Cycling updates Max and Max for Live

Cycling '74 has announced that with the release of Ableton Live v8.2.2 and Max/MSP v5.1.8, Max for Live receives its most significant update since the initial release. They've listened to feedback from users and put their heads together with Ableton to come up with some exciting new features, devices, and lessons.

New Max for Live Lessons
Max for Live now ships with six new Live Lessons (17 total) that will help you get started using the various features available in Max for Live. Explore cool Live API tricks, making your own LFOs, multi-channel routing tools, and more in these clearly documented and interactive Lessons, complete with Max Devices and example sessions.

Pluggo Devices
Included in Max for Live is a selection of the most popular plug-ins from the now defunct Pluggo package. For this update, Cycling '74 combed through every single Pluggo device to make the patches more readable, better looking, and more consistent in patching style. Now you can dig in and repurpose that Space Echo, and make it work the way you want it to. If you are learning to build your own instruments and audio effects, the Pluggo devices are a rich source of inspiration and clues.

Live API Tools
The Live API allows you to control various aspects of your Live Set from within a Max Device. For this update, Manuel Poletti created a collection of attractive new devices and Max abstractions to make using the most popular features of the Live API much easier. Now you can add an LFO, automate clips, and navigate through through your Live Set with ease, all from within a Max Device. Combined with updates to the Live Object Model (including access to Racks and Persistent IDs) these new tools open the door to some serious Max for Live magic. To learn about some of the new Live API features in this update, be sure to check out our new Max for Live video tutorials.

Max for Live Video Tutorials
In addition to new devices and lessons in the Max for Live update (Max 5.1.8/Live 8.2.2), there are a couple of new Live API features we would like to share with you in these short video tutorials.

Max 5.1.8 Bug Fixes and New Features:

• trigger no longer outputs a list when there's only one numeric item.
• pattrstorage: client and storage windows show new pattr and autopattr arrivals immediately, rather than requiring the windows to be closed and reopened.
• coll: renumbering dirties the coll, so that refer clients (cellblock) can know that the contents change changed.
• message box fix for crash appending or prepending items.
• filebrowser: fix for crashes opening browser when no prefs exist.
• pattrstorage: @changemode now reliable for integer values.
• fixed crash when applying a prototype to an object when the inspector is viewing the object.
• pattrstorage: inspector attributes @savemode and @autorestore are disabled when pattrstorage is in parameter mode with 'Initial Enable' enabled.
• live.object: calling 'get' on a property with no value (for instance, 'get devices' called on a track with 0 devices) now returns 'propertyname <empty>', rather than simply 'propertyname'.
• live.observer: observing a property with no value causes the symbol '<empty>' to be reported from the object's outlet, rather than an empty list.
• fix for Max for Live multiprocessor dropouts.
• live.dial restore properly its size when the patching and presentation rect differ.
• umenu: display items longer than 255 characters.
• umenu no longer crash when receiving "delete 0" while the menu is empty.
• spigot~: fix for custom cache path.
• umenu: delete 74 doesn't attempt to remove the 74th item if it is not there.
• adsr~ clock unset fix.
• slider works properly in automatic orientation when the patching_size and presentation_size are different.
• sfplay~ displays the correct error message when trying to clear while the dsp is on.
• stutter~ dirties the buffer properly.
• preset now displays slotnames when linked to a pattrstorage.
• Hide Subwindows no longer hides an abstraction that has been modified with MRO. Prevents crashes when abstraction's parent patcher is subsequently closed.
• pictctrl: mouse delta improvements in dial mode.
• jit.wake: fix for garbage memory when resizing.
• text no longer crashes when the patch is closed while the editor is open.
• pattrstorage: setting or removing a slotname dirties the patcher.
• live.text and live.toggle display the focus.
• live.meter~: no longer output erroneous value when controlled by a float.
• live.text and live.toggle now reacts on key input.
• seq~: properly output single int/float elements (introduced in 5.1.5).
• nodes: speed improvements when the slider is visible.
• jit.freeframe: 'FreeFramePlugins' folder in the Max search path will be found, as documented.
• live.observer: live.observer objects in subpatches no longer break when duplicating devices.
• live.thisdevice: new rightmost outlet reports preview state for the current context (a 1 will be sent in the Editor while a 0 is sent in Live and vice versa, as preview mode is enabled and disabled.
• live.grid: in matrix mode, a constraint column can now be totally empty.
• jit.displays: (Windows only) no longer resets display (in @resetmode 1) if no changes have been made to the initial/snapshotted settings.
• pattr objects: (Windows) pattr-incompatible objects are no longer displayed by pattrstorage/bound to autopattr and pattr objects.
• stripnote properly converts float to int as the documentation says.
• pattrstorage: fix for an endless loop in @activewrite mode + parameter mode when restoring the active state.
• live.remote~: when changing targets, live.remote~ resends its last value to the new target.
• js: post() no longer crashes on strings longer than 2k characters.
• rect~: no longer crashes when receiving bad synchronization values.
• Support for reading encoded (mp3/m4v/etc) and encrypted samples from Ableton's browser via live.drop.
• jit.qt.movie: re-enabled late window binding (in case the window isn't available when requested, jit.qt.movie will try a few times until giving up.
• jit.qt.movie: eliminated a crash when loading movies in direct-to-window mode.