This program demonstrates how objects in Presentation Mode can have a different location and appearance than they do in Patching Mode. Select the objects that you want to have appear in the presentation, and choose the Add To Presentation command from the Object menu. Then, to switch to Presentation Mode, click on the small easel icon at the bottom of the window (or type command-option-E). Now you see only the objects that will appear in the Presentation.
In signal processing, a "window" is a function (shape) that is nonzero for some period of time, and zero before and after that period. When multiplied by another signal, it produces an output of 0 except during the nonzero portion of the window, when it exposes the other signal. The simplest example is a rectangular window, which is 0, then briefly is 1, then reverts to 0. The windowed signal will be audible only when it is being multiplied by 1––i.e., during the time when the rectangular windowing occurs.
Here are three ways of generating MIDI notes. Admittedly they don't result in very interesting music, but they show ways how numbers can be converted for usage as pitch information.
The line~ object is useful for providing a control signal. It interpolates linearly sample-by-sample to a new signal value over a specified period of time, then stays at that new value until it is instructed to change. It expects to receive a transition time in its right inlet (a ramp time), followed by a destination value in its left inlet. Alternatively, you can provide both values as a single two-item list. Its initial default value is 0.
A single sfplay~ object can refer to many different sound files, or even specific portions of sound files, with a unique "cue" number assigned to each sound. Once those sound cues have been preloaded (i.e. taught to the object), you can cause the object to play a cue just by sending the desired cue number in its left inlet.
This example demonstrates creating a RAM buffer to hold a 10-second stereo recording, recording live audio into it (with input volume adjustment), and then playing randomly chosen backward clips of that sound, with a trapezoidal window to taper the beginning and ending of each clip to avoid clicks.
This patch does some of the same things as the "GlobalTransport" patch in the Extras menu, and shows what is likely going on behind the scenes in that patch. The toggle labeled "Start/Stop" starts the transport and immediately turns on the metro to begin triggering time reports. The button labeled "Rewind" sends a time position of bar 1, beat 1, 0 ticks to the transport to reset its time.
Timing objects such as metro normally operate with their time interval specified in milliseconds, and they are controlled by the Max scheduler, which is always running.