@paul-flute
Yes, Max can probably do more than you will ever need but this is normal. Nobody uses all of the program. Some people build MIDI routers and processors, some build synthesizers, sequencers, audio effects, generative patches, museum installations, sensor applications etc.

However, Max is expensive and it really takes a while to learn the basics. The fun comes afterwards. You could risk 1-2 months subscription if you are not convinced after the 30-day trial period.

@paul-flute said:

I would love to hear the things you have done... do you have any examples to share?

Example
MP4 movie: Generative Text
A demonstration of a generative music system I tried in Max. The idea was, that rhythmic melodic text should produce rhythmic melodic music. The first half plays capital letters and pauses. The second half plays upper- and lowercase letters as notes and makes pauses after syllables, words, sentences and paragraphs. The sound comes from two AU plugins, one for uppercase and one for lowercase characters. Notes and weighting per character are in a kind of table, based on the German language (simple statistics).

I think the example covers some of the bandwidth Max is capable of. Sometimes you need a bit of a programmers brain, sometimes technical creativity. And you must not get scared of endless possibilities.

The "Help" files and the "References" for each single object right in the program are invaluable sources for learning and refinig the skills. YouTube provides Max tutorials. The Max forum is pretty good but not really friendly to beginners. You rather want to read and search in the forum before you start with questions.

@paul-flute
I don't know Max 4 Live but I use Max for many years now. It is the biggest and most powerful graphical programming environment available for MIDI, Audio and Video. It can do anything from generating and processing MIDI and audio to sound & light installations and video effects. But it has a steep learning curve. You can do simple patches on the first day and there are tutorials available, but it may take a couple of months to get familiar with it. There are always a couple of ways to reach a target.

Max and Logic are a good team, I use them individually and together, often generating/processing MIDI and sound in Max and recording, mixing and adding other elements in Logic.

Sylphyo bench, for example, is a Max application but too old for many of todays computers. You can interface the Sylphyo yourself in Max. Definitely a good, not too difficult and expandable project.

@paul-flute said:

generating different notes and chords from CC messages and midi notes etc. I have a KMI softstep (hardware/software)

This is one domain of Max.

(Btw, the KMI Softstep editor is a Max application, but they messed it up and made it over-complicated. A while ago I had a Softstep and made my own interface in Max, just with the things I needed.)

@join said in Maxforlive device?:

patch parameter via NRPNs

Why NRPN? Isn't a simple SysEx syntax better for most people who want to make their own editors and controller systems? Something like the Waldorf Blofeld has (10 Bytes per parameter, no long strings except for dumps).

I don't have an Anyma Phi yet but a Sylphyo and I think there will also come an "editor language" sooner or later. I find SysEx chunks for parameters better than the message groups of NRPN.

@paul-flute
That is not on the performance screen. It is just a picture detail of the channelstrip, superimposed in the large picture.

If you want lights on the performance screen, add two buttons and map them to
(Channelstrip Name) —> ChordTrigger —> Bypass
Invert their range and they will light synchronously to your plugins. You may add hardware labels on the layout screen to tell them apart.

@paul-flute
Sorry, I don't know anything about playback in Mainstage.

BTW, on stage you can hang the Sylphyo with the neck strap on a microphone stand or something else and don't need a stand for it. I've done that with a WX5 all the time and find it more secure than a bottom stand. Of course you want a nice long hook mounted to the stand. In good ol' days next to cup holder and ashtray, today under the iPad clamp.

I've tried the thumb-rest, but don't like the Sylphyo falling/spinning upside down when I release it. I do not play the "super-high" octave, so I could use the screw above the octave keys.

I took one of those simple crimp connectors that are used to make ground connections in devices, bent it a little, pulled an isolated wire through and soldered a ring. Then I've put some shrink-tube to keep the sling tight. First try, seems to work. The metal ring is small enough for the original screw, the flexible cable applies very little force and I can easily see the display.

It could be much more elegant but for now I call it success :-)

@paul-flute
I cannot comment your general complaints because I do not use Mainstage currently. It is known as pretty stable. Although, in former days it sometimes tended to get unstable in layout and edit mode. But what you describe doesn't sound normal. If you run it in Rosetta, you can try native. This may also change the third-party plugins you can use.

Mapping: Since the Sylphyo can send many CCs, avoid the learn function in Mainstage. Set the interface and numbers manually.

General: It could be that you are using a Mainstage template that does not work properly or does not fit to the M1. Rather make a new empty concert, save it as template and start your tests from scratch.

@paul-flute said in Sylphyo and Mainstage:

I wonder what version of Manistage you were using here.

Mac mini M1
macOS 11.4
Mainstage 3.5.2

@paul-flute
Haven't used Mainstage for a long time but I try to remember.

You want 2 ChordTrigger plugins, let's call them "Plugin 1" and "Plugin 2". You want to activate them alternatively. Both should never be on at the same time. But you want to turn them both off with the same control element on the Sylphyo.

The Sylphyo's "Bottom Edge Slider (CC#13)" looks applicable for this task, because it has a dedicated starting point at the very bottom. So it's not likely to operate it accidently. And this starting point (with a little hysteresis) can be used as a main switch, to bypass both plugins.

You want this function:
Sylphyo slider tapped, but very low: both plugins bypassed (this is your main off-switch).
Sylphyo slider a little higher until value 63: plugin 2 active.
Sylphyo slider over 63: plugin 2 bypassed, plugin 1 active.

Here is a screenshot of the two mappings:

It is quite simple, uses just an inverted range for Plugin 1. The plugin is bypassed from 0-63 and active from 64-127.

If you look at the graph symbol, you see that something was done in the mapping for Plugin 2. Here is the graph, that bypasses Plugin 2 if the slider value is 0-10.

(If the "stepped" view shows you different values, just ignore this Mainstage bug. The graph works.)

Here you have your function:
By default, both plugins are bypassed (set this "saved value" as attribute for both "Bypass" mappings). If you tap the Sylphyo slider at the low end (0-10), you activate your CC-13 but plugin 2 stays bypassed. Plugin 1 is off anyway because it needs a value over 63. Moving your finger higher then 10 activates Plugin 2. At the middle point Plugin 2 gets bypassed and Plugin 1 activated. This way you can switch between two chord settings. If you slide your finger fully down or simply lift your thumb, the Sylphyo slider sends a 0 and both plugins are off.

With the method above you have to keep your thumb on the slider as long as you play chords. I haven't thought about a toggle function yet.