Pure Data

More than 500 pages, interactive examples, hundreds of patches, online support, theory and Pure Data glossary, test, reverse engineering exercises, analyses, completion and correction of patches, etc.

ISBN-13: 978-8899212216

Chapter I – Introduction to Sound Synthesis and Signal Processing
Chapter II – Additive Synthesis
Chapter III – Subtractive Synthesis
Chapter IV – Controls and LFO

This book is an overview of the theory and practice of Pure Data, with a glossary of terms and suggested tests that allow students to evaluate their progress. Comprehensive online support, running parallel to the explanations in the book, includes hundreds of sample patches, analyses, interactive sound-building exercises, and reverse engineering exercises. This book will provide a reader with skill and understanding in using Pure Data for sound design and musical composition.

This paper describes the design and implementation of interactive sound installations using open source software. Aimed at encouraging an audience of non-musicians to explore electronic sounds, the features identified as the key elements in their design were robustness and responsiveness: an interface that is reliable, intuitive and easy to learn, and yields rich and interesting sounds. The main method of achieving this aim was using a single sensor as an input device and mapping the input data in multiple, concurrent ways to sound generation and manipulation parameters.

New music is made with computers taking advantage of its graphics displays, rather than its audio algorithms. Pure Data can be used to compose them. This essay will show a case study that uses Pure Data, in connection with INScore, for making a new type of score that uses animated notation or dynamic musicography for making music with performers. This sample was made by the author of the text, and it will show a number of notation possibilities that can be done using the combination of software. This will be accompanied by a simple prediction of what a musician could perform with it.

This paper discusses an algorithm for the creation of poly-rhythmic sequences of varying lengths that are synchronized to a grid of small pulses. Multi-voice polyrhythms that involve coprime ratios can lead to very long cycles of many millions of pulses. In order to quickly navigate this vast material, and to be able to interact in realtime with such sequences, an efficient algorithm is proposed that uses modulo operations to trigger sound events. Two other implementations are also shown, one for a microcon-troller board, and one for the generation of MDI files.

TABOO - TRANSGRESSION - TRANSCENDENCE in Art & Science

The Department of Audio and Visual Arts of the Ionian University organizes for the second year in a row the interdisciplinary conference “Taboo - Transgression - Transcendence in Art & Science”, including theoretical and artwork presentations.

The conference focuses: a) on questions about the nature of the forbidden and about the aesthetics of liminality - as expressed in art that uses or is inspired by technology and science, b) in the opening of spaces for creative transformation in the merging of science and art. This year’s conference is inspired by the work of the pioneers who challenged the linear thinking towards spatial arts and time-based media and the ones who were able to transcend the illusion of reality and the confines of technology. It is dedicated to all those who keep pushing the limits further than the next gadget and understand the essential role of fantasy when synchronized with reality. One step further, one more time, knowing that the truly opening dimension might be towards the voyaging of consciousness.

Organized within the framework of the 2nd International Interdisciplinary Conference “Taboo-Transgression- Transcendence in Art and Science”, by the Ionian University, two exhibitions were integrated in the program of the 11th Audiovisual Arts Festival. The first of these includes scientific presentations through posters and is organized by the Ionian University in conjunction with the A-Club of the Planetary Collegium, Plymouth University. The second one, “Body Esc”, aims to induce a brief reflection on the meaning of the body in the digital and biotechnological age. It features artworks in photography, video and installations created by Greek and international artists.

The Xth Sense is an interactive system for the biophysical generation and control of music. It makes use of muscle sounds produced by a performer as both raw sonic material and control data. Presently the Xth Sense (XS) technology consists of low-cost, wearable biosensors and a Pure Data based application for capture, analysis, real time processing and playback of human muscle sounds. The technical implementation of the XS biosensors has been recently illustrated in [2].
This paper describes the design of the XS software; it is a program that enables a computer to “listen” to the MMG signals transduced by the XS biosensors, to understand the performance main features, and therefore to interact with the performer. After a brief introduction on the nature of the interaction fostered by the XS technology, I focus on the framework main features such as: the XS library, a tabbed dynamic interface (TDI), a MMG features extraction unit, and a graph-on-parent3 (GOP) routing system for dynamic
mapping of gesture to sound.

[2] Donnarumma, M., “Xth Sense: researching muscle sounds for an experimental paradigm of musical performance” in Proceedings of the Linux Audio Conference (LAC), Maynooth, 2011.

A method of computationally efficient 3D sound reproduction via headphones is presented using a virtual Ambisonic approach. Previous studies have shown that incorporating head tracking as well as room simulation is important to improve sound source localization capabilities. The simulation of virtual acoustic space requires to filter the stimuli with head related transfer functions (HRTFs). In time-varying systems this yields

O presente trabalho propõe uma análise e discussão a respeito do papel desempenhado pelas ferramentas digitais de produção, recepção e mediação sonora na produção musical contemporânea a partir de observações e análise de um repertório produzido no período entre 2010 e 2013 como parte da produção artística do grupo de pesquisas MOBILE: Processos Musicais Interativos, sediado na Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Esse repertório se insere na produção experimental contemporânea e se relaciona com a produção experimental não institucionalizada dentro do cenário de música experimental brasileira, por meio das relações de seus participantes com outros contextos produtivos, como festivais, núcleos e espaços dedicados ao fomento e à difusão dessa produção. Para fins de embasamento, é proposta uma discussão acerca da definição de música experimental, o esboço de uma perspectiva histórica das principais tendências que articulam a produção experimental contemporânea, assim como um levantamento sobre as principais questões que pautam a discussão atual a respeito do uso de ferramentas digitais na produção musical.

This major project examines the use of mixing depth processing and auditory distance perception in the interdisciplinary field of sonification. Through an investigation of the conceptual framework for the development of a sonification system mapping data to parameters of reverb and equalisation engines, the research aimed to identify characteristics of previously developed sonification models, that could be implemented in a newly developed sonification patch.

In addition, the intuitiveness of the proposed parametric mapping model was tested through a graph drawing experiment. Seventeen test subjects were requested to draw sketches of two sonified graphs, whilst interactively auditioning and browsing through the x-axis of these. The experiment was conducted over the course of two exercises with one, and then two graphs being played simultaneously, with the aim of assessing whether subjects could build a mental model of the sonified data with different levels of dimensionality.

The evaluation method consisted of calculating the number and the percentage of key features drawn correctly by the participants, and the results demonstrate that in two and three-dimensional sonifications, the accuracy of the drawings was high (over 70% in both exercises). The study concluded that listening to data sonified through auditory distance perception mechanisms, is an intuitive process for the data analyser.

Furthermore, a complementary questionnaire aimed to evaluate whether specific design guidelines regarding stream segregation, interactivity, referencing and sound aesthetics, could be circumvented through reverb sonification. The analysis of the answers concluded the contrary, and the proposed alternative sonification model, still needs to reference the theoretical framework of auditory scene analysis and cognitive sound grouping, to ensure efficiency and intuitiveness.

Despite the wealth of alternative peripherals available, electroacoustic composers often limit themselves to just a mouse and keyboard. This paper outlines various applications of gesture recognition available to electroacoustic composers. This is achieved through analysis of both historical and contemporary applications, as well as the presentation of a new suite of tools developed in Pure Data for the Leap Motion device.

(This dissertation was submitted in partial fullfilment of the requirements for the degree of BMus)

A major problem of the composition process involving music technology is the selection of the tools within the broader context of the ever- changing language of multimedia production.
The focus of this contribution will be on creative applications of the Spectral Modeling Synthesis (SMS) and Pure Data (PD) in two specific works: Searching your Synesthesia (2005) for flute, clarinet, cello, piano and live electronics and ODD (2006) an electro-acoustic multi channel 5.1 Surround piece.
This paper will provide a brief view on how this open source software offers the user the possibility to experiment with a vast number of compositional techniques in very flexible programming environments.
This view is based on the analysis of the research that has been carried out within the compositional course of action concerning several pieces using these systems. It is intended to share a particular framework for enabling interactions between specific tools for the creative compositional process.

"In this manuscript we describe our ongoing efforts to create an electroacoustic sonic object within an interactive/immersive installation based on the first non-trivial solution for Einstein's field equations:
Karl Schwarzschild's singularities, or, as they are better known today, Black Holes..."

This paper seeks to outline methods underlying the development of the Xth Sense project, an ongoing research which investigates exploratory applications of biophysical sound design for musical performance and responsive milieux. Firstly, an exploratory study of the acoustics of body sounds, namely muscle sounds is illustrated. I describe the development of an audio synthesis model for muscle sounds1 which offered a deeper understanding of the body sound matter and provided the ground for further experimentations in signal processing and composition. Then follows a description of the development and design of the Xth Sense - a wearable hardware sensor device for capturing biological body sounds, this was implemented in the realization of Music for Flesh I - a first attempt at musical performance. Eventually I elaborate on the relations between the role of sound in cognitive experience and the acoustic capabilities of biologic body sounds and try to establish an array of principles which will provide the backbone of the next stage of my inquiry.

The a.bel project aims to provide artists with a way to easily interact with their audience, making use of their participation to effectively craft unique performances. This paper gives an overview of the a.bel system and details the development of a suite of tools (as well as its integration into mobile applications) with which multimedia artists can easily create and distribute interactive content unto mobile devices.

The interaction of art with the digitization of the media generates a comprehensive spectrum of digital
art. Within this spectrum, will lectured on glitch art, a digital art form that works with the intentional
introduction of errors in his works of art. Specifically, digital media was studied to make a creative
production, using, subverting or listing solutions for artistic creation through computing. We
developed a computer program using the visual programming language Pure Data, which transforms
the process of creating glitch art into something practical for the artist, showing results that can be
explored visually and with less delay. This new method offers less risk of destruction of the files and
reduces the computational knowledge load necessary to cause a failure with artistic intention.
Additionally, we investigate the possibilities that this glitch facilitator creates for new interactions
within the two fields of knowledge focused on this project: art and computing.
Keywords: Pure Data, Glitch Art, Computacional Art

Embedded systems designers are turning to multicore architectures to satisfy the ever-growing computational needs of applications within a reasonable power envelope. One of the most daunting challenges for MultiProcessor System-on-Chip (MPSoC) platforms is the development of tools for efficient mapping multi-task applications onto hardware platforms. Software mapping can be formulated as an optimal allocation and scheduling problem, where the application is modeled as a task graph, the target hardware is modeled as a set of heterogeneous resources, and the objective function represents a design goal α (e.g. minimum execution time, minimum usage of communication resources, etc.). Conditional task graphs, where inter-task edges rep-resent data as well as control dependencies, are a well-known computational model to describe complex real-life applications where alternative execution paths, guarded by conditionals, can be specified. Each condition has a probability associated with each ...

Computer arts and, in particular, visual-jockey (VJ) recent interest growth stimulates new developments in real-time multimedia systems. This demand has being supplied by video and effect oriented programs like Resolume, ArKaos and many variants; and by visual programming languages like Pd/GEM, Max/MSP/Jitter and many variants. However, a trade-off between usability (ease of use) and expressiveness (technical limits to create new effects and new functionalities) is not solved in these systems, as verified through VJs interviews.
The work presented in this thesis has two main contributions. The first one is an analytical and original study of existing technologies, including challenges of software architecture for real-time audiovisual processing. The second contribution is the development of the ViMus system, which introduces the concept of “open box graphic interface” in attempt to brighten up the trade-off problem between expressiveness and usability. To achieve that, ViMus makes use of analogous interfaces from simplest systems, like Resolume, and offers gradual access to an analogous processing machine of more expressive systems like Pd/GEM.

Neste artigo o autor discute questões relativas ao uso de tecnologias de representação contemporâneas a partir do conceito de caixa-preta em Flusser (2011) e de reprogramação em Bourriaud (2009) buscando a partir destas questões evidenciar relações entre criação musical e tecnologia. Por fim, enumera alguns exemplos de repertório onde estas relações pode ser observadas a partir da perspectiva conceitual.

Como forma de estruturar uma investigação sobre o uso do computador como instrumento musical, o presente artigo relata um levantamento sobre o desenvolvimento de sistemas de computação com finalidades musicais buscando uma aproximação com os estudos sobre gesto musical, tendo como marco teórico a produção de Bernadete Zagonel e Fernando Iazzetta sobre o tema. Esta investigação sugere que o potencial do gesto musical físico ainda é pouco explorado no desenvolvimento destes sistemas, em que prevalece a noção do gesto mental.

Dual media composition and live performing needs special tools and new strategies. We should be able to control and manipulate form, structure, micro and macro elements on both media simultaneously. As there’s no existing commercial platform that can fulfill this requisites, we have to design and build a suitable tool from scratch. I’ll be analyzing different alternatives on software and hardware, and describe several prototypes I’ve developed and tested on stage in the last five years. We’ll see how this tools work, and focus on the conceptual difficulties, as the technical aspects can be solved with ease.

It was a pleasure to welcome procedural audio pioneer, Leonard Paul, to February’s meetup! Leonard shared some of the highlights of his procedural audio career to date, and talked in depth about his early ambitions to develop tools for videogame integrations, using Pure Data to build prototypes that might one day emerge in a AAA title. He went on to discuss the current state of play, looking at the movers and shakers in the field and where they could be heading next, before leading us into a Q&A session and some open discussion.

During a demo of his music and SFX systems for the educational game, Sim Cell, he explained how he used oscillators, variable delay lines and granular synthesis patches in Pure Data to generate a dynamic soundtrack that could react to different game states, as well produce as the more routine sound effects used for GUI navigation and spacecraft propulsion.

Videos of each section of the talk can be found in the link, and if you want to try out any of Leonard’s Pd patches for yourself, you can follow the link.

Leonard Paul is a composer, sound designer and educator based in Vancouver, Canada. He runs the School of Video Game Audio.

"A newly edited report of previous findings, outlining new methods and considerations.


This paper seeks to outline methods underlying the development of the Xth Sense project, an ongoing research which investigates exploratory applications of biophysical sound design for musical performance and responsive milieux.
Firstly, I describe the development and design of the Xth Sense, a wearable hardware sensor device for capturing biological body sounds; this was implemented in the realization of Music for Flesh I, a first attempt at musical performance. Next, the array of principles underpinning the application of muscle sounds to a
musical performance is illustrated. Drawing from such principles, I eventually describe the methods by which useful features were extracted from the muscle sounds, and the mapping techniques used to deploy these features as control data for real time sound processing."

This paper presents the results of a project that aims to develop an algorithm to synthesise a natural auditory phenomenon. The aspiration was the construction of a listener's holophonic experience of these auditory events, to develop a sonification that was both realistic and accurate, as a reflection of how we hear our own environment [1].

Using mobile devices as instruments in computer music is one of the goals of the “Pure Data anywhere” project [5]. An obstacle we encounter is controllability, because most of the devices do not offer the necessary interface, such as MIDI or USB, in order to be controlled by ...

In this paper, we describe an adaptive approach to gesture mapping for musical applications which serves as a mapping system for music instrument design. A neural network approach is chosen for this goal and all the required interfaces and abstractions are developed and demonstrated in the Pure Data environment. In this paper, we will focus on neural network representation and implementation in a real-time musical environment. This adaptive mapping is evaluated in different static and dynamic situations by a network of sensors sampled at a rate of 200Hz in real-time. Finally, some remarks are given on the network design and future works.

The a.bel project aims to provide artists with a way to easily interact with their audience, making use of their participation to effectively craft unique performances. This paper gives an overview of the a.bel system and details the development of a suite of tools (as well as its integration into mobile applications) with which multimedia artists can easily create and distribute interactive content unto mobile devices.