CE_Gregqc Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 I'm starting to learn the basics of sound production in Pure Data. Its all pretty complicated stuff but i'm hoping it'll click soon... Thing is, I was wondering how good is it for sound production (that is, designing sounds, not building entire tracks)? Its definitely a unique one, and judging by some of the videos on youtube, theres some pretty mad stuff you can make with it. I'm figuring that since its completely run on your inputs the possibilities are essentially endless when it comes to making sounds and making synthesizers, but i don't really want to walk down the long path of getting good at it only to find out I was better off using something more traditional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemmiwinks Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 to be honest I have never heard of a single person using this app in our scene... apparently everyone's favorite starting app is FL Studio (which is making me reconsider what I use as well) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supergroover Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 I havent heard of it before either.. If you want to make music quickly you could just stick to the regular programs. that might be easiest. Try Cubase, ableton live, sonar and maybe fruity loops. I dont think FL is the most used program in "our" scene, unless that 'our' is new school goa. I think ableton and cubase are most widely used. And maybe logic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemmiwinks Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 I havent heard of it before either.. If you want to make music quickly you could just stick to the regular programs. that might be easiest. Try Cubase, ableton live, sonar and maybe fruity loops. I dont think FL is the most used program in "our" scene, unless that 'our' is new school goa. I think ableton and cubase are most widely used. And maybe logic. I didn't say everyone's favorite app, I said everyone's STARTING app (as in app to start learning to make music) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CE_Gregqc Posted April 17, 2009 Author Share Posted April 17, 2009 Pure Data is a strange one. It isn't really for building tracks (although there are ways to do it), its more of a programming tool that allows you to make synthesizers among other things (although to be fair PD isn't really for anything, since its about building data from the core). For instance, you start by building an object for a standard tone and set the frequency, and basically you build a path of objects and numbers that alter and manipulate the data, so essentially the possibilities in sound design are endless (or so it seems). that video kind of gives a brief idea, but loads of stuff is possible. you can even use it to make crossfader audio and video mixers. I mean, obviously i am going to get the hang of fruity loops, ect, but I'm still interested in what possibilities PD has to offer... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CE_Gregqc Posted April 17, 2009 Author Share Posted April 17, 2009 Here's a pretty decent one. still trying to work out if all the sound was designed on PD. still, its a lot to learn... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemmiwinks Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Pure Data is a strange one. It isn't really for building tracks (although there are ways to do it), its more of a programming tool that allows you to make synthesizers among other things (although to be fair PD isn't really for anything, since its about building data from the core). For instance, you start by building an object for a standard tone and set the frequency, and basically you build a path of objects and numbers that alter and manipulate the data, so essentially the possibilities in sound design are endless (or so it seems). that video kind of gives a brief idea, but loads of stuff is possible. you can even use it to make crossfader audio and video mixers. I mean, obviously i am going to get the hang of fruity loops, ect, but I'm still interested in what possibilities PD has to offer... Don't mistake designing synths with making music, those are 2 VERY different jobs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CE_Gregqc Posted April 17, 2009 Author Share Posted April 17, 2009 of course, fruity loops would be my program of choice for now, but there are definitely some interesting possibilities in PD. Even though it is possible to build entire tracks using PD alone, im just interested in the sound design aspect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Matta Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Cycling '74 has a similar hands-on interface, with a whole ton of free (?) software to make synths as well as music. Might be worth looking into if you like that sort of thing. Also for a more abstract but more industry-friendly way to make music that might be a little easier, although I hear it's a brain fryer for most, is Native Instruments' Reaktor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
needle ninja Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 of course, fruity loops would be my program of choice for now, but there are definitely some interesting possibilities in PD. Even though it is possible to build entire tracks using PD alone, im just interested in the sound design aspect. Pure Data looks like a primitive modular synth maker. If you like designing sounds (it is a lot of fun) check out VAZ Modular. There are a host of modular synth creators thought, some with virtually limitless possibilities. Many of them require a good deal of effort to learn, but the rewards are great making sounds that are totally new. Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supergroover Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 I didn't say everyone's favorite app, I said everyone's STARTING app (as in app to start learning to make music) you are absolutely right.. didnt read properly.. PD doesnt look my kind of DAW i think i ll stick to Qbase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemmiwinks Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 Many of them require a good deal of effort to learn, but the rewards are great making sounds that are totally new. Have fun! yeah that's exacly my problem: they take months if not years to master and in the end you can get most of those sounds (or sounds that sound VERY similar) out of already-existing synths anyway so it's all kindof a waste to me. You're MUCH better off trying to master an already existing synth and getting the exact sounds you want out of it rather than spending your time building a new one. And then, getting the right synth preset is but a tiny fraction of music making. Creating melodies, song arrangement and mixing different layers are MUCH more rewarding in the end. For example I bet you're never heard of a dude named Tadao Kikumoto, yet he is the one responsible for designing 2 of the most popular synths in electronic music, the 303 and 909... note that even though a LOT of chart toppers where made using these 2 machines, Kikumoto has never ever made a single song himself... On the other hand, most artists don't even bother designing their own sounds, they just use VSTs and concentrate entirely on the music-making part. Like I said, synth design and music making are 2 VERY different jobs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSMP Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 I have checked out PureData and it is not difficult at all if you understand how synths are built (vco-vcf-vca etc...)...the key here is that if you already have a perfectly good soft synth that does everything you want then why should you bother building one from scratch? Now, if you have enough experience and knowledge then you can make something that no other DAW or synth has: I have seen some pretty cool algorithmic composition patches for PD and also self-built sequencers and sample manipulation tools that have been built especially for very narrow purposes (not like Ableton or Cubase which are marketed to bigger crowds). PureData also understands the messages from different sensors and even the iPhone (OSC) so it is useful for installations and experimental projects. But in short, you can do anything perceptible with it, your imagination is the only limit Just check out this guys patches http://www.martin-brinkmann.de/pd-patches.html Download PD and see for yourself! By the way, PD is very good for beginners because the tutorials cover all basic parts of subtractive synthesis, so you learn by doing and seeing the results (with an oscilloscope) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelot Posted May 26, 2009 Share Posted May 26, 2009 Don't mistake designing synths with making music, those are 2 VERY different jobs well in pd its quite possible to erase the boundary between the 2... don't forget the *academic electronic music and avant garde stuff, sound designers, etc... what i think people would use it for in psy is psound design rather than algorithmically composing a track, allthough many (tracks) could easily be so composed. pd is loads of fun. mostly its just empowering. this guy came over, and first he said "turn your speakers down" then he connected an object called osc~220 to an object called dac~ and then we had a lound sound coming out one speaker. from there i figured out how to make a volume amplifier, wavetables, additive bandlimited "waves", simple step sequencers, hooked it up to midiwebcam and dicked around a bit... anyway, seems complicated and daunting at first, after about 2 minutes the thought comes to you that this is rather fun and just playful in fact. you just make boxes and connect them and you quickly get over the fear of numbers and words and typing... the documentation, examples, etc... are all in the package. its free. what the hell can you possible have to lose but loads of time and some totall fun? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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