Electronic Music and Sound Design - Theory and Practice with Max/MSP - volume 1

Step by step guide to learning Max MSP.

This book by Cipriani and Giri really fills the bill on a number of counts. First it is a methodical exposition of programming with Max and MSP, suitable for use as a textbook in a second-level music technology course. But even more than that, it is a text which covers the principles and practice of digital synthesis. These are precisely the two major components of my Electronic Music II course at New World School of the Arts in Miami.This is a book I have longed for, both in my current position, and my previous one as director of the Electronic Music Studio at the University of Miami. I dare say there are many music technology teachers who will welcome this particular conceptual pairing, and therefore consider its adoption as a course text.The writing is clear and the theoretical concepts are given a sound and methodical, yet practical exposition. This is not the book for a rigorous mathematical presentation of acoustics and signal processing, for that purpose there are other texts. It is, however, a broadly useful and accessible textbook guide to digital synthesis and processing using the software platform that has become the standard in the field of electronic music programming.If you teach electronic music with Max/MSP or just want to learn about it, you should check out this book.

This book goes right to the point that i realy need to develop. I thought i had a good knowlodge about synthesis, but i realy saw that's a lot to learn. The autors indicate that this book have 300 hours of study for those choose to read alone, and 180 hours to learn with a teacher. I'm going well alone, but i think it's gonna be more than 300 hours. I'm anxious to get the another 2 volumes.

This title is a great book for understanding how to work and organize logic within the Max/MSP environment. It would be a great title to own to enhance study of the application's tutorials. Well written and easy to follow, covers basic--audio theory, max/msp basics and features downloadable max patches from their website. The book is structured like a text with chapter terms, glossaries, and tests. A great addition to any new, or intermediate max/msp user's library.mz

This book's unusual format is truly helpful and enjoyable. They alternate explanations with hands-on sections, helping you more deeply understand the new material than would happen otherwise.

too expensive

I've been studying Max/MSP for the past year using the tutorials that came with the program. I got by fine using this method, combined with the cycling74 forums. Now I am quite comfortable with Max and Jitter. However, I never quite got the hang of the MSP tutorials. I'm not exactly musically inclined, and I felt like I was trudging through no man's land learning MSP this way.Someone recommended me this book, and I must say, it was one of the best buys I've ever made. The book is well paced, divided into theory, followed by related exercises, and finishes with Max/MSP basics for the beginners. Rinse and repeat. The book may be a bit intense for those with absolutely no knowledge of Max/MSP, but for someone who really sucks at music, Electronic Music and Sound Design proved invaluable. Music terms are clearly defined. Extra max patches and listening activities are added on their website that work seamlessly with each chapter. But my greatest praise comes from the overall clarity found throughout the text. Most books I've read concerning software instructions are vague. Often, I am confused by which layer (Adobe products) the author is referring to, or how to get to a certain filter or menu item without having to Google it up. But Cipriani and Giri never gave me that problem when I followed their instructions. And it never felt pedantic. One small minor wish for the authors: please add solutions to the exercises. I would like to see how certain problems were solved. With Max, there's so many ways to do things that looking at someone else's work can be so instructive.If you are serious about learning this amazing program, at some point, you must give this book a try.

I choose to rate at best this product cause it really has a good organization, the implemented concepts are explained in a very easy understandable form, this book catch you from the first page.I really recommend this to everyone who wants to start developing things on max, especially in sound synthesis.Cant wait to earn some cash and get the second volume!

If you want to buy a book on learning max/msp then this is the book. The book teaches the theory of digital sound design then shows you how to put these into practice by using max/msp. The book was release in 2010 at Max 5 but is fine for Max 6 and MaxforLive. Volume 2 on effects will be released in 2013.

This book is a fantastic resource for learning Max/MSP!.The activities and tutorials outlined in the book and downloadable from the virtual-sound website were compelling and rewarding to say the least.This is quite simply the best educational book I have ever read and I can't wait for the 2nd and 3rd volumes.

This book focuses on MAX/MSP but it's probably the best book i have read about DSP in general so far. I'm waiting for part 2 now!

It was apleasure to complete the tasks in the book, and notice that I was at the same time learning max and filling all the gaps related to my acoustics knowledge. Great approach.

Consigliabile!