seq Reference

Sequencer for recording and playing MIDI data

CONTE NT seq
Description

Examples

Arguments Description
filename
seq is a sequencer of raw MIDI bytes. You can control the speed of playback (only at the time you start it), read and write from files,
Attributes and record from live MIDI input. See also midiparse and midiformat which you may need to get to and from raw MIDI.

Common Box Attributes

Messages

bang
Examples
int

float

addeventdelay

append

clear

delay

dump

hook

print Record and play back live performance, or play a pre-recorded sequence
read

record

start

stop

tick Arguments
write
filename [symbol]
Output
OPTIONAL
bang

int
Specifies the name of a file to be read into seq automatically when the patch is loaded.

SEE AL SO

MIDI

coll

follow Attributes
mtr

Max MIDI Tutorial 4: MIDI Basic Common Box Attributes

Sequencing

Messages
bang

Starts playing the sequence stored in seq.

int

Arguments
input
[int]

When seq is recording, numbers received in its inlet are interpreted as bytes of MIDI messages (usually from midiformat or midiin).
MIDI channel messages and system exclusive messages can be recorded by seq, but seq does not respond directly to MIDI real time
messages such as start, stop, MIDI clock, etc.

float

Arguments
input
[float]

Converted to int .

addeventdelay

Arguments
onset-time (milliseconds)
[float]

The word addeventdelay , followed by a number, adds to the delay onset time, in milliseconds, of the first event in the recorded
sequence. All events in the sequence are shifted so that the first event occurs at the specified onset time.

append

Starts recording at the end of the stored sequence, without erasing the existing sequence.

clear

Clears the sequence currently stored in the seq object.

delay

Arguments
onset-time (milliseconds)
[int]

The word delay , followed by a number, sets the onset time, in milliseconds, of the first event in the recorded sequence. All events
in the sequence are shifted so that the first event occurs at the specified onset time.

dump

Opens a standard Open Document dialog box, to select a saved sequence or standard MIDI file. The selected file is opened as text
in a new Untitled text window, which can be edited and saved.

hook

Arguments
event-time-multiplier
[float]

The word hook , followed by a float, multiplies all the event times in the stored sequence by that number. For example, if the
number is 2.0, all event times will be doubled, and the sequence will play back twice as slowly. Multiplications can even be
performed while the sequence is playing.

print

Prints the first sixteen events of the recorded sequence in the Max Console.

read

Arguments
filename
[symbol]

With no arguments, read calls up the standard Open Document dialog box, so that a previously recorded sequence can be read
into seq, replacing the current sequence. With a symbol as an argument, read searches for a file with the specified name to read
into the seq object.

Note: The seq object reads and writes both single track (format 0) and multi-track (format 1) standard MIDI files. It can also read
and write text files in which each line consists of a start time in milliseconds (the time elapsed since the beginning of the sequence)
followed by the (space-separated) bytes of a MIDI message recorded at that start time. For example,

0 144 60 112;

1000 144 60 0;

1500 192 31;

1500 144 60 112;

2500 144 60 0;

plays the note middle C on channel 1 for one second, then half a second later changes to program number 31 and plays middle C
again for one second.

record

Starts recording MIDI messages received in the inlet.

start

Arguments
tempo-multiplier
[int]

The word start by itself has the same effect as bang . The word start , followed by a number, plays the stored sequence at a
tempo determined by the number. The message start 1024 indicates normal tempo. If the number is 512 , seq plays the
sequence at half the original recorded speed, start 2048 plays it back at twice the original speed, and so on.

The message start -1 starts the sequencer, but rather than follow Max's millisecond clock, seq waits for a tick message to
advance its clock. See the tick message.

stop
 Stops the sequencer if it is recording or playing. A stop message need not be received when switching directly from playing to
recording, or vice-versa.

tick

After seq has received a start -1 message, it waits for tick messages to advance its clock. In order to play the sequence at its
original recorded tempo, seq must receive 48 tick messages per second. This is equivalent to 24 tick s per quarter note (the
standard for a MIDI Clock message) at a tempo of 120MM. By using tick messages to advance the sequencer, you can vary the
tempo of playback or synchronize seq with another timing source (such as incoming MIDI Clock messages).

write

Arguments
filename
[symbol]

format
[int]

Calls up the standard Save As dialog box, so that a recorded sequence can be saved as a separate file. If you want to edit the
sequence with the text editor, check the Save As Text option in the dialog box. With a symbol as an argument, write will write a file
with the specified name. A non-zero int argument (as a single argument, or following a filename argument) will cause the seq object
to write a multi-track standard MIDI file (format 1).

Output
bang

Out right outlet: Indicates that seq has finished playing the current sequence. (The bang is sent out immediately before the final
event of the sequence is played.)

int

Out left outlet: When bang or start is received in the inlet, the sequence stored in seq is sent out the outlet in the form of
individual MIDI bytes, usually to be sent to midiparse or midiout.

See Also

Name Description

MIDI MIDI

coll Store and edit a collection of data

follow Compare a live performance to a recorded performance

mtr Record and sequence messages

Max MIDI Tutorial 4: MIDI Basi… Max MIDI Tutorial 4: MIDI Basic Sequencing

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