Best Max For Live Devices

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The free online library Maxforlive.com is getting bigger by the day. It might be hard to tell which devices you should download and how they can help with your productions. Here are what we consider the best Max For Live devices you can get for free!

Nylon – Strum Your MIDI. Free.

This device is a one-note-chord MIDI effect with a twist. It allows you to delay each note to emulate a strum. You can change the Speed, Curve, Velocity and randomize the strum for an authentic sound. You can even make a pattern of chords and trigger them with one note. Very easy to use. Just place on a MIDI track followed by an instrument and start hitting notes. DOWNLOAD HERE and check out other cvolm Max for Live devices HERE

Group Humanizer. Add Life to Your Tracks. Free.

From the creator: “Two or more tracks can be “group humanized” so that their timing resembles musicians playing in the same room together. For example, a bass and a drum sequence will adapt to each others delays in a “humanized” way.” This group of devices can add life to any electronic composition. DOWNLOAD HERE

Binaural Jit. Position Your Sound in 3D. Free.

This package of two devices allows you to place sounds in a 3d environment. Place binaural_listener on any track to act as the main 3d space generator. Then place binaural_voice on any track you want to add and position in the 3d space. DOWNLOAD HERE

JAZZ ME 2. One Knob Improv. Free.

This has been one of my favourites over the years if I get stuck with writing a melody in Ableton. With JAZZ ME 2 you can play melodies using only one knob. Set the scale and map the note and beat division to your midi controller and vibe out to a chord progression. So much fun!

Confused how to use it? Drop JAZZ ME 2 into any MIDI track, add an instrument, hit play and move the “Pitch”. But enough of explanations, Trust me, you want to download JAZZ ME 2!

Trigg.me! Audio triggers MIDI. Free.

This one is not really intuitive for my workflow but its fun to use for sure! With Trigg.me! you can trigger midi notes with audio. Whenever an incoming audio signal passes the threshold level, it sends an automatic message and a midi note is triggered. and you don’t have to map anything! Simply drop them onto audio and midi tracks! Here’s a quick demo of how you can use the Trigg.me:

You want to drop “Trigg.me SEND” into any audio input track, set the Threshold level and then drop “Trigg.me RECEIVE” into a MIDI track with the instrument you want to be able to play Try it yourself, here you can DOWNLOAD Trigg.me!

Drum Buss Key Follower. Free.

The new Drumbuss Audio Effect in Live 10 is an efficient powerhouse of processing. It has a built-in compressor, clipper, saturation, distortion and Transient shaping. It’s one of my favourite tools actually! Ableton added to that their secret sauce in a low resonator that can take create some enormous 808-ish bass out of any audio with some low-end content. The best part about it is that you can tune the resonating bass note using the Freq knob. Now thanks to Max for Live we are able to play the Drumbuss’s Boom section!!!

Palmas. Free.

I’ve used this device for molding my clap sounds for a few years now. Palmas is a bit cryptic instrument made by the collaborative design group Sufi Plug-Ins. While writing this post, a roundup of great Max For Live devices turned by by Ableton Certified Trainer ELPHNT and low and behold Palmas was featured in it!

In the same post I actually discovered three new Max For Live devices, which I am currently testing and am super impressed by. I wanted to include them here for good measure:

College Dropout. Free. And High School Crush. Free.

Add vintage character to your music with two quirky audio effects designed by CaligulaCuddles.

Download College Dropout and High School Crush.

MDD SNAKE. Free.

Based on the René modular synthesizer module by Make Noise, MDD SNAKE is a MIDI sequencer capable of producing intricate patterns for both synths and drums.