Getting started with Max: May Series

Date & Time: 

Session 1: Wednesday 5th May 7pm Indian Standard Time / 2.30pm UK / 3.30pm Berlin

Session 2: Wednesday 12th May 7pm Indian Standard Time / 2.30pm UK / 3.30pm Berlin

Session 3: Wednesday 19th 7pm Indian Standard Time / 2.30pm UK / 3.30pm Berlin

Session 4: Wednesday 26th May 7pm Indian Standard Time / 2.30pm UK / 3.30pm 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.

TouchDesigner meetup 17th April – Audio visualisation

Date & Time: Saturday 17th April 5pm – 7pm UK / 6pm – 8pm Berlin

Level: Open to all levels

Join the online meetup for expert talks on audio visualisation. Meet and be inspired by the TouchDesigner community.

The meetup runs via Zoom. The main session features short presentations from TouchDesigner users. Breakout rooms are created on the spot on specific topics, and you can request a new topic at any time.

The theme for this session is Audio visualisation, hosted by Bileam Tschepe with presentations from the community.

In the breakout rooms, you can share your screen to show other participants something you’re working on, ask for help, or help someone else.

Presenters:

Name: Ian MacLachlan
Title: Terraforming with MIDI
Bio: Bjarne Jensen is an experimental audio/visual artist from the Detroit area with an interest in creating interactive systems for spatial transformation.
Name: Jean-François Renaud
Title: Generating MIDI messages to synchronize sound and visual effect in TouchDesigner
Description : Instead of using the audio analysis strategy to affect the rendering, we are focusing on building small generative machines using the basic properties of notes (pitch, velocity), and we look at different means to manage triggering. At the end, the goal is still to merge and to make alive what you hear and what you see.
Bio: Interactive media professor at École des médias, UQAM, Montréal
Vimeohttps://vimeo.com/morpholux 
Name: Bileam Tschepe
Title: algorhythm – a first look into my software
Description: I’ve been working on a tool for audiovisual live performances and I’d like to share its current state and see if people are interested in collaborating and working with me
Bio: Berlin based artist and educator who creates audio-reactive, interactive and organic digital artworks, systems and installations in TouchDesigner, collaborating with and teaching people worldwide.
YouTube: Bileam Tschepe

Requirements

  • A Zoom account
  • A computer and internet connection

Berlin Code of Conduct

We ask all participants to read and follow the Berlin Code of Conduct and contribute to creating a welcoming environment for everyone.

Supported by

Max meetup 24th April – Europe Edition

Date & Time: Saturday 24th April 3pm UK

Level: Open to all levels

Join the Max meetup to share ideas and learn with other artists, coders and performers. Showcase your patches, pair with others to learn together, get help for a school assignment, or discover new things.

The meetup runs via Zoom. The main session features short presentations from Max users. Breakout rooms are created on the spot on specific topics, and you can request a new topic at any time.

Meetup will be hosted by Ned Rush with presentations by: 

Mark Durham –  https://fieldpluscode.wordpress.com
Philip Clevberger –  https://www.instagram.com/thefellowpassenger
Dillon Bastan – https://www.instagram.com/dillonbastan

In the breakout rooms, you can share your screen to show other participants something you’re working on, ask for help, or help someone else.

Berlin Code of Conduct

We ask all participants to read and follow the Berlin Code of Conduct and contribute to creating a welcoming environment for everyone.

 Topic suggestions but not limited to:

  • MIDI
  • Jitter
  • Signal processing
  • Sequencing
  • Hardware
  • OSC
  • Algorithmic composition
  • Package manager modules

Requirements

  • A Zoom account
  • A computer and internet connection

Max meetup 17th April – Americas Edition

Date & Time: Saturday 17th April 3pm LA / 6pm NYC

Level: Open to all levels

Join the Max meetup to share ideas and learn with other artists, coders and performers. Showcase your patches, pair with others to learn together, get help for a school assignment, or discover new things.

The meetup runs via Zoom. The main session features short presentations from Max users. Breakout rooms are created on the spot on specific topics, and you can request a new topic at any time.

The theme for this session is Max in live performances.

Hosted by: Chloe Alexandra Thompson

With presentations by: 

Marcus Price: Granular Synthesis

Presentation on how he use granular synthesis/auto-scrubbing and a variety of custom tools (spacialization helpers, effects and feedback/delay lines) for live performances.

Michele Zaccagnini: Nonlinear Sequencer

Michele will present a max package he designed which is now distributed in the package manager. It covers the use of sequencers in nonlinear fashion, i.e. the time function of the sequencer is distorted to create tempo oscillations. The overall tempo-predictability and synchronization robustness of the sequencer is nonetheless still present in the Nonlinear Sequencer. Plus these set of objects allow to “measure” the regularity/irregularity of a rhythmic event on an imaginary grid.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXMQVkLE-bKdA7cycXECtCQ 

https://michelezaccagnini.blog/.

João Cabral: Topic: Hardware presentation

João will present a bunch of devices that were made using M4L that work as a 1 dimensional Visual Synth that were used to create LED animations.

 

In the breakout rooms, you can share your screen to show other participants something you’re working on, ask for help, or help someone else.

Ready to present your work at a future meetup?

Everyone is welcome to propose a presentation. Just fill in this short form and you’ll be put on the agenda on a first come first served basis.

Presentations should take no more than 5 minutes with 5 minutes Q&A and we’ll have up to 5 presentations at each meetup.

List of presenters will be updated and announced before each event.

Topic suggestions but not limited to:

  • MIDI
  • Jitter
  • Signal processing
  • Sequencing
  • Hardware
  • OSC
  • Algorithmic composition
  • Package manager modules

Requirements

  • A Zoom account
  • A computer and internet connection

Berlin Code of Conduct

We ask all participants to read and follow the Berlin Code of Conduct and contribute to creating a welcoming environment for everyone. 

Create with MPE in Live 11 – On demand

Level: Beginner

MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE)  offers a vast playground of musical opportunities to create musical compositions and productions. Live 11 supports a range of MPE tools to allow the composer and producer to create ideas in a myriad of ways. In this workshop you will creatively explore and deploy a range of MPE techniques in a musical setting. This workshop aims to provide you with suitable skills to utilise the creative possibilities of MPE in the Ableton Live environment.

Session Learning Outcomes

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

  • Identify the role and function of MPE

  • Explore MPE compatible devices  in Live

  • Utilize MPE controllers within Live 11

  • Apply MPE to create novel musical and sonic elements

Session Study Topics

  • Using MPE

  • MPE devices in Live

  • MPE controllers

  • Creatively using MPE

Requirements

  • A computer and internet connection

  • Access to a copy of Live 11 (i.e. trial or full license)

About the workshop leader 

Mel is a London based music producer, vocalist and educator.

She spends most of her time teaching people how to make music with Ableton Live and Push. When she’s not doing any of the above, she makes educational content and helps music teachers and schools integrate technology into their classrooms. She is particularly interested in training and supporting female and non-binary people to succeed in the music world.

Supported by 

Simple Systems for Live Performance: A TouchDesigner Primer – On-demand

Level: Intermediate

Whether at a concert or in a music video, visual effects can do so much to enhance the listener/viewer’s experience and create a lasting impression. This workshop aims to demonstrate how, using TouchDesigner, one can convert MIDI and acoustic audio signal into dynamic visual performances.

Session Learning Outcomes

By the end of these sessions a successful student will be able to:

PT1:

  • Design and implement generative visual effects which evolve over time

  • Map out a show control system with high-level hooks for updating state in production

  • Create simple audio +/ MIDI signal workflows

PT2:

  • Persisting/loading custom presets with Python + JSON

  • Map a visualization onto any performance environment, whether physical or digital

Session Study Topics

PT1:

  • How to build custom UIs with widgets in TouchDesigner

  • Encapsulating new and existing VFX patches in reusable components

  • Basic MIDI input with TouchDesigner

PT2:

  • Programming advanced actions with Python in TouchDesigner

  • Making custom MIDI mappings which plug into a global control system

  • Outputting anywhere: projection mapping, NDI streaming, DMX / lighting fixtures

Requirements

  • A computer and internet connection

  • A free (or higher) license of TouchDesigner

  • A text editor for programming, such as Sublime Text 3 (recommended)

Recommended:

  • Webcam and/or microphone

  • A text editor for programming, such as Sublime Text 3 (recommended)

  • Virtual audio routing software (e.g VB Cable on Windows, Soundflower / Loopback Audio on Mac) you can use to send audio to TouchDesigner directly from other software on your computer, such as Spotify

About the workshop leader 

Ben Benjamin is a programmer and performer based in Los Angeles. He is obsessed with the intersection of media, culture, and technology.

Getting started with Max – for beginners

Level: Beginners curious about programming

Get started with interactive audio and MIDI, and discover the possibilities of the Max environment. In this series of recorded videos, 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 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.

This on demand content aims to enable you to work with Max confidently on your own.

Learning outcomes: 

  • Understand the Max environment

  • Connect building blocks together and work with data

  • Master the user interface

  • 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.

Generative Music Tools: Turing Machine – LIVE Session

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.

Getting started with Max – April Series

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.

Exploring gesture control with Gliss & Glover – On demand

Level: Beginner with some music software experience

Computers these days give us the power to create almost any sound imaginable, so now we have to question ourselves – how do we interact with our computers physically? In this workshop you will explore what it’s like to control those sounds and effects with your movement by learning about Glover – a mapping application for converting movement to MIDI or OSC.

Session Study Topics

  • Mapping movement to MIDI in Glover

  • Training postures in Gliss

  • Mapping from Glover to a DAW

  • Considering what “good” movements are to control sound 

Requirements

  • Download the free Gliss app from the Apple app store: iOs only

  • Download free trial of Glover via mimugloves.com/glover

  • A DAW or a piece of hardware that can receive MIDI or OSC – Ableton Live recommended as Chagall will be most proficient at supporting you with that but others work too

  • A microphone routed into your computer if you’d like to experiment with manipulating your voice with Gliss

More info: https://mimugloves.com/gliss/

About the workshop leader

Chagall is an Amsterdam-based singer, producer and performer known for her use of the MiMU Gloves to control music & reactive visuals. With performances at South by Southwest, Ableton Loop, TEDx and many more Chagall is one of the most experienced users of the technology. She is also the UX designer for MiMU’s Glover & Gliss.

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