PDCON:Workshops/Data Structures: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 08:31, 28 May 2011

Understanding and being creative with Pure Data’s data structures

Instructor: João Pais

“The original idea in developing Pd was to make a real-time computer music
performance environment like Max, but somehow to include also a facility for making computer music scores with user-specifiable graphical representations. … Pd is designed to offer an extremely unstructured environment for describing data
structures and their graphical appearance. The underlying idea is to allow the user to display any kind of data he or she wants to, associating it in any way with the display.”
Miller Puckette, Using Pd as a score language (2002)

Pure Data’s data structures are one of the few core features that distinguish Pd from Max/MSP. Yet, they’re also one of the few libraries which are used solely by a small group of users. The main reasons for this would be both the not yet very mature and complete collection of objects, as well as with the not very intuitive implementation in Pd’s language. In the end, this very powerful feature becomes (unnecessarily) too complicated to use.
This workshop is dedicated to show the possibilities of Pd’s data structures as a fruitful companion to any Pd user interested in a closer and more flexible interaction with the graphical representation of data. After attending this workshop, it should be clear for the participants on how to program with data structures, and how to approach them in a personal way, in order to integrate them in your own patches.

The workshop is divided in two parts, optionally three:

The first part is dedicated to explain how to program with data structures (also covering some of the shortcomings of its implementation).
The second part goes through several examples of data structures on “real life” situations, starting with simple display and control examples, and ending with complex patches to control / generate music in realtime (thus fulfilling the objective expressed by M. Puckette in the initial statement).
An optional third part is be devoted to working hands-on with data structures: either by adapting the given examples, or by implementing ideas brought by the participants. For that, it is requested that you contact me and send either ideas, or patches that you want to adapt to data structures.

Understanding and being creative with Pure Data’s data structure - Workshop structure

Part 1 – Implementation of data structures in Pd

basics of the data structures implementation
list and categories of objects
how to create a structure and store data
how to display data
how to edit data
managing data: interaction techniques between storage, editing and display
modularity: dynamic patching, adapting to your needs
shortcomings of the current implementation of data structures, and techniques to surpass them

Part 2 – Using data structures: analysis and expansion of several “real world” examples

[The following list is a selection of an open list, which is in constant ctualisation] Data structures as a control language

Display of 1-dimensional parameters (midi faders, sliders, etc.)
Display of 2-dimensional parameters (space representation, etc.)
A step sequencer (e.g. for your Monome)
…

Data structures as a GUI language

Expanding your GUI atoms with data structures and GOP
J. Wilkes: ds-bns abstraction
J. Pais: A step-limited editable array
J. Pais: Bezier transform function
…

Data structures as a score language and composition tool

J. Pais: temporal proportion display patch
M. Puckette: sequencer example patch
H.-C. Steiner: Solitude
G. Werner: Weird stave
J. Pais: Event recorder in score style
J. Pais: Score composition and performance patch
…

Part 3 – Work on patches brought by the participans

Contact me and send either ideas, or patches that you want to adapt to data structures.

Teacher

João Pais studied composition in Lisbon, London and Freiburg (m. spahlinger) as well s electronic music (Mesias Maiguashca). From 2003–05 he was a tutor in the electronic music studio in the Musikhochschule Freiburg. Pais has continued his education with courses in Lisbon (Emmanuel Nunes), Paris-IRCAM (Salvatore Sciarrino), and Darmstadt (Germany). Between 1997–2001, with colleagues Diana Ferreira and Luís Antunes Pena, Pais founded and directed the Jornadas Nova Música in Aveiro, Portugal, a festival dedicated to new music. With Alberto C. Bernal and Johannes Kreidler / Enrique Tomás, Pais plays in the electronic improvisation trio Endphase, which already presented itself in many countries in Europe and China. In the Endphase Workshops Pais uses Pure Data. Pais is a Pure Data user for many years, and is also active in the development – jmmmp abstractions, embedded in Pd-Extended –, in the documentation – FLOSS Manuals’ object list (among other chapters) –, and in the dissemination –through his Endphase workshops, and through the organisation of the Pd-Berlin user’s group – of Pure Data. Pais uses Pure Data for his performances, as well as for his everyday sound processing and composing work. Lately he is also involved in developing several tools for both electronic as well as acoustic musicians (audio tester, ardour+jack control patch, Click Cracker, …). Pais currently lives in Berlin.

Links

Pais’ Pd page
Click Tracker software
jmmmp abstractions – or /extra/jmmmp in Pd-Extended

@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 structures and their graphical appearance. The underlying idea is to allow the user to display any kind of data he or she wants to, associating it in any way with the display.”<br />''Miller Puckette, Using Pd as a score language (2002)''</blockquote>
-Pure Data’s data structures are one of the few core features that distinguish Pd from
+Pure Data’s data structures are one of the few core features that distinguish Pd from Max/MSP. Yet, they’re also one of the few libraries which are used solely by a small group of users. The main reasons for this would be both the not yet very mature and complete collection of objects, as well as with the not very intuitive implementation in Pd’s language. In the end, this very powerful feature becomes (unnecessarily) too complicated to use.<br />
-Max/MSP. Yet, they’re also one of the few libraries which are used solely by a small
+This workshop is dedicated to show the possibilities of Pd’s data structures as a fruitful companion to any Pd user interested in a closer and more flexible interaction with the graphical representation of data. After attending this workshop, it should be clear for the participants on how to program with data structures, and how to approach them in a personal way, in order to integrate them in your own patches.
-group of users. The main reasons for this would be both the not yet very mature and
-complete collection of objects, as well as with the not very intuitive implementation in
+The workshop is divided in two parts, optionally three:
-Pd’s language. In the end, this very powerful feature becomes (unnecessarily) too
+* The first part is dedicated to explain how to program with data structures (also covering some of the shortcomings of its implementation).
-complicated to use.<br />
+* The second part goes through several examples of data structures on “real life” situations, starting with simple display and control examples, and ending with complex patches to control / generate music in realtime (thus fulfilling the objective expressed by M. Puckette in the initial statement).
-This workshop is dedicated to show the possibilities of Pd’s data structures as a
+* An optional third part is be devoted to working hands-on with data structures: either by adapting the given examples, or by implementing ideas brought by the participants. For that, it is requested that you [mailto:jmmmpais@googlemail.com?&body=Hi%20Jo%C3%A3o,%0A%0a contact me] and send either ideas, or patches that you want to adapt to data structures.
-fruitful companion to any Pd user interested in a closer and more flexible interaction
-with the graphical representation of data.
-The workshop is divided in two parts. The first part is dedicated to explain how to
-program with data structures (also covering some of the shortcomings of its
-implementation). The second part goes through several examples of data structures
-on “real life” situations, starting with simple display and control examples, and
-ending with complex patches to control / generate music in realtime (thus fulfilling
-the objective expressed by M. Puckette in the initial statement).
-If time allows, an optional third part would be devoted to working hands-on with data
-structures: either by adapting the given examples, or by implementing ideas brought
-by the participants.
-After attending this workshop, it should be clear for the participants on how to
-program with data structures, and how to approach them in a personal way, in order
-to integrate them in your own patches.
 ===''Understanding and being creative with Pure Data’s data structure'' - Workshop structure===
@@ Line 45: / Line 32: @@
 ===Part 2 – Using data structures: analysis and expansion of several “real world” examples ===
-[The following list is a selection of an open list, which is in constant actualisation]
+[The following list is a selection of an open list, which is in constant ctualisation]
 Data structures as a control language
 * Display of 1-dimensional parameters (midi faders, sliders, etc.)
@@ Line 65: / Line 52: @@
 * J. Pais: Score composition and performance patch
 * …
+===Part 3 – Work on patches brought by the participans===
+* [mailto:jmmmpais@googlemail.com?&body=Hi%20Jo%C3%A3o,%0A%0a Contact me] and send either ideas, or patches that you want to adapt to data structures.
 ===Teacher===
-João Pais studied composition in Lisbon, London and Freiburg (m. spahlinger) as well
+João Pais studied composition in Lisbon, London and Freiburg (m. spahlinger) as well s electronic music (Mesias Maiguashca). From 2003–05 he was a tutor in the electronic music studio in the Musikhochschule Freiburg. Pais has continued his education with courses in Lisbon (Emmanuel Nunes), Paris-IRCAM (Salvatore Sciarrino), and Darmstadt (Germany).
-as electronic music (Mesias Maiguashca and Orm Finnendahl). From 2003–05 he was
+Between 1997–2001, with colleagues Diana Ferreira and Luís Antunes Pena, Pais founded and directed the Jornadas Nova Música in Aveiro, Portugal, a festival dedicated to new music.
-a tutor in the electronic music studio in the Musikhochschule Freiburg. Pais has
-continued his education with courses in Lisbon (Emmanuel Nunes), Paris-IRCAM
-(Salvatore Sciarrino), and Darmstadt (Germany).
-Between 1997–2001, with colleagues Diana Ferreira and Luís Antunes Pena, Pais
-founded and directed the Jornadas Nova Música in Aveiro, Portugal, a festival
-dedicated to new music.
 With Alberto C. Bernal and Johannes Kreidler / Enrique Tomás, Pais plays in the
 electronic improvisation trio Endphase, which already presented itself in many