Table of Contents — Building Live Loopers in Max
Landing Page
Dedication
An Introduction — Thinking About Looping
- Frames live looping as both a musical practice and a way of thinking, situating it within broader musical traditions of repetition, pattern, and expectation. The introduction outlines the aesthetic, technological, and pedagogical concerns that shape the book and explains how the chapters and patching examples are structured.
Chapter 1 — Tape-Style Looper (Max)
- Introduces a fixed-length, tape-inspired looper using basic Max/MSP objects, providing a foundation for live looping in Max. Through hands-on patching, the chapter covers audio input/output, gating, feedback, loop length control, signal processing within the loop, and the creation of a performance-oriented user interface.
Chapter 2 — Multitrack Looper (Max)
- Explores the construction of a multitrack looper using standard MSP objects in Max. Topics include recording, playback, synchronization, and managing multiple asynchronous or synchronous looper tracks.
Chapter 3 — Basic Looper (gen~)
- Focuses on building an overdubbing looper in Max using gen~, emphasizing memory management, counters, and message sequencing. This chapter introduces techniques for layering recorded material while preserving loop structure.
Chapter 4 — Varispeed Overdubbing Looper (gen~)
- Recreates a delay-style looper in the gen~ environment, highlighting low-level signal processing, sample-accurate control, and the ability to overdub at variable speeds and directions—even while speed is being modulated. The chapter also introduces the gen~ codebox for advanced users, demonstrating how gen~ enables efficient and flexible looping architectures.
Chapter 5 — Tape-Style Looper (rnbo~)
- Builds a tape-style looper using RNBO, adapting earlier designs to a portable, exportable environment. The chapter introduces RNBO-specific workflows, parameter handling, and preparation for cross-platform deployment.
Chapter 6 — Multitrack Looper (rnbo~)
- Develops a multitrack looper in RNBO using abstractions and shared synchronization data. This chapter emphasizes scalable design, inter-track alignment, and preparing complex loopers for performance and export.
Chapter 7 — Basic Overdubbing Looper (rnbo~)
- Recreates the overdubbing looper in RNBO, integrating recording, playback, overdubbing, speed, direction, and declicking. The chapter highlights message ordering, parameter control, and performance-oriented UI design.
Downloads / Example Patches / Companion Software
- Download the complete companion software for Building Live Loopers in Max, including all patching examples from Chapters 1–7. This package works in Max 9 available from Cycling 74.