I'm back with this instrument. Like in a previous device, I use Ableton Live's file database as a sample source but this time it's a sample player at the same time. My goal was to have a pretty complete set of controls of a simple sampler engine like playback direction, loop modes, pitch, filter, envelopes, panning, volume and a seemless communication with the database in the background.

The device makes it easy to take a trip through your soundfiles by just pressing Next or Prev (midimapable buttons btw) independent from your folder structure. What I like to do is combining multiple instances in a drumrack with something that generates midi notes and build little generative music maschines. Again not your average Max4Live device instead an innovative approach with well thought out Max patches. 

I've learned so much while creating this about MSP (signal processing objects in Max), databases in general, handling dictionarys and databases in a C-external, porting everything over from Windows to xcode on Mac, make multiple instances of the same device talking with each other etc. It was a great jorney and it's not finished. I hope for some feedback and already have my own to-do list for this.    

• Random Simpler

This max4live device uses javascript to access Live's file database to allow advanced filtering of files. For the results we create symbolic links to make them drag-n-dropable from Live's browser. All in all it is more a proof of concept than a really useful device. Strange that Ableton isn't implementing more browser features in view of the fact that all file meta data is stored in a sqlite database.   

• Random Sample Picker

Another side-product of an upcoming device i want to share.

Meanwhile everybody knows this paper by Godfried Toussaint. I din't know there's an extended version. First time i heard about it was in this awesome maschinedrum talk by wesen, goto time 29:00.

• http://cgm.cs.mcgill.ca/~godfried/publications/banff-extended.pdf
• http://chaosradio.ccc.de/25c3_m4v_2843.html

It's easy to find good 3rd party externals to solve the task, but i felt challenged by doing it with basic max objects.

The first result was a highly inefficient patch. But now, after understanding the binary version of the algorithm a little bit better, i managed to create a much more efficient and simplified abstraction for Max.

• 11euclidean

This was the logical step after creating the nocturn object. A m4l device that translates the raw Nocturn in/output to a system of pages to access the different sections of Live's API. The part that was handled by "Automap" and control script before.

This is again a PC-only release because it depends on my 11nocturn object. 

It should be pretty self-explanatory. A user window always shows the mappings and settings of the current page. There's a dedicated button on the controller to show/hide the user window.

Motivation: 

• my old solution (Automap+script) didn't work in Live 9
• the idea to circumvent installation and configuration of Automap, a control script and so on
• i like the rotary encoders because they are easy to switch to another parameter and resolution. They're endless which is better for scrolling and navigating than standard 0-127 midi knobs
• for peace on earth

Working with parameters in the Live Api leads you to a decision on using live.remote~ to make fast but not recordable tweaks or using live.objects for lower-priority but recordable parameter changes.
I used live.object in any case to be able to record automations for device parameters. Now, we finally can do that in session view with Live 9.

Please don't hesitate to send me bug reports or suggestions. I patched this for my own needs and that may have made me blind for certain things. Same is true for growing complexity of patches.

As far as what i have planned, one major update will follow. And maybe i'll add a video to show the basic function of the device. Everything beyond depends on your feedback.

• Nocturn Live Api Device