4 ms·

I've read tons of books on synthesizers, I've built my own in Max/MSP and Reaktor (this drum synth for Ableton Live I still maintain https://github.com/robenkle

I've read tons of books on synthesizers, I've built my own in Max/MSP and Reaktor (this drum synth for Ableton Live I still maintain https://github.com/robenkleene/thwomp https://github.com/robenkleene/thwomp). The best resource I've found for learning synthesis is Welsh's Synthesizer Cookbook (https://www.synthesizer-cookbook.com/ https://www.synthesizer-cookbook.com/). And it's not even close: A few years ago I went all in on ebooks, I got rid of everything. I recently went through a bunch of PDFs trying to find a replacement resource for this book (which isn't available as an ebook). Let's just say I gave up and now I own a physical copy of exactly one book.

dmix 7y ago
Did you built that with some sort of IDE-ish interface? Or do you hand-code Max? The .max files look a bit more like configuration files than code. First time seeing the Max language: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_(software) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_(software)
- robenkleene 7y ago
  Max is a visual programming language[1] (arguably the most popular/relevant one?). There are some good screenshots of what it looks like here https://cycling74.com/products/max/ https://cycling74.com/products/max/ It requires using the Max app, an IDE-like environment, to use. The `.maxpat` files are JSON but not meant to be edited by hand (although I do it all the time). Reaktor is also a visual programming language. Both cost money, a lot actually, I think Max and Max for Live (which you need to run plugins in Ableton and is sold separately) are $600 or so total. Visual programming languages are especially popular for synthesis, I'm assuming there's a reason for that, but honestly I've never tried doing this stuff in another language (most "native" VST-style plugins are written in C++), so I can't really compare it to that or give a real explanation for if it's better. But it is simply an environment that brings me joy to work in (despite its warts), so beyond doing a bit of work in Reaktor, I've never even looked into other ways of doing these things. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_programming_language https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_programming_language
  - pault 7y ago
    I think sound design is one of the few domains that really really benefits from visual programming languages. You really can't work effectively without 1. instant feedback and 2. the ability to quickly alter the signal path. I know there are live sound textual programming environments, but anything more complicated than changing individual values is going to break the creative flow if you have to create new files, modify imports, etc. Doing this by dragging around nodes and edges in a graph is intuitive enough to allow you to stay focused on the act of creation instead of the implementation details. This, and the fact that DSP is fundamentally a data flow problem, make visual programming environments the ideal UI for advanced sound design.
    - trocado 7y ago
      I feel that text is actually more effective, even though I agree there's much to commend about visual dataflow languages for music. But all the dragging around boxes and connections can become irksome, not to mention the energy spent aligning stuff and trying to prevent the (inevitable) dish of spaghetti that you get above a small level of complexity. Other general advantages of text: faster editing (leverage the features of the IDE, keyboard vs mouse, etc.), easier to organize and comment code, generally easier to debug, version control, and some languages are much more flexible and powerful than anything graphical. See Supercollider, and its clients using various general purpose languages, csound, Faust, and many others. Max and PD are great though, with a nicer learning curve, fantastic projects done with them and a thriving community of users. Each to his/her own...

dmix 7y ago

Did you built that with some sort of IDE-ish interface? Or do you hand-code Max? The .max files look a bit more like configuration files than code. First time seeing the Max language: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_(software) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_(software)

robenkleene 7y ago
Max is a visual programming language[1] (arguably the most popular/relevant one?). There are some good screenshots of what it looks like here https://cycling74.com/products/max/ https://cycling74.com/products/max/ It requires using the Max app, an IDE-like environment, to use. The `.maxpat` files are JSON but not meant to be edited by hand (although I do it all the time). Reaktor is also a visual programming language. Both cost money, a lot actually, I think Max and Max for Live (which you need to run plugins in Ableton and is sold separately) are $600 or so total. Visual programming languages are especially popular for synthesis, I'm assuming there's a reason for that, but honestly I've never tried doing this stuff in another language (most "native" VST-style plugins are written in C++), so I can't really compare it to that or give a real explanation for if it's better. But it is simply an environment that brings me joy to work in (despite its warts), so beyond doing a bit of work in Reaktor, I've never even looked into other ways of doing these things. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_programming_language https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_programming_language
- pault 7y ago
  I think sound design is one of the few domains that really really benefits from visual programming languages. You really can't work effectively without 1. instant feedback and 2. the ability to quickly alter the signal path. I know there are live sound textual programming environments, but anything more complicated than changing individual values is going to break the creative flow if you have to create new files, modify imports, etc. Doing this by dragging around nodes and edges in a graph is intuitive enough to allow you to stay focused on the act of creation instead of the implementation details. This, and the fact that DSP is fundamentally a data flow problem, make visual programming environments the ideal UI for advanced sound design.
  - trocado 7y ago
    I feel that text is actually more effective, even though I agree there's much to commend about visual dataflow languages for music. But all the dragging around boxes and connections can become irksome, not to mention the energy spent aligning stuff and trying to prevent the (inevitable) dish of spaghetti that you get above a small level of complexity. Other general advantages of text: faster editing (leverage the features of the IDE, keyboard vs mouse, etc.), easier to organize and comment code, generally easier to debug, version control, and some languages are much more flexible and powerful than anything graphical. See Supercollider, and its clients using various general purpose languages, csound, Faust, and many others. Max and PD are great though, with a nicer learning curve, fantastic projects done with them and a thriving community of users. Each to his/her own...