- Max For Live is a “Swiss army knife” for Live users.
- What is Max and how do Max For Live devices work?
- Here’s what you need to know…
For many Ableton Live users, Max For Live is the ultimate ‘secret weapon’. It’s an ever-expanding Swiss army knife of tools for digital audio processing, synthesis, MIDI, or even entirely non-audio functions.
There’s so much to write about when it comes to Max and Max For Live, and no one has time to write another War And Peace when they are busy patching.
In this article, we’ll break down what Max is, why it’s used, and why Max For Live is such a powerful extension to a DAW like Ableton Live.
What Is Max For Live?
Max is a visual programming language geared towards musicians and audio enthusiasts. It plugs into Ableton Live via Max For Live, which bridges the two programs, allowing total control over audio and MIDI.
Max For Live devices work just like Ableton’s native audio effects, instruments, and MIDI effects in that you can easily drag them onto a track or device chain and use them like any other plugin.
Max is technically a separate program to Ableton Live, but the two programs interact with each other seamlessly, and they have been steadily integrated more and more. This relationship has strengthened greatly since Ableton bought Cycling ’74 in 2017.
Max gives users limitless potential to create amazing new ways of generating sound, sequencing MIDI (with MPE), manipulating multichannel audio streams, and so much more. Max even lets you incorporate JavaScript and Node.js for extensive data processing and internet connectivity.
Max For Live gives users access to a galaxy of devices made by people all over the world. Many of them are free or at least much cheaper than VSTs. It’s also easy to learn Max and make your own devices thanks to the extensive documentation from Cycling ’74 and content creators on YouTube and Twitch.
The relationship between Max and Ableton is actually quite fascinating. Long story short, Max inspired Robert Henke and Gerard Behles to create Ableton Live in the early 00s. Both were users of Max and appreciated its flexibility and power for electronic music creation.
How Does Max For Live Work?
Max For Live devices and standalone Max patches are made by connecting a vast library of ‘objects’ together with patch cables. These objects are like modules in a modular synthesis rig, except they process digital data (including digital audio) instead of voltage.
If you’ve done any programming before, especially with object-oriented programming languages, then Max will feel logical and refreshingly well-documented.
If you are new to programming, then a visual programming language (VPL) like Max is a great place to start, as it’s easier to visualize the flow of data. Plus, the built-in library of GUI objects such as dials and sliders means you can make fully interactive patches in seconds.
It can be tricky getting used to a visual programming language if you’ve only ever written code, but it’s also a great way of expanding your skills. The visual nature of Max may even help you to get a better idea of data flow and structure.
Max is a full programming language and deserves recognition for this fact. Some might be dismissive because it involves patching objects rather than typing code. But, as mentioned earlier, Max actually has a JavaScript and Node.js engine built into it.
Personally, I find using code easier for managing large sets of data, like multiple sequencer banks. With JavaScript, you can very easily manipulate data with a few lines of code, and you can make large patches much cleaner if you keep JS at the core.
Having said that, you can still do incredible things using just objects.
Examples Of Max For Live Devices
Granulator II
This is one of the best Max For Live devices, and it’s included with every version of Max For Live and Ableton Live Suite.
Granulator does exactly what you think based on its name – it’s a granular synthesizer that turns samples into grain clouds. But Granulator II is packed with so many different controls and options your head will spin. There’s a very good chance that this is the best granular synthesizer you have ever used.
Granulator II is an invaluable sound design tool that can get so much variety out of just one sample. When you consider the fact that granular synthesis gives dramatically different results depending on the sample, the potential for sound design is compounded significantly.
It’s also well worth mentioning that Granulator II is made by none other than Robert Henke, one of the major players behind the development of Ableton Live. Henke is also known as the core member of Monolake, an electric music project with roots in Berlin’s Techno scene.
MIDI Monitor
Here’s a comparatively simpler device. MIDI Monitor sits in your device chain as a MIDI effect, but has no effect on the sound. It simply reports what MIDI messages have passed through it, with a timestamp, and also shows you very clearly what notes are chords are being held.
This includes note ons, note offs, CC data, modwheel, pitchbend, aftertouch, and MIDI System Exclusive messages (SysEx). It also shows you the name of any chords being played in real-time.
As far as I’m concerned, MIDI Monitor is the best way to see what is happening to MIDI Messages in the moment – as well as after the fact thanks to its precise timestamping. If you’re dealing with generative sequencers with unpredictable results (something Max For Live is great for) then MIDI Monitor will help you make sense of the madness.
It’s also included with Max For Live and Ableton Suite as a stock device.
Bengal by Max For Cats
This is an example of a “premium” Max For Live device – meaning it doesn’t come with Max For Live or Ableton Suite and you have to purchase it separately. However, Bengal is well worth it if you’re after an FM synth that goes beyond what Operator can do.
One of the key features of Bengal is its semi-modular approach, allowing you to connect virtual patch cables to create modulation. This opens up a lot of doors for experimentation, so if getting deep into FM synthesis is your thing, then Bengal is for you.
Summing Up
Max For Live is its own entire universe. As if Live wasn’t already flexible enough, Max For Live lets you create anything you can think of, and it works alongside Live seamlessly. The two programs really feel made for each other.
If you want to get started exploring what Max For Live has to offer, simply check out the devices that come with it, including Granulator II. On top of that, you can browse the Max For Live device library.
If you want to get started with patching, I implore you to check out the included documentation, which is also available on Cycling ’74’s website.
Do not fork out money for Max tutorials or courses until you have checked out the tutorials and reference guides that come with Max. Absolutely everything you need to learn this program is here, but there is a lot to go through, so if you’re going to pay money to learn Max, at least try to get a tutor who can mentor you.
Ultimately, everyone will be looking for something different in Max For Live, and this is a testament to its flexibility. But if you’re into experimentation, customization, sound design, spectral synthesis, or anything equally niche, Max For Live is undoubtedly for you.
Max For Live FAQ
Is Max For Live Included With Ableton?
Max For Live is included with Ableton Live Suite only. It can be purchased separately if you don’t need the other features that Suite has to offer.
Max can also be purchased on its own – you don’t need Ableton to run it. Using MIDI and ReWire you can interact with a number of DAWs quite easily.
How Do I Get Max For Live?
Max For Live is included in Ableton Live 11 Suite. This will let you use other Max devices, but if you want to “roll your own,” you’ll also need to purchase Max or subscribe for $99 annually or $9.99 monthly (that’s USD).
There are discounts available for students and educators, bringing the price down to $59 annually, but there is no monthly option available here.
Are Max For Live Devices Free?
While there are plenty of free Max For Live devices, you will also find many available for purchase. As a general rule, Max For Live devices that you pay for will be higher quality and more professional looking than free ones.
This is just like with VST plugins. Yes there are free ones, but they are not always great. By the same token, there are plenty of free VSTs that are just as good as paid ones. We had a look at the absolute best free VST synths in this article.
What Is The Max For Live User Library?
This is a website hosting thousands of Max For Live devices, many of them free. It’s been around for a while, so don’t expect all the devices to be up-to-date.
What Is Max / MSP?
This is an older term for referring to Max. MSP refers to the set of audio processing objects that come with Max. Originally, Max was just for sequencing and MIDI manipulation (way back in the early 90s) but then the MSP objects were added to allow for real-time audio manipulation.
With MSP, custom audio effects and synthesizers are easily realized inside of Max. Nowadays, we take these objects for granted, as real-time audio processing can be done by even the most basic computers.
For this reason, calling Max “Max / MSP” is somewhat antiquated, but is also a sign of someone who has been around electronic music for a while.
What Is Jitter?
Jitter is a library of objects included with Max for providing highly complex graphical interactivity.
What MSP is to audio, Jitter is to video. Many Jitter objects are geared towards managing large matrices of graphical data. Jitter also includes a lot of objects for vector graphics generation and manipulation.