#max 7

Projection performance at 576

Live musical performance with responsive digital visuals and VHS tapes presented on 3 projectors

From top: VCR + analog video mixer

Live audio gear

2 “Projector towers” - a final third projector hangs from the ceiling overhead

View of projection wall

PA system

It has been interesting to get back in to Max 7 after having been on a hiatus from the software since version 5 (several years ago). I have resurrected an old patch for an old piece that requires me to do one of the many things that Max 7 does: process live audio, signal generation and control, and audio file playback.

It has been a bit frustrating at times, but I might say that I think Max is finally starting to make sense to me even more so than it has before. I am nearly done with the initial “rebooting” of the Dixie Highway patch (for the piece of the same name) and will start to really create a streamlined, although not entirely attractive UI, for the performance. Mostly, I want to offload most event triggers and audio captures/looping to my Impulse 49 keyboard. I’m especially stoked about a “brown noise” patch that I get to trigger with the drum pads.

In the meantime, I busted balls to figure out how to close and open the various signal paths that are coming in and out of all of the patchers. I discovered the non-binary version of the matrix~ object. It is super confusing at first, but awesomely powerful. You can go here for more info on it. But basically with the @ ramp function I can open and close inputs and outputs with a nice crossfade. I chose 80 milliseconds. In a way, matrix~ acts as a virtual mixer. Now I can blend my signals in a very controlled yet fluid manner.

Meanwhile, I’ve been on the hunt for a great granulator for a neat section of the piece where I take my precorded voice and bring it back in an improvisatory manner. It turns out that Robert Henke of Monolake fame created an amazing Max for Live Granulator. But, since I am not using Live, I couldn’t quite figure out how to encapsulate and use it inside my clumsy pile of cables and objects. Then, I remembered John Gibson’s (from Indiana University) super easy-to-use granulator. (called jg.granulate~). This is basically what I am using now, with some modifications (including a record~ object).