Cycling 74 Announce - Max 5 Coming, Easier and More Fun
OK, I’m going to profess that as much as I wish that I was a guru and wizard at patching together my own audio-visual apps using Max/MSP/Jitter combos for my own performances and exploration. Unfortunately. each time this is attempted, I have been presented with the Max interface, scratched my head, tried to consume the manual and tutorials only to feel a headache coming on and become disapointed at my inability to piece together anything that does what I am envisioning in my head.
I have no shortage of ideas for musicial looping performances and custom MIDI editors that I would like to build but the learning curve is so intense for Cycling 74 products that I am overwhelmed each and everytime. I just don’t know exactly what ‘ingredients’ I need in order to bake that amazing ‘musical pie’. It’s all very well trying to read a manual about the basics of cooking and that ‘pepper’ is a ’seasoning’ and is used to make something spicy and add flavor, and then to be given some recipes for making a jam tart when what you really have your eyes set on is that fancy Coq Au Vin. Unfortunately there are fewer resources for learning to become a Max master than there are cooking and recipe sites and to finally get to the point, I just wish the Max program was easier to get into from the perspective of making your own inventions from scratch.
Well, it is fortunate news to find out that this is indeed what Cycling 74 have in mind for the new iteration of their software flagship software. They want to make it easier for the beginner to learn and get into the program and so most of the updates focus on the interface and providing a GUI that is intuitive and informative (through inbuilt help and online training resources).
Essentially after reading about what is coming, the new Max 5 is going to be easier to get into and also more fun for the veteran user. This program has been around since the 80s after all and so there is an established user-base. However I am excited that Cycling 74 have decided to target the more inexperienced programmer musician such as myself (who I consider to be more musician than engineer) and make the learning curve that much smoother.
Some specific details and changes:
Easier to Use
- Multiple undo is available.
- Objects interact with time in ways that are more meaningful than milliseconds.
- The patcher is variable resolution and can be zoomed in and out.
- A simplified and more consistent interface, identical on Mac and Windows.
- A new object palette (with nice big resizable icons!) works as a visual catalog.
Easier to Learn
- The documentation is completely integrated into the user interface.
- A searchable database of objects, media, examples, and documentation integrates all of the provided material.
- Introductory tutorials have been completely rewritten, and include integrated patches.
- New interactive debugging tools make figuring out what your patch is doing (almost) fun.
- Third-party object developers can now use all of our documentation tools for their products.
Easier to Deal With
- The interface can easily be localized and customized.
- A new file format is more readable, extensible and reliable.
- Support for Unicode text and filenames.
- A new interface layer — “Presentation Mode” – provides a new way to build user interfaces without cluttering your patch.
- The installation and authorization experience is vastly improved.
I suggest reading the whole article to see what’s in store. It’s a good read and shows that there are interesting times up ahead for musicians/visual artists worldwide, unsatisfied with current “DAW” (Digital Audio Workstation - music software hosts basically) offerings and wanting a more customized way to create and perform.
