2.1. Tutorial: Max 7 and ValveControl¶

This tutorial will introduce the basics of Max as we will apply it to controlling pneumatic machines. The sample patch sends commands to a microcontroller running the ValveControl Arduino Sketch.

We will explore two patches in Max:

• Max 7 Quick Reference
• ValveControl GUI

The valve demo depends upon sub-patches from the common library of useful abstractions, so the easiest way to install this is to fetch the single zip file with all Max sample code and unpack it in your default Max patch folder.

The quick reference demonstrates many basic Max objects. It is perhaps best used as a companion scratchpad to explore while working through the basic Max tutorials found in the help reference.

The ValveControl examples shows how valve commands can be sent over a serial port to a microcontroller. It provides just a simple slider and button interface.

The challenge: use Max timing and sequencing operations to build a patch that choreographs a pattern of valve activations over time. The ValveControl GUI can be used as a functional starting point and extended to generate messages over time.

A sample solution with some useful scaffolding can be found in the phrasing-example folder. Be sure to copy or extract all files, some are used as abstractions (subpatches, i.e. subroutines).