Programming New Realtime DSP Possibilities with MSP

The new MSP extension to the Max programming environment provides an easily comprehensible and versatile way to program realtime DSP applications. Because of its full integration into Max, MSP allows one to combine MIDI data and audio data readily in any program, and to hear the results immediately. This makes it an excellent environment for experimenting with new DSP algorithms and for designing music performances with a realtime DSP component. This paper presents some algorithms for time-domain audio processing in MSP which are not commonly found in the repertoire of included effects for commercially available audio processors. These algorithms—which use the realtime segmentation of captured audio—are computationally inexpensive, yet are capable of producing a variety of interesting sonic effects. They include simulated time-compression and pitch-shifting of audio samples, segmentation of audio samples for use as “notes” in another rhythmic structure, and modulation to extreme rates of sample playback.