For Immediate Release

DACS announce Release of

Windows Version of Cycling ’74 MAX/MSP

Award Winning Graphical Programming Environments Now Available on Windows Platform

Cycling ’74 have just released the long anticipated Windows versions of the Max and MSP graphical programming environments, which will now be sold as a single box, dual platform product.  

Max has been the premiere environment for the development of interactive media and live performance applications for over a decade, but has previously only been available on the Macintosh platform.  Max allows one to build programs (called "patches") by connecting graphical objects together. Some objects perform calculations and others make up the user interface of the program. MSP adds a large set of objects that connect together to make audio patches where signals flow from one object to the next.

Building applications with Max is fun and interactive, and lets one work at a level of detail that is unmatched by other software synthesis applications It enables development of programs which do exactly what the user wants; from interactive installations that combine live sampling, looping and playback with triggering video, to performance based applications that process instruments and create new sound.

The main goal of Max is to explore cross media applications, and the software’s flexibility is a key factor.  Max is designed to allow any data input, be it from an external MIDI device (including a range of interactive sensors) or from within the program, to control any parameter or object.  It will schedule events with millisecond accuracy, create complex mappings for incoming data and running large numbers of operations in parallel.  Users will also be able to develop their own Max or MSP external objects written in C, and distribute their work to others using the free MaxMSP runtime application.

Now Windows and Mac OS X users can construct cross platform applications, with patches developed on one platform opening seamlessly on the other.  Both versions are essentially identical and use consistent abstractions for all types of media protocols and interfaces, including MIDI, digital audio and video files. The new Windows version supports PCs running Windows XP with audio devices supported by WAV, or ASIO. Max hosts ReWire devices and VST plug-ins as well as supporting all major audio file formats.  The functionality to develop VST plug-ins, already a feature of the Macintosh version, is currently in development for windows, as is the Jitter package, a collection of graphical and video objects.

Availability:

Max/MSP for Windows is now available from Cycling ’74 dealers in the UK. Any customers who have purchased the software after July 1, 2003 will receive the crossgrade free of charge. Any customers who purchased before July 1st will have the option to purchase the crossgrade. For pricing information contact DACS Ltd or your local dealer.

Contact:

DACS Ltd

Stonehills, Shields Road, Pelaw, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, NE10 0HW

Tel:   0191 438 2500

Fax:  0191 438 2511

Email:      cycling74@dacs-audio.com

Website:  http://www.dacs-audio.com/

Website:  http://www.cycling74.com