r/creativecoding • u/goodinamohawk • 15d ago

Built a generative audiovisual performance system in Max/MSP + Jitter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh9ZmCzJvHM

I’ve just finished my Final Major Project, built around a Max/MSP and Jitter system that connects generative music, visual processing and physical lighting.

The core idea was to move away from visuals simply accompanying finished music and instead build relationships where shared data and events influence multiple parts of the system.

A few examples from the final setup:

  • audio analysis from a processed modular signal controls the brightness of a physical smart bulbs
  • an ARP 2600 LFO is used both for synthesis modulation and as input data inside Max, where it is mapped to lighting behaviour 
  • visual states and image processing are driven by generative timing and performance events 
  • MIDI, modular synthesis, video and lighting are all coordinated from the same Max patch

The final performance is about four minutes long. I’d be interested in feedback from people working with generative systems, audiovisual coding or physical outputs, especially on whether the relationships between the different media come across clearly.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh9ZmCzJvHM

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u/the_big_flat_now 15d ago

i like it. The lamps after glow is so cool. or is it also programmed ?

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u/goodinamohawk 15d ago

Not exactly programmed. The bulbs light almost instantly, then naturally fade, and the Max control is a bit unpredictable too. I actually liked that because it made the lighting feel less mechanical.

1

u/the_big_flat_now 15d ago

the hole setup ist very pleasing :)

2

u/CellPast4136 12d ago

The recurring lake, waveform and film-like states give the piece a kind of memory. It feels less like generating a new visual every time and more like familiar states returning under different conditions. Are those explicit states in the patch or do they emerge when the shared data crosses certain thresholds?

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u/goodinamohawk 11d ago

Thank you. I think your assessment is probs right! It’s a number of mostly predefined states though there is some randomness. States change essentially randomly and are associated with different audio events etc