Topics in Interactive Media (376-0-22)

Topic

Interactive Media Programming in MAX

Instructors

Stephan Moore

Meeting Info

Frances Searle 1101 SoundTank: Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs 6:00PM - 9:50PM

Overview of class

This class is a two-week intensive study of the audiovisual programming language Max. Max is quickly becoming one of the main tools enlisted by media artists in creating complex and pioneering artworks. Through numerous demonstrations and participatory coding sessions, students will learn about a range of applications for Max while developing good coding techniques and building up a library of reusable code for their own future projects. Topics covered include audio/video processing, generative composition, physical computing, control mapping, and a peek at Max for Live, the bridge between Max and the popular audio performance and DAW platform Ableton Live. No prior programming experience is required. However, while designed to allow beginners to jump in, this course is also suitable for students with some Max experience who are looking to expand their skills and technique.

Learning Objectives

This class is meant to give an overview of the capabilities of the high-level programming language Max, made by Cycling '74, through hands-on programming and the detailed, in-class breakdown of a number of working patches designed to accomplish a number of different tasks. By the completion of this course, the student should be able to:
Articulate the basic principles of programming interactive media applications in Max
Confidently teach themselves new vocabulary and concepts in Max, using publicly available resources
Pursue their own projects in Max, procedurally thinking through the design process, experimenting and debugging to develop new patches that express their ideas and realize their goals
In other words, this class seeks to provide a solid foundation for continued learning and development in Max, skills which should be transferrable to other development environments as well.