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Product Review by Juan Aranda
Let’s set the scene:
You have heard of Ableton’s
Live software. Chances are, that if you are not a user, you know users. So for
the uninitiated, let’s lay some groundwork.
Ableton Live is a powerful
sequencer/DAW that has become the go-to platform for most electronic or live
performance artists. Its ease of use allows the same program to be
custom-tailored to the tastes and specifications of its individual users. In
essence, where one knob can change the filter cutoff in one person’s setup, that
same knob could also mark the beginning of a 4-bar loop for someone else.
Max by Cycling ’74 is an
object-based programming language for musicians electronic and otherwise. It can
be used to program a simple loop-based program controlled by midi-foot pedals,
or it can create an abstract synthesizer with just the right of reverb and ring
modulation built-in. It is virtually inexhaustible in its scope and to quote an
old maxim, “fosters and encourages creativity.”
Do you see the
connection?
The main concern of both Live and
Max is to allow creative freedom to reign through customization. So when two
different forces that are known for pushing boundaries come together and
collaborate, the outcome is an amalgam of epic proportions.
It’s like vanilla pudding swirled
with fudge or Korean barbecue enveloped in taco trappings…
In other words, the system is
ridiculously tantalizing.
Max For Live is a system of
plug-ins and instruments that are created for specific use in the Live
environment. This software suite contains the add-ons that deftly catalog the
spectrum of plug-ins as we understand them. There are the standards of delays,
eqs, reverbs, compressors, and all other manner of the everyday stuff that
producers usually take for granted. On top of that, there are the more
experimental things such as the Monolake built devices that act as intuitive
sequencers or serve to black out your screen with only a timer displaying the
elapsed time that your project has been playing. What is amazing about these
devices is not the fact that they were programmed with a purpose, but that their
purpose can change whenever the urge strikes you. These experimental plug-ins
signal a radical shift in sound production, a further democratization of the art
of music. A user can completely program a personalized synthesizer that
features the main needs and expressive qualities that appeal to and work best
for them, breaking the barrier between intangible idea and finished product.
When it comes to the actual
editing of a Max for Live patch, it’s a lot more hands on than what you think it
is. Like standalone Max, Max for Live is object-based and offers most of the
same great tools and vocabulary that Max has, except that it can only be run in
Live. There are several tutorials that get you on your feet in no time and give
you a solid bearing on the capabilities of Max. If you are the type to read
manuals, you’re free to do so, but the fun is in the experimentation, placing
dials next to oscillators, making a wet delay completely soak your output.
The best thing about the editor is
that it is in real time. You can be wiring paths in your Max for Live device
while listening to your mix as you apply changes. I spent a great deal of time
doing just that, getting a feel of the idea of using a randomized sequencer on a
soft-synth while I changed whatever values the sequencer had and arpeggiating
the result. It took me to some different territory that I am not
completely comfortable with, but as a programmer, that is the area that I should
inhabit permanently. Max for Live is not for those that are happy with
cookie-cutter plug-ins to make pastiches of the same song over and over. It can
do that, but that is not its point. Max for Live is for people who have honestly
surrendered themselves to the idea sound craft and continually strive to create
something new.
One of the best aspects of Max for
Live is actually found outside of Live. It is the community of producers and
programmers at www.maxforlive.com. Separately, these are people that are
dedicated to the movement of sound. Together, they are a musical gestalt.
Maxforlive.com is an open forum where people can go and get pointers on the use
of Max for Live. It is also a repository of the work done on Max for Live. You
think you can create an amazing effect that will finally get something done
right? I dare you. Make your device, upload it to maxforlive.com, and see
what the rest of the world thinks about your attempt. That’s actually one of the
greatest things about Max for Live: you can download the work of others and fix
it as you see fit until it works for you. It’s brilliant.
The above is just really a piece
of what can be done and does not really describe the depth of the possibilities
available. It really is more than just about plug-ins; it is about creativity.
With Max for Live, if you can hear it in your mind, chances are that it is
possible to program it in MAX and with that ability, nurture a much more deeper
and personal relationship between the act of creating music and yourself. I’ve
been a dedicated Ableton Live user for a while and it is now that I feel myself
learning the most and pushing myself the most. That is the territory where I
want to be.
-Review by Juan Aranda
Product Description:
What Is It?
Max for Live is a tool kit for building new
devices for Ableton Live. Think of a diverse and comprehensive set of building
blocks that you can use to build pretty much anything you can think of. These
building blocks include basic objects such as "+", audio elements such as
filters and oscillators, user interface objects, and a set of objects that
regulate access to Live and hardware devices. Max for Live also provides a
canvas where you can place and connect these objects with virtual wires. Flowing
through these wires are audio, MIDI or video signals, or any other kind of data.
Max is essentially a visual programming environment where you build courses or
tracks for these signals to run through.
You can build new devices from scratch, modify existing ones or simply use
devices that others have made. Max for Live includes several ingenious example
devices and plenty of tutorials to take you from using to tweaking, and then to
building.
So what kinds of things can you make with Max for Live? Here are just a few
examples of ready-made devices from Max for Live:
Step Sequencer
Live users have been asking us for a step
sequencer for some time. Now it's here, with some powerful features and added
tweaking potential. Step Sequencer can play up to four concurrent sequences,
each with up to 16 steps. It also features adjustable step size and step
probability, sequence shift buttons (up, down, left, right), a "random" mode and
comprehensive real-time MIDI options. This device is a fine example of what is
ultimately possible with Max for Live.
Buffer Shuffler
This audio effect "shuffles" incoming
audio by buffering the audio, then replaying it in whatever order you've
specified. Each channel of the stereo signal can be shuffled with different
patterns (unlike Beat Repeat) and there is also a "dice" mode that randomizes
the shuffle pattern at each bar crossing. Finally, a smoothing setting limits
the amount of clicking at each transition point. Use sensibly to add subtle
variations or go full-on to see where it takes you.
Loop Shifter
This instrument is essentially a creative
loop playback device that generates some surprising and innovative results. If
there was ever a "sound of Max," this device embodies it. It uses MIDI notes as
triggers for playback states, each MIDI note representing one such "state": a
combination of playback rate, loop points and filter settings. Although the Loop
Shifter is a relatively simple device, these functions don't exist yet in any
other commercial loop playback product. The Loop Shifter uses a "morphing"
transition between states, an auto-mapping system and an "auto-play" mode that
randomly chooses MIDI notes for automatic state selection.
Pluggo for Live
In addition to the new devices mentioned
above, Max for Live comes with more than 40 devices from the Pluggo collection.
These include audio effects and instruments, all re-built and optimized for use
within Live.
Tools, Building Blocks and Tutorials
20 new MIDI and
audio effects, ranging from common studio utilities like graphic EQs to creative
MIDI utilities such as humanizers. Additionally, we've provided more than 20
simple tools called "Building Blocks." These are an excellent introduction to
Max programming and have all been carefully annotated to help you learn how they
were made.
Max for Live was co-developed by Ableton and Cycling
'74.