Re: Max (was Alt. Midi Controllers)

[Alex Stahl <alex@pixar.com>]

>BTW: I know this question has been asked before, but I can't recall the
>answer.
>Is there a PC-based version of MAX available?

The Windows port of Max is in early alpha testing. I would imagine it'll
take a while.
www.cycling74.com is the URL for Max.

>Are there MAX users on our list?

I confess.

>Can you tell me more?

I don't want to start another one of those silly hardware vs. software
flame wars, but I will toot the Max horn loud enough to say that it helped
me develop a program that features multiple 3-minute long quadrophonic
loops, the ability to play loops back at different speeds (including
reverse) while still recording into them, the ability to play sequences of
loop fragments back in various ways while still recording into the loop,
granular loops as long as your yard, etc. Quad looping is especially fun if
the loop itself has four channels, as opposed to quad-panning the output of
a mono loop. With this configuration one can pan each phrase differently,
AND cross patch the feedback paths so that each loop repeat comes out
rotated 90 degrees. Whiplash!

In all fairness it took me three years to write this patch, although my
excuse is I also have a 2-year old daughter and a day job at Pixar, so it
probably could have gone a lot faster. I'm planning some performances with
the system this year; I'll post more info at some point.

-Alex Stahl
"The difference between theory and practice is that, in theory, there is no
difference"