Modular Lowercase and Drone Synthesis Environment
ENDOGEN is a Max/MSP + SuperCollider synthesis environment designed for lowercase music, microsound, and deep atmospheric drone.
Highlighted by CDM as a deep exploratory instrument for electroacoustic lowercase synthesis, ENDOGEN emphasizes slow listening, generative processes, and subtle temporal behaviors rather than immediate results.
Very low levels by default, delicate dynamics, and dense evolving textures reward patient listening and long-term exploration.
Please read carefully before purchasing. If you are not comfortable with Max patching, preferences, and external engines, this software may not be suitable for you at this time.
Please read
ENDOGEN is not a plug-and-play instrument. Before purchasing, you should have basic working knowledge of Max/MSP, including:
opening and running patches
setting file paths and preferences
launching and stopping SuperCollider manually
ENDOGEN is a hybrid system (Max + SuperCollider) and requires manual setup.
Very Important (Workflow note)
Endogen are not preset-based instruments and do not include factory resets or default states. This is a deliberate design choice.
These tools are conceived as listening and generative environments, not as traditional instruments meant to be configured, recalled, or reproduced. Each session is meant to be entered through listening, gentle intervention, and recording the output rather than aiming for a predefined result.
The intended workflow is simple and open:
listen → record → route the recorded material wherever you prefer (DAW, hardware, external processing, etc.). The systems are designed to generate and reveal sound material, not to dictate how or where it should be used.
Endogen is not a Max for Live device and is not designed to run inside a DAW timeline. Both Endogen and the new software Interfera are meant to exist as autonomous environments, encouraging a slower, exploratory approach.
If you are looking for preset recall, tight DAW integration, or repeatable performance behavior, these tools may not be the right fit. They are designed for users interested in process, listening, and long-form exploration.
Understanding Endogen's Nature
COMPLEX SOUND ECOSYSTEM
Endogen is not a collection of isolated modules, but a complex sound ecosystem where behaviors emerge from internal feedback networks, non-linear processes, and energy accumulation. Sounds can persist, reappear, interfere, or evolve beyond simple on/off logic not as bugs, but as natural effects of the system's architecture inspired by experimental feedback-based music and complex systems.
Endogen intentionally moves away from fully deterministic control and is meant to be explored, listened to, and inhabited over time rather than analytically mastered like a conventional plugin. Some unpredictability is part of its expressive power, where control and system freedom coexist in a delicate balance similar to modular systems full of feedback paths.
Under the hood, Endogen is partly driven by SuperCollider, a live-coding, terminal-oriented sound engine by nature, which also means that in complex feedback situations it can sometimes be necessary to stop or restart processes to reset evolving states a practice rooted in experimental sound culture rather than a flaw of the system.
WHAT IT IS
ENDOGEN is not a traditional synthesizer. It's a modular ecosystem built around microsound, drift, feedback, and near-silence. Forget presets this is a living synthesis environment with 30+ specialized modules, each operating as an independent engine capable of long-term evolution and emergent behavior.
Built with Max/MSP + SuperCollider, ENDOGEN combines the precision of code-based synthesis with an intuitive, performance-ready interface designed for extended listening sessions, live performance, and studio recording.
CORE PHILOSOPHY
Lowercase-safe headroom - designed to work at very low levels without losing detail
Organic modulation - no random LFOs, only slow, musical drift inspired by natural phenomena
Physical approach - modules modeled after vactrol dynamics, tape machines, mechanical systems, resonant objects
Long-term behavior - ~150 parameters designed for gradual evolution over minutes, not instant results
No parameter-by-parameter manual - explore modules as behaviors, not specifications
KEY FEATURES
30+ specialized synthesis modules (generative oscillators, modal synthesis, cybernetic systems, tape mechanics, noise generators)
Multi-channel phase-shifted LFO system with 4×9 modulation matrix (36 destinations)
Multiple waveform types (sine, ramps, triangle, square, sample & hold)
Flexible modulation modes (unipolar, bipolar, additive, absolute)
Extensive companding system for transparent dynamic balance
Real-time performance and direct recording capability
FluCoMa-powered Corpora Sample (v7) - external audio import, automatic slicing, 2D corpus mapping and similarity-based navigation for microsound and texture exploration.
Audio descriptor–driven analysis - multiple selectable analysis algorithms for organizing and recalling sound material by perceptual similarity.
Corpus-based sound navigation - explore, scan and recombine large sound sets as evolving soundfields rather than linear samples.
REQUIREMENTS & USAGE
For Max/MSP Users: Open patches directly in Max - full access to the entire synthesis architecture for exploration, modification, and customization
For Non-Max Users: Use standalone app (.app for macOS included) with free Max Demo from Cycling '74 - no Max/MSP license required. Complete functionality including full recording capabilities (dual-channel stereo output). Performance and production ready out of the box.
Supported platforms: macOS and Windows. SuperCollider + Max/MSP or Max Demo required.
FluCoMa (v7 – required for Corpora Sample)
In ENDOGEN v7, the new Corpora Sample module uses FluCoMa (Fluid Corpus Manipulation) for audio analysis: it can slice/import external audio, map it into a 2D space, and perform similarity search based on the analysis method you choose.
FluCoMa is installed directly from Max Package Manager (search “flucoma” → Install). Only needed if you want to use Corpora Sample.
WHO IS THIS FOR
Lowercase music composers and microsound artists
Sound designers exploring subtle timbral evolution
Performers working with extended duration and slow transformation
Experimentalists interested in generative systems and emergent behavior
Anyone tired of preset-based synthesis looking for a deeper, more organic approach
Requirements & Usage Options
✓ WORKS ON MAC & WINDOWS
Available in two formats: .maxpat for full editing control (Max/MSP users) and .mxf for runtime use (works with free Max Runtime).
System Requirements
macOSmacOS 10.13 (High Sierra) or later
Tested and stable from macOS 10.13 onwardsWindowsWindows 10 (64-bit) or later
Windows 11 fully supportedProcessorIntel Core i5 or Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) or equivalent
Multicore processor recommended for optimal performanceRAM8 GB minimum, 16 GB or more recommended
Higher RAM improves performance with multiple synthesis layersDisplay1366×768 minimum resolution
1920×1080 or higher recommended for optimal interface experienceAudio InterfaceProfessional audio interface recommended
ENDOGEN operates at very low levels - quality monitoring essentialSoftwareMax Runtime required (free)
Included with Max/MSP or Max for Live, or download free from Cycling '74
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