprehensive course will equip you with the skills and knowledge to confidently create your custom sound environment with Max. By connecting building blocks to create custom patches, working with […]

Get started building inside Max for Live — tour the devices that ship with Live Suite, then make your own: route patch cables, design interfaces and build a MIDI step sequencer from scratch.

Unlock the secrets of sound design with our online course ‘Getting Started with MSP' led by expert instructor Phelan Kane. Dive into 23 insightful videos and hands-on sessions, exploring fundamental sound generation, synthesis techniques, and robust Max functionalities to empower your music and multimedia projects. Ideal for intermediate Max users. Start your sonic journey with us now!

Use RNBO in Max to export your patches as Max externals and audio plugins, building an audio recorder, controlling groove~ and buffer~, handling MIDI and exporting a VST3 effect for use in Ableton Live.

Build software instruments in Max through a sequence of hands-on activities, working towards playable synthesised instruments inside the Max environment.

Work with FFT and spectral processing in Max using pfft~, building spectral filters, noise reduction, cross synthesis, buffer-based analysis and stochastic freeze and scrub effects.

Generate music from chance in Max, exploring different modes of randomness and moving from randomised notes to musical results using normal-distribution techniques.

Grainflow is a package for Max / MSP that utilizes gen~ and the MC wrapper to allow users to control large numbers of sample accurate grains.

A hands-on introduction to physical computing with Arduino and Max: wiring first LED circuits, electronics theory and Ohm's law, then reading buttons, potentiometers and sensors to control sound and light through Max patches.

Work with real-time video in Max's Jitter across four live sessions, building patches to process and manipulate moving images for interactive and performance use.

Design custom interfaces inside Max using the JavaScript and JSUI objects, scripting bespoke visual controls beyond Max's stock UI objects.

Work with interactive audio in Max, mapping a microphone to controls, filtering input with EQ, storing settings with presets, and recording and playing back sound from a buffer.

Create interactive video in Max using Jitter: grab webcam input, build motion detection with frame differencing and matrix operations, then map movement to audio, oscillators and video playback.

TouchDesigner is the industry standard tool for interactive visuals in live performance, broadcasting and art installations. Cycling 74’s Max / MSP offers a vast playground of programming opportunities to create […]

Get going in Max 8 and RNBO, from navigating the interface and your first patch to building a tremolo effect, using parameters, and exporting it as a VST3 plugin to test in Ableton.

Build an audio-reactive Jitter patch inside Ableton: compare Jitter and OpenGL, extract data from audio, process the render context, and port the finished visual patch into Max for Live.

An introductory walkthrough of ppooll, the modular Max-based live performance environment, covering its core layout and how to begin working with it.

Manipulate and process live samples in Max 8, building patches for real-time sample mangling across five hands-on parts.

Create generative phase music in Max/MSP, building repetitive patterns, MIDI phasing through rhythmic delay, gradient and multidimensional phasing, then extending the techniques into audio.

Build granular synthesis engines in Max using Gen~ and MC, constructing synchronous and asynchronous grain generators step by step and scaling up to hundreds of simultaneous grain streams.

In this workshop, you are exploring new tools and features in the Max 9 programming environment, including the ABL library of objects – a powerful group of audio effects created […]

Improve the sonic quality of your Max patches using the ABL objects, in a workshop with Jean-François Charles on getting cleaner, better-sounding audio inside Max.

** 10/04/2024 Update: this course has not been updated following recent changes in RunwayML. We've made that course free as a result, and it will ultimately be retired. RunwayML is […]

Watch back this Max meetup — a fantastic way to meet and be inspired by the Max community.

Meetups are a fantastic way to meet and be inspired by the Max community.

A Max community meetup exploring approaches to composition in Max, with playback of the session's talks and demonstrations.

Watch back this meetup that dives into the world of sonification with Max. In this meetup, musicians and artists will showcase their works dealing with sonification, explaining how they use Max for…

This Max meetup explored the theme "Generating Sound and Organizing Time", bringing together enthusiasts and experts in audio production, music composition, and sound design.

Expert presentations on generative art in Max — from data-driven soundscapes and sensor-based visuals to screen-printed patterns.

Watch back this Max community meetup focused on gen~ and generative techniques in Max, recorded May 2022.

Saturday 1st April 4pm UK, 5pm Berlin, 8am LA, 11am NYC Max Meetup on JavaScript is an excellent opportunity for programmers interested in combining Max and JavaScript to share their […]

Watch back this Max community meetup focused on gen~, recorded June 2021.

This meetup featured presentations from Kevin Kripper (generative artist, Buenos Aires), Sabina Covarrubias (composer and computer music researcher), and Dr. Francisco Colasanto.

Watch back this Max for Live community meetup, recorded November 2021.

A Max community meetup with two talks: Michele Zaccagnini on audiovisuals in Max using shaders beyond Jitter, and Philip Meyer on modular sequencing with Jamoma.

Presentations from artists using Max to perform live in interesting and creative ways.

Watch back this Max community meetup exploring what's new in Max 8.3 and Jitter, recorded June 2022.

This meetup featured Michael Begg's talk on using Max to uncover an authentic voice in a world in crisis, Elisa Batti's demonstration of using Max for creating choreography in "The Woman…

Build a generative melody system in Max — a step sequencer driven by random impulses, rhythmic anchoring and controlled variation — then audition and refine the melodies it produces.

Building MPE-capable instruments in Max and Max for Live, handling polyphonic note locating, pitch bend and per-note expression, and shaping presets for controllers such as the ERAE Touch.

Spectral synthesis in Max using SPEAR analysis: importing and formatting partial data, playing it back through MC objects, and creating multichannel variations on the spectral material.

Build and train neural networks inside Max using FluCoMa, working with fluid.mlpclassifier and fluid.mlpregressor for audio classification, regression with audio descriptors, and a wavetable autoencoder, plus tuning hidden layers, learn rate and overfitting.

Strategies and formats for releasing music and digital art as NFTs, explored through case studies including 3LAU, BT, Grimes, Beeple, EulerBeats and Art Blocks, with guidance on researching projects via Rarity.tools.

ppooll can be difficult to define, but, fundamentally, it is a versatile open-source DSP environment built from Max, which allows for audio signal processing, performance and routing without prerequisite knowledge […]

Build physical-modelling instruments in Max, from FIR/IIR and comb filters through Karplus-Strong to waveguide string, slide flute and vocal tract models.

Write code inside Max's gen~ codebox using assignments, the history and delay operators, conditional statements, functions, loops and buffers to build LFOs, abstractions and data-driven signal processing.

Build audio-reactive visuals in Max using Jitter, drive them from incoming sound and step into OpenGL to create procedural, real-time generative drawings.

In this workshop you will build your own patches for processing and interacting with samples and recorded audio. This workshop aims to provide you with suitable skills to begin exploring […]

Script and live-code Max using Scheme for Max: install it, call functions, work with variables and lists, schedule MIDI events and build step and generative sequencers.

– Introduction to using Max/MSP for data sonification – Importing data files (specifically CSV files) – Exploring different musical possibilities using data – Start incorporating data sonification in your projects […]

In this workshop you will implement an algorithm that processes the motion, color, and position of images and videos, and turns it into music. The goal of the workshop is […]

MaxMSP allows us to go far beyond the stompbox looper.

Build FM synthesis patches in Max, working through core operator concepts, developing algorithms and trying different oscillators to shape sounds from bells to robotic R2D2 timbres.

Construct granular synthesis devices in Max from MSP oscillator objects, add modulation sources and explore the spectral and timbral character of the technique alongside its strengths and limits.

Create a physical-modelling synth in Max by building a delay line with noise excitation, feedback filtering, MIDI pitch control and a sequencer, then port the instrument to Max for Live.

Build wavetable synthesis instruments in Max using MSP oscillator objects, add modulation sources and examine the spectral properties, timbre and trade-offs of wavetable sound design.

Tom Hall is an audio-visual artist who works in Max but also works as a full-time developer for Cycling ’74, the creators of MaxMSP/Jitter & Max for Live created Max. […]

Apply unsupervised machine learning to sound in Max with FluCoMa, working through PCA dimensionality reduction, UMAP, data scaling, KMeans clustering and the Jonker-Volgenant grid algorithm for organising audio.

Use Collab-Hub in Max to connect performers over a network, sharing control data and messages between machines for collaborative, distributed live performance.

This online course is designed to introduce you to the Fluid Corpus Manipulation (FluCoMa) project, a free Max Package. FluCoMa is focused on finding new and innovative ways for musicians […]

Build an audiovisual performance system in openFrameworks, combining a Phong-lit 3D sphere with vertex displacement, an ofxMaxim FM synth, and a trained machine-learning model controlled over OSC.