Creating Plugins in Max?

Finally started using MODEP. Nice! Really nice. It wasn’t my primary reason for getting a pisound HAT, but it may well become my primary use, at least during jams.

Also got a bit into Max 7, recently, decades after dabbling in early (MIDI-only) versions of the visual programming language. Unlike Pure data, it’s commercial. But the annual license fees for academics is relatively reasonable (60USD).
Noticed that Max could be used to create plugins for the MOD Duo. Haven’t made it work, but it’s very intriguing, to me. Maybe it can’t work on the Pi, for whatever reason (as the low-level C++ code might be specific to the MOD Duo). But it’s still pretty interesting.

It expects the MOD Duo to be plugged in through USB and it sends it a few C++ files. Didn’t go deeply into the documentation, but the script to compile the C++ code failed on both macOS and Raspbian Lite. Again, it’s completely possible that the code produced isn’t usable on the Pi. But it’d be quite neat if it did work.

Otherwise, might try creating simple plugins myself. Not sure where to start but the Zynthian plugins (posted in this forum by @tomerb (whose name is eerily reminiscent of that of a legend in the plugin world)) might be a good start.

I know it’s been a while since you posted this thread Enkerli, did you ever get the Max Mod Duo suite to export a Gen patch on to MODEP on the Pi with Pisound?

I am looking at compiling some lesson plans around patching with MODEP and VCV Rack and programming with Pd and Max (Pi and Mac) and being able to do this would create a nice start and end point.

Also do you know of a method for Pd patch to MODEP export?

Knowing how to do either would be amazing, thanks!

Haven’t pursued that path. Was intrigued by it, and still hope Max 8 will somehow help us accomplish certain goals. But the existing MODEP plugins have been enough fun for my ongoing exploration.
If you do end up trying this, let us know.
As for exporting Pd patches to MODEP, don’t think that’s currently possible. Maybe future versions of libPd will make it possible to create LV2 plugins from Pd? That’d be cool.

Thanks for letting me know, I need to do a bit more research around the whole LV2 platform anyway.

I very much like the MODEP Plugs too, I actually use the synthesisers’ a fair bit although am frustrated having to set up the usb MIDI connections every time. I was hoping to be able to get my students to write some simple MIDI utilities that appear to be missing when you first install MODEP.

If you have any suggestions or I figure anything out lets let each other know on here.

Thanks

Sam

hello @fingerspushbuttons, I know it’s a different threat but felt frustrated setting up MIDI connections every time too. Does anyone knows if there’s a way to fix that? Is there any way MODEP recognizes a MIDI instrument already connected previously without setting it up?

hello @marccobe I did see a separate thread dedicated to this issue but I didn’t fully understand all of the suggestions. I think someone has made a workaround by running a custom script from the terminal. I have no idea how well it works and should have taken a note of it to provide the link from here.

I’ll post it here if I can find it later, It still would be nicer though if it just worked.

Hello friends,

I have found a way to compile and upload Max Gen objects into MODEP. PDF instructions here. Let me know if you have any questions!

Cheers,
Brian

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Oh! Sounds very clear and useful. Will try this ASAP.
Been thinking about investing more time learning gen~ to create crossplatform effects. The support in MOD was my original trigger, with the notion that it’d eventually work on MODEP. And it also works in creating plugins, thought there are restrictions.
So, this shows potential.

Thanks a lot for those instructions, @bpcook !

Have you created something with it?

Of course!

And yes! So far I have made a sudo-random vibrato with smoothing, inspired by Fairfield Circuitry Shallow Water but in stereo.

I also found a great ladder filter/saturator/driver online that I modded to be in stereo and then ported it over, but there are some bugs effecting the stereo image (that I created) that I need to iron out.

I am trying now to convert my gen effecThists to MODEP plugin. I followed all your procedure but while compiling it gives me an error:
raise value error: no Json object could be decoded

Also with your example is same

I am running Raspberry pi 4b with patchboxos