MAX/MSP

What is Max?

Max OR MSP (Max Signal Processing) is a programming language used primarily for music. Max is reminiscent of a modular synthesiser with the layout of a coding software, designed to create synthesisers, patches, sounds and music. Max is either a software or can be used in Ableton 10 Suite.

I have heard of Max but never looked into it further. First impressions about this DAW (digital audio workstation) is that Max doesn’t resemble a DAW, because its not. Max isn’t made for recording, editing or producing audio files, only producing sounds.

Max can be used to affect hardware. For example, prototyping, as knobs in the software can affect real synthesisers. Max can also be used as a midi output (like most DAWs).

Another feature is how Max can generate audio-video pieces using inbuilt modules and graphic tools. Allowing easy to use visuals for the sounds.

How does it work?

Max works by patching/linking different modules together to modulate and synthesise sounds, similar to a modular synth. These modules are opened by double clicking and searching for the specific module.

Each module (or object as they’re named in Max) has a output and input (some only have an output or input) and you can link them up by left clicking an input and patching into the output, or the other way round.