programming with max/msp - Virtual Sound

Interlude A - Programming with Max/MSP IA
See Figure IA.10 for examples:
Fig. IA.10 Operators that contain the exclamation point
In the first case, the value being input (1.5) is subtracted from the argument
(10), and the result is 8.5 (10 - 1.5). In the second case, the argument (1) is
divided by the value being input, which results in 0.25, since 1/4 = 0.25.
The operands are reversed with respect to the normal order for subtraction and
division. Build this patch and compare these operations with their analogs that
lack an exclamation point. We already encountered the !- operator in action in
Section 1.6, in the patch 01_17_pan.maxpat.
All of these operators also exist in MSP versions that generates a signal (+~,
-~, *~, /~), which we have already used a few times in the previous chapter.
MSP operators require a signal to be present on one of the two inlets (usually
the left), and can receive either a signal or numeric values on their other inlet.
(They can also use a single value provided as an argument.) For more information
about operators and objects, remember that will bring up help
patches when in edit mode.
THE INT AND FLOAT OBJECTS
Two objects exist that allow you to store values and recall these values later
using a bang. They are int (for the storage of integers) and float (for floating
point numbers).
In Figure IA.11, we see that these objects possess two inlets; if a value is sent to
the “hot” left inlet, the value is both stored and also immediately transmitted
on the outlet, while if a value is sent to the “cold” right inlet, it is stored but
not transmitted. To retrieve the stored value at any time from either of these
objects, a bang can be sent to their left inlet, which will cause the value to be
transmitted. In both cases, incoming values are copied into the object’s memory
(and can therefore be recalled with a bang whenever we’d like) until new values
take their place.
Fig. IA.11 The int and float objects
(...)
from “Electronic Music and Sound Design” Vol. 1 by Alessandro Cipriani and Maurizio Giri
© ConTempoNet 2010 - All rights reserved
137