MAXPAT File Extension

What is the .MAXPAT file type?

An abbreviation of Max Patch, the filename extension .maxpat stands for the Max/MSP 5 Patch (.maxpat) file type. This file type has been introduced with version 5 of Max/MSP, famous software by Cycling '74 used for real-time processing of sound, sound effects, video, etc. Max/MSP is built upon Max, which is the name of a special visual programming language focused on interconnecting sound sources with Digital Sound Processor (DSP) modules, controllers, event triggers, etc. into a real-time controllable setup.

Max/MSP uses programs written in Max that are called patches and receive different extensions, depending on the software version. A .maxpat file is a Max/MSP patch intended specifically for version 5 of the software (Max/MSP 5). The new file format is based on the JSON syntax and is backwards incompatible with earlier Max/MSP versions, meaning .maxpat files cannot be opened in Max/MSP 4 or earlier. Apart from Max/MSP 5 and its descendants, .maxpat patches can be used with other real-time sound processing software and converted to/from the previous Max/MSP 4.x (.pat/.mxt) format using open-source converters.

Software to open or convert MAXPAT files

Max

 

Max by Cycling '74

 

MaxMSP

 

Blender by Blender Foundation

 

Lindell 6X-500 CM by Lindell

 

Free File Viewer Pro

Download