" THE   ZERO   GUIDE "

Now available: the always titillating "FRETBUZZ" software! **NEW**

USING MAX/MSP

Max/MSP is awesome. One of it's strong features for this particular application is that Max can read Game Controller devices directly... without having to translate the game controller input into MIDI signals first. The Max object that does this is the "hi" object, which taps directly into XP's HID list (HID = human interface device). Anyway, The fewer steps needed to generate sound, the faster everything works. Low latency = GOOD. With Max, I was able to reduce the overall latency down to around 8ms, which is killer. It's basically fast enough to play rapid passages (or button-mash) on the controller and have sound generated quickly.

Example Max patch that I use to parse
the messages from the "hi" object and output
each button state as either 0 or 1.

Once the button states are accessible within Max software, then you need to build the logic within the programming environment that does the audio "magic". For one main example, you'll likely want to build logic that queues musical "events" (like a string pluck sound or something) when the flipper is flipped. That makes sense - and it is analogous to the way a real guitar is used. But of course you'll need to first look to see what fret buttons are held down at the time of the "flipper event", in order to generate the desired sound.

In another example, you may imagine that holding down the select button on the controller, while pressing certain fret buttons could be used to change audio "programs" within your Max logic. Say, to go from rhythm mode to solo mode or something like that. The sky is the limit (how cheesy). But don't expect this to be a walk in the park, even after recognizing the limitlessness of the sky above you while you're walking through said park (unless the park takes many many hours to walk through).

All in all, for me, Max is the framework that inspires ideas best. You'll have a lot of freedom to experiment with your own logic implementations and cook up new and cool ways to make sound "react" to the button states of the controller. It's so creative and fun (for programmer music geeks).

I have cleaned up some of my Max work, zipped it and put it here, for the sharing. I call the program FRETBUZZ! Some of my code is messy and looks very confusing (as you can see from the background image screenshot). Sorry bout dat. Try it out and I hope it works for you!

NEXT CHAPTER : LOW LATENCY AUDIO HARDWARE