Thoughts on API’s and Max

After looking at hundreds of API’s over past months – models begin to emerge:

  • Visualization: Looking at data by filtering, analysis, or factors defining movement.
  • Synthesis: producing  feeds from sources, in combination – fusion
  • Transcoding: changing one type of signal into another

Or some combination of all three.

The best tools for getting data in and out of Max:

  • curl (or variants in client libraries)
  • JSON
  • Osc
  • string parsing outside of Max
  • database tools (or data recorder in Max)
  • basic data filtering and scaling tools in Max
  • for complex networked systems: node.js