A Q&A with Max for Live expert Phelan Kane

Dom Aversano

Music Hackspace tutor Phelan is a Berlin & London-based music producer, engineer, artist, developer and educator. He currently runs the electronic music record label Meta Junction Recordings and the audio software development company Meta Function. As the course leader for our new Certified Courses program Learn Max for Live, we asked him to answer a few questions about Max for Live.

We’re delighted to be featuring your Certified Course on Max For Live, tell us a bit about who you are and how you’ve developed as a producer and sound designer?

My name is Phelan Kane and I am a Berlin and London-based music producer, engineer, artist, developer and educator. For almost thirty years I have been active in both the music industry and the contemporary music education sector, with a focus on electronic music and alternative bands. I have worked on music for artists such as Placebo, I have supported Depeche Mode on a European tour as part of the Fad Gadget band and I have taught music tech to members of Radiohead. I am one of the first Ableton Certified Trainers in the world and since 2021 I have been one of only three dual Ableton and Max Certified Trainers. I have released music on the labels Bulletdodge and Meta Junction Recordings and I currently run the audio software development company Meta Function.

Where did it all begin for you and how did you get your first break?

Back in 1994, my Tutor at Audio Engineer College recommended me for an assistant engineer position at a studio owned by a band member of his. From there I went to work on lots and lots of music with projects at big studios in the UK such as Townhouse, Mayfair, Livingston, Metropolis, Rockfield, Monnow Valley and for labels such as Universal, WEA, Polygram, Mute etc etc.

So tell us about this course what will you be covering?

This course will explore how to make your own sound design, synthesis and sampling devices in Max For Live via Ableton Live Suite. With these tools, you can create novel devices/plug-ins that no one else has access to which will empower you to create unique electronic sound for music, game and media projects.

What are some of the most salient bits of career advice you’ve been given along the way?

Explore as many tools and techniques as you can. Be open-minded and absorb all types of music and media.

Why did you choose to teach a live online course over a click-and-watch pre-recorded one?

Live online courses are much more rewarding for the students. They can ask questions and receive mentor support through their learning journey.

So what can students expect to learn from the course and the experience of studying with other peers online?

They will learn the necessary latest skills, techniques and first-hand industry insight into the methodology, workflow and tips and tricks to create unique devices and patches in Max For Live.

Check out Phelan’s certified course Learn Max for Live

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Eduardo Pesole’s top 10 tips for Wwise and Unreal Engine 5

Dom Aversano

Music Hackspace tutor Eduardo Pesole is a Berlin-based sound designer, sound artist and composer He is a graduate in Sound Design from IED – Istituto Europeo di Design, Rome and his clients include Point Blank Games, 505 Games and Oneoone Games. As the course leader for our new Certified Courses program Master Game Audio with Wwise and Unreal Engine 5 we asked him to share his top 10 tips for Dolby Atmos mixing.

Organize your hierarchy structure: A well-organized project is the key! Build a solid hierarchy structure using a proper naming convention for your files into the project, categorize sounds with names and color coding, that would help you to easily navigate into the project and quickly find what you need.
Reach out to a community to ask for help: Game sound designers have a nice community of people who help each other solve problems, give advice, share knowledge, etc… In my personal experience, it has always been a great resource for problem-solving and inspiration. here are some link ( For Italian speakers: https://discord.gg/ZZdDuCjY; For internationals: https://www.facebook.com/share/NRFdhVMcp68HFXZx/ ; https://www.airwiggles.com/c/general?post_login_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.airwiggles.com%2F )
Read the Audiokinetic blog and watch their Twitch channel: These 2 are other powerful resources, they’re full of articles and videos of professionals sharing their projects, workflows and tricks. There is a lot to learn from them.
Mind your soundbanks: If you’re working with soundbanks in Wwise you don’t want to mess them up! Soundbanks that are too heavy will take more time to be loaded from the game engine. Dividing them into categories, and loading and unloading them when required will substantially improve the performance.
Randomize assets: randomization is a great friend, randomize pitch, volume, triggering time of a sound, and everything you need to make the game sound as natural as possible enhancing immersivity.
Recycle your assets: Recycling your assets is a good way to save resources and time. sometimes you can just change pitch, add some in-engine effects, play with filters to make footsteps sound bigger or smaller for example and use them for different creatures in the game.
Use Multiposition: Another way to improve performance is using multiposition emitters, which allows you to place a sound effect in different positions on the map (for example lakes, torches, waterfalls) as many times as you want without using too many resources it will always count only as 1 physical voice playing.
Use convolution: Reverbs are essential to the immersiveness of a game, and the best thing is to use convolution reverbs to recreate the acoustics of a space.
Use built-in game syncs: Built-in game syncs can be very useful to drive real-time parameters for the 3D spatialization of game objects, enhancing the mix and immersivity of the game.

Be creative: Last but not least, creativity. Be creative while designing your systems, think out of the box, and explore the thousands of possibilities that these tools are offering you. Don’t be afraid to try and experiment while researching.

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Fundamentals of sound design with Pigments 3

Date & Time: Thursday 7th October – 6pm UK / 7pm Berlin / 10am LA / 1pm NYC

Length: 2-hours live workshop via Zoom

Level: Beginner to intermediate

Arturia’s Pigments 3 Virtual Instrument is a highly versatile tool which is used in many professional studios, it also presents many opportunities for deep learning and creation at a beginner level.

Through this workshop that is well based in theory, but prioritizing practice, play and investigation, students will work to build new presets from scratch and learn how to manipulate existing sounds. We will utilize built-in Analog, Wavetable, Harmony, and Sample / Granular based sonic elements across Pigments 3 sound engines. We will also work with controlling synthesis settings with ADSR envelopes, using Macro’s, EQ’s and more.

Session Learning Outcomes

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

Build custom presets for sound design and music
Explore Pigments 3 creatively and independently
Be empowered by the built-in Pigments 3 troubleshooting and tutorial tools.

Session Study Topics

Intro – in app resources – demos
Virtual Synthesis / Digital Signal Processing
Granular Synthesis
Dynamic uses of macro control
Creative uses of EQ

Requirements:

A computer and internet connection
A mic (built in or external)
Webcam (optional)
A Zoom account
Access to Pigments 3 (i.e. trial or full license)

About the workshop leader

Chloe Alexandra Thompson is a Cree, Canadian interdisciplinary artist and touring sound designer whose artistic works and workshops have been featured in galleries and performance spaces domestically and internationally. Using audio programming softwares, Thompson creates unique sonic environments and interactive performance tools.

She is presently based in Brooklyn, NY, USA.

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Getting confident with Max – On demand

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.

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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.

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Abstract Composition in Ableton and Max For Live – On demand

Level: Intermediate

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 sonic ideas using abstract techniques of composition. This workshop aims to provide you with suitable skills to begin exploring generative composition and complex sound design.

Session Learning Outcomes

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

Discuss the relevance of using generative processes in certain musical contexts.
Explore how we can use these processes to create musical ideas.
Look at ways to capture these ideas to use for future projects.
Exploring various sound design techniques to add colour and shape.

Session Study Topics

Deploy Ableton and Max For Live devices to generate musical content.

Develop this content with various devices such as instruments and effects.

Capture, edit and consolidate the content.

- Reflect on the content we created and discuss ways to develop the project further.

Requirements

A computer and internet connection
A good working knowledge of computer systems
A basic awareness of music theory and audio processing
Good familiarity with Ableton and Max For Live
Access to a copy of Ableton Live 10 Suite, or Ableton Live 10 with a Max For Live license.

About the workshop leader

Ned Rush aka Duncan Wilson is a musician, producer and performer. He’s most likely known best for his YouTube channel, which features a rich and vast quantity of videos including tutorials, software development, visual art, sound design, internet comedy, and of course music.

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Experimental Audio FX in Max

Level: Intermediate

In this workshop you will build an experimental audio FX device that utilizes buffers to create a novel delay line. Experimental processing will be added to the signal path to provide unique sound design possibilities. This workshop aims to provide you with suitable skills to begin exploring building unique, novel and experimental audio FX devices in the Max MSP environment.

Session Learning Outcomes

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

Identify MSP objects for building delay FX devices
Build delay line audio FX devices via buffer, record and groove
Build feedback and processing networks
Explore UI concepts and design

Requirements

A computer and internet connection
A good working knowledge of computer systems
An basic awareness of audio processing
Good familiarity with MSP
Access to a copy of Max 8 (i.e. trial or full license)

About the workshop leader

Ned Rush aka Duncan Wilson is a musician, producer and performer. He’s known best for his YouTube channel, which features a rich and vast quantity of videos including tutorials, software development, visual art, sound design, internet comedy, and of course music.

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Building Audio FX in Gen

Level: advanced

Date: 19th November 2020, 6pm GMT

In this workshop, you will explore tools and techniques to create bespoke audio FX tools in Gen via Max. Explore delay effects, circular buffers, modulation delays, LFOs, and multi-tap delays via a series of exercises. This workshop aims to enrich your musical output via the application of self-made audio FX 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 free CPU.

Session Learning Outcomes

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

Identify key Gen objects for audio FX devices
Build delay line audio FX devices with feedback networks
Configure Gen parameters and properties
Add LFO networks for use in Flanger and Chorus audio FX devices

Session Study Topics

Gen objects
Circular buffers
Gen variables and parameters
LFO modulation sources

Requirements

A computer and internet connection
A good working knowledge of computer systems
An basic awareness of audio processing
Good familiarity with MSP
Access to a copy of Max 8 (i.e. trial or full license)

About the workshop leader

His specialism is sound design and production techniques such as synthesis and sampling, alongside audio processing and plug-in development. His credits include collaborations with Placebo, Radiohead, Fad Gadget, Depeche Mode, Moby, Snow Patrol, Mute, Sony BMG, Universal, EMI and Warner Bros. He holds an MA in Audio Technology from the London College of Music, University of West London, an MSc in Sound & Music Computing at the Center for Digital Music at Queen Mary, University of London and in 2008 became one of the world’s first wave of Ableton Certified Trainers.

He is a member of the UK’s Music Producers Guild, holds a PG Cert in Learning & Teaching, is an Affiliate of the Institute for Learning, a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and until recently was Chairman of the London Committee for the British Section of the Audio Engineering Society. 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.

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Artist workshop with Ned Rush: Live Sample Mangling in Max 8 – On demand

Max is Ned’s go to environment to realise concepts for sound design and performance that are not available in other programs.

In this 2-hour workshop you will learn ways to sample and loop incoming audio from the outside world. You will create a fresh sonic palette from mutating the sound, using a variety of techniques aimed at performance and improvisation, whilst also discussing and solving problems related to improvisation set-ups and how we can meet those needs.

You will explore a variety of ways to interact with sampled sound to find which method suits you best so you can realise your vision with a unique performance sampler.

Requirements

– Max 8

– Basic knowledge of Max

About the workshop leader

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