A new week, learning more Max MSP, Art.

This week I have been learning about Max MSP, especially how to record the audio into Ableton, and work on finishing tracks from within Ableton. This was my small task this week, get sound into Ableton from Max MSP. Using Ableton as a recorder and being able to set some things up within Ableton, like EQ, compression and other bits. I could have just recorded directly onto Harddisk from within Max, but my future system is one where I would like to include Ableton. 

The goal of the patch. Record audio from Max into Ableton, 1 track for now but if one works I can easily extend it into 4 or 8, or any other number. 

For sound generation I am building a noise source into a simple reverb and a distortion, nothing fancy but just a fun little thing to produce sounds. These are not finished yet, I am miles away from being fluent in Max. It’s really fun however and a never-ending flurry of ideas pops up when coding in Max. 

Other things this week, mostly art.

Most of the week I have been absorbing art and traveling, reading books and taking notes. I went to the Kunstmuseum in The Hague, went to see the exhibition “True Colors”, part of the collection of Akzo Nobel, a chemical company which has a department collecting art. A lot of companies do this, as part of their social responsibility programs and to brighten up offices. Luckily we now get to see some of it. 

Most of it is modern art and there were a lot of cool pieces on display, recommended. This was after last weekends visit to the NRW-forum in Dusseldorf for die Grosse. Also modern art. 

The kunstmuseum is pretty large and they have a lot of Mondriaan as well and they had the exhibition about Mondriaan & de Stijl, the latter being a group of artists, architects and others forming a loosely formed collective discussing the modern arts and writing essays on it, making art and making sure it was published. As per usual the women in the group and close to the group where the driving forces behind the succes. Great to see that they get to be more in the spotlight, well deserved and way too late at the same time. 

Everything I have seen lately has led to a large set of ideas, and I just love being in musea, it’s quiet, most of the times, especially during the week. It’s nicely lit. There is beautiful art. What more can you wish for. Not much. A great week all round. Not much music making, but being in the creative process in other ways.