In today’s class, I introduced Pure Data, a graphical patching environment for multimedia. This is a different approach to programming then a text based language and is useful for generative sound and multimedia.

Get PD

Make sure to download and install PD from: http://puredata.info/community/projects/software/pd-extended

PD Projects

Here are some projects using Pure Data:

• Automatenklavier: a talking piano
• sCrAmBlEd?HaCkZ!: realtime music video beatboxing
• TVstroy: sound produced by generated visuals on CRTs
• Spore: generative sound for a generative environment game

Tutorial

Today we followed chapter 2 in Programming Electronic Music in Pd: http://www.pd-tutorial.com/english/ch02.html

Here is the small 4 note sequencer we made during the tutorial: 4note-sequencer

Help

Remember you can read the help on any object by right clicking on the object and choosing Help. Another useful built-in resource is the Help Browser under the Help Menu->Browser or Ctrl-B / Cmd-B. I’d recommend the examples under Pure Data/ to get started. There is also the short PD manual under Help->Html.

If you want to try out the graphical environment for PD (GEM) check out the GEM manual under Help->Browser->GEM->examples and manual.

Resources

Here are other relevant resources:

• PD Floss Manual: lots of useful info and synthesis techniques
• Theory and Technique of Electronic Music: a more technical book by Miller Puckette, the creator of PD