Hacking sound: an intro to Pure Data, a powerful and surprisingly accessible open source audio programming environment

Presented at ToorCamp 2022, July 15, 2022, 3 p.m. (90 minutes)

This workshop is a hands-on introduction to working with audio in Pure Data (PD). PD is the free/libre visual/dataflow programming language and the cousin / younger parent of MaxMSP. PD lives in it's own idiomatic world where you build flow charts with something like audio patch cables, and the thing you build is the programming logic and also the user interface. Pd patches can create things like a custom instrument/synth, noise maker, meditation aid, telephony tone generator, FX box, audio installation, or commercial experience design engine. We will build some glitchy audio tools/toys/terrors from scratch. No programming chops are needed or even preferred, and you will exit the workshop as an empowered human with new skills in audio hacking. Bring a laptop and headphones!


Presenters:

  • breedx (he/him)
    breedx is a hacker, artist, experimenter, polyglot programmer, and dad from Portland, OR. He was the DorkbotPDX community overlord for a decade and has helped to create permanent sound art installations at a well-known software company. During the day, he works on open source software observability/telemetry systems. At other times he is likely to be doing sound recording, collaborating with Futel (to install free public payphones), and proselytizing the Church of Robotron (to save humanity from the inevitable 2084 robot/AI apocalypse).
  • Jesse Mejia
    Jesse Mejia is an artist, hacker, and educator who teaches inclusive creative coding courses (max/pd, processing, microcontrollers etc) at Portland Community College where they started the Creative Coding and Immersive Technology certificate and degree program. They also build commercial audio/video installations all over the place, train hard against the robotrons, and start more projects than they finish.

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