Emu XL-7 & MP-7 User's Group

Hi
Does anyone here use Max/MSP in conjunction with an XX-7? I've been 
getting all excited about it since they announced the windows 
release, expecially in the context of live p.a. - 

My idea is to contruct a patch that acts as host for VST plugins as 
well as an audio looping and mixing tool, which could all be 
controlled via the XX-7. Then any MIDI coming from the XX-7 can be 
interpreted in any way imaginable and used to control the sounds...

> Does anyone here use Max/MSP in conjunction with an XX-7?

I've been using Max on stage for about 12 years, and MSP for the last
couple, and I've had the XL-7 for about 18 months. I've done a few
live projects with Max/MSP and the XL (including a pretty full-on
techno gig at the ICA in London), and am currently preparing a live
quadraphonic sound score for a Dance Umbrella commission
(http://www.danceumbrella.co.uk).

I like the XL-7 as a scratchpad, but I don't buy that heavily into
PCM-based synthesis these days; my main sound sources/processors are a
pair of OasysPCI DSP cards in Magma cages controlled by PowerBooks,
and a pair of Nord MicroModulars. The XL-7 is maxed out with sound
ROM's, since it's useful to have a lot of library sounds available for
recording commissions, but the Oasys cards are more central to my work
(mainly because they are flexible effects processors and digital
mixers as well as synthesis/sample playback units).

> I've been 
> getting all excited about it since they announced the windows 
> release, expecially in the context of live p.a. - 

The Windows release has been shipping for about a week, so I have no
idea how stable it is (and I don't run Windows so I can't find
out). If it's anything as good as the Mac version, it's well worth
having.

> My idea is to contruct a patch that acts as host for VST plugins as 
> well as an audio looping and mixing tool, which could all be 
> controlled via the XX-7. Then any MIDI coming from the XX-7 can be 
> interpreted in any way imaginable and used to control the sounds...

That would work fine, but in my opinion the XL-7 is not the best
controller for that kind of application. The pads are pretty good (and
feature polyphonic aftertouch!), and notes are held as the pad track
assignment changes, which is wonderful, but the knobs are small, not
particularly high quality, non-nulling, and don't indicate their
position on the LCD. You'd also have to figure out your MIDI routing
and echoing carefully if you want true local-off behaviour.

The XL-7 knobs and buttons work fine for the unit itself, and I use
the XL-7 as a clock source but MIDI slave (under Max/MSP
control). There are some nice fader boxes out there; the one I use is
the CM Motor Mix (http://www.cmlabs.net/MotorMixPage.htm), together
with a couple of the chocolate-bar-sized JLCooper Faderbabies.

-- 

  nick rothwell -- composition, systems, performance -- http://www.cassiel.com

Oh boy, you can Nick can talks for hours about this one :)

rEalm




Hi
Does anyone here use Max/MSP in conjunction with an XX-7? I've been 
getting all excited about it since they announced the windows 
release, expecially in the context of live p.a. - 

My idea is to contruct a patch that acts as host for VST plugins as 
well as an audio looping and mixing tool, which could all be 
controlled via the XX-7. Then any MIDI coming from the XX-7 can be 
interpreted in any way imaginable and used to control the sounds...





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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hey Nick, they ever release a XP compatible version of Oasys?  Really 
wanted one of these cards, but the lack of XP support keeps me away.

rEalm




I like the XL-7 as a scratchpad, but I don't buy that heavily into
PCM-based synthesis these days; my main sound sources/processors are a
pair of OasysPCI DSP cards in Magma cages controlled by PowerBooks,
and a pair of Nord MicroModulars. 








[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Thanks for the info Nick ... i'm just searching for the right 
software config so I can start playing live, using the XL-7 as 
sequencer and controller. Although rEalm amongst others have advised 
that something like Ableton Live would be the most stable solution, I 
need hands on tweakability aswell, Max/MSP seems to be the perfect 
platform for constructing live performance tools - especially since 
it supports ReWire so could be used in conjunction with Ableton Live 
or other audio app.

> Oh boy, you can Nick can talks for hours about this one :)

And I just have...

-- 

  nick rothwell -- composition, systems, performance -- http://www.cassiel.com

> Hey Nick, they ever release a XP compatible version of Oasys?

Nope - the software never got further than Win98SE and MacOS 9. I'd
really like to move to MacOS X for audio, and the only way I'm going
to be able to do that is to put the Oasys cards into other machines
(the Pismo PowerBook and the ThinkPad) and use them purely as
appliances - lightpipe-capable FX/synth/mixer units. My plan is to get
an RME Digiface for the G4 PowerBook and run things this way.

-- 

  nick rothwell -- composition, systems, performance -- http://www.cassiel.com

> Although rEalm amongst others have advised 
> that something like Ableton Live would be the most stable solution, I 
> need hands on tweakability aswell, Max/MSP seems to be the perfect 
> platform for constructing live performance tools

Actually, I've had no stability problems with Max/MSP on stage. (The
Mac version, that is.) In the 12 years or so that I've been gigging
with it, the most serious on-stage failures have actually been with
hardware (a Lexicon FX box with dodgy front-panel controls, and an
E-mu UltraProteus with an unpredictable hardware problem.)

Max/MSP is certainly more flexible than Ableton Live, or anything like
Reason, Reaktor, or any other techno softsynth package beginning with
"R", but you are very much building your own tools - out of the box,
it does nothing until you learn how to build things.

-- 

  nick rothwell -- composition, systems, performance -- http://www.cassiel.com

--- In xl7@yahoogroups.com, Nick Rothwell <nick@c...> wrote:
> > Although rEalm amongst others have advised 
> > that something like Ableton Live would be the most stable 
solution, I 
> > need hands on tweakability aswell, Max/MSP seems to be the 
perfect 
> > platform for constructing live performance tools
> 
> Actually, I've had no stability problems with Max/MSP on stage. 
(The
> Mac version, that is.) In the 12 years or so that I've been gigging
> with it, the most serious on-stage failures have actually been with
> hardware (a Lexicon FX box with dodgy front-panel controls, and an
> E-mu UltraProteus with an unpredictable hardware problem.)
> 
> Max/MSP is certainly more flexible than Ableton Live, or anything 
like
> Reason, Reaktor, or any other techno softsynth package beginning 
with
> "R", but you are very much building your own tools - out of the 
box,
> it does nothing until you learn how to build things.

Sounds good. Do you use the vst~ module much? I think my first aim 
will be to build a vst hosting and processing patch which can be 
sequenced live from the XL-7.

> Sounds good. Do you use the vst~ module much?

Not for my own work (I have two OasysPCI's with a third on order - why
would I want to use computer plug-ins? :-)) but a couple of years ago
I was commissioned to build a sensor processing system to work with a
group of acoustic musicians, and it had a number of VTS's plugged into
it (including some of the HyperPrism things). Worked fine - again, on
the Mac version.

> I think my first aim 
> will be to build a vst hosting and processing patch which can be 
> sequenced live from the XL-7.

A good plan, but the degree of MIDI control you can get varies from
plug-in to plug-in.

-- 

  nick rothwell -- composition, systems, performance -- http://www.cassiel.com

--- In xl7@yahoogroups.com, Nick Rothwell <nick@c...> wrote:

Just wanted to say Hi, Nick.  Good to see your contributions again.  
You may remember me from E-MUSIC listserve 7-8 years ago.  I did an 
internet search for something a few weeks ago and found that the 
archives still exist in cyberspace (Pittsbugh, I think).  If 
possible, please post a specific link to samples of your work with E-
Mu.  I'd like to hear what you are up to.

Dr. Steve

> You may remember me from E-MUSIC listserve 7-8 years ago.

Erm ... were you going under the name of Dr. Steve at that time?

> If 
> possible, please post a specific link to samples of your work with E-
> Mu.  I'd like to hear what you are up to.

The ICA London piece is still at www.cassiel.com/mp3/cyberlive.mp3 -
it's probably the most E-mu-heavy piece I've done in the last couple
of years. The Dance Umbrella commission I don't have online, but
that's mostly OasysPCI. There used to be lots of stuff at
www.mp3.com/cassiel but, MP3.com being the fickle outfit they are,
most of them vanished one day as an attempt to get their users to give
them money.

	-- Nick.

-- 

  nick rothwell -- composition, systems, performance -- http://www.cassiel.com

--- In xl7@yahoogroups.com, Nick Rothwell <nick@c...> wrote:
> > You may remember me from E-MUSIC listserve 7-8 years ago.
> 
> Erm ... were you going under the name of Dr. Steve at that time?

Not sure.  I'll have to re-search the archives to refreshen my 
memory.  I seem to recall discussions of musical aesthetics, musical 
meaning, etc.  Around that time I also recall Mike trying to develop 
a taxonomy of E-Music styles/genres for 3rd party, results of Atomic 
City (I think it was) collaborations, and a few fun controversies, 
among  other threads.

> The ICA London piece is still at www.cassiel.com/mp3/cyberlive.mp3 -
> it's probably the most E-mu-heavy piece I've done in the last couple
> of years.

Thanks.  Just gave it a listen.  Loved it.  For me, its development 
sustains interest and aural passion thoughout.  My kind of rhythmic 
timbral minimalism.

> I seem to recall discussions of musical aesthetics, musical 
> meaning, etc.  Around that time I also recall Mike trying to develop 
> a taxonomy of E-Music styles/genres for 3rd party, results of Atomic 
> City (I think it was) collaborations, and a few fun controversies, 
> among  other threads.

The E-MUSIC list is basically dead now, but the Beyond_EM Yahoogroup
carries much of the same discussion these days.

> Thanks.  Just gave it a listen.  Loved it.  For me, its development 
> sustains interest and aural passion thoughout.  My kind of rhythmic 
> timbral minimalism. 

I don't know if I'd call it minimalism - to me it's very busy. I'm
wondering if I should make it half of a live album (with the Dance
Umbrella commission being the other half).

	-- N.

-- 

  nick rothwell -- composition, systems, performance -- http://www.cassiel.com