Level: Informative for all levels of experience

One of the best aspects of Max MSP is it’s ability to do real-time visual rendering. In this workshop we’re going to learn how to program our own custom visual designs as well as different techniques to make them respond to audio in real-time. Through this workshop we’ll explore different aspects of how Jitter and OpenGL operate within the Max domain along with a look into many incredible max objects. We’ll also touch on some signal processing techniques and how to patch it all together.

Session Learning Outcomes 

By the end of this session a successful student will be able to:

• Program their own visual animations in Max MSP

• Have a basic understanding of Jitter, OpenGL and the differences between them.

• Learn several techniques to make the visuals responsive to audio in real-time

• Think of the design aesthetics from a new perspective.

Session Study Topics

• Intro to jitter and OpenGL + key objects

• Real Time Audio Responsive Techniques

• Creating the Visuals

• Design Thinking and Philosophy

Requirements

• A computer and internet connection

• Access to a copy of Max 8 (i.e. trial or full license)

About the workshop leader

Andrew Robinson is an Arizona based interactive experience designer, artist, and educator.

Andrew has been designing real-time audio responsive animations for live music performances, music videos, and more for the past 6 years and has had the opportunity to work with some incredible musical talent. He also received his master’s degree in interactive experience design from Arizona State University in 2019 and now works at Synthesis Center as an educator and researcher for experience design.

Level: Beginner +

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 effective loop playback device. In this workshop you’ll learn how to work with audio file playback objects like buffer~ & groove~ along with send & receive concepts and sub-patches.

By the end of this session a successful student will be able to:

• Build a basic audio file playback device.

• Explore signal routings using send & return objects.

• Use sub-patch encapsulations in M4L.

• Describe the signal flow in a M4L device.

Session Study Topics

• Max objects for audio playback.

• Audio signal flow.

• Encapsulations in Max.

Requirements

• A computer and internet connection

• A web cam and mic

• A Zoom account

• Access to a copy of Max 8 (i.e. trial or full license)

About the workshop leader

Johan Englund is a music producer based in St Leonards East Sussex and an educator for Tileyard Education (London) and Bimm (London). He has been engaged as a professional in the music industry since the early 1990s and as a lecturer since 2005.

Level: Intermediate

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, pitch quantization can be an extremely powerful tool, especially when used alongside the values generated by an LFO.

This workshop will provide you with the information to construct both devices in Max, giving you a broader palette of compositional tools.

Session Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this session you will be able to:

• Learn the basics of LFOs and pitch quantizers.

• Build a standalone LFO patch with variable waveforms and a functional UI.

• Build a quantizer which will map incoming pitch values to user-defined scales/modes.

• Use both devices to control parameters of sound synthesis and assist in generative music composition.

Session Study Topics

• Generative music

• LFOs and waveforms

• Pitch quantization

• Composition through MIDI and software instrument manipulation.

Requirements

• A computer and internet connection
•  Access to a copy of Max 7 or 8 (i.e. trial or full license)

About the workshop leader 

Samuel Pearce-Davies is a composer, performer, music programmer and Max hacker living in Cornwall, UK.

With a classical music background, it was his introduction to Max/MSP during undergraduate studies at Falmouth University that sparked Sam’s passion for music programming and algorithmic composition.

Going on to complete a Research Masters in computer music, Sam is now studying a PhD at Plymouth University in music-focused AI

Level: Intermediate

There are a broad array of techniques musicians can use to generate music in Max. One such process involves taking inspiration from Alan Turing’s early work on proto-computers, in particular the notion of a tape with data being displayed on it.

This workshop will provide you with the information to construct such a generative device, a ‘Turing Machine’, to supplement your compositional practice.

Session Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this session you will be able to:

• Understand the fundamentals of a Turing Machine in a musical context.

• Patch together a generative process using randomisation and counters.

• Build a functional UI to tweak different aspects of the generative process in real time.

• Use the finished device to both generate music through MIDI and control broader parameters of software instruments.

Session Study Topics

• Turing machines, generative music.

• Random processes: drunken walks and probability.

• Visual design in Max

• Composition through MIDI and software instrument manipulation.

Requirements

• A computer and internet connection
• Access to a copy of Max 7 or 8 (i.e. trial or full license)

About the workshop leader 

Samuel Pearce-Davies is a composer, performer, music programmer and Max hacker living in Cornwall, UK.

With a classical music background, it was his introduction to Max/MSP during undergraduate studies at Falmouth University that sparked Sam’s passion for music programming and algorithmic composition.

Going on to complete a Research Masters in computer music, Sam is now studying a PhD at Plymouth University in music-focused AI.

Level: Beginner

Cycling 74’s Max / MSP offers a vast playground of programming opportunities to create your own sound design and multimedia applications. In this workshop you will build a patch using items from the Max tool bar such as Beap and Vizzie as well using media from your own collection, plus explore ways to open up, reverse engineer and modify existing resources within the Max.

Series Learning Outcomes

By the end of this series a successful student will be able to:

• Confidently navigate the Max environment to quickly gain access to content and learning resources.

• Deploy resources into a patch.

• Connect and explore these resources to develop ideas for sound and media design, composition and performance.

• Navigate the help file system and reverse engineer existing content in the Max application.

Session Study Topics

• The Tools available in a Max such as Beap and Vizzie modules.

• Playlists and drag and drop media.

• Bpatches, prototypes and snippets.

• The helpfile system.

Requirements

• A computer and internet connection

• Access to a copy of Max 8 (i.e. trial or full license)

About the workshop leader

Duncan Wilson (aka Ned Rush) is a musician, producer and content creator based in the UK. Whilst perhaps largely known for his Youtube channel, he has also released music independently as well developing content for Isotonik Studios.

Dates & Times: 

Session 1: Wednesday 7th April 10am LA / 1pm NYC / 6pm UK / 7pm Berlin

Session 2: Wednesday 14th April 10am LA / 1pm NYC / 6pm UK / 7pm Berlin

Session 3: Wednesday 21st April 10am LA / 1pm NYC / 6pm UK / 7pm Berlin

Session 4: Wednesday 28th April 10am LA / 1pm NYC / 6pm UK / 7pm Berlin

Level: Beginners curious about programming

Get started with interactive audio and MIDI, and discover the possibilities of the Max environment. In this series of workshops, you will learn how to manipulate audio, MIDI, virtual instruments and program your own interactive canvas.

Connect together Max’s building blocks to create unexpected results, and use them in your music productions. Through a series of guided exercises you will engage in the pragmatic creation of a basic MIDI sequencer device that features a wealth of musical manipulation options.

Learn from guided examples and live interactions with teachers and other participants.

This series of online workshops aims to enable you to work with Max confidently on your own.

Sessions overview

Session 1 – Understand the Max environment

Session 2 – Connect building blocks together and work with data

Session 3 – Master the user interface

Session 4 – Work with your MIDI instruments

Requirements

• A computer and internet connection

• A good working knowledge of computer systems

• Access to a copy of Max 8

About the workshop leader 

Phelan Kane is a Berlin & London based music producer, engineer, artist, developer and educator. For over twenty years he has been active in both the music industry and the contemporary music education sector, with a focus on electronic music and alternative bands.

He specialises in sound design and production techniques such as synthesis and sampling, alongside audio processing and plug-in development.

He is currently running the electronic music record label Meta Junction Recordings and the audio software development company Meta Function, which specialize in Max for Live devices releasing the M4L synth Wave Junction in partnership with Sonicstate.

Level: All Max users

South Indian Carnatic music is home to a huge array of fascinating rhythms, composed from algorithms. Rooted in maths and aesthetics, Carnatic music has many facets that can be applied to computer music. In this workshop you will be given an introduction to this tradition, and provided with the opportunity to observe, create, and hack various patches that demonstrate some of these ideas.

Session Learning Outcomes

By the end of this session a successful student will be able to:

• Be capable of reciting a simple rhythmic konnakol phrase

• Be capable of conceiving simple rhythmic algorithms

• Be capable of translating these concepts into simple Max patches

• Understand South Indian rhythmic concepts & terminology such as Tala, Jhati, and Nadai

Session Study Topics

• Learning a konnakol phrase

• Understanding Tala cycles

• Understanding Jhati and Nadai

• Translating rhythmic algorithms into code

Requirements

• A computer and internet connection

• A webcam and mic

• A Zoom account

• Access to a copy of Max 8 (i.e. trial or full license)

About the workshop leader

Dom Aversano is a Valencian and London based composer and percussionist with a particular interest in combining ideas from the South Indian classical and Western music traditions. He has performed internationally as a percussionist, and produced award-winning installation work that has been exhibited in Canada, Italy, Greece, Australia, and the UK.

For a decade Dom has studied South Indian Carnatic music in London and in Chennai. He has studied with mridangam virtuoso Sri Balachandar, the resident percussionist of The Bhavan music centre in London, as well as shorter periods with Somashekar Jois and M N Hariharan.

Level: Intermediate

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 stages that can give a device its personality. In this workshop you will learn how to create a custom user interface for a M4L device, including a native Ableton Live style to a completely personalised theme.

Session Learning Outcomes

By the end of this session a successful student will be able to:

• Identify different styles of user interface

• Explore and configure Live/Max UI objects

• Create custom dials and sliders

• Construct UI systems that synchronise with Ableton Live

• Create pop-up UI windows

Session Study Topics

• UI objects and their properties

• User designed GUI objects

• Translating Ableton Live’s theme system

• Window properties and embedded visual patches

Requirements

• A computer and internet connection

• A web cam and mic

• A Zoom account

• Access to a copy of Live 10/11 & Max 8 (i.e. trial or full license)

About the workshop leader 

Mark Towers is an Ableton Certified Trainer and a lecturer in music technology at Leicester College. He specialises in Max for Live, as well as working with Isotonik Studios to create unique and creative devices for music production and performance such as the Arcade Series.

Level: Intermediate

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

Session Learning Outcomes 

By the end of this session a successful  student will be able to:

● Apply a cryptographic method for data  mapping;

● Explore realtime adaptable audio  looper;

● Construct a time based generative  decision maker;

● Build an cryptography based looper.

Session Study Topics

● [Coll] and [Zl] combinations for data  storage and parsing;

● [Sfplay~], [sfinfo~] and @seek

iterations to create modular and

random loops;

● [expr] for loop-adaptable equations.

● [if] for more complex decision-making  operations

Requirements

• A computer and internet connection
• A web cam and mic
• A Zoom account
• Access to a copy of Max 8 (i.e. trial or full  license)

About the workshop leader

James Wilkie is a UK-based Sound Artist and composer.

He is currently creating his own work and  collaborating with cross disciplinary artists in  dance, film, and fine art, producing immersive AV experiences.

Date & Time: Tuesday 16th March 2021 6pm GMT / 7pm CET / 10am PST / 1pm EST

Level: Advanced

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 a series of exercises. This workshop aims to enrich your musical output via the application of a self-made audio effects and novel sound design techniques. Gen provides highly optimised audio processes that matches C++ and is the ideal technology for improving complex Max patches and optimising CPU.

Session Learning Outcomes

By the end of this session a successful student will be able to:

• Identify key Gen objects for audio phasor effects devices

• Build all pass filter devices with feedback networks

• Configure Gen parameters and properties

• Add LFO networks for filter modulation

Session Study Topics

• Gen objects

• All pass filters

• Gen variables and parameters

• LFO modulation sources

Requirements

• A computer and internet connection

• A web cam and mic

• A Zoom account

• Access to a copy of Max 8 (i.e. trial or full license)

About the workshop leader

Phelan Kane is a Berlin & London based music producer, engineer, artist, developer and educator.

He is currently running the electronic music record label Meta Junction Recordings and the audio software development company Meta Function. He has released the Max for Live device synth Wave Junction in partnership with Sonicstate.