HOWARD SANDROFF: You know, so the Max is in this particular case is set up as a programmable additive synthesizer. This is frequency modulation synthesis which is a different approach. We have two operators. Instead of hearing them both in parallel, we hear one as it is affected by the other. That’s a fairly lame simplistic explanation, but for our purposes I guess it’ll work.

[HOWARD SANDROFF PLAYING A PROJECT ON MAX/MSP]

FM synthesis is good for creating bell-like sounds like that.

[HOWARD SANDROFF PLAYING A PROJECT ON MAX/MSP]

What I’m doing is just delaying the envelope generator of the oscillator that is doing the controlling, the modulation, the modulating oscillator, and you can see it changes the sound substantially. It’s true there’s all kinds of software that will do all kinds of things, and when you look at software you can see it along a continuum from being that software which is created from the most basic elements to that software which is very, very high level. We call it high level software. And very, very basic programming would be something like the machine language, okay? A programming language will allow you to do very, very elemental things and is very, very flexible but it’s hard to work with, requires more knowledge, whereas a high-level language will allow you to do sometimes very sophisticated things but it’s very narrow in its approach and it’s easier to work with.

GRETCHEN HASSE: Okay. That make sense.

HOWARD SANDROFF: So, something like Max is more elemental. It’s not as elemental as machine code, which is talking the processors language to it directly, but it’s much more elemental to some of the kind of software you’re talking a lot like Pro Tools which specifically does certain things. Although it’s very flexible, it’s somewhat limited.

GRETCHEN HASSE: Okay. So this --

HOWARD SANDROFF: So, this can do anything. It’s just that it requires more knowledge.

GRETCHEN HASSE: Mmm hmm.

HOWARD SANDROFF: Now, Max is not the only kind of programming language out there meant for, you know, sound synthesis and manipulation and controls. I mean there are others that are equally elemental and powerful. I just have been working it. It’s a matter of choice at a certain point.

GRETCHEN HASSE: And what are the other kinds of things that people are using.

HOWARD SANDROFF: Oh, people are using a program called PD, which is actually invented by one of the authors of Max. There is a program called SuperCollider which has a pretty substantial following. Music11 is still around. There’s something called CSound. There are all kinds of music end languages meaning it’s from the days of mainframe computers that have been ported over to work on PCs or Macintoshes, and then there’s, you know there is the higher-level programs, you know, like Pro Tools and those types of things which people can buy plugins for.

Oftentimes the plugins are created in programs like these.

GRETCHEN HASSE: It’s all good.

HOWARD SANDROFF: Max is not a computer program. It’s much more a programming language. There is a difference between the two. I could actually build a Pro Tools like program in Max. Now, that’s a silly thing to do since you can go out and buy something like that, but you could do something like that. And people have in fact used Max to create plugins for Pro Tools and other -- another platforms and things that will work as standalone higher level software.

[HOWARD SANDROFF’S “TEPHILLAH” PLAYING]