ho_st
first, load ppooll_host from the extras menu in max.
ho_st is the beating heart of ppooll.
here, you’ll find global parameters like master volume, dsp settings, act loading, environment load/save & more.
in older versions, ho_st may only be found within the ppooll folder, and may look a little different.
navigation & submenus
clicking and dragging to the left of an act’s name will move it. clicking to the right of its name will open a submenu of options.
thorough guides & helpfiles can be found by clicking ‘ppooll’ in ho_st.
loading acts
modules within ppooll are called acts (@).
they can be loaded from the first drop-down menu of ho_st.
individual info on acts can be found by the ‘info’ section within act submenus.
shortcuts to favourite acts can be saved in the second drop-down menu of ho_st.
routing
audio routing within each patch is performed by ll.blues, the section of volume faders.
here, you’ll find options to select a number of channels, control individual amplitudes, adjust PFL levels, and mix incoming/outgoing audio into other acts.
loading samples
buffer_host will automatically load whenever you open an act which deals with buffers (i.e. samples).
here, you can drag & drop samples or route the act to your sample directories.
once you have loaded a sample into an act, you must select it from the act’s menu too.
presets / ramp time
you can save and recall presets with the preset box in each act. right click to save, and left click to recall.
the number box in each act near the preset box will determine ramp (i.e. transition) time between presets.
live input
live audio can be captured and routed by the INa / INmulti act.
you must define the routing in the ‘outs’ section of this act.
recording
the rec function within ho_st will capture live audio from ppooll’s master and place it within the ppooll directory in your max folder.
if you’re working in multichannel, select ’02’ in the number of channels in ho_st to ensure a stereo mixdown.
otherwise, you can use max’s quickrecord function in the extras menu.
recording multitrack audio out of ppooll is possible with BlackHole & configuring ll.blues’ light blue section to route to your DAW.
vst
vst@ enables you to work with your own plug-ins within ppooll. first, you must route the directories in the drop-down menu within the act.
saving/loading environments
you can write your environment with the W button in host, and recall saved environments from the third drop-down menu.