hey guys...

i'm a hobby musician type - in fact i'm currently procrastinating instead of studying for my end of uni exams.. (as one does)...

basically i've been spending more time researching/messing with my audio setup... and have finally got something i'm fairly happy with (guitar/bass/keys etc)... and have been using "reaper" on PC for my DAW... mainly because its cheap! (well after i decided pirating was wrong - before that i was using live)

anyhow ive heard alot about max/msp and its "free" cousin so to speak.. puredata... i'm wondering wheter it wuodl be useful for me to learn it?

i'm a rock/metal music fan really... but i do like some more "computer music" stuff... i'm wondering if there is anything here for me above and beyond what normal vst synth plugins + drum samples would do??

i dont really know what i want from it... i guess i want to be able to make my own and slightly different music compositions - seeing as i'm more or less solo in my music'ing... obviously they'd have a large guitar flavour to them...

ok i'm sure this post makes NO sense... but what do you reckon??

thanks!
vinay

I think you can search the web or in this community for patches that other users had created for puredata. There are many useful patches out there. In the future you can start learning puredata and create your own special sounds or edit the patches you find from others.
Good exploration!

RethMusic01

Hey there Vinay,

Welcome to Pd forum!

I'm very tempted to say no, but I don't believe in discouraging anybody from trying. Firstly, get on with your bloody exams, completeing college will do you so much more than getting into Pd right now. Pd is highly addictive, don't start. I'm still in rehab, I'm not even supposed to go near a patcher program, but I'm just connecting a few objects together to steady my nerves, I can give it up any time you know...

Seriously though... I'd love to hear what a rock dude does with Pd and look forward to hearing your music. Pd has a fairly steep and long learning curve and is not immediately useful to the casual musician. Pd goes *far* beyond VST plugins and drum samples, though the price to pay for that is
some work to understand the plumbing.

I applaud you for your feelings about moving from warez software. Might I suggest a program called Ardour? (also free software), which is a traditional multitrack like Protools. You could use Pd as effects, a drum machine or sampler, or grab some synths others have contributed to get inspiration for a track, but it sounds like for you it is not the program to use as your main composition tool. And I will love you to prove me wrong

Look out for net-pd and Syntax the nerds "bag of tricks" which are both accesible ways into Pd for a musical beginner.

What makes me think you might get some value from it is that you say you'd like to make your own "slightly different" music. Nothing will give you more scope for individualism and breaking away from tired old sounds you get from popular applications. If this is a big motivation then yes... it will influence your musical style like nothing else.

You'll get plenty of help and advice from the knowledgeable and friendly Pd community if you choose to stay with it.

See you after your final exams...

Thanks guys... uni most definately comes first... 3 months and you'll all have to call me "dr vinay"... well actually no one will have to call me that... nor would i want them to!

I guess... music is one of my passions so to speak... i'm very out of practice with my instruments - but there I know what I can do - and what i can do with a bit more practise... i have some old examples on http://myspace.com/drvinay - though those are really quick stress relief compositions...

Now that I'm almost at the end of my medical training - i'm sort of going back and thinking how I was "this" close to going into software engineering.. (i'm a computer nerd from way back... ahh DOS... how I loved thee)... and PD does sound like a fun way to give my music that "different edge"... i envision some type of jazz/instrumental/metal/computermusic hybrid - heheheh ... oh well we'll see...

I was very much thinking of switching to linux - but then i discovered some of the PC/mac guitar amp sim software (revalver MkII in particular... which I can pick up for 75 euros as a student)... and unfortunately... linux does not as yet have anything like that.. nor does ardour have the midi capabilities (yet anyhow).. that mainstream pc/mac progs do! And I can't really afford a mac!

So it'll have to be puredata on windows + whatever else i'm using... if anyone else can convice me why linux would be better - i'm all ears.... (luckily my audio interface is nicely supported there!)

I was just listening to some of your songs Obi - i really enjoyed them (especially the one for a lazy afternoon!) ... and now i'm very much looking forward to getting some pure data time in after exams... i'll get to "nerd it up" so to speak... and be musical at the same time!

If anyone here has any more rock stuff done with the help of this type of software... please let me know!

Have fun guys,
and thanks once again!

Nice. Well, if you can make it though med school (respects to that) I believe you'll master Pd. Just remember the song

The [osc~] bone's connected to the [*~] bone...
the [*~] bone's conected to the [+~] bone...

> nor does ardour have the midi capabilities (yet anyhow)

Ardour 2.0 is in the pipe though ... however I think you're wise not to
swicth platform for the sake of one or two programs right now.

> Obi - i really enjoyed them (especially the one for a lazy afternoon!)

Thankyou. My mate Wig and me jamming.

good luck with your finals (almost) Dr Vinay