Remote Timeline Toolbox

The Remote Timeline Toolbox (RTT) is a set of Max objects for remote interactivity. These tools use the Open Sound Control (OSC) network protocol, and are designed to be used in conjunction with CNMAT's OSC Max objects.

download RTT (32k .sit)

About RTT
RTT is a set of Max patches for remote control of a timeline of events. The timeline is a list of time-tagged OSC messages or message bundles.

Main Objects:
OSC-timeline
OSC-clock
chronometer
Graphic User Interface:
control-OSC-clock
control-OSCTimeTag
display-OSC-clock
display-OSC-timeline

The Toolbox contains the following patches, which must be included in the Max search path to function:
chronometer
OSC-clock
OSC-timeline

Chronometer is a precision timer which can be synchronized to an external clock with a single float. Uses the system clock (cpuclock) to accurately report the time since MaxMSP started (the default behavior), or the time counting from the last time number received in the right inlet. "chronometer" is imbedded in "OSC-clock".

OSC-clock is a master-controlled slave clock. It receives start, pause, and synchronization messages (formatted as OSC messages) from a remote source. "OSC-clock" relies on the local cpu for timing accuracy. "OSC-clock" is embedded in "OSC-timeline".

OSC-timeline loads time-tagged OSC messages into a timeline and outputs the messages at the right time. Messages tagged for immediate execution are passed through the timeline immediately. This object's internal clock is controlled remotely by special OSC messages beginning with /clock (these clock messages must be time-tagged for immediate execution).

The Graphic User Interface objects may be loaded into a bpatcher and used in conjunction with the main objects.
• "control-OSC-clock" formats OSC messages which start, pause, resynchronize and adjust the tick rate of the clock.
• "control-OSCTimeTag" formats a time tag for OSC messages.
• "display-OSC-clock" displays the time (sent out left outlet of OSC-timeline)
• "display-OSC-timeline" displays the the timeline.

RTT requires the Open Sound Control Objects, v2.4, from the Center for New Music and Audio Technology (CNMAT) at the University of California, Berkeley. These objects must be downloaded from CNMAT at
http://cnmat.cnmat.berkeley.edu/OSC/Max/ and placed in the "externals" folder (found in the "Cycling '74" folder).

The CNMAT Open Sound Control Objects are:
OpenSoundControl (not built in to RTT, but useful for formatting and reading OSC messages)
OSC-route (required; built in to RTT)
otudp (not built-in to RTT, but required to control a timeline remotely over a network)

OpenSoundControl (OSC) is an networking protocol that features URL style addresses with arguments. For information about OSC, look in the max help patches for OpenSoundControl and OSC-route, or visit http://www.opensoundcontrol.org for more complete information. Since OSC has been implemented in many software environments, the OSC timeline presented here could be controlled remotely from a program other than Max (such as Flash, Director, Java, etc,).Your comments and suggestions are welcome. –Eric Marty.