<![CDATA[Detecting audio volume level on Pure Data for GEM visuals.]]>Hello! First forum post, dunno if I'm doing it right, but I think this is where I post.

I was wondering if I could have pd detect audio levels of an audio and use that for intensity of an object motion on GEM. I want to do a visualizer for music but I didn't use pd but I still would like GEM's unique imagery. Please let me know if this is possible.

(xtra info: I'm going to export several isolated sections [drums, synths, bass] all into audio files and play them back on pd all at once, with each audio file having a visual shape attached to it with an assigned motion based on how loud the audio is.)

]]>http://forum.pdpatchrepo.info/topic/15880/detecting-audio-volume-level-on-pure-data-for-gem-visualsRSS for NodeMon, 11 May 2026 11:41:51 GMTFri, 08 May 2026 17:24:26 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Detecting audio volume level on Pure Data for GEM visuals. on Fri, 08 May 2026 17:24:26 GMT]]>Hello! First forum post, dunno if I'm doing it right, but I think this is where I post.

I was wondering if I could have pd detect audio levels of an audio and use that for intensity of an object motion on GEM. I want to do a visualizer for music but I didn't use pd but I still would like GEM's unique imagery. Please let me know if this is possible.

(xtra info: I'm going to export several isolated sections [drums, synths, bass] all into audio files and play them back on pd all at once, with each audio file having a visual shape attached to it with an assigned motion based on how loud the audio is.)

]]>http://forum.pdpatchrepo.info/topic/15880/detecting-audio-volume-level-on-pure-data-for-gem-visualshttp://forum.pdpatchrepo.info/topic/15880/detecting-audio-volume-level-on-pure-data-for-gem-visualsFri, 08 May 2026 17:24:26 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Detecting audio volume level on Pure Data for GEM visuals. on Sat, 09 May 2026 19:11:32 GMT]]>@fossicks Welcome to the forum...!
https://curiousart.org/digital_proj/pd_eBook.pdf
Around page 264...... especially [env~]
A great resource for working with GEM and Pd.

And you might like this...... waveform-vanilla.zip
David.

]]>http://forum.pdpatchrepo.info/topic/15880/detecting-audio-volume-level-on-pure-data-for-gem-visuals/2http://forum.pdpatchrepo.info/topic/15880/detecting-audio-volume-level-on-pure-data-for-gem-visuals/2Sat, 09 May 2026 19:11:32 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Detecting audio volume level on Pure Data for GEM visuals. on Fri, 08 May 2026 19:25:51 GMT]]>@whale-av lolol apologies, getting use to this forum. fanks for the move, will note for next time. :]

]]>http://forum.pdpatchrepo.info/topic/15880/detecting-audio-volume-level-on-pure-data-for-gem-visuals/3http://forum.pdpatchrepo.info/topic/15880/detecting-audio-volume-level-on-pure-data-for-gem-visuals/3Fri, 08 May 2026 19:25:51 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Detecting audio volume level on Pure Data for GEM visuals. on Sat, 09 May 2026 08:23:38 GMT]]>@fussicks said:

I was wondering if I could have pd detect audio levels of an audio...

See the [slop~] help patch for an amplitude (envelope) follower -- called "peak meter" in the help patch.

hjh

]]>http://forum.pdpatchrepo.info/topic/15880/detecting-audio-volume-level-on-pure-data-for-gem-visuals/4http://forum.pdpatchrepo.info/topic/15880/detecting-audio-volume-level-on-pure-data-for-gem-visuals/4Sat, 09 May 2026 08:23:38 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Detecting audio volume level on Pure Data for GEM visuals. on Sat, 09 May 2026 18:23:20 GMT]]>vu meter maybe works Screenshot_2026-05-09_19-19-04.png

]]>http://forum.pdpatchrepo.info/topic/15880/detecting-audio-volume-level-on-pure-data-for-gem-visuals/5http://forum.pdpatchrepo.info/topic/15880/detecting-audio-volume-level-on-pure-data-for-gem-visuals/5Sat, 09 May 2026 18:23:20 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Detecting audio volume level on Pure Data for GEM visuals. on Sun, 10 May 2026 09:49:39 GMT]]>@willblackhurst said:

vu meter maybe works

Works for which part?

The screenshot you posted shows that the vu meter object doesn't do the volume measurement itself. It only displays the dB level that you've calculated on your own. So I don't think that object is relevant to OP's question (which is, how to calculate the volume level, and for which there have already been a couple of suggestions in the thread).

hjh

]]>http://forum.pdpatchrepo.info/topic/15880/detecting-audio-volume-level-on-pure-data-for-gem-visuals/6http://forum.pdpatchrepo.info/topic/15880/detecting-audio-volume-level-on-pure-data-for-gem-visuals/6Sun, 10 May 2026 09:49:39 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Detecting audio volume level on Pure Data for GEM visuals. on Sun, 10 May 2026 16:28:50 GMT]]>numbers come out the bottom as the music goes in the top

]]>http://forum.pdpatchrepo.info/topic/15880/detecting-audio-volume-level-on-pure-data-for-gem-visuals/7http://forum.pdpatchrepo.info/topic/15880/detecting-audio-volume-level-on-pure-data-for-gem-visuals/7Sun, 10 May 2026 16:28:50 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Detecting audio volume level on Pure Data for GEM visuals. on Sun, 10 May 2026 17:05:23 GMT]]>@willblackhurst No. It takes floats in and you need something like [env~] or [slop~] to convert (sample...) the signal to floats first.
In extended there was also a specific binary to do a tailored conversion.... [pvu~] from iemlib.
It allowed to set a release time too.... so a sort of "hold" for the meter.
David.

]]>http://forum.pdpatchrepo.info/topic/15880/detecting-audio-volume-level-on-pure-data-for-gem-visuals/8http://forum.pdpatchrepo.info/topic/15880/detecting-audio-volume-level-on-pure-data-for-gem-visuals/8Sun, 10 May 2026 17:05:23 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Detecting audio volume level on Pure Data for GEM visuals. on Sun, 10 May 2026 18:56:38 GMT]]>@whale-av well in the help file it has audio going in the top

]]>http://forum.pdpatchrepo.info/topic/15880/detecting-audio-volume-level-on-pure-data-for-gem-visuals/9http://forum.pdpatchrepo.info/topic/15880/detecting-audio-volume-level-on-pure-data-for-gem-visuals/9Sun, 10 May 2026 18:56:38 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Detecting audio volume level on Pure Data for GEM visuals. on Sun, 10 May 2026 23:21:37 GMT]]>@willblackhurst said:

@whale-av well in the help file it has audio going in the top

Those are number boxes going in the top, with thin message cables, not audio cables 🤦 are we looking at the same help file?

hjh

]]>http://forum.pdpatchrepo.info/topic/15880/detecting-audio-volume-level-on-pure-data-for-gem-visuals/10http://forum.pdpatchrepo.info/topic/15880/detecting-audio-volume-level-on-pure-data-for-gem-visuals/10Sun, 10 May 2026 23:21:37 GMT