Learning Max from Scratch

Since June 22nd, I have been a Teaching Assistant for the course Great Ideas in Computer Science with Java at Harvard Summer School.

During the first two lectures of the course, Pr. Henry Leitner introduced important concepts through programming in the Scratch environment. With Scratch, the students can focus on the notions of algorithm, conditions, loops, variables, without being overwhelmed by a complicated syntax. Scratch is very fun to use and makes it easy to embed images, sounds, and mouse- or keyboard-based interaction. Check out some examples of Scratch programs in these Galleries.

At the MIT and at Harvard, you may often hear that "Anybody Can Learn To Program" (in the great book How to Design Programs: An Introduction to Programming and Computing, the authors push a little further: "Everybody Should Learn To Program"). With Scratch, "Everybody Can Learn To Program Fast".

Scratch Program Max MSP Jitter Patch
Scratch and Max MSP versions of a simple interactive musical program (click to enlarge)

Learning Max from Scratch - Course Outline

As it is a good introduction to Java, Scratch would be a good introduction to Max MSP. I just designed this outline of a first semester course that could be entitled Live Electronic Music with Max 5, or maybe Learning Max from Scratch. It's a draft, there is room for improvement: don't hesitate to comment!

  1. Introduction to Scratch
    • algorithm
    • condition, loop, variable
  2. From Scratch to Max
    • introduction to MIDI
    • Project 1: program an audio-visual application in Scratch
  3. Introduction to Max/MSP
    • Max basics: patcher, messages, right-to-left order, and more
    • digital sound basics: audio input & output, play a sound file, and more
    • a toggle is not a toggle
    • Max Help is helpful
  4. Digital Sound Synthesis
    • additive synthesis
    • substrative synthesis
    • frequency modulation
    • wavetable
  5. Live Sound Processing & The Power of Abstraction
    • real-time transposition
    • delay lines
    • ring modulation
    • wishful thinking
    • encapsulation and abstractions
    • patchers documentation
  6. Sampling
    • the vinyl is not dead
    • audio buffers to record & playback
    • Project 2: must use sampling
  7. MIDI is Not Dead
    • effects & generators
    • control surfaces & human interfaces
  8. Polyphony & Panning
    • build a polyphonic synthesizer
    • panning
    • Project 3: must use polyphonic digital sound processing
  9. User Interface & Work with Files
    • the design of everyday things
    • simple is not so simple
    • presentation mode
    • folders & files
  10. Granulation
    • analog granulation
    • windowing grains of sounds
    • back to live transposition
  11. Presets
    • preset ideas
    • real-time interpolation between any number of presets
    • Project 4: must use MIDI and presets
  12. Timing in Max
    • schedule events
    • transport
    • low frequency oscillators & synchronization
  13. Concert & Rehearsals
    • practice
    • write the score
    • Project 5: must be cool!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Max for Live: Extreme Time Stretching with Spectral Stretch

Image
There are many ways to achieve audio time stretching without transposition . Some time-based methods build on Pierre Schaefer 's Phonogène . Another approach consists in processing the sound in spectral domain, using a phase vocoder . In this case, the audio samples are converted to spectral data through a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). Then, even if we focus on extreme time stretching, the details of the phase vocoder implementation have important consequences on the sound quality and the tool's flexibility for live usage. Before introducing the Max for Live device Spectral Stretch, let's have a look at a selection of four possible algorithms: Paulstretch Max Live Phase Vocoder Interpolation between recorded spectra Stochastic Re-synthesis from a recorded sonogram Paulstretch Paul's Extreme Sound Stretch , also known as Paulstretch , is an algorithm designed by Paul Nasca for extreme time stretching. You might have heard one application already: to this date,
Read more

GroundSwell 2020 Emerging Composers Competition

Image
Groundswell is a wonderful organization dedicated to the development of new music in Winnipeg and the Province of Manitoba, Canada. I've been invited to serve as a member of the committee for their first electroacoustic music competition, along with composer Margaret Schedel and composer William Brunson . It's been a fun and quite interesting adventure. We listened to more than two dozen compositions. I wish we could have included more than 5 finalists: there were a number of atypical nice compositions. To listen, head to the competition page . You'll find links to the finalists' music.
Read more

A Free Tutorial on Spectral Sound Processing Using Max/MSP and Jitter

Image
When I discovered electronic music during the Centre Acanthes 2000/Ircam , my favorite topic was real time sound processing in frequency domain. Hans Tutschku taught the wonders of AudioSculpt in Avignon, before Benjamin Thigpen taught Max/MSP in Helsinki. Now, the Computer Music Journal just published an article I wrote about spectral sound processing in real time and performance time ( whereas real-time treatments are applied on a live sound stream, performance-time treatments are transformations of sound files that are generated during a performance ). If you are interested in graphical sound synthesis, phase vocoder , and sonograms (or spectrograms) , I hope you will enjoy this tutorial. The great news is that you can download the article for free on the page of the Computer Music Journal, Issue 32, Volume 3 . Max/MSP/Jitter patches You can readily apply the described techniques in the development environment Max/MSP/Jitter . For a hands-on approach, make sure you download t
Read more