Yet Another
Max/MSP - Cocoa
Integration
cocoa-send / cocoa-receive external objects
Nao Tokui
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Why Integrate?
• Max/MSP
○ Useful for Audio / MIDI / Images .... !!
Scalability
× Hard to manage big data set.
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Why Integrate?
• Cocoa - Native OS X Environment
○ Lots of useful frameworks and easy-to-use
tools for them.
• Frameworks - CoreData, Bonjour, QuartzComposer...
• Tool - Xcode, InterfaceBuilder...
× Audio / MIDI API is very very complicated.
• Core Audio / Core MIDI / Quick Time
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Max/MSP Cocoa
Bonjour
Audio
CoreData
MIDI
OpenGL
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Conventional Ways
• MIDI?
• CoreMIDI - Simply Overkill!
• Open Sound Control
• Very flexible, but clumsy implementation
• Not easy to use in Cocoa
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NE
W
cocoa_send / receive
external object
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Features
○ Simple to implement and Just works!
○ No need to “connect” explicitly (Always
Connected!!)
× Limited to local use
OK NG!
Cocoa
Max Cocoa
Max
http://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Image:MacBook_Pro_transparency.png
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Technical Details
• cocoa_send/receive use OS X’s Inter-
Application Communication called
“Distributed Notifications”
• eg.) Preference Pane
• http://developer.apple.com/documentation/UserExperience/Conceptual/
PreferencePanes/Tasks/Communication.html
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How to Use #1
1. Download cocoa_send/receive objects and
sample application from www.naotokui.com
2. Set “Channel Names”
• These names will be used to identify
communication channels. They must be shared
between Max objects and Cocoa project.
Max ← Cocoa
Max → Cocoa
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How to Use #2
3. Open Cocoa_SR_Test folder
and include Cocoa_SR_Test.h/
m in your own Cocoa Project.
4. Set the same Channel Names
#define CH_NAME_FROM_COCOA
@\"FROM_Cocoa\"
#define CH_NAME_TO_COCOA
@\"TO_Cocoa\"
5. Use -sendString: -sendFloat:/-
sendInteger methods to send.
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Sending from Cocoa
• Use -send**: methods.
- (void) sendString: (NSString *) str;
- (void) sendFloat: (float) number;
- (void) sendInteger: (int) number;
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Receiving in Cocoa
• Customize callbackWithNotification:
a callback function:
- (void)
- (void) callbackWithNotification:(NSNotification *)myNotification
{
NSDictionary *dict = [myNotification userInfo];
// a string value received
NSString *string = [dict valueForKey:SHARED_DICTIONARY_KEY_FOR_ANYTHING];
if (string) {
// Do something
} .....
• Dictionary Keys:
SHARED_DICTIONARY_KEY_FOR_FLOAT
SHARED_DICTIONARY_KEY_FOR_INT
SHARED_DICTIONARY_KEY_FOR_ANYTHING
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Usage Cases
• Phonethica Rondo / VoiceCosmos
http://www.ntticc.or.jp/Archive/2006/Openspace/network/phonethica_j.html
• Matarisama Binary 1.2 (by N.Nagano)
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Links
• Download
• www.naotokui.com/home/Downloads.html
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